Fibres to Felt

Felted Purse - Workshop

2012-02-09T15:11:00.000-08:00

New felted purse; Merino fibres with a splash of Welsh Black for decoration and a nice big wooden button to fasten it.

Fancy learning how to make one of these felted purses? Come along this weekend to a workshop @Fabrications on Broadway Market, East London. Saturday afternoon; booking advised! Please contact Fabrications directly.

London Felt Workshops for 2012

2012-01-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

Welcome in 2012 by learning how to felt?

My upcoming workshops in Fabrications wonderful new workshop space include:

Introduction to Feltmaking; 21 January 2012 14:00 to 16:30; Price: £30 / £25 Concessions. All materials provided and refreshments too.

3D Feltmaking Introduction; 11 February 2012 14:00 to 17:00; PRICE: £35 / £30 Concessions. Includes pure wool fibres to make your 3D object and other materials and refreshments.

BOOKING REQUIRED for both classes; please send Fabrictions an e-mail: textiles@fabrications1.co.uk, pop by the shop, or call them on +44 (0) 20 7275 8043

Felting Workshop - King Henry's Walk Garden

2011-11-12T10:18:00.001-08:00

So the felting workshop was great today; I taught two sessions in a fantastic community garden in North East London. Here are some of the samples the lovely ladies made; I was very impressed by them all!

Hopefully I will be doing more workshops soon so watch this space!

2011-10-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

[I made more.

I want to make more and more.

More time please.]

Felt for Me

2011-10-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

Something for me; laptop cosy.

Felt Workshop - Islington - November

2011-10-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with Fabrications of Broadway Market I will be doing a basic felting workshop on Saturday 12th November 2011, in Islington, London. If you wish to book please contact the King Henry's Walk Garden directly.

Wearing Wool

2011-10-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about using my stash of wool yarn, and also the new additions from the K&S show. It's the colours and textures that draw me in, the way skeins are twisted and presented as wonderful objects in themselves. It gets me thinking... What if yarn can be a necklace?

Then I see this little book; and I buy it, and I love it, and I start to make my own.

Using some wonderful wool yarn from the Colinette stall last year and some of that amazing hemp yarn that I bought yesterday from the House of Hemp stall I started my own variations.

Knitting & Stitching Show 2011 - My Hoard

2011-10-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend was Ally Pally time again! Here is my hoard....

Yes, I went a bit crazy, but it's only once a year! And some of these things you just cannot find anywhere else!

in this picture, from the top left: small scraps of silk laps & a roll of hand dyed cheesecloth from Oliver Twists; several fat quarters of japanese patterned cottons, the owl design is so cute! to the right of that is some little 75p scraps of tie dyed cotton

the spiral dyed roving in this picture is from The Thread Studio stall, and the cloth below that is some shot cotton, space dyed velvet and two skeins of hand dyed cotton embroidery thread all from Stef Francis' stall

At the top of this picture is my wonderful hoard of Oliver Twists cotton threads [I have been waiting all year to go back to their stall for these!], next to them are two beautiful skeins of wool yarn that I am giving to my sister so that she can make me a variation of this wonderful shawl for Christmas. The two small 50g balls of yarn are Shetland Aran. Below that are two skeins of fantastically coloured hemp yarn. Next to them are two bundles of Egyptian Cotton cloth (only £5 for the both) and atop them is a wonderfully moss coloured piece of pre-felt from Sue Pearl.

detail of the Oliver Twists cotton

detail of the hemp yarn from The House of Hemp

detail of the shawl yarn

detail of the 75p cotton scraps

detail of the shot cotton, velvet and threads from Stef Francis

detail of the fat quarters

Now I have this huge hoard to add to my stash of other bits. And wandering around the show has given me some inspiration. I just hope I can fit in time to follow some of the ideas alongside starting my Book Arts MA course.

Cuffs

2011-09-21T02:15:00.000-07:00

Hand Felted Gloves

2011-09-19T05:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I, and a handful of others, had the great fortune to be taught how to felt gloves by Cathy Unwin. In what I can only describe as a long but rewarding process we all started with giant hand templates, painstakingly tender laying out, and even gentler felting where they slowly but surely felted and shrank to fit our hands.

They took so long to make, and I cannot wait until they are fully dry and I can wear them properly to show them off!

