cross stitch

First of all I would like to let you know that I seem to be having a problem with commenting on some of your blogs, not all, but enough to make me feel frustrated with the blogger the last couple of days.

So, it is not that I don't want to come and visit, I am not able to :(( I hope this will get sorted out soon.

I haven't done much stitching this week, at the moment I am preoccupied with our tax returns.

As most of you in UK would know, 31 January is the last day for submitting tax returns.

If you haven't done it by that date, a big bad wolf will come and eat you. Well, not quite, but he will impose a hefty fine !

At least I wanted to catch up with your blogs, but as I can't, I looked for a subject which would hopefully interest some of you -  cross stitch.

I am not really a crosstitcher myself. I get bored with repeating the same very small stitch over and over. And it is hard on eyes. But -

recently I came across this book.

Quote: "this book is perhaps the first to document all the different motifs by origin used on traditional costumes", meaning Palestinian embroidery.

It is very different from the normal cross stitch kits you buy in the shops.

The book is full of beautiful, colourful designs, enough to make you want to take up cross stitching.

Isn't it beautiful?

I would like to try to use some of the designs on a quilt sometime in the future.

My record on cross stitch embroidery to date is very poor, yet it was probably the first stitch we all learnt.

A few years ago, to try to remedy this fault, and to take a project on holiday, I bought 2 kits, one for me and one for my DD (she is so much better at cross stitch then I am).

This is my one.

I saw these particular kits at a craft show and immediately they caught my eye. Why? Because the designs were so different. They are taken from watercolour paintings of the artist Michael Powell and I just love them. I wish I could afford to buy one of his watercolour paintings. Do have a look at them here .

Sadly, my cross stitch became UFO, but now and then in the summer it sees the light of day and I manage few stitches. A long way to go yet....

Enjoy your weekend!

pre-Christmas mutterings

I did not intend to start my post in this way, but events, as they say, overtook me.

 Vaclav Havel, a former president of the Czech Republic and a great statesman, died today.

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I have some wonderful childhood memories of Christmas, spend usually in my grandmother's house, on the edge of a village, deep in the Czech countryside. These paintings by Josef Lada remind me so much of that place (less the ruins in the background). Yes, there was always snow. I remember the time my parents and I were picked up late in the day from the train station in the next village and driven in a horse drawn sleigh, through a spooky forest, the only light being a reflection from the white snow, and arriving to the warmth of my grandmother's country kitchen, smelling of baking and freshly cut Christmas tree. Memories......

I have always been fortunate to be able to spend Christmas with my family, be it with my Czech family as a child, and later with my own family in England. I have always tried to pass on that little bit of Christmas magic to my own children, and in the last few years to my beautiful grandchildren (although I could never quite manage the horse drawn sleigh here in England).

When my children were away studying, we told them not leave anyone on their own at Christmas time. So there was the time we received a call from our son, a day before Christmas: "mum, there is this girl from Australia, she has nowhere to go for Christmas". So arrived Katherine, with a bottle of Bundaberg and spent the holiday with us.

We have not always been able to be all together. There was that tearful "I miss you" phone call on a frosty Christmas Day from our offspring travelling in Australia. But we just put it down to those "few" beers on the beach :)

But Christmas can also be a difficult time for some people, those without a close family or friends, or those touched by a recent personal tragedy or loss, and feel that Christmas will never be the same again. Hope is a great thing and they say that time is a great healer...

In the words from Slade's Christmas song:

Look to the future now
It's only just begun.

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I wish you all a very peaceful and safe run up to Christmas!

I would like also to take this opportunity to thank you all for your friendship and support.

Oh, and talking about friendship.

I have just finished reading a beautiful book "Astrid and Veronika" by Linda Olsson.

It is about two women from different backgrounds, one young and the other old, who form an unlikely friendship and learn each other stories.

Thank you Gudrun for recommending this book on your blog.

Jane Hall

I would like to return to my last week's post. Not all the pictures I took at the Exeter show have come out. Sometime I find difficult to take pictures at shows, with the interference of all the other lighting.


One of the pictures missing was the one I took of Jane Hall's small stand. Jane Hall is an embroiderer and a fabric artist with an enormous talent. She studied Design Embroidery and now works from her studio in Dorset.
I had the pleasure to meet this petite young lady at a talk she gave to our embroidery group a couple of years ago. Her work is beautiful. She takes her inspiration from the nature around her and the results are fantastic three dimensional pieces of art, worked mainly in silk, fabric & thread; many varieties of flowers, leaves, moths, butterflies, dragonflies, cobwebs, beetles, lacewings, tree bark; they all form "the cloth of nature", as she calls it.

