St Monans Art Festival

Framed and ready to be hung on Tuesday for the St Monans Arts Festival 17th-19th September.

2 new pieces of stitching, 1 framed differently and 1 from a previous exhibition.

No Pom Pom or stones...

I also need to produce ANOTHER piece for the Fife Art Exhibition.  This needs to be finished by Friday... 

I have no specific design work to show... its all in my head... 

eek...

Drawing Stitches

More drawings of stitch ideas for my Black & White fabric book inspired by my Take a Stitch Tuesday samples.

Drawing Stitches

To get me back doing something I used my Take a Stitch Tuesday Moo cards and drew some stitches and shapes.

This was inspired by my motivate me post yesterday but also by Sharon B's For the Love of Stitching Band Sampler posts, where she is documenting a rather large and growing band sampler. Her photos of the stitches are lovely... makes me want to do one too!

I am especially taken by the patterns she makes with the stitches, hence my exploration (in ink) of my own handstitching.

Half a Mile to Pittenweem

Fife Art Exhibition is on at the Kirkcaldy Musuem and Art Gallery until 28th November.

My picture is up and it is in a brightly coloured room! I'm very pleased with it as it holds your eye in a crowded room.

Next year I'm aiming for the BIG picture room. I'll need to create something at least 75cm x 50cm, preferably over a box canvas...

I'm thinking of something random (is that possible for me?!?!?!!?) and highly textured and not as pictorial as my previous submissions... my box of beads is calling.

Back side of Half a Mile to Pittenweem

Half a Mile to Pittenweem

Finished. I am entering it into the Fife Art Exhibition which is at the Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery (1st - 28th Nov).

I'm really pleased with it. I had intended to use finer threads for a more impressionistic effect. But when I started stitching, I liked it chunky. More sketchy. And bold.

I wish I had taken some WIP photos. As usual I stitched then unpicked then stitched and unpicked (several times). I liked the colours and the contrast immediately but the weaving/darning technique took some trial and error. Especially the green field.

I still want to do more with my colour experiments and stranded cottons.

I entered Patch of Sea last year. It was a piece developed as part of Sharon B's Sumptuous Surfaces course on Joggles. The brief was to use neutral tones, which is not a colour palette I usually use. I was really happy with the result but at the exhibition it was hung in the neutrally toned room. Next door was the big bold colourful room. THAT is the room I want this year! Although Half a Mile to Pittenweem is only 10cm x 10cm.

Obviously I have to get selected first. I maybe shouldn't be so picky about how it is hung...

The inspirational photograph. Taken half a mile to Pittenweem, from St Monans.

Half a mile to Pittenweem - colour

Continuing my exploration of colour for Half a Mile to Pittenweem I've done another colour wheel using my watercolour pencils. I've done some 'breakout' colour schemes for the dominant colours of the piece - yellow, green, blue.

I want to play with this more, and try out some threads...

Half a mile to Pittenweem - colour

using what threads I had to hand I quickly knocked up this darned sample.

its obviously unfinished but it looks quite horrendous...

Things to work on:-
the direction of the warp and weft, especially in representing perspective.
the weight of the thread... use textured in foreground OR keep it all stranded cotton...
get the tones right... consider variegated threads...
do some samples on layering colours... colour of fabric, warp and weft. I feel an equation coming on...

Half a mile to Pittenweem

This was one of the pieces that I didn't complete for my exhibition.


I liked the lines and the blocks of colour and texture between the road, fields, water and sky.

I've toyed with some ideas on how to execute this but after reading through the colour lessons in Sharon B's Sumptuous Surfaces and Studio Journal courses (I'm catching up!) I started thinking about combining some colour theory ideas and this photo. I also want to use this technique of darning to execute it... I've had the instructions knocking about my desk for ages.

I think I'll play about with some complementary schemes and layering of colours...

I have this piece earmarked for this years Fife Art Exhibition, which I assume is in October.

Exhibition 2008- Half a Mile (1)

I took this photo one evening last year. I liked the lines and the blocks of colour and texture between the road, fields, water and sky.


I also like the two road signs! Its taken at a junction between Pittenweem, St Monans and Colinsburgh and you can see The Bass Rock and Berwick Law.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to work this one...

Take a Stitch Tuesday

My one liners of weeks 36, 38, 39, 40 and 41



a very poor showing! I like the buttonhole variations but was unable to execute the others satisfactorily.

especially lace border stitch!

Take a Stitch Tuesday - to do list

I have updated my to do list with the final stitches.

week 52 - Spanish feather stitch
week 51 - chained bar
week 50 - berry stitch (double lazy daisy stitch or double detached chain stitch)
week 49 - pistel stitch
week 48 - knotted cable stitch
week 47 - thorn stitch
week 46 - chain braid stitch
week 45 - pekinese
week 44 - zig zag spanish knotted stitch
week 43 - drizzle stitch
week 42 - twisted satin stitch
week 40 - linked double chain
week 37 - rice
week 35 - shisha
week 34 - Portuguese stem stitch
week 33 - scroll
week 32 - crested chain stitch
week 31 - cast-on stitch
week 28 - sheaf stitch
week 24 - french knots (half done)
week 20 - butterfly chain

This challenge was set by Sharon B and ran every week in 2007. I have so far completed 29 stitches five of which are one liners and not yet blogged.