Massam & Merino Test

2011-09-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

Just trying to see if Merino pre felt will work on Massam fibres. I really like the integration I've got here. Might try it on a teacosy...

Felted Pot Holder / Heat Pad

2011-09-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Welsh Black Wool; Step by Step:

Teacosy Commission

2011-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

The Union Jack Teacosy Commission:

I take commissions! If you want to discuss a special teacosy idea for a gift or even for yourself, please leave a comment or email me; feltmeetscloth(at)yahoo.co.uk

Gathering

2011-09-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm just gathering myself. Harvest Moon came and went last night, feels like a time to gather.

Been stitching slowly. I invisibly basted this one today. Then started adding black rays to this Black Hole Sun, slow going, but thats ok.

I have a nasty cold, germs, yuk; time for some rest. I will be back soon.

Little shop update

2011-09-01T02:21:00.000-07:00

This little double moon scrap patch is now in the shop....

here

Collecting, Arranging, Listing; making order out of chaos?

2011-08-29T02:32:00.000-07:00

a collection of moons and suns

Very related to the Sun, Moon, Star workshop but also to work I started before joining the online class; just working through ideas here, collecting moons and cloths:

working on an idea that a moon can be a horseshoe...

...with a star inside

tea stained and lines drawn as future stitch guides

Being in my studio is, in itself, calming. It slows you down. I like that. No rushing around in there.

wearing in (slowly) my DM's

Following some of the Sun, Moon, Stars workshop videos I wanted to try out a flap idea here:

when a moon became a star or a sun

it grew flaps and points

So the book art projects I need to work on next want to be very textile influenced which is why I am posting about them in both blogs. Here is my brainstorming/to-do board in the studio; the largest projects on there right now are: 1. BAO (book, art object); which is nearly finished. 2. Union Jack Teacosy; a felt project, something I am working on as a commission. 3. Al Mutanabbi St; a book art project

using the board as an idea/brainstorming/order out of chaos board

I am hoping that having this board up will help me organise myself!

Al Mutanabbi Street project ideas

Al Mutanabbi Street project ideas on the board

This post is a bit random and full of eclectic bits; its how I am feeling right now, but I am trying to order myself! I hope you will bear with me while I try to finish things and start new things and gain control again.

Needing to Slow Down

2011-08-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

9 patch idea

laying out some of the WIP's in the studio

rainbow on the way home

embroidery mini boro ideas

tea staining again

Bit restless; want to be doing 10 things at once, and end up doing tiny bits of some things and none to a satisfactory standard. Need to slow down. On the up side I have so many ideas right now, so I am sketching and taking notes to help me remember them all.

If Suns and Moons and Stars Collide

2011-08-25T14:58:00.000-07:00

Just some notes and sketches I made today while I was flitting around Jude's Sun Moon Stars workshop page. Taking Jude's idea of branching out a thought.... "the moon as...?" for instance. Brainstorming I guess. The black felt meets cloth circle patch that is on the stripy cloth might become a "black hole sun" instead of a moon...

the sun as... a black hole?

the moon as... stitch?

the sky as... clouds?

the moon as... a spiral staircase?

Where the Sky meets the edge of the Moon

2011-08-25T02:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back from Wales and this is the beautiful sky that greeted me. While away I did a very small amount of stitching...

Some edges,

where the sky meets the moon.

I have signed up for Jude's Sun Moon Stars online workshop which is not in 'real time' anymore but will still be useful to me I think. I am looking forward to finding my way round the interactive site and hopefully meeting some new blog friends along the way. Of course I will continue to post here too and show my progress. Today is a very autumnal day; blustery, wet and slightly chilly; a good day to stitch perhaps?

And the winner is....

2011-08-24T01:34:00.000-07:00

JACKY!

Well done Jacky! I hope we get to see some pictures of you including it in your Magic Diary Cloth soon... I will email you to get your address.

If you didn't win and fancy a patch for your very own they are still for sale (at a very reasonable price!) in my shop...

Circles and Half Moons

2011-08-21T13:00:00.001-07:00

A day out in South Wales. Blogging from my phone.

giveaway of a small harvest moon patch

2011-08-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

So here is my first giveaway; a patch of felt meets cloth for you to use how you will. You could use it in a larger cloth, use it to patch a piece of clothing, to add a moon to an autumnal art cloth.....

size: 9 x 11 cm

Please leave a comment with your name and how you think you might use the patch if you win. Make sure you are contactable [email link], and, as I am going away this weekend, I will be randomly picking a winner on Tuesday 23rd August.

back view

Good luck!

