tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68061291821000597352024-03-27T23:54:44.579+00:00stickyfingerstuffstuff about textiles and mestickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.comBlogger413125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-60489262919684322702024-01-26T12:00:00.003+00:002024-01-26T12:00:33.984+00:00something to celebrate <p>the Unstitched Coif exhibition has been and gone - my plans to visit were quashed by a cracked rib which stopped me from travelling at the last minute </p><p>but there was a happy bonus.......</p><p>along with the other participants i got an email: </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Hello, I’m Susan North, curator of fashion before 1800 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and Toni Buckby’s V&A supervisor. Thank you for participating in Toni’s project ‘an unstitched coif . . . ‘. <i><b> I’m writing to ask if you would be willing to donate your embroidered coif to the V&A.</b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Toni’s group embroidery project has been a huge success beyond our initial modest estimates. We didn’t think there would be more than 40 people willing to participate. When Toni told me that she had hundreds of requests to join, I limited the V&A acquisition to 40 for logistical reasons –not having seen any of the results.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">When I went to Toni’s display at Bloc Projects in Sheffield on 20 December 2023, I was blown away by the ingenuity, imagination, inventiveness and uniqueness of all the coifs – not to mention the skill and hours of labour that everyone put into their embroidery. I decided instantly that I wanted all 77 coifs, should everyone agree to donate, to record Toni’s project as a whole and the marvellous variety of everyone’s interpretation of 17<sup>th</sup> -century embroidery. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Your coif is stunning! I love the way you have interpreted traditional blackwork with such creativity. The variegated and the metal threads, and the use of different colours to outline the black infills are very striking and you’ve balanced all these elements so carefully. Using appliquéd fabric is genius and I’m glad you didn’t unpick any of it. Thank you for recording your experience with embroidery and your choices for the coif. I do hope that you will consider donating it to the V&A, although I recognise that you used all your own materials and I understand if you want to keep such a beautiful object.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Thank you again for your amazing contribution to Toni’s research</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">this was a complete surprise!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">of course i will be donating my coif, at least i won't have to store it or try to work out what to do with it - the book with all the works submitted already takes up enough space!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDuiQMn72cETpXEL1mjj73GnYhsapHZE5-IkbI0Yq2MVuVzCkXmVnvywdYOZdPS-bXZQfzhGzKC6brjmAIrA60NbIV4l3JVSt8U2Wx2-R_eSJpNhYvGyLRWlXBOGQShpMMDkmkWYq1ubBN0HHIz4EMHFyQZnej2BIEqLKxM5S1OIZGX_gXMYKs_XP3I8/s1281/20240126_115736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1071" data-original-width="1281" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCDuiQMn72cETpXEL1mjj73GnYhsapHZE5-IkbI0Yq2MVuVzCkXmVnvywdYOZdPS-bXZQfzhGzKC6brjmAIrA60NbIV4l3JVSt8U2Wx2-R_eSJpNhYvGyLRWlXBOGQShpMMDkmkWYq1ubBN0HHIz4EMHFyQZnej2BIEqLKxM5S1OIZGX_gXMYKs_XP3I8/s320/20240126_115736.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a favourite detail<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-71059670819907261602024-01-13T19:31:00.001+00:002024-01-15T16:17:19.355+00:00meaning to stitch 16a - the initials<p><b>the initials</b></p><p>stitching the initials of all the slaves listed as owned by my family (that i could find) is my way of honouring and recording their lives - i know this is only some of the people who worked under the sytem of slavery and later indentured labour, so i hope that these represent all of them in some small way</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38WGWf464p1WTvHovyVHAea513lxdboDC5UeSz5vWfpWOjYt2M-mUpDkAA2z_F3c1nZsZ8DiHKYxaCRZB9Y3uNPgQc39LVQCZo6VaMen1tAU2dNSftT6xWd0Mf7caT3Ceu3ebgp0IcUNya63FZUg_7lFZ0lue-nEaq-Q85p0f9igreFgmNA7ApapXgTQ/s2677/20240113_191322.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2677" data-original-width="1410" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38WGWf464p1WTvHovyVHAea513lxdboDC5UeSz5vWfpWOjYt2M-mUpDkAA2z_F3c1nZsZ8DiHKYxaCRZB9Y3uNPgQc39LVQCZo6VaMen1tAU2dNSftT6xWd0Mf7caT3Ceu3ebgp0IcUNya63FZUg_7lFZ0lue-nEaq-Q85p0f9igreFgmNA7ApapXgTQ/w338-h640/20240113_191322.jpg" width="338" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>i stitched from the 'wrong' side of the fabric, so that the initials appear like abstract marks on the side which shows - my intention was that this should suggest their unknown-ness - many of them were given names by their owners so that these initials deny them their original identity </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrIgz-2HNoS96RiVdrr-GKHtREBQexOOU1zmxJmdwIczv5A2f0DX-zHhUqXpYd_iW5zw6muBCuOh4pLumJB1f5SkNQk_J9EJ4NTh_-rbqAj9FVQp9S3piOFjiR6zan8wypDtBe53ssJZnWKGzlPrxtc0WPqlIQndcG0gv82nofrLnPZVJNFAuQRdEM9c/s2736/20240113_191130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2736" data-original-width="1824" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUrIgz-2HNoS96RiVdrr-GKHtREBQexOOU1zmxJmdwIczv5A2f0DX-zHhUqXpYd_iW5zw6muBCuOh4pLumJB1f5SkNQk_J9EJ4NTh_-rbqAj9FVQp9S3piOFjiR6zan8wypDtBe53ssJZnWKGzlPrxtc0WPqlIQndcG0gv82nofrLnPZVJNFAuQRdEM9c/w426-h640/20240113_191130.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE14z8rAX_fViPLUx58JWE8juuOnel3fEdJL15LSse4svDDC8HuLJiZHThlmdOti2WCm5g_iqK_DtiY8iJvy1TCZPHVwDw4CjEAXM3eYUSrV6LjUZpLU1MdgkyzJi-CAEMY-EHJ1rLiKhM0ihq0wHLYKp89dq76vQPV3ggqMcqigaZqm6xCpBFIlerLXU/s2518/20240113_191227.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="2518" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE14z8rAX_fViPLUx58JWE8juuOnel3fEdJL15LSse4svDDC8HuLJiZHThlmdOti2WCm5g_iqK_DtiY8iJvy1TCZPHVwDw4CjEAXM3eYUSrV6LjUZpLU1MdgkyzJi-CAEMY-EHJ1rLiKhM0ihq0wHLYKp89dq76vQPV3ggqMcqigaZqm6xCpBFIlerLXU/w640-h373/20240113_191227.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-19599120621354957562024-01-13T16:39:00.003+00:002024-01-13T16:39:39.168+00:00meaning to stitch 17 - sampling<p>after some trial runs in colour to get my technique right, first atempts with white on white print look promising</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O2jpwOv-bjT-cdAYX8tq2BBOLlQbgRprJWN0Vg1zasWVlGV8cEMO6xSsl333g0mSTSen37veHQPyQ65iNZCevzCmcXl2mQ6Xwet-MNHLLi5WJXq7BMzwo3LImUNJlILgPb3csvtsDLCrYd9f1WjDEjBI8cG7v53nK7XaY-tjOgNreMV4wgli7oEqvwE/s2164/20240113_155046.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2164" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2O2jpwOv-bjT-cdAYX8tq2BBOLlQbgRprJWN0Vg1zasWVlGV8cEMO6xSsl333g0mSTSen37veHQPyQ65iNZCevzCmcXl2mQ6Xwet-MNHLLi5WJXq7BMzwo3LImUNJlILgPb3csvtsDLCrYd9f1WjDEjBI8cG7v53nK7XaY-tjOgNreMV4wgli7oEqvwE/s320/20240113_155046.