Telling Stories

Over the winter I gave myself permission to 'hibernate' a bit and concentrated on research and developing new ideas for forthcoming shows. I grew up in a family which liked to tell stories so am thrilled to be a cover girl on the latest edition of Cloth, Paper, Scissors. The inside article looks at how you can create your own folding stitch-story from found materials.
  
As I order and re-order thing in preparation for another journey in March to the USA for my exhibition 'Stitch Stories' at Visions Art Museum  (reported in my previous blog) I am drawn to consider how I prepare for such events.I have been drawn to the 'lost' part of our landscape..the areas on the edges of our roads, railways and industrial areas we often  miss simply because we pass and not really look at them. Environmentally of value in our increasingly built upon and urbanised spaces

Spring Verge

 2016 marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot "Capability" Brown, I wonder how he would have seen and remarked upon the changed post industrial landscape before him in light of the 'English Idyl'? You can get involved in marking this event through the Embroiderer's Guild who are a Capability Brown festival partner.
In 1998 I was commissioned to work on a community collaboration at Compton Verney House to mark the multi faceted history of the house and gardens (designed by Capability Brown).This was part of the celebratory preview season marking the opening of the newly-restored ground floor rooms We worked high up in the attic space and the participants included the communities of Combrook and Kineton, Campion Youth Group and local training and educational centres. My ongoing project Tea Flora Tales which continues to mark flora and the landscape appears in an article by Patchwork Professional.You can see the article and look at how to get involved here.

 

I use the time spent travelling to think, and to make connections between my home territory and the destination. I collect materials, take photographs, and make notes and sketches to record what I see.The images below are a few photographs captured through window on a damp day at West Dean College where I regularly teach.

 

A windy night led to a more physical response in red early in the morning ..a warm up exercise and sketch outside before workshops began.

At the same time, participants on my course, Personal Journals-sourcing inspiration for textiles were also looking at gardens for processing their own work

 Head down drawing

 Carol Sacha, walled garden

 Cherry Hirsh Sketchbook development

Lorna Goldsmith, back of work in progress(she records her process here)

Tracey Williams, detail of sample in progress. 

You can read more about up and coming workshops in the UK and USA on this link

Final news (but not least)is that the reprint of Stitch Stories is finally here and being distributed in the UK and beyond. Thankyou Batsford/Pavilion.