Feathers, Moons, a giveaway, and some travel stitches

2011-08-14T04:52:00.000-07:00

Feathers
Ok, so I am sure you have all heard of Jude's call for feathers?

click here

If not check it out and get stitching a feather or two, its for a good cause! Mine is in the pipe line, just need a calm moment to start.
Also still on the thought of feathers, look what I found on etsy by Vanessa Villarreal, beautiful huh?

click here

Moons, a *giveaway*, and some travel stitches
So I mentioned the moons last time, I hope to have the patches up in the shop by tomorrow or Tuesday, I am also going to do a *giveaway* in the next few days so watch this space stitchers!
I went to a friends wedding on Friday and took my bookmark wip with me on the train. It was a little cramped for the activity but I managed a little bit:

The stitching round the moon is a wonderful hand dyed cotton thread I picked up at the K&S show last year from the Oliver Twists stand; doesn't it go so well with the felt colours? They are a mail order company I think, but you can also get some of them online here, I was using colour no. 001 if you were wondering.

Right so now its a relaxing Sunday afternoon and I need to do boring things like washing clothes and hoovering. Hopefully I will get some stitching in there too.

Harvest Moon Patches and a New Cloth

2011-08-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

Had a really productive day in the studio, taking photos of previous small cloths for the shop, and making some new felt meets cloth patches; some autumn harvest moons:

merino wool & tea stained muslin

merino wool & linen cotton

merino wool & tea stained muslin

These will be going up in the shop on Monday.

an array of harvest moons

a WIP; harvest moon bookmark

This will be too when its finished.

I have also been playing with a new cloth. Its a work in progress, might be a slow one. May even see me to winter? Lets see how it goes. Its still small, but on the larger side of small, and could grow of course...

Felt Meets Cloth - etsy shop now open

2011-08-09T06:25:00.000-07:00

I have taken the plunge; an Etsy shop owner I now am! Check it out HERE, I will be slowly adding more to it over the next few days, but so far I have some of the recent bookmarks and the recent summertime small cloth for sale. Let me know what you think of the shop, the images of the items etc.... I would love constructive feedback.

for sale here

More Bookmarks

2011-08-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

More bookmarks finished. Taken some nice images I think so I hope to put these up to sell in my new Etsy shop this week. Was going to do it tonight but been totally distracted by the riots in London. Its madness. Time for bed I think.

Stitching Felt

2011-08-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

adding stitches to felt patches

Inbetween work on my fake archive I have been stitching into scraps and patches of tester felt. This one was a tester for the piece I made last year; Checkered Openings. I like to use up the tester bits and also want to start making small cloths that incorporate more of my handmade felt so this is the first go at it. We shall see how it develops...

adding stitches to felt patches

And thank you to Heike from Gerdiary for sending my purchased fabric pack so quickly. I love her work and her natural dyed fabrics and scraps that she sells in her online shop; this apricot pack will be so useful to me. Keep your eyes out for bits of them in my upcoming works! And get your own before they sell out...

pick up your own pack here

Bozena Wojtaszek - Textile Artist

2011-08-05T03:15:00.000-07:00

I have been searching around Etsy trying to get inspiration for setting up my own Etsy shop for selling my textile stuff. Today I have come across Bozena Wojtaszek's shop.

flickr link here

etsy link here

I particularly love her textile teapots and teapot bunting and also her trees. I mean textiles, cloth, stitching plus teapots = awesome in my eyes!

etsy link here

Go check her out, see what aspects of her work you like best.

Bookmarks

2011-08-02T01:43:00.000-07:00

Now I tried posting this yesterday from my phone but it failed and wouldn't let me do it again! So here it is again; cannot quite remember what I said but basically these are two new stitched pieces, bookmarks to be precise. They will be for sale in my new (nearly ready) etsy shop very soon. Watch this space!

They are bits of the monoprinted textiles from a few weeks ago along with some other scraps and some hand stitching; designed to fit nicely in any book and also be a kind of soft comfort to hold while reading. A place keeper and a 'sense of place' holder? Either way, I want to make more.

Finished summertime small cloth

2011-07-31T06:36:00.001-07:00

Finished!