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">the brown spots are from earlier colour experiments, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">but look vaguely blood-like</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi018MNi9bB-MKgKY3Fhs5b8tgnLtBqsrTdHJVkrDPQE54pWtQFMCrqvKRscoudjmiD7ENkR2dzLHwByzgzNCZySvKvTwUxQjOE3WW_hyphenhyphenggQ2JtGhpID6fjsn41qs4PUgHsGGUCC5sfOcMANElnEMNIM8Nj7d7yCQTEoExhGRlDkchxSBP3h38BnFChONA/s1504/20240113_155017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1384" data-original-width="1504" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi018MNi9bB-MKgKY3Fhs5b8tgnLtBqsrTdHJVkrDPQE54pWtQFMCrqvKRscoudjmiD7ENkR2dzLHwByzgzNCZySvKvTwUxQjOE3WW_hyphenhyphenggQ2JtGhpID6fjsn41qs4PUgHsGGUCC5sfOcMANElnEMNIM8Nj7d7yCQTEoExhGRlDkchxSBP3h38BnFChONA/s320/20240113_155017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">i have white organza in silk and cotton - the silk, which is slightly off-white, is a finer weave and gives a more ghostly effect over the gown - it is also more transparent, so the stitching on the gown shows more clearly</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">i wanted this layer not to interfere with the structure of the gown, so initially thought of a loose slip, like a petticoat, over the top - but on reflection i feel that an apron is more appropriate, both stucturally and in for the meaning - and i can probably manage to make a convincing apron</div><br /><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-64286562310495971652024-01-12T10:38:00.003+00:002024-01-13T16:38:40.826+00:00meaning to stitch 16 - another shift<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">after a burst of activity in autumn, winter has set in and stuff has got in the way to stop me - but plenty of thinking has been going on, trying to work around an obstacle and move on</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the screens for printing my word tangles arrived </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ6mLV-1CK23fvVXb76ytJEUuYgWxR759TLN_eIgyj_OmNycDAks-M5LhWOmtbeKGUv3_5x3VQxuvILN95ureIMWGkrHis5MF-Lf8T4c-879ZAdEbVXxTU8dodETSUquSlrHN5MyeTaFC3iaTkgKs1lyieRteREYPewMCThjpTb4myVunn5SrtUwmcTE/s890/20240111_231504.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="849" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQ6mLV-1CK23fvVXb76ytJEUuYgWxR759TLN_eIgyj_OmNycDAks-M5LhWOmtbeKGUv3_5x3VQxuvILN95ureIMWGkrHis5MF-Lf8T4c-879ZAdEbVXxTU8dodETSUquSlrHN5MyeTaFC3iaTkgKs1lyieRteREYPewMCThjpTb4myVunn5SrtUwmcTE/s320/20240111_231504.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i feel that the patterns they make reflect the messy spiky nature of pain and damage,</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">like barbed wire or thorny bushes</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdivwNAuHjcF_fwnP-ai8gHex-fJBGTNjiDNTDrFkkc5qqQSrD3kz-9ReJE5VmLV9-4kzaYRqM66JIZdfIxL3lYAL9U78umd2c1Z3VOj-1MsxIebYLCWJFPe5-JWnG_XTqlKimDZxN4lYHLm0WzD6xXzQawkD9clvD60aOUGJCTn_AjEruUrnBUZPmL3A/s786/20240111_231525.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="786" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdivwNAuHjcF_fwnP-ai8gHex-fJBGTNjiDNTDrFkkc5qqQSrD3kz-9ReJE5VmLV9-4kzaYRqM66JIZdfIxL3lYAL9U78umd2c1Z3VOj-1MsxIebYLCWJFPe5-JWnG_XTqlKimDZxN4lYHLm0WzD6xXzQawkD9clvD60aOUGJCTn_AjEruUrnBUZPmL3A/s320/20240111_231525.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">first attempts showed that my idea of discharge printing was not going to work unless i put much more effort into developing my skills in that technique - even then i was too uncertain of the outcome to feel comfortable about going ahead</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">then health issues got in the way but now i feel like resuming and need to progress</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the new approach involves printing on white organza, i have both cotton and silk - but that won’t work as an underlayer, so it has to go over the top - </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">more clearly expressing that the damage was imposed from the outside - a layer which clouds and distorts perception of the people represented on the gown</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">during a group zoom we discussed the use of white on white as a way of expressing something subtly - since i have already used that for the stitched initials, it seems to be a good fit</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">so now instead of a black lining revealed i am planning a translucent shift, over-slip or "overall"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">this seems to be becoming more like a ghost, appropriately for something i find haunting and which lurks in the background of my family</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-59561068170873290392023-12-04T17:42:00.003+00:002023-12-04T17:42:59.729+00:00a learning experience, but not as i expected<p> i<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> recently signed up for an online course with reasonably well-known UK textile artist - the course was one of a regular calendar of courses with known artists, you may be aware of the provider but i won’t name them</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i have taken part in online courses since about 2011 and have experienced a wide range of delivery styles and platforms - i always pick courses which offer online communities and video input from tutors if possible, preferring live input with access to recordings afterwards and gradual release of materials over a period with the option to work at your own pace</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i thought i had done “ due diligence” before committing to a three month course which was not cheap - i was given access to the course social network group and materials (a combination of short videos and short summarising PDFs, there were helpful tips and pointers on making best use of both, but there was immediate access to the whole course - then it was up to me to get on with it</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the social network group included members from earlier issues of the course, some were repeating the course, others still working through it - members who had signed up earlier for the same course had already started - i found this made it less easy to integrate and develop a sense of fellowship with other “starters”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">there were two live sessions with the tutor, but no live interaction as questions had to be entered via chat or Q&A - but the tutor did respond on the social network as well as the course providers</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i felt rather disappointed and the experience came to an early end with an unsolicited refund - but i feel a need to write about this, not to put anyone off as i am sure plenty of others get a lot from these courses, but to urge any reader to do your own due diligence, be clear about what you expect and whether or not the course gives clear, unambiguous information about what is on offer</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0.0pt; margin-top: 0.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i was left feeling a bit bruised and saddened by this experience, as much with myself for not checking as thoroughly as maybe i should have, but also with what i felt was an unsympathetic response from the providers - clearly they can afford to lose potential customers, that says a lot to me!</span></p><br />stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-1122652252095035172023-12-01T11:02:00.000+00:002023-12-01T11:02:13.688+00:00meaning to stitch 15 <p>two years after the first stitch i have finally stitched the last initials of the slaves i identified as belonging to my ancestors</p><p>although it may not look that way, each initial has been stitched with care and thought - i can never know what all those people experienced during their time as slaves to my ancestors, nor can i ever make amends for the way they were used and abused - all i can do is mark their existence and acknowledge the role they unknowingly played, in making my life possible</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9Qs1McUAULVDQ36mUn8OlDNxos1ioma05Bqc4bLTOXWG8_LbLtU2PjJuDAsorswYtEBakO2xlM5bw4MGMW4FYZ-gNzrRi67VlCChIT5yA_yBlBz78-7Ob2v143wA_dBptAYd1SIwdDYbNPpMc4x8dTyFztvVUdxXdjifZIa5GYdafaD_OnoQZwkhfSQ/s602/VDL%20edit.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="602" height="394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM9Qs1McUAULVDQ36mUn8OlDNxos1ioma05Bqc4bLTOXWG8_LbLtU2PjJuDAsorswYtEBakO2xlM5bw4MGMW4FYZ-gNzrRi67VlCChIT5yA_yBlBz78-7Ob2v143wA_dBptAYd1SIwdDYbNPpMc4x8dTyFztvVUdxXdjifZIa5GYdafaD_OnoQZwkhfSQ/w400-h394/VDL%20edit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voile de Liberté - Heiko H<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The image shows one of the memorial sculptures from the <a href="https://lemorneheritage.org/slave-route.html" target="_blank">International Slave Route Memorial at Le Morne</a>. Opened in 2009 it is one of the ways in which Mauritius is acknowledging its role in the slave trade.</p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-8637262093846334852023-11-11T19:47:00.001+00:002023-11-11T19:47:03.164+00:00meaning to stitch 14 - on damage<p>progress at last .......