Magic Stitches Part 1

I was totally thrilled to meet a blog pal in the real world today, at the monthly meeting of the Avon Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers where Tiggy Rawling ran a workshop on shibori and dye painting. It's probably been a year since I last got to a meeting, my health having been so rotten since, but I was pretty determined not to miss this one, even if I wasn't at my best. I'm so glad I managed it: it was a very good, informative and enjoyable workshop and Tiggy as as lovely as I'd anticipated.

 

Here are Tiggy and Elizabeth discussing some of the lovely stitched shibori that Tiggy had brought along as samples and inspirations.

 

Oooops, Blogger has been transposing photos again. In case these are still not in the right order, Elizabeth is modelling the white lab coat, Tiggy's in both the photos and me - I'm the other one!



And here's a picture of Tiggy and me,which I'm thrilled to have! Pictures of what I did will have to wait as the two samples are batching in a plastic bag, while the pole wrapping I started is waiting on me finding some more string to complete it.

Thanks to Tiggy for the excellent workshop and to Caroline for taking the photo and organising the programme which included this session, and to Avon Guild of Spinners, Weavers and Dyers for hosting it.

Breathing Spaces

I've been very preoccupied and occupied with a big project.

 

I've recently been working on costumes (designs and realisations) for a dance performance of a newly commissioned work entitled "Breathing Spaces". It's being performed at the Youth Dance England conference at the Mermaid Theatre tomorrow, and I was able to attend the dress rehearsal yesterday.

 

The whole project has been developed over a space of a mere six weeks, so creating designs and costumes for 34 performers has been intense and a challenge. The project is based around our community and features 32 children from the village (attending the primary and community comprehensive schools) who belong to the Yeo Dance 09 Group

 

Most of the costumes involved refashioning t-shirts, dyeing and space-dyeing them, cutting them up and recombining them with additions of t-shirting, muslin and other fabrics in earth colours. These were then further embellished using fabric paints and sequins. Each costume was unique but related to all the others.

 

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I was lucky enough to receive practical support from a dozen mothers from the school (including the headteacher's!), not all of whom had children taking part in the performance. They came and volunteered their time, and we enjoyed exploring the capabilities of fabrics, sewing machines and ourselves over four days in total, with the volunteers coming in when they could.

 

These are some photos from the dress rehearsal in the school hall, to show some of the costumes in action.

 

In the background is Elizabeth Glen, who was instrumental in developing the music for the piece as well as adding her glrious voice to the performance. She is wearing the silk wrap which I made, dyed in water/river colours.

 

The theatre performance will take place against a backdrop screen, on which will be shown a film made of the dancers on the Millenium Green, our Breathing Space. I have not seen this but the Artistic Director, Carolyn Savidge, is thrilled with it and describes it as breathtaking. I hope that the whole project will be performed locally so that we can celebrate the effort and creativity of everyone involved.

 

Progression

I'm really pleased with my Flutter scarf. I think it's so pretty.



Now I've cast on the back of a swing tunic in Twilley's Freedom Gorgeous yarn, a very soft blend of bamboo and nylon. I can't find a link to the pattern, whuich is in a pattern collection for this yarn. I am going to cast on for a pair of socks, too, so I have a more portable project, but I'm still deciding on which pattern to use.

Sue's Needles have been Busy

Today I completed a knitted lace scarf - Flutter by Miriam Felton - and for the first time ever I'm blocking my knitting, using a set of blocking wires I bought from Loop recently. I think it will be well worthwhile, as the process was very simple and quick to set up, and before I wired it up, the scarf was looking rather shrivelled and sad. Once it is dry, I'll steam it with the iron to set it and then hopefully I can wear it and be proud of it. It was an enjoyable knit and the yarn I used, Scrumptious Lace, from Fyberspates, was and is a delight, very lustrous and silky and soft.

