Material Musings - Fabric Reflections

 

Welcome to Material Musings, how have you been?  We look through several projects in this video and it is great to be able to reflect on some of the work that I have done.

Are there things that you wanted to change that having put them in place you have managed to get sorted?

Join us in the creative slow stitching fun!

Before You Go

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Material Musings - Finishing those Fabric projects

 

Welcome to Material Musings today, I am sharing one of my fabric projects with you.  I have a range of projects that are in a stage of nearing completion and I often work on small batches at a time to get a group of them complete, and move them on to their next stage.

The projects are made up of a variety of different materials, including some that have been wax resist dyed, painted and there is some slow stitching that brings it all together.

It is a lovely relaxing time to do some slow stitching while getting some of these pieces complete, and they are now ready to go on to the next stage of their journey and I will think about what additional embellishments would look good.

Have fun with your stitched projects.

Before you go

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Stitch and Play - Part 3, Material Mondays

 

Welcome to Material Mondays, this week I am completing the project and will share with you how I had the borders and additional beading to the project.

These projects are great fun, and I usually have an audio book or music playing in the background while I work.  I also think it is important to be able to step back and come back refreshed to a project.

There are some lovely areas of stitching that are my favorite.  I haven't yet chosen the next project to work on.  I will be sharing a sneak peek on my Patreon

Did you miss the previous episodes, you can see how the project went through the creative process.

Part 2

Part 1

Before you go

Material Mondays - Dragonfly Slow Stitching and Beading Project

I have a stitched project from my last Material Mondays to complete and in the video that I share I show you how I would continue to work on this project.

I share with you how I would continue to work on this project by adding beading to the surface. I love incorporating beads into my stitched projects and I have managed to gather quite a collection over the years. Beading enhances your project and enables you to tell your story, there is also a therapeutic experience that goes hand in hand with slow stitching and quite a satisfying feeling on completion of the project.

Check out the video below to see how I go through the process of selecting the right beads for the project.

Here are some additional ways that incorporating beading to your project will impact in a positive way to your overall health and wellbeing.

Bead Selection

Choosing beads for your slow stitching projects can be a sensory journey in itself, carefully examining their colors, textures, and shapes, allows you to indulge in the pleasure of selection - deciding what looks best for your project. Each bead holds the potential to enhance your project and become a tiny work of art in its own right. As you take your time to select the right beads, you tap into your intuition and creative vision, creating a connection between your stitched design and the chosen embellishments.

A Meditative Process:

Incorporating beads into your slow stitching projects invites you to enter a state of mindfulness. As you thread each bead onto your needle and place it within the fabric, you focus and the repetitive motion of beading becomes a form of meditation.

Visual Delight:

Whatever type of beads you choose, each bead carries its unique color and sparkle. You spend time looking over your selection of beads and additional uses for projects come to mind. 

Completing a Project

Completing a slow stitching project already brings immense satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. When beads are incorporated, this feeling is magnified. The process of threading and securing each bead adds an extra layer of dedication and attention to detail. It serves as a testament to your creativity, patience, and the story that is told through your work.

Personal Style and Storytelling: 

Beaded embellishments offer a unique opportunity to infuse your slow stitching projects with personal style and narrative. With each bead, you have the power to tell a story, evoke emotions, or be reminded of a memory. The selection and placement of beads enable you to create a deeply meaningful connection between your stitched art and your own personal journey.

Incorporating beading into your slow stitching projects comes a transformational experience, intertwining creativity, mindfulness, and personal expression. The therapeutic effects of selecting the right beads, mindfully adding them to your stitches, and seeing the project completed is so satisfying.

So, embrace the magic of beading in your slow stitching journey, and witness how each tiny bead adds a touch of sparkle and soul to your stitched masterpieces.

Before you go...

Leaf Art and Slow Stitching - Material Mondays

Welcome to Material Mondays, I recently tried my hand at embroidery on leaves and it turned out to be quite an addictive activity. 

I saw an artist - Susanna Bauer and her work - which is amazing, and thought I'd give it a go. 

The leaf I used for this particular project is from a sea grape plant. The plant is normally found by the sea and has edible grapes. The plant acts as a good windbreak and when it dries out, it feels quite sturdy and turns a beautiful reddish color. If you would like to know more about sea grapes you can check out my Gardening Channel HERE.

I also experimented with another leaf from a trumpet tree, which has pretty trumpet-like flowers. 

