Busy Times

I've just put up my second exhibition in as many months, so it has been a busy time.
This one is at the Octagon Gallery in Castle School, Thornbury, South Glos., with Thread Carefully, my Textile Art Group. After a long morning's effort, it looks pretty good and surprisingly cohesive for five artists who work independently and very differently.

The pictures below are some of the pieces I showed last month at Gallery 370 in Cleeve, and some of them are now exhibited in Thornbury.

The three above are from a series entitled "Snapshots of the Sea", where different techniques are used to capture the restless and relentless movement of the waves, and the changing colours which can be seen. I have manipulated, dyed and distressed fabrics and then used mixed media to enhance the effect in the top two. The bottom one is worked in wools using the hooky rug-making technique on recycled hessian.

This piece below is called "Dark Materials". It is appliquéd, embroidered and embellished in mixed media.

The two above are from the series: "Ancient Fragments". They combine embroidery and mixed media and evoke corroded metals.

This goldwork piece is called "Fields of Gold".

Stitchworks by Sue

The piece above is made using felting techniques, with the inclusion of shot organza, and then embroidered by hand to add definition and texture. It is currently in hanging form, but I am considering mounting and framing it.

An embroidery showing my influence by gothic architecture, worked in reverse applique and machine embroidery, and mounted on canvas for hanging.

The design inspiration for this stumpwork embroidery is the Sanctuary Knocker at Durham Cathedral.

Seascape in rag-rugging

This seascape is worked in the proddy, or hooky, method of rag rugging on hessian, using a number of recycled fabrics including t-shirting and woollen blanket which was previously ddyed using acid dyes. I find the sea fascinating (sea-faring is in my family tree) and a never-ending source of inspiration.

Crazy Patchwork Pincushions

Some crazy patchwork pincushions I made for a swap with an internet group. I enjoy these techniques and ought to use them again before long. They are a great way of using tiny scraps of precious fabrics. I have a friend who is a professional dressmaker and soft furnisher, and she sent some lovely bridesmaid dress scraps my way. These contributed to a large extent to these two pincushions.




I like using a monochromatic colour scheme sometimes, with a small dash of he complementary colour to add zing: in this case the shades of purple contrasted with a golden yellow. I have used a mixture of machine embroidery, using automatic stitches programmed into my Husqvarna Lily, and a bit of hand embroidery because I love the rhythm of manual embroidery.



A few beads add sparkle to the mix of colours and textures. They are like little textile gems, precious and unique.

Rust dyeing

This piece of cotton cloth was soaked in white vinegar, then folded and wrapped around a rusty pole and left for a day or so before refolding and wrapping, replacing the whole bundle in a knotted plastic bag to retain the moisture. This was done over the space of about one week in warm UK summer weather.

The whys and wherefores

I am very aware that my Magic Armchair Traveller Blog has very little about the textile art and embroidery that I purport to practice, and so I decided to make a dedicated space for it, in the hope that it will be both a showroom and a workspace for this area of creativity.