Tuesday 13 December 2011

Still Inspired

Still feeling inspired.

I have just received a lovely parcel of heat reactive fabrics from nidnoi. I was feeling all inspired last week, went to the cupboard, got out what i thought was heat reactive fabric and it wasn't. When i zapped it with the heat gun it just went brown and smelled like a singed dog.

But now I have some new stuff. I seem to be fixed on decay! Cheerful eh?

Last time I did this I embroidered a lad of stuff on what i thought was kunun felt, went to hear it to distress it and it just burned. No melting happened. So I had 2m of unmelted embroidered trim to re stitch. My own fault really, i should have tested it beforehand.

I am hoping that over Christmas i get some time to be creative. At the moment I just feel exhausted having spent the weekend at the Cologne Christmas Markets. But with a few good nights sleep I should be fine. I do have some nice ideas I want to try out. I just have so much going on at the moment.

Coz I also play in a local wind band. Christmas is a very busy time for the band. We have carols outside the supermarket, the christmas concert, the christmas party etc etc. I think i am going to need the Christmas holiday to recover.

Lx

Thursday 1 December 2011

A Miracle has occurred

Hope you are all sitting down. Wait for it, wait for it.......

I am feeling inspired. Yes, after a lengthy search for self expression I came to the conclusion that I work best if I give myself a topic then stick with that as an inspiration until it is exhausted.

So I started to think and with the help of the dearly beloved I found a topic that ignited a spark. Now I have the opposite problem - I want to be at home getting creative but I am here at the day job (earning the £££ to buy the stuff etc).

So, when this gets past the sketch book and thought stage and starts to take a stitched form I will post some piccies.

Everything will be designed with the intention that it can be exhibited next summer at our local art show so it will have to be frame based as they really are not ready for installations yet (they tend to feel adventurous when they include scultpure). But it will come. We are in a small rural community so I am delighted to just see my work on the wall where people can view it and maybe, just maybe someone will feel the urge to purchase?????

I will also try to blog a little more than once every 6 months. I think it is fair to say I lose focus very easily.

So, tonight is planned to be on the sofa with pencil, sketch book and some books of inspiration (this is the point where I usually get frustrated at my poor drawing skills). I can usually manage to get a good enough sketch to guide the creative process. i tend to craft organically anyhow so whatever i design will grow into a final form that may, if I am lucky, bear a passing resemblance to my original design.

I will need to keep some water colours close as there is nothing more guaranteed to block my creative process than a large sheet of white paper. it is so intimidating.

One thibg i do wish, I wish I had others of a similar ilk as me close enough so that we could get together regularly and bounce ideas of one another. But it is not possible. The nearest thing is the Midlands textile Forum based in Birmingham. All other groups seem to be made up of friends who have been sewing together since they did their college courses / had their kids / worked together / whatever.

I have prposed to a couple of friends that we form our own small group, just the 3 of is. We can meet every 6 weeks or so and share ideas. We all do slightly different things. 1 is a great lace maker, 1 likes traditional stuff (cushions, samplers, pictures) and I am definitely freestyle.

We will only meet every 6 weeks as we need to get around 1 persons physical limitations, 1 who has 2 sons to look after and me who travels a lot for work.

But 2 of us are keen so we just need to find out if the 3rd lady is interesated then off we go. It will not be permanently limited to the 3 of us, if we know anyone else who may be interested then they are more than welcome to join us "Lucas Ladies".

Lesley x