Good morning, good morning, its another colour-fest this morning, hope you're not feeling delicate cos these are knock-your-socks off Bright. With a capital B.
Following on from Wednesdays stitchy reveal, I've been inspired to show you some more of my work.
My textile work is made using pure cotton fabrics, bought from an amazing mail-order company called Strawberry Fayre. They stock 200 plain colour 100% cottons, as well as prints and wonderful charm packs, and furthermore, they are lovely lovely people to do business with.
Each image is built up in layers and is mainly stitched using free machine embroidery where you lower the feed and use a darning foot, moving the fabric under the needle to "draw" freehand with the stitches. It has taken me many years of practice to be able to do this competently, but now it's as easy for me as drawing with a pen.
I love to use hand embroidery to add detail to the the finished piece though, there is something lovely about hand stitch, something so personal. I think whenever you see hand embroidery, you can just picture the maker sitting and working quietly with needle and thread. I never feel my applique pieces are complete unless they have some hand stitch added.
Goodness, but the colours zing, don't they??!! Even I am a little overwhelmed!
I have tried using softer colours in the past, have tried limiting my colour palette, but it never works out for me.
There's something about such vivid colour combinations that absolutely makes my heart sing, and when I am working directly with fabric and playing with colour in this way, I do get very very excited :: remember the Dahlia Walk? Well yes, I get the same giddiness with fabric too, no surprises there really.
The above picture, the tulips in the zig-zag jug is one of my favourites. It measures 15cm x 21cm, just to give you an idea of scale, and I rarely made work any bigger than this.
And these last three pieces are some of my smaller ones, they appear bigger on my blog than in real life as the originals only measure about 8cm x 11cm. I always used to leave the edges of these pieces free and "raw", rather than backing and hemming them like I do with the larger pieces.
I quite like to see the frayed edges of textile work, but I used to find it hard not to neaten and straighten the edges. I think on balance, I prefer the finished look of the larger pieces.
Oh, it's been REALLY good to have a look at these images again, it's been a while since I really contemplated my textile work.
It's been good to remember that yes, at one time in my life I was able to create
things that gave me (and other people) a lot of pleasure and
simultaneously allowed me to earn a modest living.
It almost seems
impossible to remember that I achieved that :: sometimes life BC seems
so very very distant and far away. And as much as I adore the Little People, and adore my role as a SAHM, it has rather taken over my life. Perhaps now's the time for me to start to reclaim some of my old, working life back again, create more of a balance?
I figure that if I did it once,
then perhaps I could just do it again?
So, once again *thank you* for your enthusiasm and encouragement, you have given me the confidence to think that I can do this. Your feedback is invaluable, and I am so grateful to you for giving it so generously.
I will keep you posted, an etsy shop possibly??? :o)
xxxxxxxxxxx
Edited to add:: you probably know this, but if you click on the images, they will enlarge and pop up in a separate window :: you can then see more of the stitch detail in close-up :: Love that!
Non avevo mai visto un lavoro così bello!
Posted by: Maria | October 21, 2011 at 06:44 PM
I love your applique work. I hope you won't mind that I've posted up the photos of your work with the link on my (very new) blog. If you would prefer that I don't, please just let me know and I'll take it down. I look forward to more lovely pieces from you!
Posted by: Hilary | September 28, 2010 at 09:45 AM
Your work is absolutely delightful. I'm glad to see that you are finding time to make your art again. I can relate. While I enjoy the being able to be home with my kids, I do look forward to the day that I can spend some time in the studio.
I look forward to seeing more of your beautiful creations. :~)
Posted by: gardenymph | October 31, 2008 at 04:28 AM
Beautiful work! I simply love the colours...I think we really have a very similar taste.
Posted by: Elizabeth | October 23, 2008 at 06:27 PM
Oh my, you are clever. I just can't even contemplate this free embroidery lark, it looks so difficult!
Hen x
Posted by: Hen | October 22, 2008 at 07:48 PM
really nice detail....
Gill in Canada
Posted by: Gill | October 20, 2008 at 11:04 PM
I love your colors and your style. I just had to show my husband your work and ended up showing your crochet work as well. I'm the person that asked the colors you used in your ripple blanket. Can I ask what colors you used for your hexagon blanket? Also, when you chose cotton, how do you care for it? I can't imagine you washing it by hand!! Finally, do you know of any vendor online that will sell you color cards for Rowan or Debbie Bliss yarn? Thank you.