</p><p>all the input from Ruth singer, through Maker Membership (MM) resources and live sessions has finally succeeded in moving me on</p><p>I have been stuck trying to work out how to express my confused thoughts about my paternal family's interactions and relationships, while incorporating aspect of the socio-economic background for that, while also paying attention to the source of the family's initial wealth: sugar plantations staffed by slaves</p><p>i finally realised that i had taken on too much - focus was required, so i have reduced my "vision", cut out the family issues and focussed on my feelings about the slave ownership</p><p>the end result is a shift towards expressing the damage inficted on and experienced by the slaves - clearly this is limited to my understanding of it and a lot of guessing </p><p>by creating patterns from damage-related words to be printed as fleur de lys motifs i hope to express the pattern of abuse inflicted on the slaves, represented by their stitched initials</p><p>the fleur de lys, a symbol of France, was used as the mark for branding criminals - in French colonies it was also used on slaves</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6F4NITboHNXs_tAA9xPephqtUcTRDuJo7mzA0XJW8StppoVcqL_7KrMbW6prdfi2GWA2YvPtiPBq6d6PFFpX51D3t_1Yx-9bwrirQlmmYGd8kmZJIkoyFBNDNcrOLw6xTqb0wg5zQw2UB3ng1VYYllfFaldhWTYGm2uI3mEAw4uoDpQIzbeXljeFT_U/s1364/20231111_193426.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1031" data-original-width="1364" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr6F4NITboHNXs_tAA9xPephqtUcTRDuJo7mzA0XJW8StppoVcqL_7KrMbW6prdfi2GWA2YvPtiPBq6d6PFFpX51D3t_1Yx-9bwrirQlmmYGd8kmZJIkoyFBNDNcrOLw6xTqb0wg5zQw2UB3ng1VYYllfFaldhWTYGm2uI3mEAw4uoDpQIzbeXljeFT_U/s320/20231111_193426.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">the plan is to print these on the black lining of the <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/christening-gown" target="_blank">christening gown</a> - so this means a plan and some action!</div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-89777935102709378042023-11-04T14:36:00.007+00:002024-01-26T10:56:54.123+00:00unstitched coif - completed<p> i really did not think i would get this finished, but i did and it will go off in the post shortly - here is what i said in my accompanying submission:</p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-dea21ae1-7fff-f4eb-5c6b-09d8458790ef" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I stitch for pleasure and, like many others, I originally stitched for the sake of making. I made items which were either meant to be useful or decorative. Then I found others who stitched and I enjoyed sharing my love of creating with textiles and stitch but also developed a love of the process of making which freed me from making for usefulness into the joy of making for its own sake.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why did I take part?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Unstitched Coif project brought an opportunity to make something in a style and technique I would normally avoid due to my lack of technical skill, but which has interested me for a long time. It also provided opportunities to develop my skill while learning more about the history and context of 16-17th century Blackwork. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Another appealing aspect of this project was meeting other participants to stitch alongside them and share our thoughts as we sewed. Sadly I was unable to attend the face to face workshops but joined a few online sessions. Online creative group meetings are, for me, one of the few positive consequences of the recent Covid pandemic. I feel these can be particularly helpful in bringing together geographically scattered individuals with a common interest which might be quite specialised. They are an extension of the sharing and cross-fertilization which happens in face to face gatherings, bringing inspiration as well as a sense of extended community and fellowship. Stitching with other people, like many other community activities, can bring an unspoken sense of safety and support which can be immensely affirming and reassuring. Working with textiles reinforces this sense by providing the tactile comfort of handling cloth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What was it like to stitch the coif? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I started the project expecting to submit an unfinished piece. Blackwork is not at all my usual style of work because it involves a lot of neat, precise stitching (not my greatest skill!). However, the challenge proved to be thoroughly enjoyable and I did complete the coif.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I intended to use the project as a sampler, trying out different stitch styles and techniques. But I got waylaid by my enjoyment of blackwork stitching, so there is more of this than originally anticipated. mMy blackwork skills have really developed quite pleasingly. I will never achieve the accuracy of some of the work by other participants, but have found that I can manage a much smaller scale than at the beginning.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Stitching the patterns in variegated threads was really enjoyable, even though this is my favourite way of adding colour. The softer contrast between the thread and fabric gives a less striking appearance which makes the overall effect more appealing to me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The use of variegated threads is my favourite way of adding colour. For me the variable contrast between the thread and fabric softens the impact of the colours, making the overall effect more appealing to me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Wanting to make the “fills” as varied as possible meant regularly having to consider the options and consult different sources. I struggled to find blackwork fills which I felt I could stitch and which had designs which would be discernible in the small spaces. The non-blackwork fills were less challenging to select but sometimes challenging in execution. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the final section I finally got around to using some appliqué for the fills. I chose fine silk scraps, but this tends to fray so I used the very historically inaccurate method of using iron-on fusible.In one flower I made the mistake of picking a silk fabric which is quite hard to stitch through. I am not very happy with the result which does not seem to fit with the rest. I have wondered about unpicking it but feel I should leave it as a reminder of this poor choice of materials. I occasionally stumbled over my choices for motifs ...... lots of unpicking was done but I felt a sense of achievement with each completed part as I had learned something each time. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My usual approach is to use stitches for their overall visual impact rather than for accurate depiction of any image, so my natural tendency towards fast cover instead of precision has been acceptable. But with this piece I wanted to stitch the design as accurately as I could and this has made me slow down and place my needle more carefully for every stitch. The benefit of this for me has been marked improvement in some stitches I previously found difficult. For example I feel that in split stitch (used in stems and edgings) I have moved on to being able to work this in much finer thread than at the beginning. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I can’t say that this new level of precision will be something I will apply at all times, but knowing that I can do it in a sustained manner gives me a pleasing sense of achievement. At the same time it reinforces my admiration of those who regularly produce the sort of embroidery I will never even attempt as it has given me greater insight into and respect for the skills they have developed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I did not do as much research and reading around Blackwork as I could have, but other members contributed their own discoveries in the online community and this provided some interesting context and interpretation. Also following the progress of others through their posts and photos was tremendously inspiring and encouraging. I found it reassuring to see others at different stages, tackling the work in so many different ways. Being able to share tips and tricks is also helpful and part of the benefit of being in a group with so much experience to draw on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So, thank you Toni for offering this opportunity and providing support in so many ways. And I also extend my thanks to all the other participants who have shared so much during the time we have been together. I hope this has built some lasting bonds as a by-product of all the stunning embroidery we have created.