Last day of Open Studios

2011-07-31T02:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from yesterday of my space; a mixture of book arts and textiles. We were so busy, sometimes the room was filled with over 20 people! I was sitting quietly, unless people asked questions or looked confused, which gave me a chance to finish my latest small cloth WIP ( photos of that later ). Lets see what I can finish today; pop by if you get a chance, open from midday to 6 or 7pm.

Studio work

2011-07-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

In my studio late, having dinner and (finally) doing some sewing work.
*in other news, the studio is almost ready for open studios this weekend* almost...

Summertime Small Cloth WIP

2011-07-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

A work-in-progress very much in its infancy. Using bits and pieces leftover from my sisters wedding and from the monoprinting I did last month and the teastaining also. If you read my book art blog you will know I have open studios this weekend; feel free to come along and say hello if you are in London, it would be great to see you.

Wedding Teacosy No. 3

2011-06-08T04:37:00.000-07:00

Better Photos of the Wedding Teacosies

2011-05-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

Felted Wedding Teacosies

2011-05-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

If you follow my other blog; darning the divide you will know it's my sister's wedding in a month and I am busy making lots of things for it; several being wedding teacosies:

Above are photos of the first teacosy of the day; a reversible wedding teacosy with nuno felted chiffon and muslin decoration.

These are of the second teacosy, which used a doily and chiffon, but this time the chiffon didn't felt and attach itself very well, not like the first; I think I know why so next time I will be more careful.
I will have better photos when they are dry.

Tea Dyeing Experiments & Monoprints onto Cloth

2011-05-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

Tea dyeing some new bits of cloth; love to play.

(from left to right; linen, thin muslin, thicker muslin; before&after)

samples; before&after

Have been doing some mono print experiments in the studio (see more here). Some of which are onto cloth which I intend to stitch or felt into or use in sections to add to other cloth work. Only black ink used this time but want to branch out into some colours next time.

onto interfacing fabric

onto canvas

onto tea dyed muslin

Felt Meets Cloth again

2011-05-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

needle felting into heavy calico in the studio

I was in the studio all Sunday. Taking a break from the BAO project. Needle felting into calico. Needle therapy!

needle felting into heavy calico - mid way

needle felted circles into calico

Milk Jug Cover Done

2011-05-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly I finished this Milk Jug Cover today; I needed to! Next time, I want to add a crocheted edge...

Milk Jug Cover WIP

2011-05-07T07:31:00.000-07:00

I am looking after my sister's cat at the moment. She keeps trying to get into my milk jug; a cover is needed. Need to learn some crochet.........for edges; may also need a hook.....!

Cat Hair Felt????!

2011-05-03T01:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all,
Sorry its been so long since I last posted. My book arts side of me has run away with itself and all my time! I do stitch occasionally still of course but I haven't felted since Christmas! Eek! I am dying to get back into some cloth work when I have a moment but there is a big book art project i'm working on which I want to get finished first. Anyway, I saw this Japanese craft book and laughed so much I had to share with you; can you believe you can use cat hair????! Amazing! Anyone tried it out before?

Welcome to Bournemouth gift cloth - finally given

2011-03-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

'Cloth That Binds Us' - Textile Book Exchange WIP

2011-02-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

Textile books in progress. Edition of 5 to exchange. http://artistbooks.ning.com/group/textilebooks/forum/topics/mail-art-books-from-textile?xg_source=activity

BAO (Book Art Object) project

2011-02-12T08:51:00.000-08:00

I've not posted here for a while because I have been busy with the Book Art Object project. You can see what I've been up to over at my other blog and on the collaborative project blog too. It's given me some textile ideas too though. Glyphs in cloth? Textile mark-making? I can just see the above glyphs embroidered onto linen. . .

A New To-Do Tab

2011-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have been so busy this new year. New windows and a new front door. Too busy for much cloth unfortunately. But I have a new tab on the blog; my Textile To-Do List! It will be added to as and when I think of things I want to create, and hopefully things will get crossed out as they are done, but perhaps they will just evolve into other things.....

Holidays, Gifts and a New Year

2011-01-01T05:28:00.000-08:00

Firstly there was the wrapping; the bows took all day on Christmas Eve but it was worth it.

Then there was a present; this one was made for me by a fellow stitcher at work and isn't it great? She said she was inspired by my artsy stitching and had to try her hand at random stitches - I like the result. And isn't that bow and label just brilliant?!

