Lucebert collage

This collage is made from paper, textiles, paint and stitching. I also added a leaf I made using machine stitching.

I added a quote from the Dutch poet Lucebert, "Alles van waarde is weerloos" [All worthwile things are vulnerable], in stitching.

Using a more graffiti-like style, which contrasts with the quote, I wanted the piece to become more of an interrogation of the truth of Lucebert's phrase.

Europe burns '22

The summer of '22 was extremely hot in Europe and I often find myself worrying about the state of our environment. That anxiety I felt and the workshop I did with Natalya Khorover were the inspiration for this piece. It's a textile collage with embroidery, for which I used some pieces of recycled sari, which give the work its vibrant colours. The stitched words are part of a lullaby ("Goodnight my angel, close your eyes. And save these questions for another day"). Whether to see the words as soothing or as cynical does depend on the mood I'm in, I guess.  

Happy window

I often hang sayings and crafted things in the window, in the hope that it brings a little happiness and the odd hopeful message.

Here you can spot my embroidered bumblebee, my craftivists banner, a lovely very pink rainbow and some great sayings from Flow magazine, one of my favourites.

I wish all windows showed similar things: our daily walks would certainly be more interesting and it would give lots of conversation material!

Empower people bandana

EmPower People is a craftivism project aimed at uniting crafters in all mediums to engage people across communities, so as to spark conversation, engagement and action to uphold social justice and human rights. The project launched a call to knit, crochet or sew a purple bandana and to wear it proudly, while you speak and act against injustice. This crafting community is committed to embrace humanity and family, to embody community, and to emphasize equality. 

I am all for this and also feel strongly about craftivism. So I knitted this bandana, a pattern by Casapinka. And I wear it proudly, at the moment while I am doing my social distancing. I knitted it in Noro Tokonatsu (a cotton, silk and viscose blend) which I have found a wonderful yarn! Aport from its significance,  this bandana is also beautiful and warm! 

You can find the patterns for the different bandanas here.

 

Pockets on a string

I was looking for something useful I could make from the patches I got practising crocheting and using up my yarnscraps. At the same time I found myself inspired by the dangerous pockets project, by Paula MacGregor and this poem by Sharon Owens :

Dangerous Coats

Someone clever once said
Women were not allowed pockets
In case they carried leaflets
To spread sedition
Which means unrest
To you & me
A grandiose word
For commonsense
Fairness
Kindness
Equality
So ladies, start sewing
Dangerous coats
Made of pockets & sedition

It is true, womens garments often don't have useful pockets and to carry a handbag just isn't handy all 

the time. So I thought, what about pockets on a string? Little bags for phone, keys, card, a bit of money, so you have the little things you need close at hand, but also freedom of movement!

Making these pockets, I can try out different techniques, different materials (some recycled fabric and yarn leftovers), adding haberdashery, tassels, and so on, which I think is a lot of fun!!

You can only create a planet B in your head

This year's challenge for the textile workshop I'm part of was for each of us to create a unique piece inside a wooden wine box. We would only use waste materials and the project is part of a broader awareness campaign around climate change, plastic pollution and nature conservation.
My piece evokes a fictional world with  natural elements and dwelling units in a landscape.
I used plastic containers, waste textiles and cord, small cardboard rolls, metal spirals from notebooks that I crumpled, broken clothespins, some wool, a broken stand of a frame, broken glasses, seaglass, packaging materials, a broken fake jewel and some clay.  I used some old leftover paint to lend some aesthetic unity to the whole.
the colours and the smooth surfaces give this Planet B a surreal and uncanny optimism.
I just wanted to suggest that, even IF it would be possible, why would we want another planet to live on? This one is fantastically wonderfully beautiful! Let’s take care of it - we know what we have to do.

Please give bees a chance

I love bees, especially bumblebees. Every time I spot one of these flying teddybears, it makes me smile and I want to see what they are up to. But pollution makes it hard for them to survive and the global bumblebee population is declining. In my own small way I wanted to raise some awareness for this. Craftivism is my kind of thing, and since I recently discovered the joy of embroidery, that's what I did. With a model from Making Magazine, issue 2 as a guideline, I embroidered this bumblebee onto a piece of fabric, cut from an old pair of linen trousers. I’ve hung it in front of my window, hoping it will make just a tiny little bit of difference…

Craftivism and a brilliant quote

Climate change and global warming scare me a lot. I think there's quite a big chance that a lot of people will suffer badly from the effects.
I try not to brood on it too much, because that doesn't help anyone. What we all can do, however, is let our voices be heard at particular times that could be significant. So when I heard about the Claim the Climate March in Brussels on December 2nd, I decided to participate.
I took my mini banner kit from the "Craftivist Collective" and went looking for a quote that I found wise and suitable. I started sewing and stitching and ended up with this great banner. Because we're in this together.
and the March last sunday was amazing and exhilarating : so many people, lots of young people, all of them asking for better ways to live together. It was a hopeful day.