a new obsession

I recently went along to an artist's talk, followed by a mini workshop by the talented textile artist, Karen Richards.  She spoke about her work and the 'phases' that she's been going through over the many years that she's been working with thread.  It was incredibly interesting, especially her innovative work with reflective thread and the installation that is now travelling throughout Australia.

The mini workshop after the talk was (in my opinion) about her encouraging us to play with threads, designs and to see where the traditional approaches can be stretched and manipulated.  Now, that is right up my alley!  It didn't suit some of the more traditional stitchers who were there, but I haven't done any formal embroidery since I was a teenager many (many) moons ago, so perhaps I was less restricted by the need to keep stitches tight and consistent.  I started remembering a few traditional traits, especially the need to have the back as neat as the front - who does that!! - but I was more than happy to just muck around and have some fun.

So bring on Easter, a raid of my own supplies and a little shopping, and I've settled in to lose myself in my latest little obsession.

This one was my first attempt at playing with stitches, and seeing how to fill in spaces using layering (which was an emphasis in Karen's work).  The instagram filter has made it much more orange in colour, but I liked the layering.  I was also very happy to teach myself how to french knot via youtube, and whilst the first one wasn't so great, the rest have been fairly consistent since then.

This was one I finished today, using a purchased pattern and transfer (SO much easier than any other method).  I have a whole series of these little owls, and I'm using a little 4" frame to stitch them, so I think that I'll make some up into a little coaster set.

This blue one was the second one I did, and I started it on Saturday at the Port Fairy market.  I'm enjoying the portability of this new craft/obsession/use of my time and can see it being the thing that I cart around with me to more markets and trips.

I bought some downloadable pdf patterns from a gorgeous etsy store, Polka and Bloom, which is based in the UK.  I have completed one of the designs already but haven't uploaded the photo yet.  I'm really looking forward to doing more of those projects though - complex, lots of colour possibilities and a bit of a challenge.

I literally hit the mother load with the photo below.  I knew that Mum would still have a lot of things in her cupboards, and after I couple of requests, I lobbed over there on the weekend and found a whole boxful of old transfers in the first box we opened.  There were some in an envelope dated 1947, some with my Grandmother's maiden name, others from New Idea inserts from the 1970s.  There are a lot of great vintage designs that I intend to play with, and whilst some of them have transfer ink that have bled a bit, they look like they might still be tranferrable.

I also 'borrowed' her box of threads too...

I've found this new way to spend my time really relaxing and an effective way to wind down and clear my mind, which is exactly what I need.  Now let's see what I can make next...

finding some inspiration

I'm finding that this time of the year is the time of the year that I am actively seeking out some inspiration and in that, some motivation.  Maybe it's the charge ahead for a new year or that feeling of clearing out the old, in with the new.  Whatever it is, I've been busy reading about what some other people get up to to formulate some new designs and structure into their processes.

I've been a fan of Ali Edwards for a long time now, and if you're not familiar with her or her work, she's a graphic designer who has a clean and simple approach to her work.  She does a lot of paper work and posts regularly about the projects that she's been doing, both personal and for her business.

I decided again to sign up for her One Little Word year-long workshop again, to remind myself of a regular project and the reflectiveness that this project can provide.  Hopefully it'll also inject a bit of my word back into my day-to-day in the year thirteen.

I also went back and went through the blogging course from elsie & laura at a beautiful mess, which I first mentioned in a post last year about blogs I was (and still am) reading.  In their blogging ecourse, I like their mix of personal experiences and guidelines.

Whilst they proclaim throughout to be no experts (which I think there a lot of us who would decry that they are!), it is refreshing to read about what they find interesting and how they manage their own time.  I am a planner and organiser, but my own ideals don't always flow through to everything that I want them to - I don't post regularly, I don't have a lot of planned or scheduled posts, I don't take enough nor share enough photos, I don't... I don't...   I am trying to be easier on myself with running a  craft business and having an online presence, so I think that reading through these courses and articles help to both re-inspire and to remember that it's okay that I don't do all of that!

blogs I love

I love reading blogs, as I mentioned recently.  It's inspiring to read about artists and their own influences.  I have a number that I visit on an almost daily basis, just to see what they've been up to.
I'm going to share some of my favourites with you here:

Kelly Purkey
Kelly is a graphic designer and works in the scrapbooking field, and I love her aesthetic.  She lives in NYC and travels a lot, especially throughout the USA.  She's publishing this year and I'm really looking forward to seeing her work in print, other than magazine features.

This photo is a shot of her Project Life album,

with the custom-made stamp she had made for her Instagram photos.

Amy Tangerine
Amy Tan is also a graphic designer and scrapbooker.  She has a gorgeous range of products and blogs regularly about her work and her life.  I believe that she has a keen business eye and it's fascinating to see what she's up to through her posts.

Amy has released her products through American Crafts, featuring these fantastic daybooks

and their associated [=dangerous!] products.  The 'Two Peas in a Bucket’ website is

where I succumb to temptation with these.

A Beautiful Mess
These ladies blog prolifically and share their ideas through photos and tutorials.  They like to re-use and re-design accessories and clothing items, and love photography so often share their approaches to all of those projects.

Some favourite posts of late have been about photography, especially ones

with film cameras (remember those?) and the lenses that you can

attach to your phone’s camera.

Posy Gets Cosy, Alicia Paulson
Alicia is a fabric artist, embroidery artist, sewer, photographer, amazing cook and lives a gorgeous country life.  She recently reminded me about how important it is to really READ the posts that my adored bloggers were putting out into the world.  Her posts of late last year reminded me of how important it is to appreciate a grateful lot of simple things.

I chose this photo to represent Alicia’s blog for two reasons:

i. her love of sewing and projects

ii. her love of her animals (and how they get involved in her

sewing projects too!)

What are some of your blog loves??