Month: April 2024

April

I say it every time, but where does it go?

April daily stitching, detail

This year’s overall plan was for it to look something like an aerial view of fields, a visual depiction of time and space. Each block is time taking up space, a few stitches marking the minutes that make up a life as well as a dimensional area on the cloth.

April daily stitching

I don’t generally set out to depict ‘an event’ or anything representing what happened that day. It’s usually just a few stitches to mark the passing of that time.

April daily stitching, detail

It’s not meant to be a way of remembering the minutiae of daily life, but a bigger picture of the way time (mostly) passes without us even noticing. It’s the opposite of ‘wasting time’, if there can be such a thing. It’s about noticing and honouring time, because time is what allows us to be present here and now.

April detail, random swirly back stitch with silk perle 8

And really there’s no such thing as ‘now’. As soon as you’ve formed the concept of ‘now’ the moment has passed, to be replaced by another, different moment. And you can’t grasp that one either before it disappears to be replaced by another. The moments continue, if we’re lucky, for some years until they cease. Time really is all we have, from our limited human perspective. It’s days in a life, unbelievably fragile yet tenacious.

April detail

I don’t know anything about cosmic time, or astrophysics, or geographical time, but I do know time definitely seems to speed up as you get older. Stitching it down doesn’t make any difference, but I suppose it probably makes me feel a bit better about it. I still don’t know where it goes.

April, the other side

If you’re interested in learning how to make something similar, my online course is available here.

Setting out

I’m feeling settled enough in our new home to think about starting some new work, and I’ve made a start in a spiral bound square sketchbook that I’ve had for a little while. Sometimes these things only speak to you when they’re ready.

Of course I had to make a cover for it, as I do for most of my sketchbooks. I find it helps to illuminate some of the themes, as well as providing a little extra protection for the contents.

The cover wraps around the spiral binding and meets itself on the front. It’s not my usual colour palette:

wraparound cover for square sketchbook

I’m using a Two Rivers plein air pocket sketchbook, which has alternating pages of watercolour paper and cartridge paper. The pages are about 7.5″ square, so a nice manageable size.

sketchbook cover

I like pockets in sketchbooks. Actually I like pockets full stop. In my youth I went through a phase of wearing men’s vintage jackets purely because of the number and quantity of pockets, which utterly delighted me. I would keep finding extra hidden pockets all over the garment, inside and out. We no longer say the word pockets in our house. We always say pocketses, a la Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.

pocketses are great

I’ve been using the watercolour-paper pages for direct painting, and the cartridge-paper pages for collaging.

So far it’s all very loose and sketchy, blending colours, shapes and words. I’m cutting the words from an old poetry anthology to create found poems, which is helping to navigate the direction.

ink and watercolour on TwoRivers watercolour paper

I don’t know exactly what it’s going to be yet, or where it might be going, but between us (me and the work) we will find a path. Or maybe this is enough. I think it’s leading somewhere, as most things do.

sketchbook page: be prepared

Some of it is already looking like textile work.

probably the beginnings of a quilt

This page is just ink on wet paper with salt sprinkled over it. I enjoy the unpredictability of this kind of work. Play, really.

ink with salt

It’s a voyage of discovery as always, exactly like life. Travelling through time, we never know what will happen next. And yet, on we go.

Apron Two

I love it. I would totally wear it as a dress:

Janet Clare Artisan apron

Thank you to Annie (in the comments section on my last post), who suggested that the scrap of orange could be an extra pocket. Yes it could:

extra pocket from vintage linen scrap

There’s room for lots more stitching, but in the meantime it’s fully functional and ready for wearing.

front detail
detail

And here’s the back:

Apron back, ready for more stitches

Now of course I don’t want to spoil it by accidentally splashing paint and dye over it…

Aprons one and two

My plain white linen/cotton apron is now structurally complete, sewn entirely by hand, and I’m very happy with it:

Janet Clare artisan apron

The top stitching took a while but it looks OK I think:

top stitching by hand

Difficult to get a sense of scale from the photo but the stitches are just under 1/8th of an inch. I’ll be working some kind of embroidery on it when it knows what it wants to be, so the top stitching will be less obvious when there’s some decoration in place. It’s definitely a blank canvas at the moment.

