These are a pair of beautiful French antique sleeves made in fine baby voile and have an abundance of hand embroidered whitework. The embroidery depicts trailing vines and grapes and the quality of the embroidery is exquisite. They have a band of heavier cotton at the top which has hand embroidered “22” and one sleeve has the letter T. Length : 16 3/4” Cuff depth : 1” Cuff circumference: 7” Baby voile is a fragile fabric and there are a few imperfections but overall they are in good condition for their age. Ideal for a collector rather than to wear.
It's midweek - a perfect time for a little burst of inspiration for you! Over on the Needle 'n Thread Community on Facebook, members are treated to incredible amounts of inspirational embroidery each week. For the past couple weeks, one member - Cathinka Hoff Strønstad, from Norway - has been
Embroidery beginners start yere: Our Beginner’s Guide to Five Types of Embroidery covers blackwork, whitework, stumpwork, cross stitch and crewel embroidery.
Gorgeous Victorian/Edwardian white linen and Mountmellick embroidered (Mountmellick embroidery or Mountmellick work is a floral whitework embroidery originating in the town of Mountmellick in County Laois, Ireland in the early nineteenth century) jacket. Made to be worn open, jacket is embellished with lace filled cut outs on the cuffs, hips and on the back. Decorative double sided oval shell buttons (3 sets on each sleeve)are missing a button side on each sleeve. No stains or pulls. Shoulders 13" Chest 32" Waist 28" Hips 40" Arm width 6.5"(opening of sleeve seam) Sleeve length 12" Top of shoulder to hem 25.5" Vintage garments have been previously worn and lovingly cared for, they may however have a blemish or two. Here at MadelonVintage, I try my very best to note all the details of each garment, although I may sometimes overlook things, which I do apologise for. Please do not expect perfection, unless stated so. Please make sure you check all the measurements of the garment before purchasing. Vintage garment sizes are not the same as those of today. To ensure the best fit, I suggest you measure you favourite similar style garment and compare it to the measurements listed. All measurements are taken whilst the garment is lying flat, we then double these measurements to reflect the actual size.
Hello all, Today i will talk about a new region, Pokuttia. Pokuttia as a cultural region is in eastern Ivano-Frankiwsk Oblast, North of the Hutsul region in the Carpathians, and south of the Dnister which forms the southern border of the Podillia region. On the east it borders on Bukovyna. On the west the border is unclear, with some people considering it to be between the towns of Kolomyja and Nadvirna, others consideri it to extend to the Boiko lands along the ridge which runs south and a bit west from the city of Ivano-Frankiwsk. Pokuttia means literally 'the land in the corner' or angle, referring to the confluence of the Prut and the Cheremosh, and that this is the eastern 'corner' of Halychyna. Here is a map showing the more extensive definition of Pokuttia. The costume of Pokuttia is very similar to that of both Podillia and Bukovyna in general terms. This is the region of the second type of Ukrainian costume, with a wrap-around skirt known as obhortka. The distinction is in details, especially in the embroidery. Whitework embroidery is widespread in Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Many Ukrainians think that all white-on-white Ukrainian embroidery is from the Poltava region. But it is found in many places, and there are two notable centers besides Poltava. One is Vinnytsia in Eastern Podillia, and the other is around Sniatyn. The Sniatyn district is found in the southeast corner of Ivano-Frankiwsk oblast, and the southeast corner of Pokuttia. The town of Sniatyn is indicated with a red dot in the southeast corner of the map above. Here is the Sniatyn district within Ivano-Frankiwsk Oblast. The image at the head of the article is of Maria Ursuliak, wearing a typical Pokuttia costume with 'white shoulders'. This type of embroidery always includes a variety of stitches, verkhoplut, counted satin stitch, faggot stitching and various types of hemstitch are the most common. The most distinctive element are drawn-stitch eyelets, known in Ukrainian as 'Nightingale eyes'. The nightingale is the national bird of Ukraine. There is an old folk saying that nightingales know our language, as Ukrainians consider their language to be especially lyrical and melodic. This region is unique