I bought her book " Reflections of Nature" some time later and I am glad I did, it is a shear pleasure to read and to look at.
This is not "how to" book, there are no projects and no instructions. It is Jane's creative journey, from when she was a little girl, having tea parties with fairies and looking for tree-men in the woods with her grandmother. Her world has probably always been full of magic and this reflects in her work. She is an inspiration to anyone doing or interested in embroidery.
Please have a look at her website here and while you are there, do take a look at her wedding dress.
There is also a short introduction to her DVD:  http://youtu.be/XEMQlw7YNSQ.

Solveig Hisdal

I used to knit a lot many years ago, but with changing fashion and new stitching interests, knitting needles found their way into a draw. But with so many beautiful wools and designs around I felt recently that I would like to "knit something", but I could not find the right project.
My dilemma was solved when I came across this beautiful book by a top Norwegian designer, Solveig Hisdal.

All the designs in this book are knitted using Norwegian technique (knitting the whole body of the garment in one go on circular needles and then cutting into it for openings ), which I have not done before, but I want to try. It wasn't easy to choose which design to make. Also, the wool used is not available in UK, but I like to knit using the original wool, as it can be sometime difficult to find the right substitute and right colours.

Fortunately I was able to order the required wool directly from the Norwegian manufacturer, Ull.no.

Placing my order on Thursday, my wool arrived yesterday!

I can't wait to get started!

my first ebook

I must admit that I have not paid much attention to ebooks until now. I prefer to hold my book and read it where I choose to sit. As I am not an owner of a laptop, ebook would mean to be sitting in the front of my computer in my room, which I feel I am doing too much of as it is.
So when I was reading on Mary Jenkins's blog about her new book being published as an ebook, I was in two minds about it. But I already have one of Mary's books, "Making Welsh Quilts", which she is a co-author of, and I love this book, so I could not resist and I sent my order in.

"Little Welsh Quilts" arrived yesterday, 2 days after I pressed the button on my computer!

I was exited when it arrived and despite the fact that I did not actually have time to have a good look, I had to load it into my computer immediately to at least have a quick peak.

I love it! No, I can't take it with me to the garden and read while relaxing there (it is raining today anyway). It is beautifully laid out and easy to read, the little quilt projects are so sweet.

But also, it includes video tutorials by Mary herself, which will be very helpful.

Mary talks about her new book and also explains her reasons for publishing it in this way on her blog .

Little Welsh Quilts was published by Rainbow Disks, where you can also order your copy.

Congratulations, Mary!

Sally Page

When I finished writing may last blog about the Pythouse Walled Gardens, I was browsing their website and I came across their own blog A Year in the Life of Pythouse Walled Garden. The blog is being written for them by Sally Page. As soon as I saw the name, I went to our bookshelves and pulled out 3 books, all written by Sally.

When I saw the first book "The Flower Shop" - A Year in the Life of an English Country Flower Shop, in the National Trust Shop a few years ago, I knew I had to have it.

Sally has a passion for flowers and flower shops, which is very obvious from her book.

A quote from the sleeve of the book: "If you have two pennies, spend one on bread and the other on a flower, says a Chinese proverb. The bread will sustain life and the flower will give a reason to live."

Trained as a florist, she had a flower shop in London, before moving to the West Country, where she worked as a florist for Ted Martin Flowers in Tisbury in Wiltshire - "The Flower Shop". Sally and her camera recorded the life in the shop month by month. The book is not only about flowers, but also about stories around the shop, its customers, about Tisbury; beautifully photographed and including some florist's tips.

So when I saw Sally's next book, I did not hesitate.

"The Flower Shop Christmas" - Christmas in an English Country flower Shop.

The book is a record of the magical 12 Days of Christmas in the flower shop.

Again, beautifully written and with stunning photographs. It is the book to pick up in the run up to Christmas, to get inspired and to get into the mood. I love this book, I always find some new idea for Christmas decorations.

I don't have (yet) the next book Sally published. It is called ""Flower Shops & Friends" - A Year's Journey around English Flower Shops, in which Sally and her camera travelled around beautiful parts of the country, again it is record of flower shops and the communities around them.

The third book is  a small book "Flower Shop Secrets".

In this book Sally shares tips and hints of a florist, some from her previous books, some new, from what type of containers to use to how to stop tulips from getting droopy.

All profits the publisher makes from the sale of this book go to MSAADA, to help women and orphans of Rwanda.

Which brings me to a note on the publisher.

