What a week...

... not only was I teaching the Partridge in a Pear ornament on the weekend, but I was determined to have the KIT in the SHOP by December 1.

... I just made it! 

Boy that was busy, but the booklets are getting printed and everything else is ready to be popped into bags. 

While I work on the notes, which I am sure takes me longer than the actual embroidery LOL, I always get to that certain point where I ask myself if perhaps, I go to too much trouble...

... but as soon as I see it all come together on the pages, I remember why I like to put effort into that part of it too. I am so pleased with this little booklet and kit - It is a good feeling.

  

  

The workshop was great - so, so nice to be teaching. I sometimes wonder who gets the most out of it, the students or I? 

We spent most of the time getting the little needle lace wings ready. Everyone did a fabulous job - it is not as hard as it may seem. A bit fiddly perhaps, but if you take your time, not that difficult. 

PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR may not be a big project but I had such fun converting the the 'bigger sister', the original project from issue 67 of Inspirations magazine to something of a more manageable size. 

I will be adding the larger project to the collection of kits, but it may have to wait a bit for now - next one to get finished and ready to kit for all those waiting is..

MEADOW BLOOM

...and perhaps, just perhaps... a wee bit of stitching in between.........?

Have a wonderful first week of December.

Anna X

I am inspired...

by Ann Dunbar.

Eden of Light - Ann Dunbar

This incredible artist creates the most mesmerising images by applying embroidery over the top of her watercolour paintings...

Early Morning Mist - Ann Dunbar

... at times spilling onto the surrounding frame.

Waterlilly dream haven - Ann Dunbar

I simply love the delicate contrast between the 'airy' and light watercolour and the textures created by the stitches. 

Soft fragrance of Provence - Ann Dunbar

I have often seen a watercolour wash painted on to fabric for back ground colour, but these are beautiful little paintings on paper enhanced by stitches. Can you even begin to imagine the skill it would take to machine stitch so densely onto paper without damaging it? 

Ann has a wonderful little 'how it happens' book on her website. To have a look just clik HERE and turn the pages.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Anna x

Lone tree, WIP

I haven't been spending as much time as I normally do outside lately - there has just been too much else to do but yesterday was absolutely stunning...

...I mean, how can you possibly stay indoors when the skies are like this....? There is so much to do in the vineyard at the moment. Each year I am equally surprised how quickly the vines turn from bare and dead looking trunks to vibrantly green and lush. If we don't stay on top of it, it quickly becomes a completely unmanageable jungle. 

Despite being busy with too many iron's in the fire, I have managed to sneak a teeny-weeny bit of stitching time here and there. 

A few more sand hills are filling the ground around Lone Tree. It is nice watching the bland ivory ground turning into rich shades of ochre and burnt orange...

I am loving creating the various textures with the stitches. Most are really simple, basic stitches: stem, chain, couching and running stitches - with one or two hills in burden stitch thrown in because I love the brick like bumpy texture is creates. A super fine gold thread added to the laid thread gives it just that tiny bit of sparkle, like sun rays reflecting on shiny pebbles.

The hill I am working on at the moments is close rows of twisted chain stitch. I am using a firmly twisted variegated silk from Colour Streams called 'Nasturtium'  - it is the same thread as the middle hill in the picture above. Isn't it just a glorious colour? It makes happy every time I use it. 

So it is getting there...

...slowly but surely. 

I have packed it away again, though. The next few days are earmarked for packing kits and preparing for the Partridge workshop at the end of the Month.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Anna

Partridge in a Pear...

It is finished. The little Partridge is sitting happily in his pear tree.

Of course I couldn't resist popping him onto the massive cedar in the front yard. I have always wanted to cover it in Christmas lights, but for each year it is getting less and less likely to ever happen - we would need to get a crane in to get to the top.

With the stitching complete and only a few weeks to the workshop it is head down and onto getting the instructions written and completed. Despite it's humble size this one is going to need quite a bit of work.

... and while I was hard at work inside, someone else was hard at work outside...

Happy Wednesday everyone. 

Anna X