Wordless Wednesday

Advertisements

Stitchbook Collective: Texture

The Stitchbook Collective is off and running! Our first pack arrived a day early – wow! I was jumping up and down with excitement. Little packages of delight.

A present I have given myself, each month for a whole year – it feels so good.

Then the joy of opening them all up and seeing what is inside …. all there waiting to be played with….

The Texture and Starter Packs are available to buy individually, with unlimited access to the video tutorials.

As a child, I used to go and stay with my step-grandmother, I called her Dabbity, and she would have little embroidery projects ready for me to make – it reminds me of that – Helen and Dabbity have merged together in my mind, it is warmly comforting to have those memories revived.

Once again (like in the Starter Pack) there are 9 tiny samples to create – this is the first one I did

It inspired me to think about making a larger one, with just the large cross-stitches to hold the fabric pieces to the back ground – so I’m off to get some more calico.

The next was a loopy one – I love these loops

and then a spider’s web inspired piece, weaving the textured thread through the spokes

I am having fun with these.

One of the best things about this ongoing project is the Facebook Group that nearly all of the 150 in the Stitchbook Collective are members off. We share pictures of our work and aspects of the processes we go through. It amazes me to see the rich variety created from much the same materials and what gems are created on tiny areas of calico.

Do you have any embroidery on the go at the moment?

Leave a link in the comments, I’d love to see what you are up to.

Pastel Mandala Madness

Work-in-Progress Wednesday

It is WIP-busting time here. This project has been lying patiently in the pile since August 2017. It was originally started as one of a pair for my twin Grandaughters, but I decided that it would be more practical to make their blankets in SSDK  so this project was put away….. until now.

Here is a link to my Photo tutorial for the Spiro Star Centre. and how it connects to the Mandala Madness pattern

Both patterns are by Helen Shrimpton, and she kindly gave me permission to share how I joined the two together. There are superb video tutorials by Esther from Its All in a Nutshell.

The Colours I have used are (in order of use): Moon Stone as the main colour, Rose Quartz, Citrine, New Jade, Larimar, Amazonite, Axinite, Pink Quartzite, Green Agate, Crystal Quartz.

Made with Scheepjes Stonewashed, 78% Cotton, 22% Acrylic, Sport/Baby weight and a 3.5mm hook. The colours are wonderfully subtle shades, easy to blend for an ombre effect, but have not come completely true in the photo. Go to the Scheepjes link to see truer colours.

Colour order Round by Round as follows:

Round 1: Moon Stone

Round 2, 3 : Rose Quartz

Round 4, 5: Moon Stone

Rounds 6,7,8,9: Citrine

Rounds 10, 11: Moon Stone

Joining Round 1: Pink Quartzite

Joining Round 2: Moonstone

Joining Round 3, 4, 5: New Jade

Joining Round 6: Larimar

Now you go to

Round 20 in Part 2 of the Mandala Madness pattern: Larimar

Round 21: Larimar

Round 21: Larimar

Round 22, 23: Moon Stone

Part 3

Round 24: Amazonite

Round 25 and 26: Amazonite and Citrine

Round 27, 28: Amazonite

Round 29:Rose Quartz

Part 4

Round 30: Axinite

Round 31: Pink Quartzite

Round 32, 33, 34: Moon Stone

Part 5

Round 35, 36: New Jade

Round 37, 38: Green Agate

Round 39: Larimar

Round 40: Crystal Quartz

Round 41, 42: Moon Stone

~~~

This completes the colour order as shown in the top picture.

The lack of stretch in the cotton yarn takes a bit of getting used to but I love the colours and the feel of the piece – strokable – verrrrrry strokable.  🙂

 

Windows

It is the first Tuesday of the month, time to share some photographs of WINDOWS, our theme for the whole of 2019.

I have to admit it crept up on me this month, as the last few weeks have been busy with grandchildren on their summer holidays – I’m one very happy but very tired Granny!

So I have been dreaming of holidays – and thinking of windows seen on holidays in the past – this one with shutters in a little beach shop on Nevis in the Caribbean in May 2017

Love those colours together.

In contrast, this one seen on a walk to Pickering from Whistle Stop Cottage last November

A trip to London and the view from a window high up in the Tate Modern, looking out over the Thames.

and a bizarre shop window in Tokyo from November 2015

Do you have any window photos to share this month.

All are welcome whether they are current or archive posts – sometimes it is fun to revisit blog posts from a few years ago. To join in you can put a link in the comments of this post anytime until the next month begins on the first Tuesday in October.

 

Sunday Calm

 

meditate

doodle and relax

sunday calm

~

 

Interactive Art

Question: Do you like the sound of Squeaky Gates?

I would hate to have one outside my house, but on a walk, I often open and close gates several times to really hear the nuances of the sounds, my grandchildren look at me quizzically – just Granny being Granny!

This one is near Compton Abbas

and this one at Kingston Lacy

I have often thought, if I knew how to do it, I would create some kind of music out of the sounds, so I was delighted to discover that Alastair Duncan of Still Walks has done just that. Here is a link to his Soundscapes.

Alastair has been exhibiting his interactive weaving and is currently working on an exciting new project: Art and Audio Interactivity.

Very exciting! I hope to get to see his work as part of an exhibition in London in October at the Espacio Gallery

 

All together now

All Zoya Matyushenko patterns.

I am in awe of her talent.

I have made three others as presents, but these are all mine! 🙂