stitchdraw

The Sketchbook Project

2012-01-17T20:11:00.006Z

I've just sent my book off to Brooklyn for the sketchbook project. Have a look here for more info about this. You could choose from various titles for your sketchbook and mine is "Along the Line" I decided to make an accordion style book featuring lots of stitched drawings of figures walking along a line. Here's a couple of pictures of the end result.

Wacky Shorts

2011-10-20T19:44:00.003+01:00

Wacky Shorts creations asked me lots of questions so you don't have to!
Have a look at the Wacky shorts blog for the answers.
http://wackyshortscreations.com/2011/09/28/why-people-draw-rosie-james/
Its all about why people draw essentially.
There's lots of interesting interviews on there.

New Courses

2011-08-15T12:28:00.002+01:00

The new dates are out for the next batch of courses at the Phoenix Gallery. I'm doing 2 weekend courses on these dates: Course 1: September 24/25 from 11.30am til 5.30pm on both days. Course 2: March 17/18 at the same times. For details go to the Phoenix website at www.phoenixbrighton.org

Shadows

2011-07-22T11:26:00.002+01:00

I couldn't resist playing with the sunlight flooding through the workshop window this morning.

Show going up.

2011-07-19T21:09:00.004+01:00

Have just spent the day at the Phoenix gallery hanging the figures. I've only done half of them so far but they do look great. They are beginning to look like a drawing in space, which is kind of what I was aiming for. The only problem is that they are really difficult to photograph, the camera almost can't see them and so can't focus on them. So you will just have to come to the exhibition to see the real thing! I have put a photo here that I took today but it really doesn't do it justice.

Update on figures

2011-07-08T19:36:00.003+01:00

I'm still stitching away at this group of figures for the Brighton show. I think I've done 13 so far and I'm aiming for 20. I spent this morning attempting to photograph the ones that are finished which wasn't easy as the camera thought they were invisible and couldn't find anything to focus on. So with a bit a tweaking in photoshop here they are.

St James' Loungers

2011-06-28T20:28:00.003+01:00

I have just completed a commission for a hotel near St James' Park in London.
I have screen printed images of parts St James' Palace, along the roofs and chimneys and the main front with the clock, as well as parts of the trees from the park. Mostly the work consists of stitched drawings of people lounging around in deckchairs in the park.
The 2 statues in the corners can be seen in front of Buckingham Palace.
There are some more images on Axis.

Figure No. 3

2011-05-10T15:49:00.003+01:00

Here is figure no. 3 hot off the press. Or maybe that should be straight from the eye of the needle.
Another commuter rummaging about in her bag. She managed to nip into Hobbs in her lunch hour by the look of it.

Figure No. 2

2011-05-05T14:34:00.001+01:00

Here's the second figure in the crowd.
They are all commuters, looking down, in a hurry, in a world of their own.
He's hanging in the bathroom door!

Figure No.1

2011-05-04T16:00:00.002+01:00

I have just started work on a group of life size figures I am making for an exhibition in the summer. I want to make as many as I can in the time I have to create a good sized crowd.
I have just completed the first one today and here she is.

The group will be stitched on to transparent fabric and hung in a way which allows the audience to move around them and see through them. People will be able to join the crowd and stare at them face to face as they are all human sized.

Some close up images of the Ordsall Tapestry.

2011-02-25T20:25:00.005Z

Detail of "The Ordsall Tapestry" showing a couple of stitched belly dancers. Also an appliqued silhouette of a belly dancer made from fabric printed with patterns found within Ordsall Hall.

This detail shows a lady with blue hands. This lady is attends a day centre for the elderly just across the road from Ordsall Hall. She told me about the area she grew up in and how her mother worked in the local Velvet dyeing mill. Her mother would come home from work everyday with different coloured hands!

In this detail we can see stitched drawings of some of the local schoolkids.
But also in the background is a silhouetted image of a woman in white. She is the White Lady a ghost which haunts Ordsall Hall.

This is a detail from the other end of the piece showing some more schoolkids and another mysterious lady holding a candle. She is another version of the White Lady, this time a Victorian lady holding a candle.