When Sally finished her first book, she could not find anyone who would publish it (!!??)

So her and her partner formed their own publishing company Fanahan Books, which is now publishing all Sally's books.

But Sally is not only florist, writer and photographer. She is also a painter, something I discovered when visiting her website and suddenly I was looking at beautiful paintings.

This is one very gifted lady.

You can read more about Sally on her own website and her blog.

One more quote from her book:

"A flower gives more then a reason to live - it gives us  a means to adequately express the full range of our human emotions."

These books are beautiful to give and to receive, to get inspired or to just browse.

A copy of Sally's first book travelled to Scandinavia with me, a present for my Swedish friend,

who loves flowers, but she also liked the "Englishness" of the book.

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Now you could say that this post has noting to do with my stitching. Perhaps.

But inspirations for our creativity is influenced from many directions and by many people.

Whenever I see something beautiful, I want to go and make something. I might not have the time or opportunity (or enough talent), but it does inspire me, and this is what enriches our lives. I am sure you will agree.

I will leave you with a couple of pictures I took at Barrington Court yesterday.

There is another story of inspiration I would like to share with you, next time....

Have a good weekend!

new books

There are some new additions to my bookshelves I would like to share with you.

Firstly, this lovely book, just published,

"Folk Quilt Applique" by Clare Kingslake.

Back in June I read about this new book, which was due to be published shortly, on Cupcake Cottons blog and I new that I had to have it. The book arrived this morning and I just could not wait to open the package. As I did not know the author before, will I be disappointed? Would it be full of projects I will not have any interest in making, as it often happens when you buy a book you haven't had a chance to browse through?

I was pleasantly surprised. The title is self explanatory. The 20 projects included in the book are all very nice, I would like to make all of them, if only the time would allow! I like all the designs and especially, I love the colours and fabrics Clare Kingslake is using.

"Embroidered Textiles" by Sheila Paine, another recent addition to my home. I say home, because it is the kind of book you want around, to browse through when you are in the mood, so it is living on our coffee table for now.

Quote from the back page: "For lovers of embroidery, collectors of stitch, and even artists working in the medium, this study of pattern will provide rich pickings."

240 pages, 508 illustrations, 362 in colour - it covers embroideries from East to West, their applications, symbolism, meanings of various designs and colours. Have you noticed how much there is of the colour red in embroideries around the world?

"Red is the most powerful, the most vibrant, the most exhilarating of colours: it is the blood of life and of death." "Red threads and fabrics are associated with spirit worship and demons, with youth and marriage, with talismanic charms and secret powers. It is predominant colour in all tribal and peasant embroidery, but is used in two entirely different ways - to protect and to mark."

I have looked through this book number of times now, but there is still so much to see and read. It is a beautiful book for any embroiderer or anyone interested in embroideries.

"Embroidery Techniques from East and West" by Minni Srivastava:

I found this book when I was looking for inspirations after I attended a workshop "Indian Stitchery", about which I told you before.

The book explores Indian embroidery techniques and its uses in the western embroidery, including quilting and beading. This is a very good "follow on" book to my workshop, which I will find very useful.

"Textiles of Central and South America" by Angela Thompson:

"A fascinating exploration of the textiles of Central and South America", design and production, fibres and threads, embroidery, beadwork and various other thread crafts.

Another beautifully produced book for anyone interested in textiles from that part of the world.

I bought this book to help me in a research for a project, about which I will tell you you later, but I will enjoy this book for a long time to come.

another Jacobean

I enjoyed my last project so much, that I went back to another embroidery started some time ago, "Floral Delight" in the Jacobean style. This time I am working with space-dyed threads on silk.

"The terms Jacobean and Crewel embroidery can be often confusing. Crewel embroidery refers to any embroidery done using crewel wool - a two-ply worsted wool used for surface stitching.

The term Jacobean embroidery refers more to a style of embroidery.

During the 1600s England imported vast quantities of painted cottons from India, via the East India Company. These cottons featured designs like the Tree of Life, exotic flowers, birds and animals. These designs became very popular and were copied and used in the embroidery of the time. This style of embroidery flourished under the reign of King James 1, from whose full Latin name, Jacobus Brittaniae Rex, the term Jacobean was derived. Beautiful pieces of embroidery were stitched in the Jacobean style using crewel wool."

The above quote is from a book "Embroidery Techniques Using Space-Dyed Threads" by Via Laurie.

As this is the third project I am making from this book, it certainly was a good investment!

indian stitchery

This was the name of our Embroiderer's Guild workshop last Saturday, with lovely Tiggy Rawling.
Tiggy brought her "Indian Shop"" with her, with fabrics, felt and threads she dyes herself, and a large selection of embellishments.

