A small universe

Many thanks to all of you who came to the show and entered the little world I make.

Some shape of beauty

For the past two months I have been embroidering this corset (see previous entry) ! After some considerable research I finally found what I needed which were some references in the history of the Celtic sidhe ( say 'shee') to the fact that the old ones ( or faeryfolk) woud take the form of birds , sometimes a flock of coloured birds. My previous piece was about life after death and so this one is to be about transformation and the world beyond. So , here is what I have at the moment........


a bit of a change for me with machine embroidered feathers. They are made from layers of coloured silks and organza which are then stitched and cut away .



Then , after positioning on the fabric I have satin stitched more feathers ( x72 , half an hour each )



and then added some antique sequins.

The final design is of outstretched wings with the big eye between and two more hidden in the feathers. The colours are pretty intense which has made me very nervous. It is a very anxious process to spend so much time on something and not be sure of the outcome......and to be showing it in about six weeks time!

I will be at the Knit and Stitch show again this year from 6th-9th October.

Small worlds

My second stumpwork jewellery project this year is this decayed poppy seed head.


One of my favourite organic 'found objects' I was inspired by the structure as it breaks down. Sometimes you find insects inside or even a seed germinating. I have added one of my tiny toadstools embroidered in a hand dyed floss.

Corset heaven

Two weeks ago I taught a corset making course at West Dean college in Chichester (see earlier blog). My students worked very hard to produce their own made- to -measure corset and I'm very proud !!!!!

Circinate vernation

I just love some circinate vernation !! So I had to do some of my own.......




....that all took about thirteen hours ! Here is my little uncurling fern as a lapel pin.

Lilith

I am making some fortune teller dolls at the moment and Lilith is the first , literally. As Adam's first wife she gets a bad press. She had long hair and didn't want to be submissive (apparently this makes her very bad). I don't blame her for going off with an archangel.

All the dolls will be made from old kid leather gloves but she has a beaded body in a snakey kind of way. I've given her cherry red hair with snake extensions .



The fortune telling section is a concertina frill sewn onto the front which will hold the fortunes. Hers is beaded and has lines from my favourite poem 'The Stolen Child' by Yeats written on the silk.


She now has a bias cut silk dress and a dark red velvet cape lined in the same silk. Inside the cape is an embroidery of a silver apple tree with golden apples.

West Dean

I have just come back from a tutor seminar at West Dean college which is possibly the most beautiful college you could ever go to ! They have a wonderfully hollistic approach to learning with really good tutors , idyllic surroundings , home grown food and you get to stay in a gothic castle with views across the South Downs . I will be teaching a corset making course there in the summer ...lucky me.