The Ordsall Tapestry

2011-02-25T20:15:00.002Z

Hooray, The Ordsall Tapestry is complete! And here it is being held in place by 2 glamorous assistants. Unfortunately they will have to remain there forever as we cannot fasten anything to the medieval wall. I wonder how Anthony Gormley hung his latest in Canterbury Cathedral?

Crafty Animators

2011-01-12T10:50:00.004Z

work above by Sarah Cox

"Girl Walking" my first attempt at making one of my drawings move is going to be part of the Craft Animators exhibition at the Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Devon.
This exhibition reveals the use and portrayal of craft in an array of animations, it will show how animators incorporate traditional and contemporary crafts in their work and how contemporary craftspeople explore animation. There will be plenty of opportunities for visitors to get crafty and contribute to an evolving piece of animation which will be aired at the gallery towards the end of the exhibition.
Crafty Animators 15 January – 5 March 2011
Thelma Hulbert Gallery
Elmfield House
Dowell Street
Honiton
Devon
EX14 1LX

T: 01404 45006
E: info@thelmahulbert.com
www.thelmahulbert.com

Pfaff Embroidery Challenge at the Museum de Kantfabriek

2010-11-08T19:11:00.003Z

These are images of a piece called "Waiting for the 7:43 to Victoria" which is currently on show at the Museum of Kantfabriek in Horst in Holland. It is part of the Pfaff Embroidery Challenge exhibition. Have a look here for information, particularly useful if you speak dutch. Or go to
http://www.museumdekantfabriek.nl/Tentoonstellingen.htm
Horst looks like a nice place for a weekend and you've got until February to go.

CSC Exhibition

2010-10-12T21:19:00.004+01:00

Here's a little glimpse of the AIR show at the Crafts Study Centre in Farnham. We artists in residence have taken over the corridors and the shop. I've got a few pieces hanging along the glass walls as you might be able to see above.

Below is a piece called "Workshop" which fits exactly in the little window. You can see through it to the shop/reception area.

Show is on for another 2 weeks so come along to Farnham. The website is at
www.csc.ucreative.ac.uk

Dartboard for Witches

2010-07-07T14:05:00.004+01:00

What a great title for an exhibition! It comes from a quote by Sylvia Plath apparently. It is the title of a new show I'm in, taking place at Aberystwyth Arts Centre starting on July 23rd and going on till September 18th. So you've got the summer to get up there.
Have a look at the website here.
Its looks like a great exhibition with lots of interesting artists working with Textiles.
If you go to the website there is a link to the catalogue which is really good and you can print it off for free! What more do you want!
(The image above is one of the pieces I have in it. Its called Olympia Tourists and shows some tourists sitting in front of Manet's Olympia in the Musee D'Orsay in Paris)

Mr X Stitch

2010-04-29T20:59:00.002+01:00

Have a look at MR X Stitch's blog. Today he's featuring me!
Go to www.mrxstitch.com
Jamie Chalmers is on a mission to bring the world of cross stitch and embroidery to a whole new audience. An admirable aim and one which we fully support! Naturally.

AIR Artists in Residence

2010-04-27T10:36:00.005+01:00

We Artists in Residence at UCA Farnham are having an exhibition! If you're anywhere near the area pop in and have a look at what we've been up to. There are 12 of us exhibiting covering most of the courses at the university, including Fine Art, Photography, Textiles, Ceramics, Glass, Jewellery. The exhibition will showcase works in progress and aims to show the workings around a project. I will be showing the first 4 of my shed drawings, which I have already showcased on this blog. This is the first time I've had a chance to display them. If I can get another done in time that would be fantastic but we'll see.
Here are just a few examples of artists work. For more info look on the UCA website, click here.

Jewellery by Emma Yeo

Photography by Niccolo Fano

Brooch by Tara J Murphy

The Maltings, Farnham.

2010-03-03T21:20:00.004Z

Louise's woven pieces on the wall in the cafe. Just caught that man tucking in!
One of mine (Louvre Art Lovers) in a little room just off the lobby.

Just a couple of pictures showing some of our work on display at the Maltings in Farnham.
Louise and I spent longer than we thought attempting to hang the work on one of those weird hanging systems involving fishing line and hooks! Probably would have been easier to catch fish. Still I think our efforts look OK in place.