in that designs are often based on groups of eyelets, and other elements finish the design around it. Here is another example of a woman's shirt from the village of Vydyniw, just outside Sniatyn. Another example. Here is one example which also includes chain stitch. DMC featured this type of embroidery in their book 'Openwork Embroidery'. They have people copy very clean versions of the original designs, and illustrate their books with these copies. They tend to be less dense than village embroidery. Here is their copy of this same design. They give very detailed instructions on how to execute both the diagonal groups and the spot group designs. The diagonal groups are executed one side at a time. Often the design includes more than one row of eyelets. The eyelets may be round, as shown above, but are also made with square corners. Another version is to use blanket stitch. Here is a design which uses both of those variants. The eyelets may define the main element of the design. When executing small groups of spot designs, individual stitches help to form more than one eyelet. You will notice various types of hemstitching in the above images. Directions for all of these are also found in this book, which sadly, is out of print, but may be found at used bookstore sites. One thing i should mention. This book includes images of designs from all over eastern Europe. The Ukrainian designs are shown on plates 1 [Vinnytsia],12 and 13 [Sniatyn]. There is a typographical error which states that plate 7 is also Ukrainian, Plate 7 is in fact Slovak, and is also listed as such. As a result of this typo, plate 7 has been reproduced in at least one Ukrainian book. This is an example of how errors perpetuate themselves. Some more images of the designs in this book from the Sniatyn region. Here is a photo of a woman's chemise done in this style from Sniatyn. You will notice that the sleeves on this chemise follow the three part canon of embroidery which is common also in Podillia, Bukovyna and also Moldavia and other parts of Romania. See my article on this subject. http://folkcostume.blogspot.com/2011/01/sleeve-embroidery-podillia-moldavia.html Here are a couple examples of the embroidery from the lower part of the sleeves. In the second image the top of the sleeve is towards the left. A chemise which is a masterpiece of this type of work is illustrated in Tania Diakiw O'Neill's book 'Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques', pages 82 -85. This remains the best book on the subject in English, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn more about Ukrainian Embroidery. Unfortunately, it also is out of print. I hope that she will be able to put out a second edition. A third book which gives instructions on this type of embroidery is 'Ukrainian Whitework' by Gay Eaton. This book is still in print and I also recommend it. She gives very good detailed instructions. She also provides quite a few designs which she invented using the traditional elements of this embroidery, as Ukrainian embroiderers have always done. I personally think that some of the designs have too much plain cloth in between the elements, but that is a matter of taste. You will see echoes of the designs which I have included in this posting. She also includes designs from both the Vinnytsia and Poltava traditions. Here is a sampler showing some of her designs. Many of the chemises from this region do not have embroidery on the lower sleeves. Many also use a variation of this technique which uses larger eyelets. These are made by cutting one intersection of the ground threads and proceeding as for the above designs. These large eyelets, sometimes called dowbane, may be grouped horizontally and vertically as well as diagonally. Whitework designs in Ukraine may use threads of different shades. Some threads may be unbleached, or coated with ash, which gives a grayer tone, and some may be rubbed with beeswax or other substance to give a yellower tone. Here is a woman's chemise from the village of Rusiv near Sniatyn. Here is a modern copy of one of the sleeve designs using only one shade of white. Otherwise, these large eyelets participate in the composition much as the smaller eyelets do. Here are several examples. Some of these are taken from old publications and the quality may not be that good, I apologize. Here is another chemise from the Sniatyn region, with a second design. As you can see, the whitework is sometimes combined with other colors. In this case the shoulder inset is framed with polychrome