And then after Christmas I came home alone and started a little Holiday Cloth. Inspired by Jude of course.

I've been working on it after work every day this week. Work has been so busy this week. Isn't the time after Christmas and before New Year so odd? A dark and empty week full of strange times that always makes me want to watch Twin Peaks; which I did and stitched this during it; can you see a bit of Lynch darkness in there?

And of course I finished the Winter Cloth before I started the Holiday Cloth.

Happy New Year everyone.

Autumn/Winter Cloth _ WIP

2010-12-19T03:57:00.000-08:00

Still a Work In Progress this one; the moons have shifted and are in flux; showing the phases and yet still full. I want to stitch some more into this. See it below atop my Summer Cloth with its lone green moon over taken by a shadow of felt.

Christmas Fair

2010-12-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

This is the grey massam teacosy I felted the other day; added appliquéd gingham hearts to it and blanket stitch to the bottom; sold it so I am happy! In fact I sold 4 teacosies and lots of the stuffed xmas trees and hearts.

I even sold one the little coloured twines even though it was just there as decoration!

Crafts Stall at Fowlmere Farmers Market this Saturday

2010-12-10T01:32:00.000-08:00

Fowlmere Village Hall Farmers Market - last one before Christmas - craft and food stalls including mine!

http://www.villagehall.fowlmere.com/More.html

I will be selling my handfelted teacosies (perfect Christmas gifts; very light to post), handmade Christmas decorations, there will also be Christine's Christmas Bunting and my sister's jewellery and table decorations!

Be there! 9am to 12 noon!

An alternative to Massam wool?

2010-12-05T04:26:00.000-08:00

This is a close up of a felted teacosy made with Masham/Massam wool. It is a beautiful colour and is British. Trouble is it has a very long staple length which isn't particularly suitable for small items like teacosies; I am on the hunt for the same wonderful naturally grey coloured wool with a shorter staple; any felters out there that can help?

Handmade Woven Christmas Cards

2010-12-04T02:48:00.000-08:00

So here are the finished cards! 70 ish of them; all different but the same.

Stuffed Leaves

2010-11-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Making Christmas Cards

2010-11-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

Its that time of year again; 70+ cards to make for friends and family; plus extra for selling. Nearly there.

Handmade Christmas Decorations

2010-11-14T05:20:00.000-08:00

Have not been stitching much other than these little decorations; ready for stuffing when I get some. The weekend is slipping away at an alarming rate again.

Studio Experiments

2010-11-04T05:31:00.000-07:00

Pick of the Current London Textile Exhibitions

2010-11-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are Selvedge readers will have read a wonderful article about the Foundling Museum's current exhibition Threads of Feeling. As soon as I had read that I wanted to go and so today had a chance to fit in some exhibitions before going to my studio. This quote was taken from the website:

Threads of Feeling will showcase fabrics never shown before to illustrate the moment of parting as mothers left their babies at the original Foundling Hospital, which continues today as the children’s charity Coram.

In the cases of more than 4,000 babies left between 1741 and 1760, a small object or token, usually a piece of fabric, was kept as an identifying record. The fabric was either provided by the mother or cut from the child’s clothing by the hospital's nurses. Attached to registration forms and bound up into ledgers, these pieces of fabric form the largest collection of everyday textiles surviving in Britain from the 18th Century.

The exhibition is small but extremely interesting and thought provoking; connecting mothers to the babies they were leaving behind and to the scraps of cloth they left with them; tokens of a bond that was broken and the desperation that these women faced. I look forward to reading the catalogue when I get a chance.

I also went to the new Hauser and Wirth gallery in Saville Row where Louise Bourgeois fabric works were being exhibited. An excellent showcase of her cloth pieces from 2005 - 2007. Some really excellent pieces which were not in the Tate's exhibition the other year. I was really happy to see her combining 3D elements with flat painterly pieces and this has really inspired me to continue with my flat + 3D elements in my own cloth works. I also noted the heavy use of cloth strip weaving in her geometric flat pieces.

If you live in London these two exhibitions are not to be missed!

Harvest WIP's

2010-10-30T03:24:00.000-07:00

So here are most of my WIP's all laid out. The pears will be made into Pear and Almond Cake later on today. The stuffed hearts are most likely ending up as gifts or will be sold at the craft fair I am doing in December. The needled hearts I need to make more of, might string them together or sell them individually. The piece on the right is an old WIP you may recognise, but I chopped it in half recently; feels much better to work on now. The piece on the left is my double sided black moon weave.