Farnham Maltings Exhibition

2010-03-01T21:14:00.003Z

Tomorrow Louise Anderson and I will be setting up our little show at Farnham Maltings.
See www.farnhammaltings.com for venue details.
We'll be in the Foyer, the Cafe and along the Corridor.
Louise will showing some of her beautiful indigo dyed Ikat weavings and I'll be showing some new smaller pieces as well as some larger screen printed and stitched works.
Above is a detail of one of my small pieces called "Catwalk Gold". Its one of a series of 7, some of which will be appearing on etsy. (If only they could that all by themselves!)

Ordsall Patterns

2010-01-12T10:44:00.011Z

Finally getting started on some Ordsall Hall fun!
I have gathered some photo's of the building and from these photo's I have isolated a series of simple patterns. I put these patterns on a screen and printed up some fabric using a mixture of overprinting in a range of pink and greens.
The building really is full of pattern.
First of all we have the quatrefoil pattern which is probably the pattern which most people will associate with Ordsall Hall.

But there are loads more, its just a case of looking. This one below shows the pattern on the door.
The roof is full of pattern, there is the black and white element but also there is pattern around the edge in the wood trim.
The pattern around the edge could look like this, when simplified:
So now we have 4 patterns with which to start our printing. I played around with them and these are the results. This one below uses the pattern of stripes and dots which came from the door.

The image below shows the result of overprinting a variety of the patterns, using both positive and negative images.
The printed fabrics were used to cover 3 cork pin-boards to be used to collect peoples memories of the hall. The photograph below shows the 3 pin-boards together.

Packaging

2009-11-09T09:11:00.004Z

I find that I spend a lot of time and money packaging my work so that it gets to its destination in one piece. However I have never been entirely happy with my packaging. So for the exhibition at Llantarnam Grange I bought a huge roll of bubble-wrap and some double strength corrugated cardboard and made what I considered to be the best package ever.

This is how it arrived:

I can't quite believe the size of that hole!

Don't use INTERLINK, ever!

I suppose the only way is to deliver it yourself.

Or make a wooden crate to put it in.

Or use a reputable but expensive delivery company.

Open University free courses

2009-10-30T19:25:00.002Z

Textiles from Ghana

This is another of the really interesting courses you can do on the Open university website. This one is only 4 hours to complete. Looks fascinating. I might actually do it myself rather that just blogging about it!

Click here to check it out.

Ordsall Hall Research

2009-10-30T11:21:00.004Z

I have finally started researching some images for use in the Ordsall Hall piece. And I came across this really useful resource run by the Open University. Its called Open Learn and its full of small units of their courses which you can access for free.

The image above came from a unit called "Picturing the Family" and it shows some kids from Lynton Street, Ordsall, Salford.

Go to www.openlearn.open.ac.uk or try clicking here.

Picturing the Family is a fascinating insight into photographic portraiture, but there are loads more mini courses on the website.

Woman's Hour discuss the new embroidery

2009-10-21T14:26:00.003+01:00

I missed this last week and only just got round to listening to it on the web.

Have a listen here. Jenni Murray discusses embroidery with Lynn Setterington and Louise Gardiner. Louise does a machine stitched portrait of Jenni on air. Brilliant. (Well you can't see it obviously but I just like the sound of the sewing machine!)

the image above shows Louise in her studio. Have a look at her website for some examples of her work at www.lougardiner.co.uk

Below is an example of Lynn Setterington's work. She uses quilting and hand embroidery often to get across a message or issue.

Knitting and Stitching Show

2009-10-10T16:52:00.005+01:00

I visited the Knitting and Stitching Show on friday and thought I would share some of my favourite things. I don't normally like the K&S show much, (too many people, rubbish catering!) but I thought there was some interesting work on show this year, including mine ha ha. and I got talking to a few people which was nice.

SUSIE VICKERY

I loved Susie's work which uses stitch and print to tell the stories of tailors. I'm not sure this image does it justice really, so you'll just have to go to the show and have a look!

I did not take any photographs at the show so go to the website.

www.susievickery.com

PLACE SETTINGS

One of my most favourite things at the show was a stand by Alice Kettle and Helen Felcey called Place Settings. It was a combination of stitch work by Alice and Ceramics by Helen.