embroidery which is also used in Pokuttia. Here is a photograph of a man's shirt. This photo was taken by a woman who calls herself 'Mawka Lisova', which is a traditional Ukrainian Forest nymph. She has graciously given me permission to use her photographs. And a couple more photos of women's chemises by Mawka. You can see the traditional woven overskirt and sash on the left of these next two images. You can see more of her photographs here. https://plus.google.com/photos/115068169732517408090/albums?banner=pwa Here is a photograph of the costume in Tulukiw village, Sniatyn district, Pokuttia. You will note that polychrome embroidery is also done in this region. Tunic shaped, knee length shirt for the men, narrow linen trousers, boots, shoes, or moccasins, and wide sash or belt. The girl is wearing a wedding wreath. The women wear a long chemise, heavy wrap-around overskirt called obhortka and a wide sash. Here is a somewhat out of scale drawing of the basic Pokuttia costume. This drawing shows a married woman with a peremitka wrapped around her head and neck. The overskirt may be left down, or one or both corners may be tucked up into the sash. A narrow apron may be worn with it as well. Where the obhortka in Podillia is basically black, in Pokuttia the main color tends to be a brick or rust red. We can see in this drawing that the ustawka embroidery is white with a colored frame. Sheepskin vests somewhat similar to those worn by the Hutsuls may also be worn. The ornament on these vests is unique to the Sniatyn area, consisting of small straight teeth and red pompoms. This first is a man's costume with exceptionally wide embroidery on the shirt. This is a costume from Sniatyn with red embroidery. Here are two sketches made by Kul'chytska when she visited the Sniatyn area, the first of the embroidery, I think that what she drew as small eyelets is actually faggot stitching. The second is a woman in costume. This woman is from the village of Orolets'. In general, the costume is very similar to that worn in the Horodenka district which lies just to the north. A woman's shirt from the village of Rusiw. Some more images of this kind of work A woman from Sniatyn area, notice the gerdan worn on the head. Another shirt from the village of Torhovytsia, in Horoden'ka district. An old photograph of a family from Torhovytsia. The mother has white shoulder embroidery with a colorful frame, but the daughter is wearing red embroidery, likely curly stitch. The boys either have white embroidery or none. Here is a woman in full costume from the village of Toporiwtsi, also in Horoden'ka district. This is Maria Tofan from the village of Rusiw in Sniatyn district. Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and inspiring. I encourage you to do a project using this type of embroidery. Enrich your surroundings with a bit of the white embroidery of Sniatyn. Feel free to contact me with requests for research. [email protected] Source Material: Iryna Svyontek, 'Pokutski Vyshywky Prykarpattia', L'viw, 2013 DMC library, 'Openwork Embroidery' France, 1970 Tania Diakiw O'Neill, 'Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques', Mountaintop, Pa, 1984 Gay Eaton, 'Ukrainian Whitework', Dunedin, New Zealand, 2005 Olena Kulynych-Stakhurska, 'The Art of Ukrainian Embroidery', L'viw, 1996 Tamara NIkolajewna, 'Ukrainian Costume, Hope for a Renaissance, Kyjiw [Kiev], 2005 K. I. Matejko, 'Ukrajinskyj Narodnyj Odjah', Kyjiw [Kiev], 1977 Tamara Nikolajewna, 'Istoria Ukrajins'koho Kostiuma', Kyjiw [Kiev], 1996 Oksana Grabowicz et al, 'Traditional Designs in Ukrainian Textiles', The Ukrainian Musem, New York, 1977 M. C. Bilan and H. H. Stel'mashchuk, 'Ukrajins'kyj Strij', L'viw, 2000 Lubow Wolynetz, 'Ukrainian Folk Art', The Ukrainian Museum, New York, 1984
Hedebo embroidery is a historical whitework embroidery which originated in Denmark in the mid-18th century. It consists of 2 basic stitches.
Explore basic whitework embroidery and the stitches, fabric, threads and patterns that you can use to create your own whitework masterpiece.
Whitework embroidery is a broad category that includes any white embroidery worked on white fabric, but commonly associate the term with specific stitches.
Whitework refers to a variety of different techniques from more bold pieces of work to fine and delicate pieces. Find out more about courses at the RSN here
Whitework embroidery is a broad category that includes any white embroidery worked on white fabric, but commonly associate the term with specific stitches.
