stitch4stitch textiles

2012-02-13T10:33:00.000-08:00

I've been busy with the paint and emulsion again, so I haven't been doing much creative work except on the walls. Whilst cleaning out one of the display cabinets (wish I was painting these instead of the walls), I came across these, a few years back I use to dabble in ceramics. I have a kiln, but couldn't get the high temperatures I needed for porcelain, as I was interested in doing porcelain dolls, made about 4. Had fun playing with clay, but we had white feetmarks everywhere from the clay slip. I also found that when I did craft fayres, I was always last out, as I had to wrap carefully everything up indiviually with bubble wrap. This made me change over to do silk painting, could get everything into a small bag and was so light.

2012-02-06T12:08:00.000-08:00

This was a lovely little bracelet to do.

Its finished

2012-01-30T09:47:00.000-08:00

Finished, now I can be creative with my dolls, beads and embroidery which I have neglected for some time. I'll have to put a notice up, No shoes, walk on hands.

2012-01-21T04:43:00.000-08:00

Nearly there, hopefully, the next time you see this rug, it should be completed.

2012-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

The room is almost finished, it has changed From this

to this

2012-01-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

In the end, I decided to give Emilea a face,its a bit scary giving her a face after she was dressed up and everything, as I have a tendency to make one eye bigger than the other.
Emilea is pleased as now she can see everything that is going on.

2011-12-31T16:27:00.001-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-12-29T02:56:00.000-08:00

Its the last fairy doll of the year, but do I put a face to her.

2011-12-24T14:10:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my friends.

2011-12-17T08:02:00.001-08:00

Tila necklace with matching earrings

2011-12-13T00:47:00.000-08:00

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

I am very pleased with this necklace that I have created.

2011-11-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

This brooch is based on brooches made in World War 1, and Textile Artist, Ingried showed our Stitch-in-9 Group how to make one.

2011-11-17T08:06:00.000-08:00

This is a little brooch I have made for our guilds Christmas competition, we had to make a corsage with our name on it and this is my creation, or should I have said it with flowers.

2011-11-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

A surprised bunch of flowers from hubby. They're lovely, but is there a motive to this, I wonder what he's after!!!

2011-11-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

2011-10-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

This hanging I have made for the Embroiderer's Guild exhbition "Mining the Golden Seam" which on at the moment at Bishop Auckland. I am told there are some fanastic preces on show, I'm going tomorrow to see it for myself.

2011-10-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

We had fun at our Stitch-in-9 meeting last week, we stitched for about an hour in natural fabrics and threads , then painted dye onto them.

2011-10-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Progress report, I'm half way, so I'm half way finished. This is lovely to do on a night time, just sitting down and following the pattern, haven't got to use my brain and think what colour should I use next.

2011-10-15T07:38:00.000-07:00

9 stranded bracelet. I may open my Folksy shop again, just in case anyone may like these to give as a gift.

2011-10-07T10:05:00.000-07:00

THe beaded flower.

2011-09-30T00:32:00.000-07:00

This was a fairly simple necklace to do, but getting the tension right between the pearls was a nightmare. After taking it out 3 times and doing it again, always ending up with the same result, I decided to leave it Designer.. Melita

2011-09-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

This is my winter project. I'm the third person to have this rug, the other 2 people did a little bit to it and then tired of it. Hopefully, I'm not going to pass it on to anyone else to complete.

2011-09-12T05:12:00.000-07:00

It certainly changes it having put the dye on it, I've dyed a backing piece of fabric but not sure whether to have blue on blue and red on red or turn it around so that the blue is on the red.

2011-09-05T04:47:00.000-07:00

Where has the summer gone, September already. Just returned from a great 3 day workshop with Ruth Issett at skipton.We worked hard stitching into natural fabric such as cotton, linen and silk in neutral colours and then dyeing. Hee is one of my pieces before it was dyed.

2011-08-25T02:54:00.000-07:00

2011-08-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

2011-08-13T06:27:00.000-07:00

Met Pollyanna, she has just made it in time to go with Phillippa to our exhibition at the Witham in Barnard Castle.

2011-08-06T03:30:00.000-07:00

2011-07-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

Met Phillippa, she is hoping to meet up with a few friends at Witham next month.

2011-07-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

2011-07-14T00:12:00.001-07:00

This necklace is made from toho seed beads in peyote and herringbone stitch.

2011-07-06T06:13:00.000-07:00

This is the latest necklace that I have made from seed beads in albion stitch

2011-06-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

I was given these few pearls as a present, so I've made this bracelet with them.

2011-06-24T03:09:00.000-07:00

This brooch is made from paper at a workshop by Jill Flower.