I loved the combinations of the beautiful marks made by the stitch and the placed ceramic vessels and spoons. The machine sewn marks reminded me of CyTwombly's paintings, it was a kind of domestication of Twombly.

Alice Kettle's website is lovely and has some very large images on it so you can really explore the details.

ROANNA WELLS

Roanna showed some amazing hand-stitched drawings reminiscent of foggy landscapes.

She also did a little demonstration of her technique which was very generous of her and drew a fascinated crowd round her cramped space.

This photo shows you the overall effect but if you want to see the work in more detail she has a beautiful website, look here.

LISA CONNOLLY

I also like Lisa's work which is stitched drawings but with quite a nice sort of wobbly line and lots of knotty areas of black thread which gave the work a kind of inky and blotchy look.

Have a look at Lisa's blog its really interesting about her experiences as a designer just emerging from college. click here.

Loads more to mention but I'll come back to them!

More 100% Design

2009-09-28T17:11:00.003+01:00

Here is part 2 of my favourite textile designers from 100% Design.

First off is Timorous Beasties from Glasgow. I have loved their stuff for years when they just did screen printing now they have a wonderful collection of digitally printed linens.

Next we have Tactile Wonderland and some lovely printed and laser cut wallpaper and silks.

Margo Selby has a collaboration with People Will Always Need Plates. With a collection of cushions featuring images of Trellick Tower, an example of brutalist architecture in London.

Lastly (for now anyway) we have Annette Taylor Adams of ATA Designs with some fabulous wallpapers and fabrics featuring her dogitally printed photographic designs. This below is her New York Collection.

100% Design

2009-09-28T10:38:00.003+01:00

I went to the 100% Design show at Earls Court in London this weekend and thought I would share with you some of my favourite textile designers.

So in no particular order first off is Charlene Mullen who's actual stand I completely missed which is very annoying as I love her work. This is a cushion with a black stitch work drawing.I think you can see why I might like this! Go to www.charlenemullen.com for more.

There was quite a bit of interesting wallpaper on show from simple drawings like these by Dupenny with a fabulous 50's sauciness, to more textured lasercuts and slick digitally printed ones.

You can see more of Dupenny's work at www.dupenny.com

Ayme Fitzgerald showed some amazing digital prints on wallpaper. (see below)

Have a look here for the complete range www.aymefitzgerald.co.uk

Where you will a fantastic surreal jungle world of zebra's and exotic foliage.

Puff and Flock are a very interesting group of 8 textile designers who are really pushing the boundaries of what textile design can be and do. With work exploring such things as magnetic felt and woven light. Have a look at their website at www.puffandflock.com for more information.

The image below is of Jenny Leary's magnetic felt designs. Her website www.ferrofabric.com is very interesting.

These are just some of the designers whose work I liked there are loads more and I'll add them to the blog as and when time allows. So keep checking back.

Waiting for the 7-23 to Victoria

2009-09-23T22:21:00.004+01:00

Its that time of year when the Knitting and Stitching show comes to town. Well 3 towns anyway.

Namely London, Dublin and Harrogate.

I've got 3 pieces in it. One as part of the Pfaff Embroidery challenge (see above, if you click on the picture you can see the bigger version, its clearer.) and 2 as part of the Art of the Stitch which is showing there as well.

Have a look on the Twisted Thread website for more information.

floppyorganza

2009-09-22T16:34:00.005+01:00

I have just frittered away a good few hours creating an Etsy shop.

Its called floppyorganza (yes well I used that as my user name when I was just a shopper and now I can't change it!)

www.floppyorganza.etsy.com

I have been working on some smaller pieces especially for selling online. This first batch are a series of stitched drawings of commuters. People waiting for the train, standing on the platform texting, reading the paper etc.

Commuters are fascinating I think, I could spend all day at a train station just people watching. Never mind train spotting!

Anyway here's a pic of one of them, I like the way the guy on the right appears to be looking sneakily over his paper at the other bloke!

Stitched Girl walking on the print table

2009-08-22T14:20:00.002+01:00

Well I'm back from my Normandy travels and rather than getting on with the rather more urgent stuff, I'm mucking about as usual. Here's my attempt at a little animated stitched drawing. She is walking across my dirty old print table, hence all the background splodges. She just goes backwards and forwards at the moment but one day I'll send her on a proper walk!