A fortnight away – and one of those weeks in sole charge of two lively kittens growing daily in confidence – means that this week I’m slowing down and spending time catching up on things and people at home here in Cheltenham. Yesterday, London and Cheltenham collided as daughter No 1 dropped in on her …
A pre-Easter week of visiting family coincided with the best sort of weather for getting out and about. With David’s son and four year old granddaughter (sadly mum had to work) we went by car deeper into real Kent to Penshurst Place via country lanes laced with blossom and young greenery and through pretty little …
Look below for many free Candlewicking projects and patterns. If you are looking for tutorials and history on Candlewicking & Whitework, follow the link.
Cheating at hand embroidery - how to give the impression of hand embroidery, without really hand embroidering, and yet still call it hand embroidery. In a sense, this is what the once-popular "coronation cord" does. There are certain types of stitchery that could be considered, in a way, "cheate
Yvette Stanton of Vetty Creations has done it again! If you love whitework embroidery, you’ve probably heard of Yvette – and if you haven’t heard of her, you need to! Yvette writes instructional and project books, mostly for specific whitework techniques. She’s published an impressive library of eight books so far, six of which are ...
Whitework is the name given to white embroidery on a white fabric background. This term is rather broad however, as it encompasses many different types of embroidery, such as Dresden, Schwalm, Ayrs…
Whitework embroidery includes many different techniques - reticella, richelieu, cutwork, broderie anglaise, schwalm, hedebo, needlelace and hardanger
Hello all, Today i will talk about a new region, Pokuttia. Pokuttia as a cultural region is in eastern Ivano-Frankiwsk Oblast, North of the Hutsul region in the Carpathians, and south of the Dnister which forms the southern border of the Podillia region. On the east it borders on Bukovyna. On the west the border is unclear, with some people considering it to be between the towns of Kolomyja and Nadvirna, others consideri it to extend to the Boiko lands along the ridge which runs south and a bit west from the city of Ivano-Frankiwsk. Pokuttia means literally 'the land in the corner' or angle, referring to the confluence of the Prut and the Cheremosh, and that this is the eastern 'corner' of Halychyna. Here is a map showing the more extensive definition of Pokuttia. The costume of Pokuttia is very similar to that of both Podillia and Bukovyna in general terms. This is the region of the second type of Ukrainian costume, with a wrap-around skirt known as obhortka. The distinction is in details, especially in the embroidery. Whitework embroidery is widespread in Ukraine and the rest of Europe. Many Ukrainians think that all white-on-white Ukrainian embroidery is from the Poltava region. But it is found in many places, and there are two notable centers besides Poltava. One is Vinnytsia in Eastern Podillia, and the other is around Sniatyn. The Sniatyn district is found in the southeast corner of Ivano-Frankiwsk oblast, and the southeast corner of Pokuttia. The town of Sniatyn is indicated with a red dot in the southeast corner of the map above. Here is the Sniatyn district within Ivano-Frankiwsk Oblast. The image at the head of the article is of Maria Ursuliak, wearing a typical Pokuttia costume with 'white shoulders'. This type of embroidery always includes a variety of stitches, verkhoplut, counted satin stitch, faggot stitching and various types of hemstitch are the most common. The most distinctive element are drawn-stitch eyelets, known in Ukrainian as 'Nightingale eyes'. The nightingale is the national bird of Ukraine. There is an old folk saying that nightingales know our language, as Ukrainians consider their language to be especially lyrical and melodic. This region is unique in that designs are often based on groups of eyelets, and other elements finish the design around it. Here is another example of a woman's shirt from the village of Vydyniw, just outside Sniatyn. Another example. Here is one example which also includes chain stitch. DMC featured this type of embroidery in their book 'Openwork Embroidery'. They have people copy very clean versions of the original designs, and illustrate their books with these copies. They tend to be less dense than village embroidery. Here is their copy of this same design. They give very detailed instructions on how to execute both the diagonal groups and the spot group designs. The diagonal groups are executed one side at a time. Often the design includes more than one row of eyelets. The eyelets may be round, as shown above, but are also made with square corners. Another version is to use blanket stitch. Here is a design which uses both of those