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9X0s9jyyFvuko4Qe857y-2uviM_qGx9CHb2rzfurfw4UjGK3SV6uec4y0WKCvZF0AqW5Y56ZRKs7UZw32CYt_k1s3z2_Dtg6C8EesVaJIa7fIrTBRV5lyP4r9-e3FsC5UDNAzeh3uElzrexwAGd7vFgqn-bYCAF8ahtGRLCzrKJkbirMbyMfPH_GxfVU/s5472/UC%20front%20high%20res%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3133" data-original-width="5472" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9X0s9jyyFvuko4Qe857y-2uviM_qGx9CHb2rzfurfw4UjGK3SV6uec4y0WKCvZF0AqW5Y56ZRKs7UZw32CYt_k1s3z2_Dtg6C8EesVaJIa7fIrTBRV5lyP4r9-e3FsC5UDNAzeh3uElzrexwAGd7vFgqn-bYCAF8ahtGRLCzrKJkbirMbyMfPH_GxfVU/w640-h366/UC%20front%20high%20res%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">front</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiHqnNyWCd-TwgWNbaFHDN3r73iLr6Mfr9e_-AFVD5rsxU7VSYc59DH7yBeAc0ToH5CNTNBqwIe_lSLe_3DbcoCD1Q2mMiiRZRwGxlYCKPvfg87rcTXgvN0jXMgH7psPu9TVJOOlrOKSp9YgTPpIY43HKVEyDlxbBGvTOgypVgKmk7I5Wxq4trd0-NtE/s5472/UC%20back%20high%20res%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3176" data-original-width="5472" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCiHqnNyWCd-TwgWNbaFHDN3r73iLr6Mfr9e_-AFVD5rsxU7VSYc59DH7yBeAc0ToH5CNTNBqwIe_lSLe_3DbcoCD1Q2mMiiRZRwGxlYCKPvfg87rcTXgvN0jXMgH7psPu9TVJOOlrOKSp9YgTPpIY43HKVEyDlxbBGvTOgypVgKmk7I5Wxq4trd0-NtE/w640-h372/UC%20back%20high%20res%202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">back</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-60339628596719123282023-09-01T11:11:00.001+01:002023-09-01T11:11:34.373+01:00meaning to stitch 13 - a shift on the christening gown<p> a recent call for work for an exhibition brought a lightbulb moment: the exhibition is titled Under the Surface - it made me realise that i have been looking for ways to add further elements on top of what i have been doing, when a more appropriate way forward would be to add it underneath and partially reveal it, maybe like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcQaRx001hlQvpiw-xwlSo7yD8R-glY5Id_rjbF81WZY0iSjAt4Hd-ZYi4A3er-q12MCFmJ5FPbgt_30vgi6lEGAolxRqFEWfSEvt3r0sQ3wtVWGi3xu5qshYP_3E_BiUZ-EsxP8J_iLp_WKt6pJSMvBXtSw-0JSGOtCJnCidJ4lLYFY7rNsPBu1Tt-A/s1841/Chr%20gown%20x2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1784" data-original-width="1841" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPcQaRx001hlQvpiw-xwlSo7yD8R-glY5Id_rjbF81WZY0iSjAt4Hd-ZYi4A3er-q12MCFmJ5FPbgt_30vgi6lEGAolxRqFEWfSEvt3r0sQ3wtVWGi3xu5qshYP_3E_BiUZ-EsxP8J_iLp_WKt6pJSMvBXtSw-0JSGOtCJnCidJ4lLYFY7rNsPBu1Tt-A/w640-h620/Chr%20gown%20x2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>the <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/christening-gown" target="_blank">theme of the piece</a> concerns a family's hidden history and the effect this may have had on successive generations - in part it represents the suppression of facts and events and creating a facade </p><p>so it makes sense to me that what was under the surface for several generations should now be on top, as the first layer of what develops as a result</p><p>at the moment i feel that the underlying layer should be black ..........? sharing this development in an online maker membership session generated some ideas on this, my favourite option being to use different weights and textures of fabric to represent different aspects</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS_BCnui8bBZF0JT29bgFyI76Jyp2DdeJa4ym6CM4BO2t22_cNPnyulxKAoMZuBsKuJOaw5fXNtD1FyfzeS3vWy9JTr68OztJA_-DvqlNTL8Ui8snNKc3Xx6wZs_mu_2CX5yKD7wZ9gNdmJW-mRwIgv3vIk_FGZthYqTEdLP1XcnvF5hkmxCg2S7aCps/s4852/Chr.gown.crop.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></a></div>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-67736511957301356912023-08-08T11:35:00.001+01:002023-08-08T11:35:24.561+01:00meaning to stitch 12 - return to the christening gown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG3GlSTxUhMtq_G3NYg5rNb5ybuMXxRQgHZ8oMJfxxKwFlLjkOLJk8PoGESSAkbRHbqZsSPo4gK78hT-z-_7CAzS-pRC9ybe9JBKGT7ju5Zyqo8x2ptLzr_e792hyOpUAspByTmrX0teVIt0Mq2c5tUNy4VykffFYxOScQdmz6xsWoFy5duwn8QRNUQg/s4852/Chr.gown.crop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4852" data-original-width="1648" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqG3GlSTxUhMtq_G3NYg5rNb5ybuMXxRQgHZ8oMJfxxKwFlLjkOLJk8PoGESSAkbRHbqZsSPo4gK78hT-z-_7CAzS-pRC9ybe9JBKGT7ju5Zyqo8x2ptLzr_e792hyOpUAspByTmrX0teVIt0Mq2c5tUNy4VykffFYxOScQdmz6xsWoFy5duwn8QRNUQg/w136-h400/Chr.gown.crop.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>this piece, although ongoing is my mind, has been on hold for some time now and i need to pick it up again</p><p>the current theme for Maker Membership is "Damage", which is really at the core of the christening gown/secret histories - so now is a good time to come bakc to it - but i feel prompted by more than just the sense of an unfinished project nagging at me - it is also a need to start tackling what i feel is the main issue of hidden history and it's influence on my family and <i>my self </i> </p><p>in <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/2022/01/meaning-to-stitch-9.html" target="_blank">meaning to stitch 9</a>, my last post on this, i realised that the negativity of damage was getting in the way for me - it still is, so i'd like to turn that around and move towards reflecting some more constructive outcomes of that damage - the idea draws me, it appeals to the "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" side of me which has got swamped recently</p><p>can i shift my focus towards exploring how the damage has prompted repair, renewal or other constructive results? maybe some of the helpful things which family members have done: teaching, working in medicine, scientific research, activism</p><p>positive/negative damage/repair ...... need to do a mindmap</p><p><br /></p><p>on a different note: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">i have wondered about cleaning the gown - it already bore the marks of wear and tear from its past, but it has got grubbier with being handled for stitching, as well as acquiring water marks from when i made impressions of the bodice - now i feel i should leave it uncleaned, these recent marks of use and abuse add another layer of damage, a layer which i could remove but choose not to . . . . . for the time being </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">i took the time to hang the gown and just look at it with afresh eye (it has been ignored for the last 6 months at least) - the stitched initials viewed from the right side really produce the code-like effect i wanted to achieve and the hanging threads add an unfinished, ethereal quality i really like </p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8BRvDmyRJx5qaepOIQvMrn75CFIktzCCqafjJq5GxjLT67J2-IgrN7PkJIOVw1KT8ibR_7VzvmOfLtDELNIkiHBnU_Jke3SeSXgyepLQM0juzLB0pw-cRDSNp6YPXWk9L9VRPXN7LaoOinBvMCnv8jIXZ0rh4xkiwzARB9T_X7od04Ip7hPnmIeashk/s1239/Chr.gown.det.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="751" data-original-width="1239" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8BRvDmyRJx5qaepOIQvMrn75CFIktzCCqafjJq5GxjLT67J2-IgrN7PkJIOVw1KT8ibR_7VzvmOfLtDELNIkiHBnU_Jke3SeSXgyepLQM0juzLB0pw-cRDSNp6YPXWk9L9VRPXN7LaoOinBvMCnv8jIXZ0rh4xkiwzARB9T_X7od04Ip7hPnmIeashk/w640-h388/Chr.gown.det.