Studio Sunday

I had a very productive day in the studio on Sunday. My two colour burst mini stitchscapes were framed in their black frames which I am totally thrilled and in love with! Two other mini stitchscapes were also photographed ready for their grand appearance in Etsyland. My In The Pink Stitchscape was framed, Hedgerow Fizz was mounted but not framed as I accidentally left the frame at home where it had been delivered to and didn't take it with me to the studio (I'm blaming the heat for this lapse, it was a scorcher of a day, the previous evening's storm doing nothing for the humidity!), and I labelled and priced up all of my prints, cards, embroidery kits and stitchscape pebbles ready for the Barnsgate Manor craft fair that happened on Monday.

I very teasingly didn't show you the finished article of my seaside themed colour burst 'scape in my last blog post, so here it is!
It's very simple for me. I have been thinking about my timings and how much effort I put into my work. Following a discussion with the lovely Saira at the-stitchery, she said how much heart and soul I put into my stitchscapes, every one of them has a little bit of me in it (especially if I forget myself and sew my finger to the 'scape- it has happened several times!!) and they have to be perfect. I am not often willing to compromise the quality of my work, and I am pretty unbending when it comes to how I want these things to look- from my branding, to packaging, to print paper. If I don't like the look, or the quality of it, I don't sell it or promote it. However, because the embroideries take so long to do I am trying to find ways to speed the process up a little and make it slightly more commercial. The large pieces I don't think I will be able to compromise on how much effort goes into those - I do consider them an art form - but the little ones could have slightly less in them. Slightly.

So rather than go mad and stitch on the tiny single strand, one twist french knots I was planning to build up texture within the sand print, I have left it as satin stitches in the pebbles and stem stitch around the tantalizing section of foot. The little dry grasses help to keep the fabric down, as do the cross stitches, and then the french knots at the bottom of the grass help to bed that in. I am really pleased with this piece, and especially love the surf bubbles!! Love that transition between water and sand. In fact, I may have to do another piece straight away with that theme in mind.

With the depth in colours, these two look rather lovely against the dark frames, and it has me wondering how my green sheep would look against black as well- perhaps I should do some more green ones and set them in black? A step away from my almost trademark white frames!

Most of my work I prefer in white frames, and I have actually just re-framed my Cow Parsley Stitchscape into a white box frame as I no longer liked it in the black one I had originally framed it in. It now looks so much fresher! My In The Pink Stitchscape is now all bedded into its very own frame and looking rather lovely, and my Hedgerow Fizz has had its photoshoot ready to be turned into prints and cards which I'm hoping will turn out well. Next time I am in the studio this one will also be framed. Someone once told me that although they could see the techniques I used and the layering that goes on in these scenes, they couldn't actually see the full picture and appreciate it as a landscape scene until it was put into a frame and squared off. I guess I prefer seeing them all tidied up as well, whether that be in a square frame or a round hoop. What's your preference?