Last week I was honoured to be asked to run a sheep themed Stitchscape workshop at a private event in Frittenden, Kent. It was a fabulous venue, where the lady in charge puts up a marquee in the garden over the summer and has all sorts of events in there with friends and family. She was one of the Rye Stitchers and asked me when I visited them in May if I would be interested in coming along if she could put together a big enough party of people to attend.
The set up was quite similar to my usual one, and I had been asked to bring along partially pre-made packs with the fabrics already assembled for use. I tend to prepare the calico backing into the hoop ready to go and then have fun laying out different combinations of about five fabrics that fit the theme so that each hoop is different. The ladies can then have their own fun choosing a collection that inspires them, or just pick one and totally change the fabrics included - they don't have to stick to the ones given to them.
We had chatted during the class about the use of purl wire (usually used in Goldwork techniques) and it turns out she had a fabulous collection of them and has used them to great effect to enhance her piece, stitching them into the dark green grasses you see (using smooth purl), as well as looping a beautiful spiral variegated one up and into/over shells. It is so amazingly effective!
I also really like the character that has been put into the ocean - there's not a whole lot of stitching at the top, it's not needed to be honest and balances out everything happening on the sand to give some breathing space - but the whale tails are so much fun, as well as the big oil ships right out there on the horizon.
I'm so pleased that she finished it and that she's pleased with the effect (as she rightly should be). It apparently hangs on display in a bathroom in her house.
These hoops are like little glimpses into other people's stash collection - the beach huts and seagulls look to be carefully cut from a printed quilt fabric or panel and work really well to add a cheeky element to this scene.
So much texture has been added with lots of beads, some of which I think were deconstructed from a necklace and have a chunky, rock look to them as you can barely see the holes to stitch through, little tiny flower buttons in yellow, individually cut lace flowers in orange, jumping fish beads, and several different types of yarn and thread.
The stitching on this piece is also absolutely tiny, and immaculate!
Again, the more you look at this piece the more you see in it.
I should have photographed the back of this as well because it was so neatly done - the fabric was drawn up as I would have but rather than being backed in felt, a circle of card was cut to fit and printed cotton fabric tightly glued around it, then that was glued to the back of the hoop so it had a neat, hard backed surface.
It also came with a sweet resident ladybug!
Not everyone wanted to use the fabrics they'd been given, and some ladies had brought bits of their own fabric so there was a lot more variety at the end.
We can only brush the surface of the stitching part in these workshops and focus really on stitches or combinations that are new to them or they aren't sure of (usually french or bullion knots) and, to be honest, when it's a group of friends out for a nice day with chatter and cake - finishing or getting lots done isn't a priority and that is absolutely fine. Sometimes it's just about getting something started, talking through ways to approach the layers and firing up those inspiration fingers and just letting them go at the end of the day to work through and have fun on their own.
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