Well-designed Garden by John Brookes

I have several gardening books, I usually pick them up in 2nd shops. I especially like garden design ones and ones specifically for small gardens.

I like the design layouts and the planting schemes.

Given I buy them 2nd hand the books are often old (70s and 80s) and the design aesthetic reflects this.

When I saw a book by designer John Brookes in my library I was pleased to see it was relatively new (2007).

It is very good... the photography is especially inspiring and his design processes very interesting. For example looking for patterns in the surrounding environment.

These are just screaming out to be stitched!

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields

Poppies 2008, handmade felt, 6"x4".

Blue Sky 2008, handmade felt, 6"x4"

Wildflowers 2008, handmade felt and paper, 6"x4"

(apologies for the quality of the photos)

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (7)

I don't think I can say these are completely finished until they are no longer in my possession but so far I think they are finished...






They're all 6" x 4". I'm not sure how I'm going to frame them. I have toyed with the idea of putting them on a box canvas rather than under glass.

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (6)

Some oranges and yellows..


some flower stitches sketches

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (5)

I stitched some more paper flowers...


I need to get some yellow in there...

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (4)

So... I took it apart...

and came up with these. Please excuse the makeshift frame.


This one is so bright, I love it! The yellow flowers are detached chain, one inside another. The blue is felted silk fibres (very holey and tactile).

The top one is finished, but for the second one I'm going to stitch a line following the line of the hills. This one is also slightly padded so there will be a 'quilted' effect.

I'm very pleased with both of these although I reserve the right to rip them up and start again!

I think I'll experiment with framing too. Perhaps use a wider mount...

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (3)

This is a long one...

so after giving up on the green field, I started to stitch the wheat field using my paper mock up to work out size and placement of the wheat ears.

But yet again any stitching I did was quickly unpicked. I'm glad felt is so forgiving. I'm keeping the straight stitches but have given up on the wheat ears. They looked too cumbersome in the scale I wanted.


So, I moved on to the 'pools' field, using blanket stitch to attach the blue silk felt, I then stitched around the shapes using running stitches. I liked the ruching effect.


I also joined the two pieces together using blanket stitch and weaving some wool. The idea was to create a fence/hedgerow effect and I planned to add some poppy and other flower heads on top.

But then it all looked a bit too busy, and I wasn't happy with the haphazard running stitch, I should have put more thought into the contours the land would take. So I unpicked the fencing, and the running stitches...

I decided to go back to my source material (part of my City & Guilds course) and look at my thoughts on boundaries (how to join the fields) and how to stitch the fields.

And i came up with this...


I decided to concentrate on the flowers and fields rather than the structures that bind and separate the fields.

I also ran out of dark yellow stranded cotton, so I haven't finished the straight stitch wheat field. I added some white daisies which I hoped to 'drift' across the 'pools' field but the white was far to loud, so I changed it to purple (its definitely purple and not the blue shade in the photo)...

Of course the whole piece looks top heavy now with all the poppies! I will work around it, as I am NOT unpicking french knots! The poppies are a mixture of handmade paper and red felt (from Toddler Girl's out grown coat)

I also tried something out on the green field which I think looks promising.

Its purple handmade paper, stitched down with back stitch.

So... bit of a saga really. But I'm enjoying the process. I may still spilt the piece again (it was originally suppose to be 3, 6"x4" pieces) and I love the colours. Very vibrant and hopefully not too challenging.

Toddler Girl's out grown coat also has a gorgeous lining, which I think I may use to back this piece.

But that may be a waste!

making time

I'm struggling (again) to make time to make things. In fact I wish I could actually make time, I might feel I'm getting stuff done.

I need to feel like I'm getting stuff done... I need to tick things off my neverending list rather than just adding more and more stuff to it.

oh dear.

I have spent the last 2 weeks stitching my green fields piece for my July exhibition. And then unpicking it... the size and placement of the stitches were wrong wrong wrong.

so I photocopied the felt pieces and glued them together and used this actual sized paper piece to draw my stitching ideas.

