These two pieces, inspired by a workshop led by Nerissa Cargill Thompson, depict ocean life (my abstract imaginary take on it) and there's lot of texture in them.
I used paint to make marks on the base fabric, and a lot of recycled fabrics as appliqué and Suffolk puffs, as well as some old lace, ironed plastic netting, couched wool thread, some beads and a fair amount of stitching.
Both pieces will be mounted onto 1 canvas, next to one another. Perhaps part of a future exhibition?
The poem “Being but Men” by Dylan Thomas is a real favourite of mine. It describes the magic of childhood and how we lose a lot of that growing up.
This piece is a personal visual interpretation of that poem using textiles, which took me a considerable time to complete. I used a lot of stitches, beads, small pieces of fabric, all kinds of odds and ends. Some of those have real meaning, like a button of an old family sofa, for instance, or the clapper of a small ceramic bell that broke.
For now, this is my favourite piece. I loved every hour I worked on it, creating a world of abstract but tangible magic. Making something like this is like meditation more than anything.
I had a lot of fun with this piece I made for a workshop by Mirjam Gielen. Blanket stitch is used to create organic structures. By manipulating the stitches and carefully choosing the colours, it can almost feel like these creatures are as natural as actual microscopic sea life. I added some beads and a piece of sea glass and used satin stitch and stem stitch to complete the piece.
"Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile", Paul Simon sings on "The only living boy in New York" : there's no idea more calming, I think.
I imagined this happy feeling in mixed media, using textile, paper, paint, yarn, thread, beads, crayons, lots of hand stitching, machine stitching and even real flower petals. The bold warm colours evoke a real zest for life.
Spring, bring it on!!
An abstract piece, which tells the story of all the different kinds of encounters we have in our lifetime, easy ones, lovely ones, difficult ones, interesting ones, the encounters that teach us, the encounters that haunt us, the encounters that encourage us, support us, love us...
I used a lot of different types of stitch and also some beads. I have been working on this piece on and off for several years. It was kind of always present in the background. Because it has accompanied me for such a long time, it has a special place in my heart.
This is my response to the second workshop I did with Hanny Newton : an abstract piece of 3 circles with thread and beads.
Best wishes to you all for 2023!
My wishes are accompanied by this embroidered piece, which shows four seasons in one day on this planet, full of luscious greenery and delicious clear water.
The design is my own, inspired by a workshop led by Livia Papiernik. It’s a relatively small piece, 20 cm x 20 cm, but it required a lot of stitching!
I used silk thread, Jamieson & Smith wool yarn and all kinds of other thread, with various stitches and beads, mostly recycled, some of which I made myself.
Let’s hope for a lovely and inspiring new year!!
A simple wreath I decorated with needle-felted holly leaves with beads as berries. Two pompom robins are resting merrily on a branch. For the pom-poms I used wonderful Jamieson’s DK from Shetland.
The birds I made during online speedcrafting with the lovely Helen Robertson from Shetland!
Happy Christmas to everyone 😊🎄💚
I made some small wall hangings, using plastic lids I covered with fabric. I then sewed trapunto pieces on them, adding beads, buttons, little roses and lace.
I find this an original way to try out new things.
This small piece is my take on the workshop led by Jessica Grady, via Textileartist.org.
The moon is cut from a page out of an old book. I folded written paper into stars and added some yellow beads.
The big blot is blue ink. I love that effect, suggesting a dark but not gloomy night.
I’m not sure yet if I’ll cut the edges and leave it in the hoop as a piece of its own or whether I’ll make it into something else.
These charms are my contribution to the TextileArtist.org workshop hosted by Jodi Colella. They are made from scraps of lace, lots of beads, lots of thread, pieces of old clothes, wool and wire.
They have a really nice feel to them. Perhaps I created some nice Christmas decorations here, or brooches? Although they don't have a funcion (yet) I like them and one day, I'm sure, they will come in very handy!
I wanted to do a real upcycling/recycling project, using the sweaters we don’t wear anymore. Mainly to improve my sewing machine skills. I used the free pattern "Simple felted wool mittens" from Purl Soho.
I learned a lot from this and had fun looking for good colour and fabric combinations. But the most fun was decorating them with beads, embroidery, appliqué and all kinds of flowers.
I ended up with 10 pairs of mittens, all rather quirky and fun, definitely unique!
Like many other people, we used the lockdown period to clean out our attic. I came across this doll that a dear, old relative gave to me as a present in the seventies. I was a little girl back than and not very fond of the doll, but I’ve held on to it because of the person who gave it to me. I still think it is rather ugly and even a bit scary... But I’m also still not able to get rid of her, so I decided to give her a make-over, using fabric scraps from old clothes and a beaded necklace. Now she looks nice and happy and keeps me company in my workspace.
Projects like this I find the nicest and most rewarding. You get to be creative, look for creative solutions, use your stash to make something you are attached to beautiful again.
(And I hate throwing stuff in the bin 😊)
We often visit Cambridge in the UK because our son lives there. It is such a friendly and beautiful city! We love to picnic and one of our favourite spots is Jesus Green.
This folded book depicts a memory of one of these precious moments where everything felt wonderful and everyone and everything seemed to be smiling.
It is a fabric and paper collaged piece, with hand stitching and embellishment. I also used some watercolour paint.
The technique used here, I learned from the textile artist Anne Kelly. A PVA glue solution gets used to attach paper onto fabric. At first I was a bit hesitant about it, but I found myself loving it: the technique makes a "fabric" that is really great to stitch through! And I get to use some of my lovely paper pieces I have been collecting for years!
The cover of the book is a piece of a kitchen towel and it has a button and beaded cord to close it.
I hope to have the time and energy to make many more of these memory-books!
I made a little video where you can see me opening the book, which you can watch it if you click here.
I recently participated in a series of online speedcrafting sessions hosted by the Shetland- based artist Helen Robertson. What a great experience it was, especially in these times of social distancing, to make something in a group, in this international setting. And a lovely group it was too!
We got the materials sent to us in advance and on Wednesday evenings we crafted, via Zoom, some very nice original things for two hours or so.
Some of the crafts I never did before and were a very lovely surprise. Because of the time limit, you don't think too much and just get on with it. That in itself is liberating.
We ended up making some jewelry with seaglass and sea pottery, some broches from wool fabric and tweed, a fabric landscape, some little knitted houses (on these I'll write a seperate post soon) and a scallop shell decorated with decoupage.
Helen also hosts knitting workshops and retro and Christmas-themed speedcrafting sessions., which I highly recommend joining : you get to work on original pieces, with great materials and in a friendly atmosphere and you learn some great new skills!
the broches:
seaglass jewelry:
