I have been absent without leave for a little while. As I have said, I am completing a course with Design Matters, and I can't post that here, but beyond that and all the family problems at present, I had been thinking why I often fall of the cart with my Textile work. and really, I have come to realise, work - that terrible word is to blame. Once something becomes WORK, it becomes a chore. Since I started the local gallery, I have been more focused on making THINGS rather than just making, and I think this is what has stifled my creativity.
When I work in my journals and sketchbooks, I have no particular end in mind and am not even intent on finishing - often, I just make backgrounds, which I come back to when the muse suggests. Perhaps I need to be a bit more intent on the process with textiles,like I used to be, rather than what it looks like or whether it's finished or not. I might end up with lots of ufos, but I might end up with more finished and more creative work, too.
So, to this end, today I just threw some stuff together and made it up as I went along.
A piece of interfacing and some bits of green stuff - stain, chiffon, organza, batting - all the stuff I love to play with.
I just arranged the green bits all over the interfacing and when I was happy, I pinned a bit of black tulle over it to hold it.
On the back I pinned an inkjet print from a dover book.
I turned it over and pinned some lilac satin where the flowers were to be (sorry about the upside down pic)
Then I turned it back upside down and sewed around the flowers on the lines of the paper (basically bobbin drawing)
I glues around my stitching with a syringe (very fine line of glue) so it wouldn't fray when I trimmed it.
I did a rough trim, then a closer one.
Then I did the same with some very pale green satin for the foliage.
Then it was time for some embroidery!
I turned it over again and went over the lines in the flower with a variegated purple thread.
And that's where I got up to before I had to go out and stack wood for the fire. It gets cold early now that it's winter here.
And this is one I need to remember more often. Play is the heart of creativity!
