Trying to start something new.

4/4/22 - that must be a significant number!!

I am trying to think of something to spark a new work. The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, Australia has a members' exhibition in October. I know that sounds quite a while away but, at the rate I am currently going, that is a doable time-line - I hope. 

The theme of the overall exhibition is Threading a Way - we still seem to be trying to find our way into the future, so many things are impacting our lives still. 

The Machine Embroidery Guidance group also has a theme of trees - it has been the theme since 2020, we keep getting interrupted by Covid!

I was browsing through some old work I had done and came across one that was based on a labyrinth. It wasn't all that good but it did make me think about the theme - trying to find a way. 

More browsing led me to some tree-shaped labyrinth pictures, mostly from Pinterest. So now I am hoping to kill two birds with one stone, try a tree-shaped finger labyrinth - or just make a wall-hanging. So far I am at the idea only stage - who knows what will eventuate? 

I am contemplating trying some of what I learnt from the Cas Holmes course I did last year, using her collage idea for the background. I am also contemplating doing a blackwork one!! That will necessitate starting soon - I am rather slow at hand stitching. I also found some notes from a course I did in 2011 and saw some twin needle work on the sewing machine that might work. So ideas are coming, alll a bit confusing really.

A silk paper bowl

As I am demonstrating machine free motion embroidery at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria tomorrow, I thought I would have a play with something a bit different - for me. It is our annual members' exhibition.

I took some old works when I demonstrated on Sunday and people were interested to see all the things you can do with free motion embroidery.

I made a little bowl for the Challenge, Altered Art, and thought I would try something similar. I also met the person who bought my thread bowl from last year's exhibition. I tried making another on Sunday but it hasn't turned out quite right, I think I needed to do more sewing on the upright bits. So I may choose to try another tomorrow, see if I can work out what went wrong.

But I also tried something different today: I had some silk paper that I had made recently. It was just big enough for the template I had for making a fabric bowl.

I put it in the hoop, with the design drawn on some soluble fabric, and did some freehand drawing. The soluble fabric helps to stiffen the bowl a bit too.
I thought I would need to disguise the seams of the sections so make them into tree trunks. It has worked but I think, if I do another, that the trunks need to be a bit slimmer.

Still, it was a challenge for me and I am moderately happy with it. It is not very big as the silk paper I had wasn't very big, nor was the template.

The thing I like about this technique is that you can see the sewing on both sides of the bowl and the bowl is a little bit translucent.

I may try a slightly different template, see if I can get the tops of the sides to flare out a little more.