You can go to the flickr image of the above and read the notes on each item here.

My double sided black moon weave; which I cannot put my finger on yet; something will happen with it soon I hope. I needle felted black wool into a circle on this blue poly cloth, then wet felted it to finish and get the nice bunching. I am now weaving the edges to of the blue cloth with some linen cotton to see what happens. Progress is slow.

Why Hearts?

2010-10-30T02:29:00.000-07:00

Needle felted hearts for practice - I am getting better at this. Stuffed cloth hearts too. But why hearts?

And what do you think of the new blog layout? too much sidebar?

Darning the Divide

2010-10-26T02:48:00.000-07:00

My sister and I have set up a new blog; one to communicate to each other across the miles that seperate us. If you want to drop by it is here: http://darningthedivide.blogspot.com/

Process

2010-10-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

During.

Happy Birthday Gift Cloth

2010-10-22T01:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my dearest Sister; I hope you have a great day Jo.

Felted Teacosies

2010-10-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

Made lots of notes during this felting session; things to change, adapt and rediscover. Weights and widths, thicknesses and lengths. How quickly it felts, how much it shrinks in different areas. Hopefully all useful information to keep and use again.
All in preparation for a pre-Christmas farmers market stall in December with my very talented sister.

autumnal small gift cloth - a WIP still

2010-10-16T04:26:00.000-07:00

So I have been absent for a while; such busy times recently and much to do. Hope to wiiiind down, s - l - o - w down over the weekend and get this gift cloth finished.

Autumn Small Cloth WIP

2010-09-26T03:36:00.000-07:00

Not very autumnal yet but its a name. Reveals hidden layers.

Holiday Mini Cloth - Cornwall

2010-09-16T01:26:00.000-07:00

I felt attached to this cloth during my holiday, even when I put it down to go walking in the amazing scenery and along the coastal paths we were connected somehow. Hand to cloth again, feels so good. A perfect weight; satisfying, with the freedom of guilt free time together.
Hope this is the start of something new, or something old but forgotten? Either way I am content and ready to set this one aside to make room for other cloth connections.

Cloth goes with me on my Holidays

2010-09-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just a note to say I am off on holiday for a week or so; off to the depths of Cornwall for a good rest, coastal walking, sea watching and not to forget Cornish Cream Teas of course.

Hopefully I can fit a bit of stitching in there too; my cloths in progress and needle and thread are packed in anticipation. The cloth above is finished and parcelled up to send to Heike of Gerdiary tomorrow, and the stones were collected when I went to the seaside last weekend; they look like natural mini Barbara Hepworth's. Happy stitching & felting while I'm gone.

____________________________________________

Cloth as Page

2010-08-24T14:29:00.000-07:00

Cloth as page. Textile as book.

The Moon is fat and wishes it were blue.

This in its book form here.

-

Amazing how much you can get done during a day off work

2010-08-24T01:15:00.000-07:00

'Welcome to Bournemouth' Small Cloth in progress

2010-08-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have been mostly stitching. Stitching small cloths for people. Specific people. I need that sometimes.

This is a little piece I cut out of an old hankie I found in a junk shop. I grew up in Bournemouth so it was a special find for me; full of memories. The other fabrics I selected are supposed to represent some of those memories. Red and White deckchair stripes, neutral linen and some nice green/blues from an old pillow case that someone had thrown out on the street near my home.

A work in progress.

Short Cloth complete

2010-08-22T04:32:00.000-07:00

Blogger seems to think that the only options you might want for your images are Left, Right and Centre! Where is the rotate button???

Short Cloth in progress

2010-08-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

String, Felt, Thread

2010-08-20T05:31:00.000-07:00

Ive been reading String, Felt, Thread: The Hierarchy of Art and Craft in American Art for the past two weeks or so and it is probably the best book on the history of textiles in contemporary art. It deals with the struggle artists (especially women artists) had for art -world legitimacy in the 60's and 70's; the artists involved in the art/craft divide (Faith Ringgold, Miriam Schapiro, Harmony Hammond & Judy Chicago); the artists who did get recognition and why (Eva Hesse & Robert Morris); and all the things that have come out of this now. I have to say im only two thirds of the way through the book but I would already say it's a must read! I only wish this had been written sooner so that I could have read it sooner!

