Up Date

I haven't used this blog page for a long time now, I tend to put everything on my wordpress website.
So for more up to date info about what I am up to please visit www.rosiejames.com
I would love to see you there.

Meanwhile here is picture of the cover of the Oct/Nov/Dec issue of BA First Magazine. (A mag for British Airways first class passengers.) I was commissioned to create a cover with the theme of Bodies. I used this as a way of exploring bringing in more colour and more loose threads into my work! Hope you like it!

Pylons

I live near several lines of Pylons and I have become fascinated by them as I whizz by them on my bike rides. There seems to be a variety of shapes and sizes and their presence in the landscape is kind of strange. It seems almost mad that these lines of cables are hanging about in the sky just feet above us, and we barely notice them. Pylons are somehow invisible and concealed, yet they are massive structures striding out across the landscape. I am going to try to develop a series of stitched drawings of pylons. I like the idea of using stitch to depict something so huge and industrial. But also all those cables relate to my use of loose threads, threads and lines are coming together.

Couture Suture

I have recently been thinking about sewing in all its various forms. What is sewing anyway?
I suppose in its basic form it is the use of a needle and thread to attach 2 things together. So when we think about it sewing is used in all different kinds of ways not just dressmaking, and one of those is the way in which sewing is used to stitch together skin when injured or during surgery.
I have created a stitched book which attempts to look at the connections between dressmaking and stitching used in surgery. I find making books is a good way to quickly try out some ideas and to play around a bit with techniques and materials as well as how things are composed and arranged. 

I will be running a cloth book making course in Brighton in May if you would like to try this out for yourself. Click here for more info: Brighton Phoenix

Grain Draw:Stitch workshop

The second Draw:Stitch workshop funded by Ideas Test took place at Grain on Wednesday October 14th.
We were so lucky with the weather, the sun shone and the sky was blue giving us some great views of the landscape. Have at look at the pictures below. It was a fabulous place for drawing, with the drama of the power station and its chimney (which is 244 metres high) and the fabulous views across to Sheerness and along the Medway and the Thames. Apparently Turner painted the Fighting Temeraire from here as the ship was towed from Sheerness to Rotherhithe to be broken up. 
We adjourned to the Library Chapel at Grain for an afternoon of stitching and collaging with cloth.
If you would like to join us for our last Ideas Test funded workshop please visit the eventbrite page or our Facebook page DrawtoStitch

Sheerness Blue Town, Draw:Stitch workshop

The first Draw:Stitch workshop funded by Ideas Test took place at Blue Town Sheerness a few weeks ago. The sun was shining the sky was blue, what could possibly go wrong! Well nothing actually we had a great day! We were met by Allison Young from the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust who gave us a interesting history of the old dockyard church and explained to us some of the plans for the restoration of this beautiful building. We spent some time drawing from the church focusing on the whole thing and also on the fascinating details. Have a look at the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation website for details about the plans for the building and how you can get involved. 
www.sheernessdockyardpt.org.uk

 The afternoon was spent at the Blue Town Heritage Centre, where we turned our drawings into textile masterpieces using a wide range of threads and fabrics. The Blue Town Heritage Centre is a very interesting place with a large display of artifacts, photographs and models exploring all aspects of Sheerness History. Have a look at their website, they also have a cinema and a cafe so we were kept supplied with tea and cake all afternoon. www.thecriterionbluetown.co.uk

 

If you would like to join us on our last Draw:Stitch workshop funded by Ideas Test go to our Eventbrite page for more information and to book. http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/drawstitch-minster-tickets-18470332261

Shop

The Song of the Shirt Shop!
Check out the new shop on the website. Here you will find stitched garments from the Song of the Shirt collection. Each garment has a stitched drawing of a person sewing.
http://www.rosiejames.com/shop/4590628405

Grain: Sheerness: Minster

Marcia Teusink and I are running 3 workshops in the Medway Swale area of Kent with funding from Ideas Test.
We have a facebook page with details:  www.facebook.com/drawtostitch
The first one takes place at Sheerness Blue town on October 9th where we will be drawing the local architecture and then translating those drawings into stitch.

To book click TICKETS