Another Inspiration from the Maria Thomas Workshop

Another jacket! Completely different, but kickstarted by Maria's workshop. I am a big fan of old denim, stripy shirt fabric, and fish! And kimonos. This is a long overdue project, a Hanten jacket, using a whole lot of favourite fabrics. In kimono design a river symbolises continuity and the future so I have stitched a red river up each front, across the sleeves and they join together to flow down the back. I've started stitching over some of the fish in orange. Koi are a symbol of good luck and perseverance in adversity. I dyed a tablecloth indigo and used it as the foundation fabric.

Indigo Kimono Jacket
© Karen Rowe

Robin and Swift

Worked in free machine embroidery.

Robin
© Lynn Pilgrim

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Swift
© Lynn Pilgrim

Church

I was asked by my aunt to do an embroidery to celebrate one of her bridesmaid's 50th wedding anniversary. I decided to capture an image of the church where she married in Gloucestershire. The image was taken from a screen shot of the church which my aunt found on Google Earth and sent to me from Alberta in Canada where she now lives! It is hand embroidered with a little free machining for the golden tree. As I was also a bridesmaid (the little 10 year old one!) for my aunt it was rather a fun piece to do as it had a personal link.

Church
© Lynn Pilgrim

Carnation and Cornflower

Many years ago, one of my favourite designers, Amy Mitten, started offering a range of kits called Castket Keepsakes. These small, three dimensional, items where inspired by antique enbroidered items found in 17th century caskets. I have collected several of these kits but had not begun to work another until this year. The first four kits are named after the seasons. The first in the series is Winter but I decided to do Spring first as that was the season when I started stitching it. The first Keepsake in the Spring Caskets Keepsakes kit is a little silk drawstring bag which holds a thread winder. The petals of the Carnation are worked in 17th century techniques. The size is 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" not including the finger loop drawstring. The second keepsake is a tape measure in the form of a Cornflower. The tape measure is revealed by pulling on the stem and rewound by rotating the spindle. It measures 2 1/2" x 3". There are twenty petals made using the same technique as the Carnation. Both keepsakes are made using Amy's hand-dyed threads and antique metallics.

Carnation
© Carol Anne Conway

Cornflower
© Carol Anne Conway

Another Autumn Glory

I wanted to preserve eucalyptus leaves from my garden, but the glycerine darkened the leaves and they lost definition. Painting dried leaves with acrylic wax kept the detail. I tried a slightly ‘leafy’ stitch, which I didn’t like. The simple cross stitch was more successful. Eco-dyed silk and cotton fabrics, threads and buttons.

Autumn Glory
© Karen Rowe