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> </p></blockquote>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-49163118978462739312023-06-11T20:59:00.007+01:002024-01-26T10:57:57.058+00:00unstitched coif - progress<p>this is slow work and challenging on several fronts - i find small even stitching difficult as it's not my usual style and my eyesight struggles with work this fine, but i am enjoying the achievement of each part</p><p>choosing patterns for the fills has been a little tricky - many of the patterns i like are complex and need larger spaces for me to be able to develop them - my linen is too fine for me to be able to count threads, so i have to draw grids (with erasable pen), but these are never as precise as counting threads</p><p>but it always looks worse to me looking at it through a magnifying lense - once i see it without magnification it looks much better to me - a better stitcher would spot the irregularities with ease</p><p>the leaves here have crewel style trellis fills - i have made a real mess of these in the past, but with extra care and patience i feel i've done a good job and am please with them</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip14VFYLiGHILTB6wCuHPEnvcvgTETXWorqmT3thiAg3sua0Y5-_7NnzaW26JlJmOAtYkapOyRUdwM7Gpy628ftq1q3EBBvIg-nspN6H8sMY8haFmR62nng6IIeBkHZGez8ABQ8AxY4eUaYiYL-uU2h8aIF1NQSfCe7iQmEAlu-lGItFEYFwQ-f29N/s1522/20230611_135436.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1522" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip14VFYLiGHILTB6wCuHPEnvcvgTETXWorqmT3thiAg3sua0Y5-_7NnzaW26JlJmOAtYkapOyRUdwM7Gpy628ftq1q3EBBvIg-nspN6H8sMY8haFmR62nng6IIeBkHZGez8ABQ8AxY4eUaYiYL-uU2h8aIF1NQSfCe7iQmEAlu-lGItFEYFwQ-f29N/w400-h353/20230611_135436.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This flower shows my first attempt at chipping, a goldwork technique - i was concerned that it would be too "blingy", but feel happy with it, although i could have done a better job if i had practised first</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c4EbwExIf_EhoEBK-KhJob2HvyKKMPhqKhRJodnDR1RBW5t5UYpbwVuxd2ksW90rxb9Qyua2If3rpiHoBigEN_i9Jos6H3tq9ApMxQJ6yWbKNiu0MXJhI7X6RkikQIoUSFEWkHg4aJ078VIjDZo9Y4qKNqTgGyoVeHg411RjMswcGPbS4MoI8FkY/s1502/20230611_135523.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1368" data-original-width="1502" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9c4EbwExIf_EhoEBK-KhJob2HvyKKMPhqKhRJodnDR1RBW5t5UYpbwVuxd2ksW90rxb9Qyua2If3rpiHoBigEN_i9Jos6H3tq9ApMxQJ6yWbKNiu0MXJhI7X6RkikQIoUSFEWkHg4aJ078VIjDZo9Y4qKNqTgGyoVeHg411RjMswcGPbS4MoI8FkY/w400-h364/20230611_135523.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The section worked so far - the tudor rose has some gold and silver detailing, but that does not show up well here <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ikvNXj2oiciazdVoPwvwTXFjO4eE5qimlKeofHoQXR8p-d-pBgn_l1M3E25XWAHxLhDd6e_4hkws7O-X2_a-kiAOlaBMQXSOEPFeMSSkuXLWplCfqCnwb6NAwFNmrujDH-YnvJcUiLvj3YFK3xLVyBXRHDLs22lQGPQ7MNqa_3QZnALh5YmZRSWr/s2371/20230611_135727.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2371" data-original-width="1742" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ikvNXj2oiciazdVoPwvwTXFjO4eE5qimlKeofHoQXR8p-d-pBgn_l1M3E25XWAHxLhDd6e_4hkws7O-X2_a-kiAOlaBMQXSOEPFeMSSkuXLWplCfqCnwb6NAwFNmrujDH-YnvJcUiLvj3YFK3xLVyBXRHDLs22lQGPQ7MNqa_3QZnALh5YmZRSWr/w470-h640/20230611_135727.jpg" width="470" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>This is the whole piece - i still have a long way to go<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwpLowSSNLumMOqmAS8uNUguUcpPGe58REZBXQkvB_Y8H9qO0SEYNrOvWm2a8aKODQxpC57YqknPNh2VsemOenFC8kk-11bShTJ25b22H5KMRkSzH0Xfxtptp35Y1fWKj1KrGivXUJBjebArCo2kPDdWgzudda4cuEQzdBHdICfLZ_QRkNfEUYP-k/s2337/20230611_135332.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1259" data-original-width="2337" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwpLowSSNLumMOqmAS8uNUguUcpPGe58REZBXQkvB_Y8H9qO0SEYNrOvWm2a8aKODQxpC57YqknPNh2VsemOenFC8kk-11bShTJ25b22H5KMRkSzH0Xfxtptp35Y1fWKj1KrGivXUJBjebArCo2kPDdWgzudda4cuEQzdBHdICfLZ_QRkNfEUYP-k/w640-h344/20230611_135332.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I have been listening o the audiobook of Hilary Mantel's Mirror and Light , the final part of her Cromwell trilogy - it seemed appropriate - there are a few birds in the piece, some look like Corvids - Thomas Cromwell had Choughs in his coat of arms, they are corvids with red beaks and legs, so i think i will be stiiching at least one of the Corvids here with a red beak and legs</p><p>The squirrel is a red one because it is appropriate for the period, i adjusted its shape a little as it looked a bit crude and red squirrels are such delicate little creatures that i could not stitch the original design and feel happy about it - it means i have strayed from the original, but i can live with that better than a lumpy squirrel! </p><p>at first i stitched outlines in backstitch, but i have tried split stitch on some outlines now - i find it gives a smoother appearance whih is more pleasing to me, so i will use that more now</p><p>selecting blackwork fills for the flower is proving to be laborious - i am trawling many sources to find designs which will look good in small spaces - i have also managed to draw a finer grid on more recent fills and hope to be able to use some of the more complex fills in the larger flowers as i come to them - i hope that the progression will be obvious across the piece - i aimed to work this as a type of sampler for myself and i aleady feel that it has helped me to build on my stitching skills</p><p>I though i might easily tire of stitching this, but it has been thoroughly enjoyable so far - i have not felt the need to unpick very much, unpicking is often a sign that i am not in the flow with the work so it feels good that i am avoiding that</p><p> </p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-59356788726895577322023-04-29T20:03:00.001+01:002024-01-26T10:58:44.276+00:00new project - unstitched coif<p> a recent request for participants in a Ph.D project on Blackwork caught my eye and i have signed up </p><p>i have been drawn to blackwork for a while and find it challenging as it involves precision and good eyesight if it is to be done well - i recently completed <a href="http://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/2021/11/personal-challenge.html" target="_blank">a kit</a> in blackwork fill stitches which i enjoyed, but working stitches that small was really at the limits of my skill </p><p>i have also used blackwork fills on a doodle piece, drawing grids for the stitches rather than counting threads - this is not as precise, but i find it an acceptable alternative in that context</p><p>anyway..... the project........ it is called <a href="http://blackworkembroidery.org/" target="_blank">Unstitched Coif</a> and is about stitching the design of an Elizabethan coif - participants are given the design and left to recreate it in pretty well whatever style they chose - so there are some decisions to make, but there are also some boundaries - a helpful and interesting combination for me</p><p>I want to use blackwork fills, but my vintage linen is too fine (approx 60 count) for me to count threads, so i am drawing grids - the motifs are flowers, leaves, birds and insects - some of the motifs are too small for me to use blackwork fills, but lend themselves to the speckled stitching fills which appeared on later work, so i'll be using those as well</p><p>i can't limit myself to black, so have decided to use colour for the outlines</p><p>i'm guessing that i will have trouble sticking to the plan but the project leader and Ph.D student told us that this is about the process of stitching and not historical accuracy, so i feel that gives us quite a bit of flexibility to wander off-piste a bit</p><p>progress so far looks like this:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEJB4ds-m46aWYaMjig5haFjdULm2lnJqzZX3FnAFGsVQxEFSewppmYCpQS362oJU2nE0YWqDeLwYVI10QV9ObYnlCrxxscMgmSDFkn0F7T5eOt0xawWD3tmSg5G8W8P7792wia2LFFzUcD4lSR-n4hjZdHEtr56EVJttAru2RAR1Mkcy_mop3fVZ/s1796/P1110571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1796" data-original-width="1760" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEJB4ds-m46aWYaMjig5haFjdULm2lnJqzZX3FnAFGsVQxEFSewppmYCpQS362oJU2nE0YWqDeLwYVI10QV9ObYnlCrxxscMgmSDFkn0F7T5eOt0xawWD3tmSg5G8W8P7792wia2LFFzUcD4lSR-n4hjZdHEtr56EVJttAru2RAR1Mkcy_mop3fVZ/w393-h400/P1110571.JPG" width="393" /></a></div><p><br /></p>we have until around November to complete, but completion is not absolutely necessary ( hooray, good excuse for a UFO and in keeping with the title!)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-35240762138904932102022-08-27T19:02:00.003+01:002024-01-08T15:02:12.425+00:00fragmented<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">reflecting