We had a choice of making a cushion or a wall hanging, using cotton backing and bright fabrics, which were covered with tulle and then stitching over it, or a sampler worked on piece of felt.

This is Tiggy's tulle cushion.

First of all Tiggy showed us how to stitch on shisha mirrors, so they would not fall out. Her way is much better then I have seen in books, much more secure. It took us a while to get the hang of it, but then we were away!

I decided to make a small felt sampler. I know from the past experience, that if I get too ambitious in work shops, I will not finish the project and it will end up in a draw when I get home.

I used a piece of lovely hand dyed felt from Tiggy's shop.

This is the result.

Tiggy also brought with her various other examples of Indian embroidery to show us.

But my favourite item, the one I fell in love with, is Tiggy's blue quilt.

I promised myself to make one (sometime in the future).

In the meantime, I went home with some purchases from "Indian Shop".

Tiggy gave us a list of books we might want to look at for further information about Indian stitching, but when I got home and browsed through my books, I realized I already have a book on this subject.

It has all the basic stitches and some projects, however the technique for stitching on shisha mirrors shown here is not as good as Tiggy's.

Another lovely stitching day....

warning

I am sure many of you know this poem well, it was written in 1961 by Jenny Joseph and since then it has been, quote
" found in schoolbooks from Alaska to Singapore, the poem has been, stitched, stamped, quilted, set to music, printed on cards, written on cakes and made into films, quoted at conferences and funerals, used to cheer up sick friends". It was voted Britain's favourite poem by viewers of a BBC programme in 1996. In 1997 it was published in a book form, with lovely illustrations by Pythia Ashton-Jewell and it has been re-printed about 40 times since.
Quote: "Its declaration of defiance, so vividly and cleverly expressed, appeals to the rebel in all of us".

I was given this little book as a part of a present last week, by my  DD, for my 60+ birthday.

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WARNING

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no butter.

I shall sit down on the payment when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick the flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But may be I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

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I would like to say, that I have been inspired to write this post by something I have read this week on Linda's blog, about her beautiful, bright jacket. Only in Linda's case it has nothing to do with age, but it got me thinking.

I have actually started to wear purple! No, I am not brave enough (yet) to wear a red hat with it, but give me time, the age is on my side!

I have come to realise that I love the age I am. I no longer feel the need to make a "good impression", or to "fit in".  I am who I am, I find myself more and more often saying aloud things I would keep to myself some 10 years ago. There are so many things I don't "have to do" any more, it is so liberating!

I am a member of the "grey lobby", which is growing in numbers. I know this is a headache for our government, how to look after us in our old age. But it also means that we have a voice which is getting stronger and it won't be ignored (hopefully not just because they want our vote).

So, hurrah for the purple and red!

The rebel in me is waking up!

Mary Thomas's books

Oh gosh, I wish this would last! Another dry, sunny day, 16C !!!
It lifts the spirits and creativity. So many things I want to do!
But I am, again, at that situation, where there is no point in even contemplating another project, while my room resembles a child's play room, "toys" everywhere! I started to tidy last night, but it did not take long before I got distracted.
One of the first objects I picked up, was a book many of you are very familiar with, "Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches".
My stitching "bible" is never too far away, which is the reason I am always tripping over it. This is a 1998 edition. Of course, there will always be that one stitch, which you will not find there. Does anyone know, how many embroidery stitches are there? I don't think so...
These days you can just Google it, simple. But I can imagine it was quite something, when Mary Thomas first wrote this book.


Some years ago I was lucky enough to buy these two books at a village fete book sale.

Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book, 1936 edition

Dedication:

                                               Preface, the beginning - quote:

"Embroidery, like every other art - or sport, for that matter - needs to be understood to be enjoyed. Once the rules of the game are known, there not only comes the urge to create with needle and thread, but a knowledge which enables the better appreciation of old masterpieces, as well as of those produced in our own day."

In another part: " A clever worker does not seek constant change of colours as a means of variety. She changes her stitch, or the direction of her stitch, as this will produce the illusion of colour change by play of light on the thread."

And she ends the Preface: "Further, I would urge the habit of signing and dating embroidery, and thus avoid that great tragedy of the past when works of genius were created, and showered upon the world, leaving, alas! so few names to record and venerate."

                   Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches, 1938 edition

OK, it is not in colour and not as glossy as the stitching books we now used to, but just as good and easy to follow, with a little touch of humour.

It is a shame that they did not reproduced those little illustrations in modern editions.