Ordsall Hall

2009-08-12T11:42:00.002+01:00

I have just been offered a commission to create a major new textile work for Ordsall Hall in Salford. Which is really exciting and naturally I'll be posting work in progress here.

The shed drawings will of course continue until I have worked my way all the way round, there'll just be a few diversions here and there.

One of those diversions is a camping trip to Normandy during which I hope to see the Bayeux Tapestry.

Work will continue on my return!

First 4 drawings

2009-07-18T16:17:00.003+01:00

Hopefully you can make out what's going on here. There are all 4 drawings hanging together so that they match up. They are hanging in a corner space in order to make room for them all.

4th drawing in situ.

2009-07-18T16:09:00.002+01:00

This is the 4th drawing hanging in the shed with the actual shed lined up with the drawing (just about!)

Drawing No: 4

2009-07-18T15:54:00.003+01:00

At last I have completed drawing number 4. Moving along the south wall from the last one including the other half of one of my existing works, more screens and some rolled up posters standing against the wall. The next drawing will move into the corner of the shed.

Pattern Books from the V&A

2009-07-13T13:49:00.001+01:00

This is an image from the V&A blog Sketch to Product. (See Below)

V&A blogs

2009-07-13T13:44:00.002+01:00

While I wait for my fabric to arrive (which I have ordered, honest!) Have a look at the V&A blogs. This one called From Sketch to Product looks at textile production with a look at some wonderful sample books.

2009-07-06T16:52:00.001+01:00

The 4th drawing is a bit stuck in the pipeline at the moment, as I've run out of fabric and other things are getting in the way! But I hope to get back to it sometime this week.

Drawing no.3

2009-07-02T11:57:00.002+01:00

Here's the third drawing, moving around the print table from the last drawing. Here we can see a shirt hanging in front of a notice board. Next to that there is one of my works hanging on the wall. Interesting to make a stitched drawing of one of my existing works! In front of the wall you can see my stacked screens for screen printing.

No.3 insitu

2009-07-02T11:55:00.001+01:00

Here's the third drawing hanging in the shed. Its lined up so that the drawn line is following the actual articles. We can see a shirt hanging in front of a notice board.

Drawings 1,2 &3 hanging together

2009-07-02T11:48:00.003+01:00

This shows all 3 drawings together as we move around the print table to face the opposite wall.

Drawings no1 and no2 hanging together

2009-06-30T16:16:00.003+01:00

I hope you can see here how the drawings are following on from each other. By the time I get round to the beginning I should have about 10 drawings.

Scissors on the print table

2009-06-30T16:13:00.003+01:00

Drawing no 2 hanging in the shed

2009-06-30T16:10:00.001+01:00

Here the drawing is hanging in the shed you can just see the open door in the background

Shed Drawing No 2

2009-06-30T16:06:00.004+01:00

This is the second drawing of the workshop, looking across the print table towards the far corner with the shed door open.

Stuff lying around on the print table

2009-06-29T21:28:00.004+01:00

details of hammer and pencil

Shed Drawing No 1

2009-06-29T18:46:00.002+01:00

This is the first drawing of the shed stitched on to transparent cotton organdie in black thread. The size is about 100x65cm. You can see my print table in the foreground with various objects lying around on it such as pencil and a hammer. In the background is the far wall of the shed complete with a table on which sits the sewing machine, shelves with various books and magazines as well as the window which has the curtain up to keep the sun out.

Shed Drawing No 1

2009-06-29T18:23:00.002+01:00

This is the first stitched drawing of the shed. It has been positioned so that the drawn elements are more or less outlining the actual elements. This is most clearly seen with the image of the sewing machine.

2009-06-29T15:53:00.000+01:00

I like to draw with both a pen and a needle, sometimes at the same time. (actually I haven't tried that yet, but now I've thought of it I will!)

My work involves using a domestic sewing machine to make drawings with but I still like to use a pencil from time to time.

I am currently working on a series of stitched drawings which will depict the interior space of my workshop/shed. The intention is to start at one point and work my way around until I return to my original starting point. I will be posting my work in progress on this blog drawing by drawing.