on the theme of “fragments” drew me back to a favourite plate
which was broken – inspired by kinstugi <a href="http://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/plate" target="_blank">i recreated it in stitch</a>,
but still wanted to do something with the broken fragments</span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bmAZcwfSM76nD4Uwh026ppc02AcM0NmqHw7813tqsNwvKJu8VlimAUiwiJRt8-gCWuwjrfOd4VuKYdtxO3UQmE9B8ViLwZE7NK-uPC-Ajh3Kg39qu1qHCieRfwbNGmEkei1cPmni9cD1-6B_IkL1nef5I5XZGaGDSDsnzLYHAFt623qm8fE2aobG/s1772/plate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1711" data-original-width="1772" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6bmAZcwfSM76nD4Uwh026ppc02AcM0NmqHw7813tqsNwvKJu8VlimAUiwiJRt8-gCWuwjrfOd4VuKYdtxO3UQmE9B8ViLwZE7NK-uPC-Ajh3Kg39qu1qHCieRfwbNGmEkei1cPmni9cD1-6B_IkL1nef5I5XZGaGDSDsnzLYHAFt623qm8fE2aobG/s320/plate.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
know it can not be repaired for use so any repair has to be for
conservation or decoration – i'd love to repair it using the
kintsugi method, but my medium is textile so that's where my heart
leads me – also if I later feel I want to repair it another way
a textile based repair would still leave me the option</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">…<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">..but
how?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> It's something I have considered repeatedly for several years</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the best way is to experiment with some different approaches, so I
did</span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>sample
1</b></span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6BgGTS7OJtFtI26fa55Ro_OCKjY-4vrZtOI-2Y8zrF3MSXNLri1ClmsB-AeX-XUX1DtgX7azHK7Xx9JYw1WFAQSB5RMlK9W6Nk7eawURtlnJrY3CLjz30h8wNcOaAnvwRNVsKP-w4qkk7KJu4gVZgf3qO_9HYX6TUJtHIEOJLeOOwq72G47iQPPJ/s377/Bridget%20Harvey.%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="377" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB6BgGTS7OJtFtI26fa55Ro_OCKjY-4vrZtOI-2Y8zrF3MSXNLri1ClmsB-AeX-XUX1DtgX7azHK7Xx9JYw1WFAQSB5RMlK9W6Nk7eawURtlnJrY3CLjz30h8wNcOaAnvwRNVsKP-w4qkk7KJu4gVZgf3qO_9HYX6TUJtHIEOJLeOOwq72G47iQPPJ/s320/Bridget%20Harvey.%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Plates by Bridget Harvey</div><blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3eSe5HhmA4pLhha8XHye4bFw-XxTIihFq99Clp6ogegVu5LjxbMmrY1bEaYzDtpvvjf2He7HCikDaoDbVX_elkvNCVjOifEgZlglU9hN1ZQhcLc_isiV4Q7uoPccMnKNUO53C03boAUuag8S2JkpPqivMaVKOLKZAyD9jFIWaR9jxLO3P1k7e0MO/s471/Bridget%20Harvey.%20drift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="471" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC3eSe5HhmA4pLhha8XHye4bFw-XxTIihFq99Clp6ogegVu5LjxbMmrY1bEaYzDtpvvjf2He7HCikDaoDbVX_elkvNCVjOifEgZlglU9hN1ZQhcLc_isiV4Q7uoPccMnKNUO53C03boAUuag8S2JkpPqivMaVKOLKZAyD9jFIWaR9jxLO3P1k7e0MO/s320/Bridget%20Harvey.%20drift.jpg" width="320" /></a></blockquote></div><p></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">inspired
by Bridget Harvey's broken ceramic work – a cardboard “plate”
repaired with copper coloured needlelace</span></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSy_hG5DnNX319MY7PyAntF3lYGA4bVH4wJ8Io8nQ5n5HeqnXBZnwyuCHQz3AFrZ2777NhIVaaWZBj2lmW0_4PPTKcL0rsueVsbJZfej4Dnc3f4spB0OZJrqkemvvQUd1KqBAXpVOrvjSh-SSj63_3mXVw2pjntR97fP-jlhkVOl4lERGWNlki6R4/s1761/f-r.sample1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1719" data-original-width="1761" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlSy_hG5DnNX319MY7PyAntF3lYGA4bVH4wJ8Io8nQ5n5HeqnXBZnwyuCHQz3AFrZ2777NhIVaaWZBj2lmW0_4PPTKcL0rsueVsbJZfej4Dnc3f4spB0OZJrqkemvvQUd1KqBAXpVOrvjSh-SSj63_3mXVw2pjntR97fP-jlhkVOl4lERGWNlki6R4/s320/f-r.sample1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">this did not work for me
as the fractures were not clear – but i realised that I want the
fractures to show, so it helped me on the way to establishing my
“rules for repair”:</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
want </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">to show </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the fracture lines </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the repair should add aesthetically to the plate</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I
don't want to alter the plate permanently (yet)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the
design should be obscured as little as possible</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the result need not be actually plate-shaped, but it should be recognisable</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">grey
areas: </span>
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">rigid
or flexible</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">fragmented
or whole</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">stand-alone or supported</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">stitching
in gold, colour or blending with cloth (white)</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><br />
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b>sample
2</b></span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">inspired
by a repaired vase I saw at a SIT Select exhibition in Newark Park
Gloucestershire, 2014, I wish I had taken photos and noted the artist</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">using
cotton organdie to partially wrap the fragments so that they can be
stitched together like a patchwork – the method I used helped me to
clarify my approach: this time I wrapped the pieces and stitched them
together on the back, anchoring them on a backing fabric – this
allowed me to carry out the final manipulation and stitching on
individual pieces before stitching them together with functional and
decorative stitch </span>
</p>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0O0HMXt_ZwRcrEgvIPjHxt-o-95NDHRwYUkF-ghtAs9vvU8eMMsauaKFszW_p61anvaca6L2kg8L2zAvkv-kkXQyzDLToLSE4YlbFJN101T-D0H9TTTn-eFcK_PgFz0TpvEIfzuJKkRE8sJAJL4Pf0vbIllXvNiSju_9xnBKx9kpeiFGe22kPf3y/s1684/f.r.sample2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="1548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy0O0HMXt_ZwRcrEgvIPjHxt-o-95NDHRwYUkF-ghtAs9vvU8eMMsauaKFszW_p61anvaca6L2kg8L2zAvkv-kkXQyzDLToLSE4YlbFJN101T-D0H9TTTn-eFcK_PgFz0TpvEIfzuJKkRE8sJAJL4Pf0vbIllXvNiSju_9xnBKx9kpeiFGe22kPf3y/s320/f.r.sample2.JPG" width="294" /></a></div><br /><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJe5eCaqwyZi1CjHVTGq3fWkEvxAUJjF8c1DywhWvnnMw418H2-mzd5mo2dp8W0ye9h84V4hAmdWX-vNN3vJ8UeuhHj7uor94F1-RbM5aHelJWqwlZgU0fIzS3t_Ra5nukzIpBc9gt0EdplTEB76aP6SpKeAoh011zZ6SH88UMNk46Fe3Ym6464c0/s663/f.r.sample2.det.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="663" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJe5eCaqwyZi1CjHVTGq3fWkEvxAUJjF8c1DywhWvnnMw418H2-mzd5mo2dp8W0ye9h84V4hAmdWX-vNN3vJ8UeuhHj7uor94F1-RbM5aHelJWqwlZgU0fIzS3t_Ra5nukzIpBc9gt0EdplTEB76aP6SpKeAoh011zZ6SH88UMNk46Fe3Ym6464c0/s320/f.r.sample2.det.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">as
a result I know I can wrap each fragment and stitch the fabric into
place as a frame, one at a time, before assembling all the pieces –
the weight and resistance of the ceramic make this easier than with
the card model, which warps and loses sharpness at the corners</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">the
frame can be narrower, using the decorative needlelace edging to draw
it tight with minimal visual obstruction of the design</span></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">but
the final question is which thread to use for the decorative stitch?:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">a
hint of gold, echoing kintsugi,</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">colour
to echo the plate design</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">white</span></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-59689052214163362792022-06-05T15:25:00.005+01:002023-08-08T11:57:27.891+01:00meaning to stitch 11 - threads connected<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #0d161b;">my piece for <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/2022/05/meaning-to-stitch-10-connecting-threads.html" target="_blank">connecting threads</a> is now complete - it's
