Belated Happy New Year

I'm back in blogland and all giddy with excitement about what this year will bring.Before I flit forward though,I noticed quite a few of the talented stitchy ladies I admire,shared their year in stitches so I was inspired to give it a go too.So above is a selection of my makes of 2011 and actually it was quite a good exercise to look back and reflect on my stitching journey.I always worry that I haven't got a recognisable style so it was interesting to see several makes shoulder to shoulder and I guess the conclusion I drew was that I am definitely a 'pastel' not 'bold' lass.However I do like to inject one or two strong shades amongst the pale(such as the little redhead's tresses)

I also have definite soft spot for reproduction feedsack cottons which always seem to have such beautiful colour combinations.I had my eye on some Sara Morgan fabric for a while now and was delighted that M is for Make reduced it in they're New Year Sale so hastily purchased my favourites(at the bottom of the pile in photo)and also when I was in a fabric frenzy I purchased some Klona cotton from Backstitch. So looking forward to using my new stash or gazing at it some more(please tell me that I am not the only one who does that)

On the subject of receiving beautiful deliveries, I wanted to show you some wonderful artwork that entered the cottage before Christmas. Firstly I won Little Black Heart's giveaway on my birthday which was such an extra delight especially as I got to choose any aceo from Sal's shop!As you can see I chose a Zombie Geisha which is even more perfect in real life than on screen with her swingy hair and trailing cherry blossom.Sal's illustrations are so witty and original that you can't help but want everything in her shop..be warned!If that wasn't enough,part of my prize was four Christmas cards(which I greedily kept instead of using)To see more,there is also a Little Black Heart facebook page and blog.Thank you Sal for my lovely goodies.

If all that visual gorgeousness wasn't enough, I thought I would show you some Coramantic pieces I purchased before Christmas.I've spoken before about how much I love Yvonne's work and love the colour palette she uses and the expression she can create with line.Both pieces are beautiful as always and can't wait to frame them up.Yvonne also has a facebook page and blog.

They're wonderful aren't they.I have been drawing and stitching but thought I would save my new makes for another post so I hope you all had a lovely new year and looking forward to what it brings,

Take Care

Will I ever learn? (A very honest post)

Are you an ever prepared Penelope or(like me)a frantic Felicity?I make,make,make but come October/November time I panic.Orders flood in,the shop starts emptying and Christmas Fayres approach.'I should of made more of those and less of others' and 'Next year will be different;I'll start in June and stay focused' echoes through the cottage.The really silly thing is that I love the preparation stage and thrive on the research and sketchbook work but have a tendency to lose my way if I come across time restraints or other obstacles.I was the same through school,college and university..we would laugh about how I thrived on the adrenalin rush and to be honest I always done well as a result but I have looked a little deeper lately and made some decisions regarding this.

I don't allow myself enough time to really explore my ideas and designs so that is the very thing I want to rectify.I have a stack of sketchbooks on a shelf over my desk all mumbling in a disgruntled manner when I ignore them or add a new book on the pile.When I experiment lately I feel guilty that I'm not actually making anything that I can sell and to be honest that makes me feel even more guilty.

It's funny how you start ventures with clear ideas and goals but they often take many twists and turns and you need to step back and look at where you really want to go.I want to work on clearer more coherent collections and maybe not so many one off pieces.Everything of course will still be in limited amounts and as they are embroidered by hand they are each different anyway but I hope focusing on one or two themes will work well. 

So that is what I have done and have decided that the I really want to explore embroidery much more and combine it with my artwork as much as possible.I had plans for producing embroidery patterns next year anyway so this fits in well with my vision.

I want to explore the 'So Sweet' range much more and have been working on some embroidered pendants like the one below which are based on colour themes and using mostly darning stitches.I'm really enjoying making these and have been wearing one myself nearly every day since I made it.I'm trying to get them into the Folksy shop as soon as I can and will be taken them to Delapre Abbey Christmas Fayre 

So I'm going to have a break from blogging until after Christmas but I will still be reading your lovely blogs and keeping the Folksy shop stocked.So I really hope you can be patient with me and maybe you could pop back after Christmas so I can show you the new and shiny Gracie's Garden Bazaar(hope you have a lovely christmas too!)

