Return Of The Sunrises

In the mornings I am now getting up at the same time as the sun who has decided to be lazy and gets up later and later each day. There is no excuse for it really, the rest of us still have to get up at the same time each day regardless of the time of year! It does mean, however, that on good days (where it isn't heavy fog or pouring with rain) we are treated to excellent displays of light and frothy cloud formations which is always a good way to start the day.

I suppose my latest commission could be interpreted as a sunrise, although it was requested to be a sunset. It is now finished and all I have to do is frame it in a hoop as requested and post it off to Rome, Italy! I hope it survives the journey.... I may use an awful lot of bubble wrap...

The setting sun is one of my favourite parts about this piece. The border has been made with bullion knots linked with French knots and the long stitch 'rays' just explode out from the spotty yellow fabric. The colours are very rich here, with yellows, purples, oranges and blues- they contrast each other nicely and I think my old art teacher would be impressed at my use of the colour wheel.

There's nothing really very complicated about these pieces. I go where the fabric leads me, follow the patterns already existing in the weave or the print and just repeat the same stitches over and over again. The different sizes of stitch, amount of floss threads used and contrast in colour are what add interest and texture.

I have started a new piece too, this one a much more muted affair. It's the misty starts that have inspired me I think, wispy grey bits muting the green with ripened wheat soggily dripping in the fields (it's quite a countryfied bus journey to work). There are still elements of colour in the fabric choices here though, a pop of orange amongst the green and a beautiful peach and yellow in the purple, I think I will use this palette to create a garden of flowers in the foreground.

I am on holiday again next week, and this time we are going to Yorkshire so I may have to take this piece and some 'inspiring' bits with me in case I finish this one and wish to start another. They are so relaxing to do, no set routine other than choosing and laying the fabrics down then tacking and stitching over the top. The needle can wander where it likes.