been a soothing piece to stitch - inspired by the upheaval and chaos
caused by war and current affairs, it has come together intuitively
while i reflected on the experience of others under those influences</span></p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0d161b;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d161b;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp29KevEqqLcewnz3i3QnbdJAYEdAvF6rgm8ff_K_POYiUtfmHPnn4wGe81OCloc3llKY0jPZzacv1alx_YbccSQRy9H_v6TYYxHwC8zXpjTX1cmYpC7QUvaDLbHHeHfEVWOiwSWKVe5SwOpgqAhdlmHBG65iiShY6e-zQ5FNBAboUh7usuzT1_WmZ/s2141/RS.CT.complete%20(1a).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1661" data-original-width="2141" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp29KevEqqLcewnz3i3QnbdJAYEdAvF6rgm8ff_K_POYiUtfmHPnn4wGe81OCloc3llKY0jPZzacv1alx_YbccSQRy9H_v6TYYxHwC8zXpjTX1cmYpC7QUvaDLbHHeHfEVWOiwSWKVe5SwOpgqAhdlmHBG65iiShY6e-zQ5FNBAboUh7usuzT1_WmZ/w640-h496/RS.CT.complete%20(1a).JPG" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0d161b;"><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br />the
scattered areas of stitch on a patchwork of scraps echo the
separation and fracture of lives shattered by war, now and in the
past - the fine organza covering with its occasional windows adds a
smoothing and blurring effect, like my own perception of events and
the passage of time, with small areas of sharp focus created by the
apertures</span></span><p></p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #0d161b;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0d161b;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqXWfGIJ9yqYCMxEMJICLNW97MEXI8D7vz87YfmYHmTzO4r47qBf3HgwNLpC59qsrDMT72kCTLCPmc9skG3yay0XDwmu0k6tjM8Dc771E4-PqcwIZBEFK6Ea1Djv4uy73vuu6ZjjD83BzcA1v8M0x32Z55dTX0LyuLPp83OlwI4xZFlH_36xuodqH/s1313/RS.CT.detail%20(1).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1313" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcqXWfGIJ9yqYCMxEMJICLNW97MEXI8D7vz87YfmYHmTzO4r47qBf3HgwNLpC59qsrDMT72kCTLCPmc9skG3yay0XDwmu0k6tjM8Dc771E4-PqcwIZBEFK6Ea1Djv4uy73vuu6ZjjD83BzcA1v8M0x32Z55dTX0LyuLPp83OlwI4xZFlH_36xuodqH/w400-h311/RS.CT.detail%20(1).JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #0d161b;"><br /></span></p><span style="color: #0d161b;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/LhZYwRMbWAyNdeGAA" target="_blank">more photos</a></div><p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0d161b;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p>i
was unsure of what i was doing when i started, but now realise that
it expresses far more than i could have put in if i had planned it -
i'm so much happier with it than i expected to be, and i aim to allow
myself to stitch this way more often<br /><br />i hope others taking part
have also felt a positive influence from this connection</span></span><p></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-42989576725044807722022-05-07T20:28:00.001+01:002023-08-08T11:57:50.029+01:00meaning to stitch 10 - connecting threads<p> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif">prompted
by discussions around current events at MM live sessions, i have been
stitching on and with some scraps – this has been done mostly
during weekly chat sessions loosely aimed at our responses to
disruption and disconnection</span></p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">so
far my selection of scraps, threads and stitching have been
instinctive but carried out while reflecting on these issues and
family stories connected with them – it has not made much sense
until now but has been a sort of intuitive, semi-automatic making of
something which seems to sooth my agitated brain</span></p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">then
I read about another group member's piece and what she said about it
- this helped me identify my need to reach out and connect with
others through stitch – the stitching is partially therapeutic, it
helps me to put aside my negativity, like a hot chocolate or chicken
soup for the brain – sharing the process and our thoughts about our
work brings a sense of connection on a different level to other
social contact</span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6iJO91oQfavT9lvREXASNPVCm4-B6iJHFJh4o5ICyUHgrV55jjEAW6Dv4Jq3cA4Rgs46cAHul7S9rPKDt0BDwYvbNP1QM6sjAvHvB9N4ac0NYHXz47HY_ogpWFpgSsumHDesuTOO-k1YiQwlRHX1Wd8XTXPUgI13f0VY-8mabQoWw20h5o2YTDhJ/s2736/P1090603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6iJO91oQfavT9lvREXASNPVCm4-B6iJHFJh4o5ICyUHgrV55jjEAW6Dv4Jq3cA4Rgs46cAHul7S9rPKDt0BDwYvbNP1QM6sjAvHvB9N4ac0NYHXz47HY_ogpWFpgSsumHDesuTOO-k1YiQwlRHX1Wd8XTXPUgI13f0VY-8mabQoWw20h5o2YTDhJ/w640-h426/P1090603.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>
<p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">so
although the </span>little piece looks scrappy and grubby it is
important to me at this time, when my mind is full of other people's
problems and my own current frustrations – i'm grateful for the
peace it brings me</p>
<p class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><br />
</p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-32342217137663499322022-01-31T19:13:00.004+00:002023-07-31T16:57:25.273+01:00meaning to stitch 9<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a262d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">a zoom session with Maker Membership brought up several issues around “Research” for me </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a262d; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px;">Ruth's opening input affirmed for me that: </span></p><div class="text-longform mb-6 mb-sm-8 mt-n2 mt-sm-n4" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a262d; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 32px; margin-top: -16px;"><div data-controller="richtext" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1.3125rem; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 20px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">disorganised digging around, finding out stuff, asking questions and gathering other people's experience are all just as much Research as a more academic approach based on published material or museum and archive sources</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">research tools and resources can be personal experience, trying things out, listening, reading fiction, TV programs, magazines or sweet wrappers </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">the R-word can be scary, just like the D-word (design), but when seen as finding out, exploring and experimenting it seems much more do-able</span></li></ul><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">but, more importantly for me, I am realising that rather than the results of my research influencing and inspiring my work, I am responding to the results with emotions which are impacting my life in general.......</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">by this I mean that I had not meant to get too deeply into looking into slavery as it is a very emotive subject and not my story to tell – but it has drawn me in, particularly the aspects specific to my family – what I am finding is making me angry and feeding my sense that the world is full of injustice, hypocrisy and people who feel they have a right to take whatever they want etc, etc – this is getting in the way for me as I feel negative and stuck, which makes me irritable and not very nice to know</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">so I need to find a way to turn that around, not just for the sake of my secret histories work but also for the sake of my relationships with family and friends</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">what I have taken on board from the session today is that it's ok for me to use that response to inspire and inform what I do next and express it in the work - and i don't have to reflect everything i have learned in the work – reflecting on that has brought me back (in a way) to where I was a couple of months ago with words and fragments …....... conveniently neat but I think I will be exploring that for now</span></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span><br /></div></div></div>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-37137973317961599622021-11-05T16:52:00.008+00:002021-11-05T19:14:02.678+00:00personal challenge<p>a few months ago i decided to try my hand at some "blackwork" - it's a style of embroidery which i have long admired but it is usually neat, precise and controlled ......... characteristics which don't usually apply to my stitching! when i came across a blackwork kit in a Mackintosh-inspired design which appealed to me and provided an opportunity to try my hand i ordered it and decided it was time to have a go </p><p>it's small piece which i thought would be manageable and it certainly provided some different challenges - after a couple of false starts, I surprised myself by keeping up a regular momentum and got it finished sooner than i expected</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRenkn68WWXwWf9N67aJSUDW7s8Bna5xLOnC_tmf6msBCFyp-QLO-HZTrh_Ojc7gPc27_keNnmiQpVCNHiy2E6tj5ekYmrem3Y21077yx82x5LUCIoZ3_QGSoqOQLc0xDpiH50ovfZjzg/s2035/mackintosh+blackwork.