So far this has been a useful exercise, although I haven't actually stitched it yet, I'm now too busy phaffing about with colour!

I have decided to relax and enjoy the process of making these pieces. I had in my head that I needed to produce 2 a month to make 12 for July. Which, given my work rate, is quite unrealistic and I felt abit disheartened about it.

If I 'only' produce 3 or 4 pieces then so be it. I will present some of my design work and process too. I love to look at other peoples sketchbooks and try to follow their thought processes, so others may be interested in my phaffing.

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (2)

I've done the most stitching for this piece, however I have unpicked it all!

I didn't like either one of these attempts. I wasn't happy with the scale of the stitching or the quality.

however I do love my paper poppies.

And I think I prefer the change to the layout.

I have now decided to leave the grass field unstitched and start work on the wheat field.

Exhibition 2008 - Green Fields (1)

This piece is inspired by my work on a C&G project (Green Fields Throw) which in turn was inspired by the landscape around me.

My July exhibition seems a good opportunity to use these ideas.

At first I was going to do three different pieces using handmade felt. I love stitching on handmade felt and wanted to use some of the stitches from Sharon B's Take a Stitch Tuesday Challenge.


I apologise for the very scrappy design!

When I was playing about with the felt and cutting to size (I love the irregular edges and wanted to keep that) I decided to try out a patchwork effect, which was the original idea for the throw.

It currently measures 40cm x 30cm

I added the felted silk tops under the holey felt and added the brown (ploughed) field. And I really like the effect. I'm now thinking of making some red felt poppies for the bottom right hand field and continuing with a wheat field cycle idea in the top left field (straight stitch, wheatear, bullion knots).


For this one I want to play about with scale and mix it up. And be big and bold...

Baby Girl's asleep....

on her own.....

I'm way behind with my stitching.

Take a Stitch Tuesday
I've completed my cross stitch sampler and I've nearly finished my up and down buttonhole. I think I have another 3 weeks to do to catch up!

This sample is probably more about the background fabric than the stitching! Its leftover from some samples I did for a City & Guilds project.

I'll post the instructions later.

Black & White Journal
NO progress. Only more ideas!

Green Fields Throw
I have started the surface stitching on the pieces of felt I have already made. Its not much (lots more to add) but a start.



I need a new to do list!

green fields throw - the story so far

This is my third piece for my City & Guilds Certificate in Craft and Design (Embroidery).

I wanted a blanket/throw inspired by agriculture landscape. The initial vision was of a felt patchwork with surface embroidery. As usual I got a bit distracted and spent time constructing other types of fabric. Most of them unsuitable for a blanket! I should have spent more time on different felt making techniques.

In the end I settled on a traditional felt making method (wool tops combed and layered then rubbed with some soap and a lot of elbow power, then rinsed).

I'm using merino wool tops from Texere in 4 colours - Lincoln Green, Mustard, Gold and Olive. I blended the colours to produce this colour sample book:-

The actual patchwork design was determined by the largest size of felt I could make (I was pregnant at the time and it is physically hard work!).

The finished throw will be approx 110 x 85cm.

So far I've made 4 out of the 7 pieces. These 3 form the middle band (without stitching)


The stitches I've chosen include:-
buttonhole (like in the middle above)
straight/seed (shown below)
wheatear (shown below)
cretan (I think)

I like the freeform edges of the felt and intend to use these lines both internally and as an outside to the throw.

So...

To Do list

*make the 3 other pieces.
a light yellow piece (30 x 85cm)
a light green piece (45 x 25cm)
a dark green piece (45 x 25cm)
*Start surface stitching!
*Decide on how I'm going to join the pieces together... a simple straight stitch?

My goodness. That's a lot of felt.

to do

*ATC for Yahoo swap
*action plan for green fields throw (I MUST I MUST I MUST)
*some black and white stuff!
*prepare fabric, plan and start stitching cover to stitch dictionary
*catch up with Take a Stitch Tuesday - cross stitch and barred chain

endless possibilities! part 3

another one

endless possibilities! part 2

here I used a close up of a Tyvek sample I made for my green fields throw