To begin, I harvested the leaves from trees that had been trimmed or had fallen naturally. It's important to handle the leaves delicately as they are quite fragile. After picking them up, I soaked them in some olive oil - You can use whatever oil you have to hand to give them a nice sheen.  While the leaf will eventually degrade over time, you can preserve it by varnishing or using a gel mat or gloss medium.

For the actual stitching, I used embroidery thread and doubled up two strands and then created a spiral effect on the leaf. I'm still experimenting with different designs, but I'd love to try some crochet designs on leaves as well - check back next week on Material Mondays to see the results. 

The finished product can be framed or used as an outdoor hanging mobile. Overall, this has been a fun and creative way to use leaves from my surroundings. I'm excited to keep experimenting and sharing my projects.  Check out the video to see the process, and also the supplies below.

Supplies:

You can collect dried leaves from your garden or park, or you can purchase dried leaves below:

Dried Leaves varied-

Dried Eucalyptus Leaves 

Embroidery Thread - Arteza 

Awl

Needles

Self-healing mat

I hope you get to try them yourself and look forward to seeing what you come up with.

Material Mondays - Week 17 - Adding Beading to the Stitched Project

For Material Mondays this week we are going to be adding beading to our project. This piece is nearing its completion and you get an idea what goes into creating a piece like this.

It goes through many stages and the process part of it is really enjoyable.

The project has to go through the many stages as part of the process and you should take your time and really enjoy it. I like to let the piece sit for a couple of days. You can check out the supplies list on my Amazon Store Here.

This is what it looked like previously, you can see the progress

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Check out some of my digital stamps on my Etsy Store below

Material Mondays - Larger Stitched Kit

 Material Mondays - Larger Stitched Kit that I keep in the studio

Welcome to Material Mondays and Week 16, we get to have a closer look at my main sewing kit and some of the supplies that are in there. I usually use this one when I am in the studio and it houses additional needles, elastic, tape measure and more. You can find all the items in my Amazon Store Idea List

Check out the video

In case you missed it...

Check out some of the other videos in the Series

100 Days of Embroidery Stitches

I committed to doing the 100 Day Project and decided to do 100 Days of Embroidery Stitches. Here are the ones that I have done so far.

The 100 Day project is about choosing an activity that you will do and you can choose whatever you like.  A couple of years ago I did 100 Days of Pastel Paintings, it enabled me to spend time with my pastels that I had never used and get familiar with them.

You can join me on Instagram as I share them once every 3 days.  There are some that I initially have difficulty with and that is alright, you just have to try your best and come back to it from a different perspective.

For me the main thing is to enjoy the stitches and use them in some of my other stitched projects.  Not all the stitches that I am doing will be suitable, but at least I will know how to do them.

I hope you are doing a 100 Project of your own and enjoying showing up for your self.

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

 

Arts and Wellness Cafe - How are you using your Creative Voice?

 

Come and join me for Arts and Wellness Cafe as we look at the way in which you use your creative voice.  There are so many talents in which you can share and it is a blessing to many around the world.  It can sometimes take a while to find your voice, but with practice and perseverance you can see it blossom in a lot of different ways.

We also touch on a few other areas to consider in your creative walk.  Making room for your gifts by getting rid of those things that do not serve or are just cluttering up your space, leaving you little time to really be creative.

I have been playing with some of the items I collected from the Artists Materials Bank and made some small stitched items so that I can get a feel for the materials before moving on to bigger items.

You will see in the video at the end how the materials looks and feels.

Fabric Selection

I love making the fabric stories and this is also a great way to see how the materials work together or with other items that you may want to work with.

Fabric Stitched Stories

With the smaller pieces you can play about with designs and even see if you want to go larger.  The smaller pieces are very therapeutic to work on and you can then put the smaller pieces together.

Fabric Stitched Stories with Trim

I had also got some beads in a similar shade and was able to see how the colours looked together.

Fabric Stories

This mini cushion was originally supposed to be a purse and got changed at the last minute.  The fabric that I was using was very versatile and I also found that when you frayed the edges you could use some of the threads in the project.

Mini Cushion

I got carried away and made a fabric glass case, I used a similar method to creating a pillow case.

Glass case holder

Mini Art Journal Cover and holder with some of the scraps that were left from the main piece that I cut

Mini Art Journal

It is always great to be able to create and plant for new things in the studio, it has been a slight distraction while I ponder on other projects to be complete.  Do let me know what you are up to and what kind of things pop up to distract you.