Background Details

I always like to try to produce items which are 'made from scratch'. I am a little flexible in the way in which  I judge whether or not I am achieving this, since I don't produce 'raw materials' - don't have a flock of sheep, grow my own flax etc. Neither do I dye basic yarns, fibres and fabrics. However, I do like to consider the 'background' for my embroideries as part of the design - rather than just the 'support' on which the design sits.

I have a stash of fibres - merino and other wools, silk, mohair, mostly hand-dyed - although not by me. These might be felted, (wet-felted, needle-felted, or felted on an embellisher machine), they might be stitched on to a background (couched or - if the fibres are long enough, held by a 'web' of stitches), been bonded as one layer amongst sheer fabrics......

Yarns - and I have a very extensive stash ( mostly very small quantities of each) - commercially produced but also hand-dyed/ hand spun including some 'art yarns', rare breed wools and some from a local flock - which is lovely. I have wool, alpaca, silk, cotton........ and their blends, all 'weights', some vintage, most colours imaginable ( although often find that I don't have the colour I want in the fibre I have in mind in the required weight - but I'm not supposed to be buying any more?!!?). In order to produce backgrounds from yarn, I have knitted, crocheted (both with/without felting of fulling), woven (using several different techniques), couched or felted ( most recently using my embellisher machine).

Fabric - new or up-cycled ( and some vintage in both categories) - which may be hand-painted, torn into strips and then used as yarn (see above), bonded (particularly layers of sheer fabric), appliqued or patchworked.

Lace and ribbon - both new and vintage - used layered over another fabric or as a central panel.

Scrim - hand-dyed (although not by me), layered over another fabric.

Hessian - well this one is ongoing - having found a scrap under a box whilst looking for some more lace - I really am easily distracted! I may have a finished piece to show you later!

---o0o---

UPDATE

(31/2 hours later)

I love the effect I have achieved with the hessian (although it was so time-consuming that it will be impossible to make many brooches this way). Here is the background:

The hessian has been stitched over red felt, using tiny cross stitches at the 'intersections' in the weave - alternating metallic red and gold threads.

I then framed the brooch in twisted strands of 'un-ravelled' hessian - stitched in place with the metallic gold thread. Finally, I was able to stitch the rose design in a mixture of woven parcel ribbon, silk and organza ribbons, with other details added in embroidery thread. 

An update!

The brooch shown to the right sold almost immediately, so it has been replaced at Lynwoodcrafts on Etsy by this one in a similar style. Neutral shades of ivory this time - it would team with any summery outfit:

Vintage lace...

... inspired my latest brooch.

Not what I was looking for in the 'lace drawer' but having re-discovered it, I knew how I wanted to use it. You can see the results in Lynwoodcrafts' Etsy shop.

A day of catching up after the day before beckons me. I set of to file an untidy pile of paperwork yesterday morning. I flicked through some insurance documents as I came across them, found some details were not as I expected, and, after a lengthy phone-call, spent a couple of hours seeking alternative cover. Not how I would have chosen to spend yesterday but, finally, a happy outcome. I seem to have found a much more comprehensive policy (and cheaper too!).

The pile of paperwork still awaits, and other jobs are accumulating but, a little afraid of uncovering more administrative glitches ( I hate paperwork - other than the craft-medium variety), I have persuaded myself that I needed a little more of a chill-out morning. Not usually possible on Tuesdays due to preparation for Brownies but someone else has offered to take the lead tonight!

Off to 'put' (cram, persuade....) the lace back into its drawer. None of my storage facilities seem quite adequate!

Manic Monday....

...... "Where's my ........" , "I need.........", "Why can't I find......."

Their school timetables don't vary week to week, after school is busy but pretty much the same each week. Monday always follows Sunday and is usually the start of the school week. How any of the routine takes them by surprise each week I have no idea. My son just needs books, food and cash each day. My daughter has complicated days with netball kit, saxophone and sometimes art portfolio in addition to her school bag all to be accommodated on a crowded bus - but Monday is just a standard school bag. My daughter wears a school uniform, her brother wears the same clothes for school each week - no lengthy decisions to be made there then. So why do I end up screaming 'Its quarter past and I'm not driving just because you two are too lazy to be organised!!' - pretty much every week?

They dash out, after the bus should have left, relying on it being late - and I spend the next ten minutes wondering if they are going to reappear begging a lift. If not, I finally, get chance to start my week.

My first item of the week is listed on Etsy and I am about to embark on a huge clearout at home - long overdue and very necessary in preparation for some tradesmen we need to help us with some improvements - nothing very major but time has stood still in this house for 18 years and we need an update!

A Trip to Shrewsbury..