2011-06-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

At last I've got my wings, Sandals and flowers, ready to go to the Sunderland Museum where they are having a Fairy grotto.

2011-06-09T08:50:00.001-07:00

Freestyle peyote beading

2011-06-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

If you are in Sunderland, I hope you will be able to find the time to visit the Textile Exhibition

2011-05-28T02:51:00.000-07:00

2011-05-24T10:36:00.001-07:00

From this

to this

2011-05-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

Hi, I'm Flora, a flower fairy. Still need my wings and my dress is going to be embellished with beaded and lace flowers.

2011-05-13T10:05:00.000-07:00

Getting started was the hardest part, I pulled the first four rows on both sides out several times and nearly gave up, pleased I didn't as I love the necklace. Designer Melita.

2011-05-12T01:36:00.000-07:00

Necklace designed by Melita.

2011-05-05T03:19:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to have been given this piece of handstitched embroidery. It was made by an apprentice embroiderer in the early 1900. It's absolutely beautiful, the stitching is so neat and delicate. How they managed to stitch this in candle light is unbelieveable.

2011-04-28T02:24:00.000-07:00

If you are visiting Sunderland in the North East of England, please visitthe Museum and Winter Gardens to see our exhibition of Textile Art.

2011-04-24T02:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter. I've completed my Leaf necklace, I really enjoyed making this and love the end result. (designer Sue Stallard)

2011-04-15T01:19:00.000-07:00

Meet my goddess, Arianna, goddess of what? I haven't decided yet. I did her at a workshop by Helen Cowans, a great tutor, full of lots of inspiration and ideas. The best part is that I almost had her completed on the day except for stitching on the hair and tassle. This only took about 30 minutes when I got home. Arianna is now hanging proudly on my wall, not like some of my workshop projects lying unfinished in a box.

2011-04-11T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hi, if you wondering what I've been up to this last month, this is what I've been doing. Sitting on a stool which is perched on top of scaffolding tower painting the ceiling and staining the beams. This contraption was the brilliant idea of my son, much better than keep on going up and down the step ladders. The cats thought this was great. Thankfully, I've almost finished the ceiling and I allowed myself yesterday off before starting on the walls and went to a workshop organized by the Embroiderers' Guild.

2011-04-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

This is a pendant to a necklace I am doing. The designer is Sue Stallard. The leaf was fun to make and I am surprised how rigid it is. Only the chain to make now, but Lucy said that she had been negelected for long enough and sat on my beading tray stopping me playing and having fun.

2011-03-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

This bracelet was made at a workshop run by Melita.

2011-03-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

This is what I've been doing weeks or maybe months. We moved here over 10 years ago (a derelict farm) and this room never got finished. Instead it just became a junk room. Late last year, I told hubby I was sick of seeing all the junk in the room and wanted it transformed into a useable place. It has taken several weeks to get it to the stage of the first photo, and now it has been plastered. I have spent the last week cleaning plaster from the floor and the beams. Just a few more beams to go, thank goodness, befoe I can stain them and paint the ceiling. Then to start on the floor. Should we have wood or stone. Decisions, decisions.

2011-03-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

I like this brooch as I've added a few layers of sheers.

2011-03-10T07:40:00.000-08:00

Just had a wee bit of fun playing with tyvek making this little purple rose brooch.

The 1st day of spring

2011-03-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

and here to prove it, is my one and only crocus, but I do have lots of snowdrops.

More Poppies

2011-02-26T03:33:00.001-08:00

The poppies have grown and opened, the poppy and corn field are complete. The only snag for me is that the poppies look like red frog spawn and I can not get this image out of my mind, so this makes me undecided whether I should put it into the exhibition.

2011-02-24T01:30:00.000-08:00

This is the last piece I am doing for an exhibition. Once again, it is based on poppies. I've painted pelmet vilene, then I free machined the mountains and corn field. I have started to hand stitch into the corn field and eventually it will have loads of poppies added to the buttom. Free machining the scenery was very theaputic for me, foot flat down on the machine, just enjoyed going backwards and forwards.

Fly Stitch

2011-02-19T04:23:00.001-08:00

Finished

2011-02-14T10:09:00.000-08:00

Its finished, its long enough (although I can still add on if I want), its got all its tassles and I've also added a free machine poppy.

Just for fun
How many animals can you get into a pair of tights (pantihose) Answer next posting.

Work in progress

2011-02-09T08:01:00.000-08:00

This is a piece I am doing for an exhibiton called "Natural World" by the Stitch-in-9 Textile Artists of which I am a member. The exhibition is being held at the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens in May. Just a couple more tassles and a little stitch here and there, and then hopefully it will be finished. The inspiration for this wall hanging comes from the colour of poppies and a workshop I did with Gwen Hedley.

