TALL CLEMATIS

I began with what I considered to be a well thought-out plan; a series of mock ups to determine the finished sizes and correct proportions of both the tubes and flowers. With hindsight I should also have added colour to give a more rounded approximation of the pieces.

After printing on fabric and paper I eliminated the fabric as a background simply because I preferred the contrast of the torn random edges that only the paper could provide. My collection of hand dyed fabrics is rapidly dwindling (as soon as the weather warms up a few days of dyeing are desperately needed!) but I found scraps of velvet and cotton, enough to suffice. The cylinders were lined with a waxed and dyed Abbaca paper which ultimately proved too dark and overpowering for my liking.

I always like to think about ways that I could have enhanced or improved my work as I am rarely totally happy with first efforts when it comes to something new that I have not tried before. Ideas for the future include:

Rounding off the sharp right angled edges to make a softer curve.

Adding more height, using an A3 printer would allow much greater scope.

Making a larger group; perhaps 7 or 8in total. Each cylinder can be interlocked with two others so there would be many combinations to try.

Perhaps use just one style of flower but use different threads and colour combinations

Using a plain fabric for lining the cylinders.

Unfortunately the pieces look better viewed as a 360° group than they do when photographed but I haven’t yet mastered that skill on a BLOG!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

January can be a very reflective time and in so many ways and for so many reasons 2021 was without doubt another very difficult year for many people and families. Sometimes when I thought my heart or head were about to explode I would find solace and comfort stitching in my workroom with lots of music (I absolutely cannot work in silence). It didn’t matter if it was with a needle and thread by hand or at full speed on the sewing machine as long as I was engaged in creating.

Stitch by stitch we tell a little story and I am going to begin on this brand new day by thinking of new fabrics and threads, new challenges and adventures, even more time with family and friends and the brightest and most hopeful of New Years to come.

 

So on a very positive note and with a day to my self I have been busy experimenting with printing my own images on to paper to use as a background. After adding fabric and stitch I decided to try a different approach to the presentation and spent a while working out how to roll the finished piece into a free standing cylinder. My eureka moment happened quite quickly without too many attempts and now I have a work in progress for the coming week. There are a few wrinkles to sort out and refinements to make but I think I will begin with a set of three and see where the idea leads.