samples.......

Fragment of one of my small samplers. Top right, some tweed from my dad; top left black cotton discharged with bleach; bottom; a lovely old hankerchief which has original embroidery on it that I've embellished. It was put into an avocado, and put into the compost heap last year. The blotches come from that process. This is one more work in progress........ 

heart

Stitch on tweed.
Hell to photograph!
The patterns on the tweed play havoc with the pixilations of the digital camera-phone. In 'real-life' as opposed to digital-life, the scarlet stitching stands out much better.
I started this after the 14th of February, Valentine's Day; after seeing lots of images all over the web. And thinking about the samples I'm working on currently; how they're actually telling an oblique story. So I decided this would be less oblique, and more obvious. It's not completed; but it will tell a story that includes words, and it will make reference to recent life-events. All this work will go in an exhibition for Wakefield's November Artwalk. It feels quite uncomfortable to be making work which will (for me) be so revealing.
The heart in the stitches is whole. The work is about heartbreak. The tweed comes from my dad, who died 20 years ago. Passed onto me by Rob, after my mum died last July. Weaving connections.

rend & mend #2

Throughout December I've been stitching this. I cut up the Rend & Mend collography print (printed on rust and woad dyed cotton), and added black reclaimed silk and plant-dyed silk pieces. Then proceeded to seed stitch over the surface. 
I've also been thinking and designing some small pieces. They're still in the early stages.
I may incorporate some beautiful wool fabric (tweed?) that came to me from my dad, via Rob. It's old; my dad was going to have it made up into a suit, many decades ago. He never did get that suit, so mum gave it to Rob when my dad died. And Rob never got that suit; so it's come to me. There's loads of it, so I've given some away; and could quite fancy a skirt, or pair of trousers made from the remainder! Meantime; I've got a lot of wool to use for my fabric work.