Cushions Galore

 

These beautiful cushions have been made by Carolyn, using the 'Suited' fabric and other re-used materials.  They will all be at the exhibition as an installation and will also be available for sale during the show. 

found a few sacred minutes to stitch, here is the progress, am investigating embroidery stitches, they are not very accomplished...sure that they would not survive close scrutiny...but am interested in the knots, pulls and mistakes, for me they are just as exciting, perfection is not always achievable and the journey there is almost more important...the more I stitch, the more I think...don't always do enough of that! 

Exhibition

Bath Spa University have a second year exhibition at Walcot Chapel in Bath.  They are students of the course ' Textile Design for Interiors' and the exhibition runs from 19th - 22nd of Feb.  P.V. is tonight 5-9.

Please pop in if you can - the students would love your support.

These are the strands that I am tangling/straightening, entwining and re-threading...some days the threads are harmonious, co-operative and converse with each other, sometimes they knot, fight, resist and break...am not sure how this investigation will present itself, at the moment I am cross stitching with red... I am using re-worked, found pieces of tablecloth belonging to my maternal grandmother and my mum, she has given me so very much (including the vintage Terry's chocolate box that my tangled threads currently reside in!)...

one and twenty buttonholes..!

'One and twenty buttonholes'  - back to Beatrix Potter's tale, The Tailor of Gloucester...
Some sampling of the tailor's cloth, some text and some machine made buttonholes...
No - it has to be hand-stitched buttonholes for those Exhibition pieces - the skill.. the care.. the time and detail are not to be brought to attention any other way...
But there we have it - the skill?! The frustration, the clumsy attempts - oooh - what a challenge!
Ah, but the vintage buttonhole silk twist thread makes up for any of this - the way it slips through needle and lies against the fabric, it is just wonderful!

I am writing alongside stitching.. an audio piece will follow. The camera - for me it is a dilated eye -
some stitch which begins to resemble something presentable, when looked at magnified is breathtaking in its revelations! And so another idea has formed too - and more work has followed which links to both the story and some deep issues about clothing production... more another time!
Susi

 

I am beginning to work on ideas for Strand, our exhibition in Bridport in August. Here are some sketchbook pages and samples. My theme is "between the salt water and the sea strand"- a line from Scarborough Fair. ( ah..... Simon and Garfunkel that dates me!)

Suited images

Linda brought her beautiful sketchbook to the meeting that is part of her work for 'Suited' - these are a few images from the book.  There is more to come.....

AGM

Yesterday Sunday 10th Feb we had our Annual General Meeting that had to be postponed because of snow.  We were welcomed to Carla's new home - thank you for making us all so welcome Carla.
As usual we made our meeting lots of fun as well as got through lots of work.

These are some images of Carla's workroom in the garden.

Lindas bag by the seaside.

I made this bag for Linda and she sent these wonderful photos. It had an outing last week to the seaside at Budleigh Salterton. ( Look glorious sunshine!) Linda choose a fabric we suspect is Harris Tweed from the tailors supply and she found a silky fabric for the lining from her collection. Some of the bags and all the photos of these bags that travel, will be on display at our exhibition Suited in Stroud in May.