Shadow play

Taking time for myself, I've been 'attending' some online workshops with Textile Artist Stitch Club.  This one was all about creating texture with stitches and it allowed me to spend a lovely afternoon in the sunshine practising some knotty stitches inspired by the shadow patterns made by leaves.  I used a variety of threads from traditional stranded cotton to raffia with a smattering of glass beads thrown in for good measure.  Thanks to Brooks Harris Stevens for a fantastic workshop!

 

Teaching again!

 

Hurrah - I will be teaching again!  After months of restrictions and virtual meetings I am so pleased to tell you that I will be offering workshops in real life.

I am running a day-workshop at The Stitch Society in their wonderful new rooms at Saltaire on Wednesday 16th June.  You will learn some of the basic stitches for raised embroidery and make three sculptural cacti which will be 'planted' in their own little terrarium - a perfect low-maintenance addition to any home office!

The day-workshop runs from 10am-3pm, price £45 which includes materials and lunch.  Why not treat yourself to a day out?  Places can be booked by contacting me on 07904 010430 or cketteman@aol.com

Garden bird kits

 

My Garden Bird kits have flown away to new perches at The Store Haworth and The Stitch Society.  These beautiful kits have everything you need to stitch an appliqued wren, gold crest, blue tit or nuthatch.  The picture stays mounted in the embroidery hoop ready to hang on your wall or give away as a present. 

Exercise Books

 

Remember school exercise books?  They always held such promise, a new beginning if you like.  During these days of lockdown, I have been busy making my own book, gathering groups of stitches together and making samples of work to show their use and usefulness.  I have shared them with my sewing groups, making up little kits containing selections of my favourite threads, fabrics and haberdashery.

Now it's complete and I have bound it with fabric covers, front and back, carefully joining each set of pages together using Coptic stitch binding.

Happy Christmas!

 

Appliqued cotton organdie snowflake with folk art style stitches

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and looking forward to a better new year!

Back to School

Hurrah - classes have re-started in a Covid-secure environment!  

To celebrate the return of regular workshops I have devised a stitch sampler book.  Here are the first pages to practise straight stitches and chains.  Each double page has examples of the different kinds of stitch with a small sampler on the opposite page.  There will be 8 double pages in all which build into a small fabric book.

Classes run on Tuesday at Glusburn Institute 10-12noon and Thursday at West Lane Baptist Church, Haworth 10-12:30.  Message me to reserve a place or order a kit.

Purple reign

 

When someone sends me a photograph as beautiful as this, I can't help but get out my sewing threads and recreate it in stitch.  The wonderful textures and colours captured in this image taken by Lindsay have been translated into two pictures worked in darning stitch (below left) and kantha (below right).  Both are available as kits.