My sewing needles have been quite busy, too, as I have been designing costumes for a Dance to be performed at the Mermaid Theatre in London next month. It is a community-based project within my village and is entitled "Breathing Spaces", featuring dancers from the village primary school and the local community high school. I have no photos of completed costumes yet, but it has been very busy as there are 34 people to be dressed, all in unique costumes. More about this in due course, but I've been busy space-dyeing fabrics, adapting t-shirts and making friends with my overlocker as well as working with a total of twelve volunteer mothers and helping them to be confident in using their sewing machines, teaching them new techniques and exploring their creativity. Enormous fun, but extraordinarily tiring as well, especially as we've been working in a very tight time frame. I now have plans for some space-dyed t-shirts for myself, made from scratch.

My previous make was with my crochet hook, and was another scarf: this time using a Drops pattern and yarn as recommended, bought from Scandinavian Knitting Design.

My friend Sara had made one which she wore when we met up at Liz's in January, and I decided to flatter her by imitation. It has been a while since I crochet something froma charted pattern and at times it was challenging to remember where I was and what I should be doing, but the mohair did not like being frogged, so I soon learned not to work on this when my concentration was poor! It's a pretty and cosy scarf/shawl which has already had quite a lot of wear.

I think I might give it a gentle wash and a blocking next, once Flutter is off the wires...

Meanwhile, I am thinking about making new curtains and a roman blind for our newly-redecorated living room, choosing between a shawl and a tunic for my next knitting project while also working on the costumes and my t-shirt dyeing. Sadly, I'm very very tired at the moment so it's all a bit of a struggle.

Last Friday I went up to Birmingham NEC to the Sewing for Pleasure Show. I've never done this one before, but I had a good reason to attend. As well as catching up with my friends Sarah and Gill, I called at the exhibition of Poetry in Stitches 2 where I had the pleasure of meeting Linda and Con of the National Needlework Archive for the first time, seeing the excellent entries and proudly receiving my prize for Contemporary Interpretation.

I was appalled to find myself close to nodding off on the way home: clearly the trip was a bit more than I can cope with just now. Flipping ME. So I have been taking it easy since then, trying to pace myself and get plenty of rest to recover from the feelings of exhaustion and muscle and joint aches and pains as quickly as possible. Spring is springing and there's lots of creativity to be realised as well as new materials stashed to play with.

Cyber Fyber Exhibition

If you've not yet seen it, do visit the amazing on-line Cyber Fyber
exhibition. It's such a wonderful opportunity to see an amazing response to Susan Lenz's concept with a phenomenal range of textile techniques from around the world. My postcard and ATC are on display in some very distinguished company. I'd love to see your comments on them.

So far, the new year has not seen much creative activity here, mainly thanks to being virally challenged still (sinusitis now). I hope I can soon find the oomph to get going again.

Two ATCs and a Postcard

This is the ATC that I made and sent recently as part of the fabulous Cyber Fyber swap and exhibition which Susan Lenz has been busy creating. It is made using cut-back or reverse applique using organzas plus machine embroidery.

This ATC is for another swap between myself and Annica Lindsten in Sweden. It is made of my own silk paper which I screen printed with the design of seed heads.

This is the postcard I made for the Cyber Fyber swap, again from the screen-printed silk paper but this time incorporating a disc of tiny-scale crazy patchwork embellished with machine embroidery.

My Cyber Fyber contributions can be seen in the on-line exhibitions here (ATC) and here (Postcard).

Other than this, I've been struggling since I last posted, having a couple of fluey viruses in quick succession. I managed to make my daughter a long dress to wear in her choir concert earlier in the month. My Christmas preparations were severely curtailed by my health problems and I did not manage to write my Christmas cards so have been thinking about a New Year card instead. I seem to have managed to miss this boat as well so will have to think again.

Wishing you all a very Happy, Healthy and Creative 2009!

Crochet Blanket

On a grey, damp and chilly winter's day like this one, what appeals it to wrap up in a shawl or blanket and drink lots of soup and tea or hot chocolate. This blanket is one I crocheted some years ago, from scraps and remnants of knitting yarn, and it has proven a valuable friend over the years, bringing cosy comfort to my children or to me whenever that has been wanted. The motifs are overgrown "Granny Squares", and gave me gentle occupation and a sense of achievement when I was bed-bound due to high blood pressure during my first pregnancy, and later when I was capable of very little activity when I first developed M.E. 20 years ago. Although both blanket and illness have been my constant companions throughout the past two decades, the blanket has been by far the most welcome.