My own rules were:-
1. Spend less than 15mins gathering together materials and researching the stitch - YEP
2. Use 6"x4" fabric but don't get hung up on the type of fabric! - YEP but some stitches may have benefited from a better choice of fabric
3. If a stitch is sewn then blog it no matter how 'unfinished' Not quite
4. DO NOT JUDGE always a hard one

I feel disappointed that I was unable to complete more of the stitches. I do procrastinate too much and haven't managed my time as well as I could have but the other reason I have to admit is that I just don't care about all these stitches!

Is that a terrible thing to say?

I especially enjoyed all the blanket/buttonhole stitches, but detested oyster stitch, in fact any stitch that involves wrapping the thread around the needle or knotting. Too much of a faff.

I think I'm a simple straight stitch girl....

Thank you Sharon B for a wonderful challenge and hopefully my participation will be less erratic in the 2008 challenge - Take it Further

Take a Stitch Tuesday - to do list

gulp

week 48 - knotted cable stitch
week 47 - thorn stitch
week 46 - chain braid stitch
week 45 - pekinese
week 44 - zig zag spanish knotted stitch
week 43 - drizzle stitch
week 42 - twisted satin stitch
week 40 - linked double chain
week 37 - rice
week 35 - shisha
week 34 - Portuguese stem stitch
week 33 - scroll
week 32 - crested chain stitch
week 31 - cast-on stitch
week 28 - sheaf stitch
week 24 - french knots (half done)
week 20 - butterfly chain

Take A Stitch Tuesday

ok... so I have attempted several stitches on my massive To Do list and I have to say, lace border stitch is impossible!

Take a Stitch Tuesday - to do list

I need to get back track. So this is a blogging kick up the backside. This is what I've done so far...

week 1 Herringbone, week 2 Buttonhole , week 3 Detached chain stitch, week 4 Cretan, week 6 Algerian eye stitch, week 7 Feather stitch, week 8 Fly stitch, week 9 Cross stitch, week 11 Up and down buttonhole, week 12 Couching, week 13 Knotted Cretan, week 14 Bonnet, week 15 Oyster, week 17 Running, week 18 woven and whipped wheels, week 19 Basque, week 21 Crossed buttonhole week 22 Satin, week 23 Wheatear, week 25 Long and Short stitch, week 26 Half Chevron week 27 Bullion knots, week 29 Arrowhead week 30 Buttonhole wheels

So out of 24 stitches I have attempted, I have tried 9 for the first time.

This is what my sample book looks like

this is what I need to do:-

week 42 - twisted satin stitch
week 41 - lace border stitch
week 40 - linked double chain
week 39 - reversed buttonhole bar
week 38 - knotted buttonhole band
week 37 - rice
week 36 - cable chain stitch
week 35 - shisha
week 34 - Portuguese stem stitch
week 33 - scroll
week 32 - crested chain stitch
week 31 - cast-on stitch
week 28 - sheaf stitch
week 24 - french knots (half done)
week 20 - butterfly chain

out of 15 stitches still to be done (FIFTEEN!), 13 are new to me.

I think this is why I am so far behind (as well as my procrastination and low attention span). I need to be in front of the laptop whilst I stitch as I have no idea how to do a lace border stitch or crested chain.

My priority is to attempt these new stitches, even if it is 'just' a straight line.

I think I will combine some stitches and do a larger sampler that can be folded out. Lace border stitch, linked double chain, knotted buttonhole bar, cable chain stitch, Portuguese stem stitch and crested chain stitch look like good candidates.

so. I need to get stitching with my laptop.

Take A Stitch Tuesday

an updated list for Take a Stitch Tuesday...

week 39 - reversed buttonhole bar
week 38 - knotted buttonhole band
week 37 - rice
week 36 - cable chain stitch
week 35 - shisha
week 34 - portuguese stem stich
week 33 - scroll
week 32 - crested chain stitch
week 31 - cast-on stitch
week 28 - sheaf stitch
week 24 - french knots (half done)
week 20 - butterfly chain

Take a Stitch Tuesday catch up

I need to crack on with my Take a Stitch Tuesday to do list. Its HUGE. To this end I have cut up some old white curtain fabric (washed but not ironed!) and looked out half a dozen different black threads (stranded cotton, wool, perle etc) and have just got on with it.

No procrastination....(a first?)

So far I have done three stitches (posted below). All are firsts for me so I really enjoyed just using the basics, also I think they work well in black - like mark marking.

Does any stitch NOT work well in black? ... maybe knots....

My new updated list...

week 33 - scroll stitch
week 32 - crested chain stitch
week 31 - cast-on stitch
week 28 - sheaf stitch
week 24 - french knots (half done)
week 20 - butterfly chain

buttonhole wheel

Take a Stitch Tuesday, week 30 - buttonhole wheel. Enjoyed this one too. like the raggedy holes and stitching outwith the lines.

arrowhead stitch

Take a Stitch Tuesday, week 29 - arrowhead stitch. Really like this stitch! It works so well for pattern making.

half chevron stitch

Take a stitch Tuesday, week 26 - half chevron stitch. Quite liked this stitch, especially when done freestyle!