variants. The eyelets may define the main element of the design. When executing small groups of spot designs, individual stitches help to form more than one eyelet. You will notice various types of hemstitching in the above images. Directions for all of these are also found in this book, which sadly, is out of print, but may be found at used bookstore sites. One thing i should mention. This book includes images of designs from all over eastern Europe. The Ukrainian designs are shown on plates 1 [Vinnytsia],12 and 13 [Sniatyn]. There is a typographical error which states that plate 7 is also Ukrainian, Plate 7 is in fact Slovak, and is also listed as such. As a result of this typo, plate 7 has been reproduced in at least one Ukrainian book. This is an example of how errors perpetuate themselves. Some more images of the designs in this book from the Sniatyn region. Here is a photo of a woman's chemise done in this style from Sniatyn. You will notice that the sleeves on this chemise follow the three part canon of embroidery which is common also in Podillia, Bukovyna and also Moldavia and other parts of Romania. See my article on this subject. http://folkcostume.blogspot.com/2011/01/sleeve-embroidery-podillia-moldavia.html Here are a couple examples of the embroidery from the lower part of the sleeves. In the second image the top of the sleeve is towards the left. A chemise which is a masterpiece of this type of work is illustrated in Tania Diakiw O'Neill's book 'Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques', pages 82 -85. This remains the best book on the subject in English, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who wishes to learn more about Ukrainian Embroidery. Unfortunately, it also is out of print. I hope that she will be able to put out a second edition. A third book which gives instructions on this type of embroidery is 'Ukrainian Whitework' by Gay Eaton. This book is still in print and I also recommend it. She gives very good detailed instructions. She also provides quite a few designs which she invented using the traditional elements of this embroidery, as Ukrainian embroiderers have always done. I personally think that some of the designs have too much plain cloth in between the elements, but that is a matter of taste. You will see echoes of the designs which I have included in this posting. She also includes designs from both the Vinnytsia and Poltava traditions. Here is a sampler showing some of her designs. Many of the chemises from this region do not have embroidery on the lower sleeves. Many also use a variation of this technique which uses larger eyelets. These are made by cutting one intersection of the ground threads and proceeding as for the above designs. These large eyelets, sometimes called dowbane, may be grouped horizontally and vertically as well as diagonally. Whitework designs in Ukraine may use threads of different shades. Some threads may be unbleached, or coated with ash, which gives a grayer tone, and some may be rubbed with beeswax or other substance to give a yellower tone. Here is a woman's chemise from the village of Rusiv near Sniatyn. Here is a modern copy of one of the sleeve designs using only one shade of white. Otherwise, these large eyelets participate in the composition much as the smaller eyelets do. Here are several examples. Some of these are taken from old publications and the quality may not be that good, I apologize. Here is another chemise from the Sniatyn region, with a second design. As you can see, the whitework is sometimes combined with other colors. In this case the shoulder inset is framed with polychrome embroidery which is also used in Pokuttia. Here is a photograph of a man's shirt. This photo was taken by a woman who calls herself 'Mawka Lisova', which is a traditional Ukrainian Forest nymph. She has graciously given me permission to use her photographs. And a couple more photos of women's chemises by Mawka. You can see the traditional woven overskirt and sash on the left of these next two images. You can see more of her photographs here. https://plus.google.com/photos/115068169732517408090/albums?banner=pwa Here is a photograph of the costume in Tulukiw village, Sniatyn district, Pokuttia. You will note that polychrome embroidery is also done in this region. Tunic shaped, knee length shirt for the men, narrow linen trousers, boots, shoes, or moccasins, and wide sash or belt. The girl is wearing a wedding wreath. The women wear a long chemise, heavy wrap-around overskirt called obhortka and a wide sash. Here is a somewhat out of scale drawing of the basic Pokuttia costume. This drawing shows a married woman with a peremitka wrapped around her head and neck. The overskirt may be left down, or one or both corners may be tucked up into the sash. A narrow apron may be worn with it as well. Where the obhortka in Podillia is basically black, in