2011-02-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

Once you managed to do the first inch, this was an easy stitch to do.

A Bag with many pockets

2011-01-30T03:59:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to make one of these bags for ages to use up some of my surplus fabrics, but didn't have the courage to put scissors to fabric, then my friend lent me a pattern and there was no stopping me. Just wondering now whether I should make another one.

Mam's teaching them bad habits

2011-01-27T05:45:00.000-08:00

The kittens are now 5 weeks old, eating well and litter trained. Next week they will be ready to go onse their new adventurto their new homes. I will miss them. Their mother is teaching them some bad habits by trying to get them to go upstairs.

2011-01-23T14:46:00.000-08:00

Although I have seen tila beads before, this is the first time that I have used them. I'm pleased with the finished bracelet and it didn't take too long to make. Design by Melita.

2011-01-18T03:09:00.000-08:00

I'm back, been away to Malta for a week. Had a lovely time. Now I'm ploughing through the hundreds of emails and catching up with the household chores, and then I'll be back playing again. Here are a few photos of Malta and Gozo.

2011-01-06T05:29:00.000-08:00

5 Stranded Black Necklace

2011-01-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND CREATIVE 2011

2010-12-27T14:21:00.000-08:00

A pair of fairy shoes, all I have to do now, is to make the fairy to fit the shoes

2010-12-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish you all a great Christmas and hope you have a very creative 2011.

2010-12-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Another crazy patchwork bag, just finished in time to be a Christmas pressy.

2010-12-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

A little pair of earrings to match the necklace. I decided to make another set, so I could keep one for mrself.

2010-12-12T05:41:00.000-08:00

I've just finished this necklace, it was supposed to be a Christmas box for someone, but I'm liking it alot, so it might be a christmas pressy to myself.

2010-12-08T07:39:00.000-08:00

Its our embroiderer guild this Saturday (weather permitting), and for the competition we were given a bag to embellish, we could take the bag apart, but all of it had to be use. I decided to do some crazy patchwork on mine.

2010-12-04T04:33:00.000-08:00

What a surprise to see this little fella trying to hop around this morning, I really felt sorry for him.

2010-12-02T02:53:00.000-08:00

Still snowing.

2010-11-26T08:49:00.000-08:00

What a day we picked to go to the Knitting and Stitching Exhibition, but once we got there we had a great time and came back with lots goodies and empty purse.

2010-11-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here are 2 beaded snowflakes which I have made for the tree.

2010-11-20T02:53:00.000-08:00

and now for the body.

2010-11-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

Feather Stitch

2010-11-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well, you can all have a good laugh. I've done a little bit more, to add to her wonky eyes, she has now buck teeth and sticky upside down ears and she looks like a monkey. She's going to need more than a hairdo to improve her looks. But I'm having fun and I've enjoyed the needlefelting and she brought a smile to my face and thats what it is all about..

2010-11-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Haven't got much to show you this week except for this baldy headed, wonky eyed needle felted head. Hopefully,it will look better when the hair goes on.

2010-10-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Meet Teagan, the woodland goddess, the leaves are turning from green to different shades of pinks, falling from her hair to the ground below. Not quite finished, but I'm leaving her at this stage for the time being.

2010-10-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

Didn't realise that its been a week since my last posting. Where have the days gone too. I'm a little further on with the doll, have painted the trunk and I'm busy embelishing it. Will have to paint the arms and hands, but what colour, pink, brown,green. I will be covering them up with slashed chiffon or something like that. She will have another hairdo, which will be embelished with leaves.

The next stage

2010-10-17T10:33:00.001-07:00

Enjoyed doing this next stage, very messy but I think the end result is very effective and really does look like the bark of a tree. Its made from cotton wool paper. As I had plenty of paste left after the first dress, I thought I would made another one so I had one that I could practise painting and embellishing on.

2010-10-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

The next stage. I'm pleased that my fabric arms and hands didn't turn out, as I feel these paper clay ones are more suited. Although I have played with paper clay before, I haven't sculpt with it. I'm pleased with them and I have just found a recipe for paper clay which I'm dying to try.

2010-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

Had a lovely time down in London, all went over far too quickly. I've done alittle bit more to my doll, pleased with the head but the arms and hands have not turned out how I wanted them. With the dolll only being 10 inches tall, I had great dificulty turning the fingers, infact I couldn't, tried a glove hand but I wasn't happy with them. In the end, I have put used a wire for the arms and fingers, going to cover this with paper clay. Hope this will work.