I’m very impressed by the pattern and the way the pieces fit together so perfectly. The fit is pretty true to size too. I’m a UK size 8-10 and I made the Small, which fits really well. I trimmed about half an inch from the centre front as my shoulders are quite narrow, and I made it a tiny bit longer.

The second apron (same pattern) is now under construction, pieced fairly randomly from hand-dyed cotton and linen fabrics.

Apron 2

I’ve used a couple of hand-printed fabrics on the front; this one was from Hippos in Hats on Etsy and I’ve been saving it for just such an occasion as this:

printed fabric from Hippos in Hats

…and with the hand stitched outline completed (it’s just straight stitch with cotton thread over the printed outline):

stitching over hand print

I’ve also used a couple of eco-prints from Jane Hunter, to which I’ve added a bit of very simple embroidery with colonial knots and straight stitch:

simple stitching over eco-print

As before, I’m stitching all the seams by hand:

side seam showing notches for pocket placement

The lining for this one is very lightweight calico which I dyed a while ago. I wasn’t keen on the way the grey/red turned out, but it will do just fine as a lining. There wasn’t quite enough so I’ve added pieces of the same fabric in turquoise/brown:

lightweight calico lining, hand dyed with Procion

I accidentally dropped this earthy orange scrap onto the apron after stitching the front and sides together. I really like the splash of colour against that green and magenta/purple, so I’ll find a way to add it somewhere.

that orange though!

Looking forward to seeing this one done.

Plain sewing

From the opening page of the Encyclopedia of Needlework by Therese de Dillmont (my copy is undated but it’s the revised and enlarged edition, probably early 20th century):

“Many people, upon opening the Encyclopedia of Needlework, will be disposed to exclaim* as they read the title of this chapter: What is the use of all this information about hand-sewing now that machine-stitching has so nearly superseded work done by hand? We hasten to reply that, among the many accomplishments of women, there is none in which it is of such importance to be thoroughly grounded as in plain sewing properly so called which is, indeed, the foundation of all other needlecraft.”

* what a delightful phrase ‘disposed to exclaim’ is. I shall use it at my next available opportunity.

Plain sewing is what in the nineteenth century was ‘functional’ sewing – the making of clothes and household linens, and mending – before sewing machines were routinely available. The reason for the lengthy quotation from the venerable Mme de Dillmont is that work has begun on my Janet Clare Artisan Apron.

Since having the pattern in my eager little hands I knew I was going to sew the whole thing by hand, just for the challenge and enjoyment of it. I also knew I was going to make two: one clean white one for stitching on, and one colourful messy one to wear while painting and dyeing.

And I’ve been enjoying some plain sewing for a change.

hand-stitched dart

For the plain white version I’m using a cotton/linen blend, cut from an old bed sheet. The lining is a modern lightweight cotton, like lawn but a slightly closer weave.

top stitching the pockets

For the construction I’m using standard white cotton sewing thread (mine happens to be Coats) and for the top stitching I’m working running stitch with a slightly heavier fine cotton. If you’re familiar with the threads that I dye and sell in my shop, it’s the undyed version of the fine cotton thread.

I’m following the instructions carefully and pressing those seams:

carefully pressed top stitching

I’m at the stage with the white version where I’m currently sewing the apron and lining together:

apron and lining

The second apron, I confess, is more fun. I’m modelling the design on something like this dressing gown, made many years ago. I like the randomness of the colours and patches.

foundation-pieced robe

The apron front will be something like this:

fabrics for apron front

And the backs are yet to be assembled from this pile of deliciousness:

heap of hand-dyed fabrics

After the prolonged complexities of our very stressful house move, plus the non-stop activities of unpacking and decorating, some gentle quiet repetitive sewing is proving to be just the restorative activity I need right now.