.... was the solution we agreed upon to Yesterday's dilemma of 'what to do with a Saturday'.

Only about 45 minutes away from us and yet somewhere we tend to drive round, rather than visit. I was half wanting to watch the rugby, but I gave in to the idea of an afternoon out.

A traditional market town, with lovely architecture - one or two 60's buildings in the 'wrong places' excepted - Shrewsbury still has a lovely atmosphere. I'm not really someone who likes large, in-door, piped music, piped air, artificial light, all shop-fronts-the-usual-chains, sort of shopping centre. Shrewsbury has one and, on popping in in search of a loo, we were faintly pleased to see so many empty shops. The lovely network of side streets, with a beautiful patchwork of buildings - timber-framed, black and white onwards, has many lovely individual shops. We spent a couple of hours strolling around - we should have taken the camera. A couple of birthday gifts and some Easter gifts were purchased. I couldn't resist a yarn shop and bought 5 or 6 six balls - all different - my small items don't need large quantities!

Unfortunately, the car radio was turned on for the 6 pm news. Our daughter had managed not to reveal the match results - the BBC were less considerate - at least it was good news. A quiet evening was spent knitting a purse, which may remain mine, and which will be felted and embroidered (when I have finished the knitting). I only obtained access to the TV at about 11pm - so watched the match then.

The Start of the Week end....

...... or the end of the week before?

Saturday's seem to have one or other of these characteristics, largely depending on the week we've had and the plans of our two teenagers. Last week was a little hard going at times. None of us has been feeling completely well, we have had a couple of extra evening meetings thrown into our usual schedule, 15 year old has been sitting some exams ( including her first proper GCSE paper and accompanying a friend in the friend's GCSE music exam), and we all feel quite tired.

Our 18 year old went out to help with his Scout group as usual last night, before going on (late) to a friend's 18th. I should feel quite pleased with him, he did his voluntary work first and wasn't too late back. Already 18, he seems to have got the hang of drinking for enjoyment but not to excess - quite an achievement for an 18 year old these days. He was quite 'chatty' when he got home but was sober enough to help pack the disco away first. He's now down at our local Scout campsite - refreshing his skills in setting up and helping to supervise the various activities - abseiling etc. Now, if we could only get him to study in between these other worthy pursuits we would feel as though all our parenting efforts had been worth it.

I haven't seen his sister today yet - she really is quite tired. Since we were on taxi duty for our son at around midnight, and again this morning , we're tired too.

All-in-all today feels like the end of last week to me. I would be quite happy to catch up on some housework and sit and watch the rugby this afternoon. My husband is trying hard to make today feel like the start of the weekend. He wanted a long day out walking, but I really haven't enough energy. Plan B is an afternoon out - probably into the evening. Our son is camping tonight so we don't have to collect him. Our daughter will not want to walk with us, accompany us on a scenic drive ( I must admit I try not to burn fuel for the sake of it), or anything else we might suggest. (She does walk - with her Explorer Scout Group but NOT with her parents!!! - hopefully she'll return to being pleasant company in a year or two!). I'm stuck in the middle again, and not too sure how to keep everyone happy.

Another cup of tea, set the rugby to record (in case I'm not here), and find a craft book or two to browse I think.

Blowing the dust off.....

...... and trying another tactic!

OK - I still haven't managed to get back to regular blogging. I always seem to feel I should have 'something in particular' to say and spend too long thinking about the possibilities to get anything done. I have decided to try a 'diary' approach, sort of 'Twitter ++', with more profound or interesting things thrown in if anything occurs to me.

Trying to recover from a virus-type thing with following throat infection. I keep thinking I've beaten it and then it comes back. We only had about 1/2 a voice between us at Brownies this week - almost had to resort to sign language. 18 year old is struggling to recover, spent a few hours in A&E on oxygen last week (2am onwards - obviously. Seems to be some sort of rule that we don't get there during daylight. We are having an on-going 'discussion' about his Scouts commitments this week end - he is supposed to camp but I want him to sleep - he's just missed 10 days of school and I daren't look but I'm fairly sure A2's are only about 12 weeks away).

Back to my world of craft! My Etsy shop now looks respectably stocked with around 100 items listed. I am enjoying the embellisher machine which I treated myself to earlier this year. I still hand finish the felt which I produce but I love the effect which I can get from 'stripes' of yarn. It does speed up the initial part of the process of producing a background. I keep thinking that I should lower the listing prices slightly as a result - no wonder I'm not rolling in money - I have to keep reminding myself that my aim must be to recover the money I spent on the machine.

A few of the backgrounds that I began yesterday  - 'seascape onshore', 'seascape off-shore', 'cornfields', moorland.......