Pokuttia the main color tends to be a brick or rust red. We can see in this drawing that the ustawka embroidery is white with a colored frame. Sheepskin vests somewhat similar to those worn by the Hutsuls may also be worn. The ornament on these vests is unique to the Sniatyn area, consisting of small straight teeth and red pompoms. This first is a man's costume with exceptionally wide embroidery on the shirt. This is a costume from Sniatyn with red embroidery. Here are two sketches made by Kul'chytska when she visited the Sniatyn area, the first of the embroidery, I think that what she drew as small eyelets is actually faggot stitching. The second is a woman in costume. This woman is from the village of Orolets'. In general, the costume is very similar to that worn in the Horodenka district which lies just to the north. A woman's shirt from the village of Rusiw. Some more images of this kind of work A woman from Sniatyn area, notice the gerdan worn on the head. Another shirt from the village of Torhovytsia, in Horoden'ka district. An old photograph of a family from Torhovytsia. The mother has white shoulder embroidery with a colorful frame, but the daughter is wearing red embroidery, likely curly stitch. The boys either have white embroidery or none. Here is a woman in full costume from the village of Toporiwtsi, also in Horoden'ka district. This is Maria Tofan from the village of Rusiw in Sniatyn district. Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and inspiring. I encourage you to do a project using this type of embroidery. Enrich your surroundings with a bit of the white embroidery of Sniatyn. Feel free to contact me with requests for research. [email protected] Source Material: Iryna Svyontek, 'Pokutski Vyshywky Prykarpattia', L'viw, 2013 DMC library, 'Openwork Embroidery' France, 1970 Tania Diakiw O'Neill, 'Ukrainian Embroidery Techniques', Mountaintop, Pa, 1984 Gay Eaton, 'Ukrainian Whitework', Dunedin, New Zealand, 2005 Olena Kulynych-Stakhurska, 'The Art of Ukrainian Embroidery', L'viw, 1996 Tamara NIkolajewna, 'Ukrainian Costume, Hope for a Renaissance, Kyjiw [Kiev], 2005 K. I. Matejko, 'Ukrajinskyj Narodnyj Odjah', Kyjiw [Kiev], 1977 Tamara Nikolajewna, 'Istoria Ukrajins'koho Kostiuma', Kyjiw [Kiev], 1996 Oksana Grabowicz et al, 'Traditional Designs in Ukrainian Textiles', The Ukrainian Musem, New York, 1977 M. C. Bilan and H. H. Stel'mashchuk, 'Ukrajins'kyj Strij', L'viw, 2000 Lubow Wolynetz, 'Ukrainian Folk Art', The Ukrainian Museum, New York, 1984
Vainicas : bordados con hilos de colores y cuentas (EL LIBRO DE) : Bage, Patricia: Amazon.es: Libros
In my last post I told you about my visit to the Mountmellick Embroidery Museum in Ireland and I purchased a small embroidery kit at the museum to try stitching. The kit included the satin jean fabric, needle, thread, pattern with stitch suggestions and stitch instructions - along with some history about Mountmellick embroidery. Tracing the pattern. I used a washable blue pencil to roughly trace the pattern onto the fabric. Stitching! The satin jean fabric is thicker than what I am used to - at first I felt as though it was tough to pull the needle and thread through the fabric - but I did get used to it after some stitching. Here it is all stitched. I followed the stitch suggestions (noted on the pattern photo above) with the exception of using the snail trail stitch. I also did not use the feather stitch inside the leaves and used them stem stitch instead. Just my own personal preference - because after I tried the feather stitch inside one leaf, I didn't like how my feather stitch looked :) Finishing - Soaking and Boiling Next I followed the finishing instructions that came in the kit. I was nervous about this step because I have never boiled my embroidery before. Honestly, I have never soaked to remove the pattern lines either!!! Usually I use a disappearing ink. But I didn't want to use the disappearing ink because I wasn't sure how long the stitching would take me. I soaked it in cold water with a drop of laundry detergent for a few hours. The instructions said overnight, but I could see the blue tracings were gone within a few hours. Next, I boiled it for about 20 minutes and let dry overnight. I looked at the instructions again and realized I didn't boil it with detergent! So I boiled again - this time with a drop of detergent for about 20 minutes and let dry overnight again. Here it is after boiling, ironed, and in a little hoop. I am pleased with the end result. I think it turned out pretty good for my first Mountmellick stitching! :)
After stitching all the lines on my current embroidery project, the next step was to add some seed stitching. I figured filling in certain areas in seed stitch would accomplish two things: it would add some texture and it would make the prominent parts of the design stand out. And so, I proceeded to stitch ...