Posted by: Barbara Webb | October 20, 2008 at 12:30 AM
Lucy these are fantastic! I love the Robin Hood's bay ones and the flowers are so bright and zingy. Really great!
Rosie
Posted by: Rosie Graham | October 19, 2008 at 11:15 PM
These are just precious! I've been thinking of doing something similar on a canvas to hang in my living room - definately inspiring!
Take care and have a gorgeous weekend doll!
Posted by: Alva | October 19, 2008 at 04:29 PM
Go for it! Even if initially you just do it for the love of stitching! Not everything has to be justified. You could do it just for you - remember that? Doing what you want for no reason more than that you fancied doing it? I'm sure that's what we could do BC? Couldn't we? I'm sitting in my workroom and a little person has joined me and is drawing at my sewing table with his felt pens......arggghh! t.x
Posted by: kitschen pink | October 19, 2008 at 09:53 AM
Wow! I have just stumbled across your blog and am delighted to have done so! Your work is gorgeous. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Posted by: Lisa | October 18, 2008 at 10:40 PM
lucy,
you really should look to do more of these and open your own etsy shop they are really beautiful and cheerful and just the sort of thing that makes people smile on dreary weather days.
Janettte
Posted by: Janette | October 18, 2008 at 03:01 PM
simply beautiful - and an Etsy shop is a must !!
Posted by: Gina | October 18, 2008 at 02:37 PM
I have been wanting to create textile pictures for such a long time Lucy and I think you may have inspired me to do so. You are very creative and I am sure you will be able to pick up where you left off BC.
Posted by: simone | October 18, 2008 at 01:05 PM
I have been lurking for a while but just had to post when I saw these. Wonderful vibrant colours and I love the stiching details.They are fabulous I think an Etsy store is defintely called for.Congratulations !
Posted by: rose | October 18, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Can't. Choose. Favourite.
Too. Difficult.
I would love to see a little fabric picture of number 24.
Posted by: AliceC | October 18, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Really lovely!! Thanks for showing them to us.
Posted by: Amanda | October 17, 2008 at 10:53 PM
These are gorgeous. I love love love, the last one. Thank you for sharing. Please an etsy shop.
Barbara
Posted by: Barbara | October 17, 2008 at 09:24 PM
Delurking to say: Your work is beautiful, thank you so much for sharing it with us. I especially love the zig zag jug! It's so cheerful and zings right off the screen!
By the way, where might I find a pattern for the crochet flower scarf in your previous post? I adore it and must make one for myself!
Take care,
Vickie (lurking no more)
Posted by: Vickie Curry | October 17, 2008 at 08:20 PM
Lucy they are so Lovely you are so talented. I specially love the last one of the blue vase and daisies. The perspective and arrangement are super.
Posted by: Cele | October 17, 2008 at 08:14 PM
Oh, please do open your shop, Lucy. Your creative talent truly needs to be shared with a wider audience. I am partial, of course, to your seascapes but I love these flowers too. Just wonderfully colorful and beautiful..... like YOU!
Posted by: cathleen | October 17, 2008 at 07:58 PM
Oh I love your textile work those colours are just so bright and beautiful, get thee to Etsy quick and set up shop!
Kimx
Posted by: kim | October 17, 2008 at 07:04 PM
Lucy, you are officially the happy colors princess. You have such a gift, it's impossible not to smile when looking at your work! These little textile compositions are so lovely with their stitched details.
I've been a SAHM for the past 24 years. (My youngest is now in university, but I grew too fond of making my own daily schedule!) Throughout, squeezed in amid all the kids' activities and appointments, I found creative activities such as quilting and artmaking to be essential for my own well-being.
Etsy offers great possibilities, but one possible problem... your Etsy shop would always be empty, because everyone would snap up your cheery artwork immediately!
Posted by: luanne | October 17, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Thanks so much for sharing again! I love flowers and bright colors, so these make me very, very happy :) I hope that you do get to get back to work again if it makes you happy. If you open an etsy shop, I think you should consider selling prints, postcards, and notecards of your art so that people can enjoy your art and send it to their friends, even if they can't afford a fabulous, original textile piece :)
Posted by: Megan | October 17, 2008 at 04:15 PM
Lucy they are just fabulous! You're so creative and I am an envious Clairey!!
Posted by: Clairey | October 17, 2008 at 04:05 PM