I think its also been influencing my ideas, especially those surrounding my bundles.

More Bundles

2010-08-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

So I finally made some more bundles. Been thinking about amulets, talismans and spells; ritualistic acts, intent and magic and how close they are to each other. How close I feel to the materials, how linked the idea is to intent, how linked materiality is to an idea.

Make.
Making.
Made.

What you think?

Check out the Millinary skills!

2010-08-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

If you live in London and like hats and headbands then you should head down to the latest East London Craft Guerrilla fair and check out my good friend Little Yellow Birds. She makes delightful 1940's and 50's style hats and headbands. This one pictured below has been entered into the fair's tombola, so if you buy a ticket you might be lucky enough to win it! Although I kinda want it for myself!

Craft Guerrilla August Craft Market.Saturday 28th of August from 10 am to 5.30 pm. Beautiful Interiors shop garden. 34 Orford Rd. Walthamstow London E17 9NJ.

The Aftermath

2010-08-07T01:40:00.000-07:00

Its been a week since my open studios and I am still trying to catch up with sleep! It was so tiring but really good too; hundreds, no thousands, of people passed through our doors over the 2 and half days and I had so many productive conversations about my work that I am still trying to get it to all sink in. Some surprising discussion about my textile pieces that are still 'works in progress'which have really helped my confidence in that area; I wasn't sure what reception they would get and so I was extremely happy to find so many people being drawn into my studio space to see them up close.

I took this photo in a rare moment of relative quiet just to show you my space with people in it looking at my artists' books and

my textile work on the wall and the textile bundles work in progress in the foreground there. Thanks to everyone that came along and sought me out in the melee and to those who just came across me by chance; I hope to see you all next year!

Open Studios - 30th July to the 1st August

2010-07-27T15:37:00.000-07:00

So its open studios time again! My studio will be open as part of the Hackney WickED Art Festival this weekend so feel free to come along if you are in London.

I will have a selection of current works and works in progress out on display plus there will be a special chance to see Micro-Pages (the book arts exhibition on microfilm that toured the UK earlier in the year) on my very own microfilm machine!

Opening Times:

from 6pm Friday 30th July

10am - 7pm Saturday 31st July

10am - 7pm Sunday 1st Aug

There is a map here; and you will find me in the Mother Studios block (no. 8 on the downloadable map):

Studio 9.5

Floor 3/D

Mother Studios

Queens Yard

White Post Lane

Hackney Wick

East London

Nearest station is Hackney Wick station on the London Overground line (orange line on the tube map).

I look forward to seeing you there!

scarf experiments

2010-06-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Tried out some nuno felt scarves with muslin. Cant seem to get this second image to flip round the right way - blogger image upload seems to have a mind of its own these days.

Long Slow Cloth just got Longer

2010-06-09T12:23:00.001-07:00

textile bundles

2010-06-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

So bundles, yes, bundles. I have been inadvertantly making textile bundles since my degree and its only now that I have started to make them with a certain purpose. The ideas behind them are those of archaeology, mysticism and archives. Documentation as bundles; bundles and a form of archive; a repository for memories?

Anyway; they are certainly going somewhere. . .

nuno felt experiments

2010-06-01T14:01:00.001-07:00

Felting Strange Landscapes

2010-05-30T15:07:00.001-07:00

natural felt balls in the highlands

2010-05-29T04:27:00.001-07:00

So I went to the highlands of Scotland last week for a wedding; after which my family and I went for a walk up a hill near Loch Ness and look what I saw:

Felt balls on a barbed wire fence! Fantastic! The highland bulls must rub past the barbed wire and the hair gathers around the barbs until it felts together to create a string of felt beads along the fence - natural felting - fantastic. Here is a pic of the beastie that must have caused this phenomenon:

Curious Drawers at Stroud International Textiles Festival

2010-05-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Went to Stroud last weekend to the Textile Festival with my sister and had a great time despite the awful weather! There were a series of open studios and exhibitions spread out around the town. One of the best was called 'Curious Drawers' which featured a group of textile artists who call themselves the Brunel Broderers.

It included an interactive piece where you were encouraged to take up a needle and thread to stitch into a chest of drawers. Here is my sister in stitch action:

There was also a great stall area where they were selling little pieces of work; I was so amazed at the fantastic work on display and I fell in love with several of Lizzie Weir's pieces that were for sale; in the end I only bought one but I am thrilled with it and I am sure you will agree its quite beautiful and the composition just sings to me:

Now all I need is a frame...