2010-10-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I've just manage to finish this memory book and have posted it this afternoon, hopefully it will arrive on her birthday on Friday as a surprise. I'm off to London tomorrow and will go to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Ally Pally on Thursday and Friday. Hope I've got enough spending money.

2010-09-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

One of the many things that I'm doing, I have just started a stump doll, it is for an exhibition next year called"The Natural World" and I would like it to resemble a tree. the stump body looking like bark, branches for fingers, and either branches and leaves coming out of her head, or just leaves for her hair. Whetherr I'm just dreaming this or whether it will work, only time will tell, but I've made a start and I'm pleased the way the body has turned out.( the head doesn't belong to this doll, was just lying on the table, so pinned on body)

2010-09-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

This is a fabric postcard I have made to awap.

These are a few of the lovely postcards I have recieved from the group Art4Mail, some very talented ladies among them.

2010-09-24T07:44:00.000-07:00

Great news, I've actually finished the patchwork cover and is now on his bed. Keeping my fingers crossed that the seams will stay put and not come apart after being man handled by my son. Sorry that the picture is a bit dark but the due to where he has his bed.

2010-09-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

This is what I was doing yesterday, doing some beadwork, I've done three components and need another two,then I will make it up into a necklace.

2010-09-14T04:36:00.000-07:00

Now, I wish I could stop being a dabbler, but I saw some tooth pick dolls and just had to have a go. They are less than 3" in height, a little fiddlely to do and made from 4 tooth picks. They were fun to do and will I make any more? I think I will as there's alot of room for improvement.

2010-09-11T04:17:00.000-07:00

Blackberries are early this year, when I was little we used to go blackberry picking on our weeks holiday from school in October called Blackberry week. I've already frozen some and made some jam. I'm just wondeing what next to do with them as there is still plenty on the branches. Maybe make some wine??

2010-09-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

Doesn't the time fly by, the kids have returned to school, the nights are drawing in, dark by 8pm and the leaves are falling. Summer has almost come to an end.
Still busy with my douvet cover, hopefully it should be completed by next week and then I can play again with my dolls, although I did find time to felt this little keyring

2010-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

For once, my husband thinks I'm making something useful for a change, instead of making dolls and other embroidered items. I'm making a douvet cover for my sons bed. I thought I had lots of blue fabric, enough to do it in 4 inch squares. I've cut out over 800 squares and still cutting. My pile of blue fabric has disappeared. The first side is completed, thank goodness. It seemed a good idea when I started but now I'm wondering. Just have to keep plodding on.

2010-08-28T03:08:00.000-07:00

After an exhausting week, our 'Stitch-in-9' exhibition on 'Dressing Up' has come to an end. It was good fun, lots of interesting people came through, sold lots of little bits but not any of the big items were sold. This was our last exhibition of the year. We have already got plans for next year, our first one will be at the Museum in Sunderland in May.
During the week I did find time to do this rather interesting workshop on twisting metal.

2010-08-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

The exhibition work went up without a hitch, everything just seemed to gel together nicely. We are now hoping a lot of people will come though the doors with lots of money to spend.

Just for fun, each member dressed up a hat. The one below is made by our honorary member, Alice.

2010-08-18T23:53:00.000-07:00

Meet Sara and Lara. Always wondering where to put those plastic carrier bags you are always accumulating, well keep them tidy by placing them up their skirts. This is a pattern designed by Sherrie Goshon.

I am off now to pack the car with all sorts of goodies for our exhibition and then travel down to Barnard Castle. We open at 12md so have alot of things to do before then and I Hope we have a good week.

2010-08-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Last week, I volunteered to help man the Embroidery Guild's exhibition at Alnwick Gardens. What a wonderful day we had, lots of interest and hopefully this may have encourage some new members. We did have time to have a quick look around the gardens, absolutely full of inspiration and lovely flowers

Hi Needlewings, your gift has been posted today, could you let me know when it arrives, thanks.

2010-08-16T05:49:00.000-07:00

Stitch-in-9 exhibition starts this week, so if you are in the area(north east of England, and have 10 minutes to spare, why not pop in. We are manning this exhibition ourselves, so there will be a member of Stitch-in-9 there each day to have a chat to.
For some reason I can not get the poster to load, so here's some more info.
"Dressing Up"
The Gallery, Witham Hall, Barnard Castle.
Thurs 19th Aug- Wed 25th Aug 2010.
Free Admission
Thurs 12-5pm, Fri & Sat 10-5pm, Sun 12-4pm, Mon, Tues & Wed 10-5pm.

Giveaway Winner

2010-08-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Its my blogs 1st anniversary and as promised the lucky winner is going to be announced today.
The winner is "NEEDLEWINGS".
Thanks to everyone who left a comment.