The white work embroidery is self-explanatory. The name alone hints at what this stitching is all about. It is the fine delicate embroidery done on white cloth with white thread, as seen on table l…
Whitework Embroidery
I'm delighted to introduce you to my first UK maker whose specialism is embroidery. Karen lives in Blackburn and is a graduate in embroidery and surface design with First Class Honours. She is also qualified to teacher status. Karen's main love is embroidery, by hand, traditional stuff like our grandmothers used to do and her work has been exhibited widely. I'm delighted that she has taken the time to answer my questions and take this opportunity to thank her for contributing. Carrie Hall Describe yourself in five words and how would your friends describe you (in five)!! loyal, loving, obsessive, honest, calm (me) obsessive, rebellious, opinionated, loyal, reliable (friends) Sketchbook How has work and this year been for you – anything new on the boil for 2012 In the earlier part of this year work was dead. I felt I was working very hard and achieving very little. That changed in August when I took the plunge and launched my online classes. Since then it has been crazy!! Hectic and busy in the best way, I have loved every minute of it. In 2012 I am hoping to take my classes forward and I also have a wish, (I hope it happens but time flies by so fast) to create a new body of work for exhibition, to approach galleries and make progress with my portfolio of designs for industry. Buttons What do you love most about what you do and is there a down side I love that I am in control of my day, my creativity and that I can embroider whenever I wish. Cloth and thread are my obsessions.....you will never hear me complain about embroidery....ever. The downside...I make very little money but hey, money isn't everything!! If I do get down about that then I remind myself of the alternative....a classroom of 30 teenager's...........no contest! In your portfolio what are you most happy with That's quite a hard one.....I like everything in my portfolio, it doesn't make it into there if I don't like it. That is where my obsessive trait comes in. I throw things away if I am not happy with them..... Embroidered Paper Art What’s your ideal working day like My ideal working days happen when I can remove my housewife and mother head, If I don't have to do any cooking, cleaning or laundry. I would lay out pieces for a new project, enjoy tacking them together and then love the excitement of planning how I will embellish that piece. I probably wouldn't eat and I would definitely ignore the telephone. Brooch Who influences you creatively I am influenced by women throughout time who have used cloth as a means to enhance the lives of their families. My work is driven minute by minute by a strong love for both my grandmothers, no longer with me, whom I adored and who ignited my love of embroidery. Little Book of Words Have you ever or do you have a PLAN B Oh yes, I had a plan B, I tried it, it ruined my life!!! 18 months working full time in a Secondary School. I had lots of money!! Yes really, but boy was I miserable. I left before it completely destroyed me. Where’s your own favourite place to work and why In my comfy chair, in the lounge. With hand embroidery this is possible. Detail Are you a coffee or a tea girl - Coffee, black please, no sugar! Detail Who do you think I should interview next Ah!! Annette Messager. Now if you could pull that off!!!!! Annette Messager Karen's Links Blog Etsy Shop Facebook
Hello everyone 2017 has got off to a busy start, there are always new and exciting ideas to implement and over the next few weeks I will be sharing some of these with you, but today it is time to …
I’m not sure what it is about me and whitework lately, but here I am, back on another whitework subject! I received a really nice book this past week, and I wanted to tell you about it. The book is called Schwalm Embroidery Techniques and Designs, by Christine Bishop. Even if Schwalm embroidery doesn’t seem ...
