The secret desires of moths..........

There are now six moths in varying shades of ivory needlelace. Each one takes about three hours to complete.

The Boarfinch

...completed , he joins the Mallardoepard , Peapuss , Marbat and Goatle in the garden.

Under the trees....

The bees in the trees in my garden............

The garden at dusk

A detail of one of the six moths , all done in needlelace and loose french knots.

In the garden....

A little creature called a Peapuss waits under the silver apple tree

Growing the flowers

..a small snowdrop in needlelace under a tree in the garden , a variety called 'heffalump' !!

In My Garden I Am Queene

I have always marvelled at the beautiful samplers and embroideries from the past which were made by girls of ten and eleven. The most remarkable are those of Martha Edlin and Hannah Smith who , at the age of eleven , completed the most stunning embroidered boxes. In the seventeenth century there was a fashion for raised work or stumpwork(a 19th C. term).
So , I decided it was time to create something like it of my own on a corset. I began planning at the start of this year and began work at the beginning of March...my deadline is the first of May ! when it will be exhibited.
The design includes some mythical creatures , created for me some time ago by fashion illustrator Richard Gray , the first is a boarfinch......

Valentines and other beloveds

I have been making a few new pieces for sale on Etsy..... old lockets and fob watches filled with mementos ,lace and embroidery and a little haberdashery ring . Inspired by the watch
in 'Little Dorrit' I have collected together old pieces that I could add to. Then I added some of my embroidery together with fragments of old lace or paste brooches. The sentimental jewellery of this era is a great source of inspiration to me and , as ever, what I can't afford I make instead !!!!

Goblin Market

One of my favourite poems is 'Goblin Market' by Christina Rossetti and so I have been inspired to produce various pieces in response. The first was a corset , here photographed in a very old mirror and previously written about when I did a window for PYF. Now some buttons have emerged from the realms of the poem too and are for sale ( see right hand column).


The first is the berry that the sisters are tempted by , the second is a lock of the golden hair that fades as a result. Then the initial of the sisters Lizzie andLaura and the silver coin used to pay the goblins. Finally the last two buttons are a feather and some fur bursting out through torn satin.......goblins !

Happy New Year