Welcome to my blog.
A place to record and share my musings and my work.
'Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?'

Wednesday 7 October 2020

A Moment of Understanding


Starting my post today, with a glimpse into my studio space, which is
 appropriate, as I spend many hours, whiling away the time in there.
Inevitably, I have had lots of time to reflect on my practice .....
Over the weeks I have come to the realisation, that it doesn't matter what
technique I use, my work takes on the same form.
It's difficult to put into words, which is why I have taken so long 
to write this.  Instead as, " a picture is worth a thousand words", 
I will use photos of my work to illustrate.


Multiform Crochet


Knotting (Using macrame stitches)


Soft Sculpture


Textile (using embellishing and needle weaving on found object)


Rag Rug (Using needle weaving on edge)


Textile


Grids (free machine embroidery)

I could provide many more examples but what does all this say ....
I might just have found my voice!
Stay safe and happy stitching.









Wednesday 19 August 2020

Food for Thought


I was posed a question following my last post. What is the new normal?
                    Mmmm! food for thought ... the dictionary definition of normal is: 
                     Conforming to a regular pattern, habitual, routine. In that respect
life hasn't changed for me at all. I get up more or less the same time,
                 perform my everdyay tasks, walk our dog, Daisy and spend time in my studio. 
            I keep in contact with friends and family via social media, telephone and Facetime,
                   which I must admit has become a life-line. Outside my bubble however things are very different but as the months have gone on, have become routine in themselves. 
               To stop myself becomming overwhelmed, I tend to concentrate on living in the moment,  taking pleasure in the little things and counting my blessings, which are many. 
Stitching gives me time to think and reflect. The slow process seems to 
free my mind to wander .....  not always a good thing!!!
               

The proverb on the frontispiece of one of my vintage sewing books seems 
apt. Words I have been mindful of during this time, although I have
 been the one learning. I took advantage of an opportunity to join the
 TextileArtist.orgCommunityChallenge2020 ... 7 weeks of stitch challenges
from world-renowned textile artists, exploring techniques and sharing 
the results. This had the effect of shaking me out of the inertia, 
 brought about by the pandemic and it's possible implications.The tasks took
 me out of my comfort zone and helped me adapt. I learnt a lot
and enjoyed interacting with like-minded people.


Began a book, which serves as a reference guide,stitches used, materials, 
my experiments etc. and helps me to map the slow progression 
of the weeks.


Week 5 (Emily Jo Gibbs)


Week 4 (Richard McVetis)
So lucky to receive the benefit of their expertise for free.

This inspired me to carry on with small pieces of my own work.


Week 9 Concrete Poetry (postcard size)

We are now in Week 20 and I have got my mojo back. 
Will leave you with an image of the piece I am working on now.


Stay safe, keep calm and carry on.

Thursday 23 July 2020

It's Been a Very Long Time



It has indeed been a very, very long time since I have shared anything.
Our lives have moved on and the world has changed! 
It is hard to express why I stopped blogging. It just seemed at the time 
that words failed me and I had nothing to say.
All that changed with the publishing of our new website this week. I've always wanted to put a blog on the site and now I can. Mind you, I'm finding this new Blogger format difficult to use, so I may regret my decision. I can't seem to access either the right or left sidebar for editing. If anyone out there can give me any tips, I would be grateful.
So, what's been happening with us over the last five years ......
We gave up our gallery in Pateley Bridge a while ago now but as you know artists never retire, they just fade away! 
In the pic above Ethel is wearing a vintage fairisle jumper which I have darned and rebuilt. One of my new big passions is the Visible Mending Movement. I've always been into recycling and reusing so this fits my ethos perfectly. I love the slow, meditative rhythmn of the stitching and putting new learned techniques into practice. Also I've got something new to wear on cold winter days, so it's a win, win!
Not going to write too much today, just 'dipping my toe in the water'. 
We are still Shielding from the dreaded virus until the end of this month and then we'll see. We lead a pretty isolated life so it's not been too bad. Waiting to see about a hip replacement and that's been a bit of a trial. Not keen to go into a hospital setting just yet, so trying to make the best of my limited mobility. Enjoying more studio time and for starting these posts up again.


This picture says it all!
Stay safe and happy stitching everyone.