Patched Work: Rimmed in Red

The other afternoon, I was sitting in a coffee shop minding my own business, when a bright flash shot through my mind an an image of this work appeared. No kidding... it was just like a flash of bright light and in the middle of it I saw this piece, clear as day, then poof... it was gone.


I quick grabbed a napkin and jotted down the image along with a few notes, and went right home and began to stitch.


This piece has so many of the elements that intrigue me... texture, line, color, pattern, as well as that which appears old, patched, stitched and repaired. I enjoyed working on this so much that I think many more should come, different sizes and colors, bits and pieces... lots of ideas!


And yes, being the easily distracted person that I am, I know that there is a good chance by next week I will be onto something else, but I have a feeling this may actually keep me intrigued for a bit longer then my usual attention span allows!


Well, lookie there... I already did a second piece! And just like in the previous piece each patch is first hemmed under and rimmed in a red hand stitch, then it is discreetly hand stitched to a base patch, (also rimmed in red) which is made up of two layers of fabric.


The finished works are then hand stitched to a piece of 140 lb. cold press watercolor paper, making it a breeze to mat and frame!


I know that the work is very simple by nature, but it is done in a slow, thoughtful, meditative way, (and takes a whole lot longer to create then one might think). What is left out is often as important as what is left in, and simplicity can be deceptively challenging!


These untitled works have been listed in my shop here and here.

More works are to come.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Different Approaches

Two new small stitched pieces to share with you. One in fabric and one in paper. Both take their inspiration from the local farms, but approach things from very different directions.


This cute little representational piece is called House With Red Chimney. You can't get any more clear or straight forward then that, (and yes, it's a mighty long name for such a small work!)


It measures 3" x 4" and is made from small bits of shot cotton, and quilted with a variegated cotton thread.


The other piece approaches its subject matter from a more abstract direction. This piece is called Silo, (specifically a grain silo... see all the little seed stitches inside the circle!)

For this work, instead of stitching a representational image of a silo, I've just used some of the lines and shapes of a silo, such as the round top, and the metal ladders that extend up the length of silos.


For the base of this work, I used one of the pieces of handmade paper from my first batch, (that I made from recycled manila envelopes and grass clippings) but before stitching on it, I applied a thin coating of beeswax.


To finish this work, I mounted it onto another piece of (uncoated) handmade paper, and left some of those edges peaking out from behind. The edges remind me of what I imagine an old treasure map would look like, and I think it would be fun to stitch some treasure map work!

Both of these new works, along with a few others have been added to my shop :-)

The Best of Both Worlds

Just a quick post to show some new pieces.


I have been flipping back and forth between stitching small works, (they all measure between 3 and 4 inches!) on both fabric and paper...


Stitching with the fabric feels old and familiar, a language I am pretty comfortable with...


Where as with the paper, making it by hand first, and then stitching into it...


feels new and exciting, (and is for now is satisfying my somewhat constant curiosity itch)!


I have listed the works shown here in my shop, and will be listing some more soon.

Hope you all have had lovely weekend and wishing you each a wonderful week! xo

Handmade Paper and Little Weavings

Let me start off by saying how much I appreciated everybody's wonderful comments in regards to my last post. Forever restless and feeling like I am in some way flawed because I have a hard time staying on track with one thing for very long, (trust me this was a trait that met with much disapproval during my formative school years) your comments instead made me feel that this was a positive quality! That's a good thing, as I have once again moved onto something else to explore...


I awoke the other day with a sudden urge to make paper, something I haven't done in a good 15 years. Luckily, as the process is simple and the materials are easily accessible, it all came back to me very quickly, and I was off making paper in no time!


In order to make paper you first must make a pulp. To make my pulp I shredded old manila mailing envelopes and other unwanted mail and documents which I soaked in water and pulverized in a blender. After pulling some sheets of paper from this pulp mixture, I decided to add some more interest with bits of torn red tissue paper and dried grass clippings from the yard. (That's the great part of making paper, all the different things you can add to the mix!)


Once the paper was all dried, I selected a couple of pieces and did tiny little weavings directly into and on top of the paper.


For the first little weaving, I used a variegated blue perle cotton yarn. I strung the warp, (the vertical threads in a weaving) directly through the paper, then wove the weft, (that would be the horizontal threads) right on top of the surface.


A hand stitched boarder was added for the finishing touch. The piece was mounted on another piece of handmade paper the same size to give the back a nice clean look, (I never like a messy back on anything).


The next little weaving was done with a variegated sewing thread, (Sulky Cotton Blendables). I love all the different stripes created in this one.


Two hand stitched boarders were added to this piece, and then the work was mounted on a slightly larger piece of handmade paper.

Both of these works are now available in my shop...


here...


and here.

And if you would like to see some really wonderful examples of stitch work on paper, be sure to check out the work of both Contemporary Embroidery and Missouri Bend. Without a doubt they have both inspired me.