Good Needlework

I've embroidered a frock,
   And I've sewn the long seams,
While I stitched up a heartache
   And mended my dreams.

I've patched a torn garment,
   And darned a big rent
While I've worked in new hopes
   And a sweeter content.

Why stitching brings gladness,
   Or ease for Life's pain,
And healing from sadness,
   I cannot explain.

But for little hopes baffled,
   And foolish tears shed,
I have sought and found comfort

   With needle and thread.

from The Book of Good Needlework no.4  ( 1930's)

Pi

Yes , if anyone goes a bit mad during the dark months of winter it's me. I have set myself the small project of 'making' pi in needlelace...just the first thousand digits. above is the first 50 , below the first 100.

It works like a knitting pattern ,just rows of stitches which I decided to centre rather than offset. In my ignorance I didn't account for zero when I dreamt this up so when I came to the first one..... I decided to do a non-stitch. That is to say instead of looping through to form the stitch properly it is simply a slip stitch. The rest is just increasing and decreasing ( or deceasing if you are a bad typist like me ). The leap from a 1 to a 9 is tricky , bearing in mind that this thing is only 8mm wide at the most. I also leave the tails of the old and new threads on for a bit to prevent any over-handling problems.
...........suffice to say that this post will last forever !

6.2.14

Over the past two weeks I have reached digit 200 ! Above is a close up of  a 019 sequence which is  the trickiest as I have to increase from 0 to 9 stitches in one row . I didn't enjoy these leaps until I realised how lovely they looked under the magnifier. All the stitches curl round the previous stitch like a bunch of keys on a ring. It has become quite a philosophical process as I make each number and see how each one affects the next in the sequence.It is one thing to look at numbers on a page but another to physically justify their existence !

This image shows digits 150-200 . I have found myself reading through  my page of Pi looking for interesting sequences , interesting to make that is ! I'm not sure how I will tackle the 000 section later on ..........

20.2.14
I got bored with photographing it against the numerical background......

...digits 200-250 ( the last few being 01909 )

Horse Hoof boots

Now here's a blast from my past ! I graduated in fashion quite some years ago (1991, for goodness sake!) and for my final show I designed some boots that looked like horses hooves, they were done beautifully by a shoemaker called 'Napoleon'. Isabella Blow picked up on them and at the beginning of an extraordinary career used them in a shoot she styled with Steven Meisel. It became an iconic shoot for Vogue as it put upcoming designers ( me , Husein Chalayan, Alexander Mcqueen etc. ) with new models and many went on to stellar success.
  The new exhibition about Isabella at Somerset House has those photos (mine is the one on the left, thanks to Aeshetica) . I have fond memories of Isabella and some mad cab rides around London. She bought me silk and tights and I gave her a velvet jacket ! My career has changed since then but I am still proud of this shot. I should also add that I no longer produce these boots for sale...........

New shop opening

A new Etsy shop that is ! All my stumpwork pieces under one roof , to commission, including the scissors above. They are are detail from the large commission I did for the High Sheriff of Cumbria (see the links down the right hand side!) and can be made seperately for  £50 plus p&p. They measure about 2cm each way and can be made in ivory or the sepia tone above (which is actually just the photo but still....)
 New stuff is being made................

Happy 100 !

It would seem I have written a lot of posts and this is the hundredth........was that me ?
'Want to come round and see the studio for Christmas ? It'll be open on Sunday the 8th December... The fire will be on, the red stuff will be mulling and I'm making ecclefechan tarts ( posh mince pies). AND the Museum will be open and candlelit....and there will be my own little christmas decorations for sale.

..and it's not just me either . The whole of my bonkers little artist community will be showing plus our artist neighbours. 'just a bit of shameless self-promotion you understand.

Handmadedashery at The Knit and Stitch Show

Thankyou to everyone who came , I had a lovely time...very tired now.
 Etsy is stocked up again but if there is something I've missed out please contact me.

One week to go

....less than a week in fact.........the Knit and Stitch Show at Alexandra Palace,London October 10-13th.  I am stand TGI7 in the gallery hall which you can get to quickly by turning left in the lobby (this is a hot tip for anyone arriving in the morning as most head straight for the main hall and are swallowed alive !!!!). I have a whole new range of 'Handmadedashery' including the sewing kit above , pin cushion rings , moulded beeswax and these......

Etsy shop

If you have ever wondered about the description on Etsy of what The Glass Pingle shop actually looks like ...here it is!

Studio

'Thankyou' to everyone who came , it was a lovely weekend !
Now for the Knit and Stitch Show........

Open Studios 2013

I will be taking part in the Herts. Open Studios on September 7th-8th along with several other artists from the studios here.
Our studios are in the grounds of a large mid-Victorian house together with a 14th C. tithe barn , Victorian shop arcade and large wooded garden.We will all be selling work and you can get to meet my furry assistant...what more could you want ? ! See the link in the side bar for all the visitor info.

http://www.ruthparker.co.uk/

http://www.mollyhagan.co.uk/

http://www.lisafreeman.co.uk/

http://iconin.blogspot.co.uk/



p.s. there's this too........Pathe film of the Abbey Art Centre