Sideline Blog World Ideas

2010-05-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

Going to use this that I bought ages ago to make this. Love it! Will post pics when done.

Meanwhile here is an image to sum up the past few days.

Sampler

2010-05-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

Been quiet for a while - busy but quiet. Still stitching when I can fit it in.

Felt, Cloth, Stitch

2010-05-03T04:56:00.000-07:00

Troubling Squares

2010-04-20T11:33:00.001-07:00

Green squares?

Or no green squares?

growing into a long cloth

2010-04-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

So the cloth seems to be growing into something - I like where it is taking me and I feel I owe my inspiration to all the blogs I visit these days as well as the cloth itself speaking to me.

Is this a turning into my first long cloth?

the feel of cloth between my fingers again

2010-04-18T02:47:00.001-07:00

I have missed the feel of cloth in my hands - the slow meditative needle to cloth - hand to cloth motions of hand stitching.

After watching Jude so much ( and I hope she does another vlog soon) I just had to follow suit and checker with cloth. I have missed the feel of cotton and linen between my fingers and I need to practice my needle work - such a satisifying piece of cloth to work on for me - I know the stitching is far from perfect but I like it none the less; it is for me after all and that's all that matters right now.

Easter Egg Cosy Tutorial

2010-04-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

OK, I am having big trouble uploading more than two images, so you can find the whole tutorial (all 31 images) on my flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abithomas/sets/72157623632181555/

Enjoy! Happy felting Easter!

"Checkered Openings"

2010-03-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Right, so its felted, but I'm not sure its finished.

Perhaps it needs some stitching, perhaps it needs a textile bundle in the loops; not sure yet.

Ode to Jude - checkerboards

2010-03-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

This is a work in progress - a prefelt checkerboard falling off the right hand corner - been thinking about weaving checkerboards for weeks now thanks to Jude's fantastic vlogs on her work in progress 'Magic'.

I'll let you know how it progresses.

Felting in the Studio on a Monday

2010-03-30T01:44:00.001-07:00

Recent Felting Activity

2010-03-12T14:47:00.001-08:00

So those two above are of a very large piece of felt I made this week; dry and in mid rolling - I used some lovely 'Spring Green' plant dyed wool from Wingham Wool Works that I have been hanging on to for a while. The piece has now been posted to my talented sister who is currently making a surprise something for Mothers Day... collaboration of the creative daughters - will post a few pics when its done!

This is a detail of a small piece of merino felt with some skrim added to the surface.

This is an experiment with some white merino and some muslin.

And this is an experiment with contrasting colours and cutting shapes out at the prefelt stage.

Its been a busy felting week!

Hungarian Blue Printed Fabrics

2010-02-25T14:51:00.000-08:00

Found a lovely online fabric shop who sell Hungarian Blue Print fabrics. I love this print here below, could be leaves or feathers. Thought I should share with you all.

http://www.kekfestocotton.co.uk/

Squares

2010-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

Multiples of three..........

Squares.... stitching squares together, into and on top.

Windows looking in......... openings: digging & unearthing; going back in time.

Patching time back up, collecting, stashing and storing until a need arises.

Mending time.

V&A - Quilts 1700-2010

2010-02-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Ok so im really looking forward to seeing the new Quilt exhibition at the V&A this Spring (20 March - 4 July 2010)

They are even doing a special V&A range of quilting fabrics to buy! Check out some of these beauties which you can but online here:

artcloth......... cells and windows...... ongoing......

2010-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

.... cells and windows...... musings on an artcloth.... what am I building with these stitches?

........................frayed edges, holes with no meaning, windows bursting with black drapes................................

Sewing Circle - Ive Been Thinking of You

2010-01-25T14:24:00.000-08:00

This is work I was working on during the sewing circle organised by Katherine Eves. The blog of the work done by the sewing circle is here.

This piece is ongoing and unfinished. It is paint on canvas with machine embroidery and handmade felt. This is just the beginning.

stitch practice

2010-01-08T08:05:00.001-08:00

Been practicing some decorative hand stitching on small piece of felt. I dont think I have quite got the hang of it yet! Also I think its a bit harder to make straight lines in felt, its much thicker than cotton or linen. Oh well. Practice makes perfect. Hand to needle, needle to cloth.