Makes in process : Day three

A sketch of a 'Jorinda' doll I am hoping to make.Jorinda(the love of Joringel)was turned into a bird by a wicked witch and after many years of singing her sorrowful song in a rusty cage she was saved by her love and transformed back.Grimm ended his tale in the traditional happy way however I wondered if after all those years Jorinda might have still had some birdy ways and what if she hadn't completely transformed back...would they live happily ever after?

Thanks for popping by,

Makes in progress:Day two

Patchwork pincushions waiting to be put together and adorned with little bees...

Playing with clay

As promised here is a glimpse of the first of my makes in progress. She needs an awful lot of beauty sleep so I have to whisper but a bit of sanding and some colour on those cheeks and she will be ready to parade her peculiarly pretty face.

See you tomorrow,

thanks for popping by

Finally I can focus...what joy!

The title of this post has two meanings.As of late I have been struggling to focus on which creative path I want to skip along and also quite simply my poor tired eyes have been suffering too.

Years of very late night reading and detailed stitching have taken their toll on my eyes.For the last couple of months every time I sat down in front of the computer screen to tip tap out some little words to your good selves;I ended up with streaming blurry eyes and headaches.So off to the spectacle shop I finally stumbled where I was presented with some lovely shiny new spectacles.

Everything looks so bright and fresh!I feel a little bit silly that I hadn't realised sooner that I needed them especially since my mother and grandmother are spectacled but I've always had a tendency to overlook the most obvious explanation(quite literally in this case!)So now I have a new addition to my wardrobe..lots of fun to be had.

If you are regular caller you might have noticed that I've been redecorating my blog and I'm still mucking around I mean redesigning it so bear with me please.Headache free computer using is a bit of a novelty at the moment so I got a bit carried away!

Regarding not being able to focus creatively,I have been working through quite a lot of custom orders lately but with new work I have been slightly flitting from one idea to another.So I thought I would just show the newest pieces that I have listed on Folksy over the past couple of weeks and then each day this week I'll post a picture and a brief description of my unfinished makes.(I thought that would be a good way to get back to blogging regularly)So here goes..

Tweed lollipop phone cover

Tweed butterfly purse

ACEO

ACEO

Cord Flower purse

Tweed flower purse - SOLD

So lovely to have a catch up and I'll be back tomorrow.Have a lovely day,

Take care

Poring over Pages :Part Two

I have had another lengthy absence from my dear little blog so you are perfectly entitled to frown at me and tap my sorry wrist.I have been busy making but I'll show you those next time.So this is my second book appreciation post and my chosen book is Early Twentieth Century Embroidery Techniques by Gail Marsh which I first borrowed from the library and after taking it out three times decided I should definitely get my own copy.

As the title suggests the volume is about embroidery techniques used in the period 1900 to 1939 but I think this volume has a lot more to offer than many other technique or historical reference books.Using sumptuous images and detailed diagrams the book is  visually stunning as well as instructive and inspiring.

The author uses examples from the RBKS Collection at Gawthorpe Hall where she is curator and reading the book feels we are being taken on a privileged tour of the collection.She also tries out the techniques she comes across and provides diagrams so we can experiment also.The books focuses on the women(famous and unknown)who contributed to spreading the education of embroidery within all classes and it's place in the arts and crafts movement.

It's full of interesting tales and details which highlight embroidery's role in the social history of women as well as it's place in the art world.I have to say my favourite picture in the whole book was of the back of a sampler which was an absolute mass of knots..very reassuring to see.All in all I highly recommend this book and I've ordered one of Gail's Marsh's other books 19th Century Embroidery Techniques so I'm sure I'll be singing that books's praises too!

Happy reading until next time and thanks for all your lovely comments on my last post..you're very sweet:)