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2035" data-original-width="1391" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRenkn68WWXwWf9N67aJSUDW7s8Bna5xLOnC_tmf6msBCFyp-QLO-HZTrh_Ojc7gPc27_keNnmiQpVCNHiy2E6tj5ekYmrem3Y21077yx82x5LUCIoZ3_QGSoqOQLc0xDpiH50ovfZjzg/w438-h640/mackintosh+blackwork.JPG" width="438" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>the stitching in the dense green blocks really tested my eyesight as well as my ability to stitch tiny precise stitches and i struggled with achieving smoothly couched curves - but the blackwork fills were a real pleasure as i developed a rhythm </p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-63686595649911199302021-10-22T19:42:00.007+01:002023-07-31T16:57:25.274+01:00meaning to stitch 8 <p> after posting <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/2021/10/slow-beginnings.html" target="_blank">slow beginnings</a> i shared where i am in the Makers Membership group and Ruth left some helpful comments which led to me doing some thinking:</p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif"><b>R </b>-This
is coming together really nicely. I like the white on white. Grouping
the letters in some way is a good idea and family groups would work.
Are there any other ways of grouping the data that might work? Also
why have you chosen linear arrangement? Are there other layouts that
might reflect other elements of the story ? Ruth</span></span></i></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif"><b>me</b> - interesting
questions .... mmmmm? </span></span><br /><br />
</p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"> </span>
</p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif"><b>R</b> -why
have you chosen linear arrangement?</span></span></i></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b style="color: #1a262d; font-family: Inter, sans-serif;">me </b><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;">- </span><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">my
plan was simply to stitch the initials in a spiral line going around and down the skirt of the christening gown - no particular reason, simply a
lack of imagination on my part - this is a good opportunity to
re-think, before i am too invested in this approach</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">i was stitching the initials in this way as a background which was
meant to be partly hidden – hence white on white and stitching on
the reverse</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif"><b>R</b> - Are
there any other ways of grouping the data that might work?</span></span></i></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif"> Are
there other layouts that might reflect other elements of the story ?</span></span></i></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;"><b>me</b> - at
this stage i have not gathered much by way of a "story"
about this list of names to reflect</span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">the aim is to create a piece in response to family secrets, among
which are the family's ownership of the slaves who were their household servants and worked in their sugar plantations - my idea was just to
acknowledge the names i have as a form of tribute to their lives and
the contribution they made to my family's development</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">unfortunately
i am not sure how accurate this is as data, these are the names that
were listed, but they were notoriously unreliable records -
plantation owners had various reasons for being selective about how
accurately they reported their ownership of slaves</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">to
group the initials in a more meaningful way would involve more
research into the lives of these people</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif">at
the moment I am reluctant to try to go deeper into the situation of
these people as it is not the focus of the piece and this is a
sensitive issue that deserves attention in it's own right –
something I could revisit at a later stage</span></span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;"> if and when i decide to make something in response to the lives of the slaves that will be the time when i look deeper and consider other ways to use the information (data) - </span><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;">for
this piece my focus is on secrets and how they affect a family so I
feel it is appropriate to acknowledge this secret in a subtle way as
part of the background – I feel I need to keep that at the front of
my mind as I am easily sidetracked</span></p><p align="LEFT" class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;"><br /></span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: left;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="color: #1a262d;"><span face="Inter, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Ruth's questions have prompted me to rethink why i was doing it this way and i now feel more confident that this is the right approach for this piece - but i am glad she prompted me to stop and give it more thought - i will be unpicking what i have done so far and start again, this time keeping the initials in what i see as family groups, even though that is partly conjecture on my part as the records do not consistently note family relationships and spellings are erratic</span></span></div>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-21611840395086318212021-10-21T15:42:00.008+01:002023-09-01T10:55:31.979+01:00slow beginnings<p> the first row has begun - the list i made is alphabetical by first name, so i have chosen to stitch a few at a time from different letters... it gets tedious stitching the same letter over and over so i like to mix them</p><p><br /></p><p>on reflection i might unpick what i have done and sort them by family name so that i can keep families together .....?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvFfXpR9liyq7Xkd6zUyVfshbHvgASGnNp12AHHGloxHyxwX0Lgf69XDDKbVzxM908yqHPM8MKU3gMooTk7xvXyX8mnggnGdFnuwbAy2lf4oWByOHYwk_CErVTaLDxf78cuHvMtqhyBI/s2725/initials+.2..JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2725" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvFfXpR9liyq7Xkd6zUyVfshbHvgASGnNp12AHHGloxHyxwX0Lgf69XDDKbVzxM908yqHPM8MKU3gMooTk7xvXyX8mnggnGdFnuwbAy2lf4oWByOHYwk_CErVTaLDxf78cuHvMtqhyBI/w400-h203/initials+.2..JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">i am stitching from the reverse so that the letters look like code from the front, like the samples i stitched earlier - white on white is hard to see on photos!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNBJ3XD7nOcVNv0hnMJxu84rEnwR52uaoMoVDvzq7j2iFKSrqeDSvGAN8oxEBMGPoQR9UoOm3jBs2CZuunXfB4kLxvWT5ppt3O-CaFwp_ZQ6Vkw4teHALQ_pAJ_77JSOD0Ps1uJs8LQ8/s2736/initials.1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2736" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigNBJ3XD7nOcVNv0hnMJxu84rEnwR52uaoMoVDvzq7j2iFKSrqeDSvGAN8oxEBMGPoQR9UoOm3jBs2CZuunXfB4kLxvWT5ppt3O-CaFwp_ZQ6Vkw4teHALQ_pAJ_77JSOD0Ps1uJs8LQ8/w400-h266/initials.1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-2979698163509394372021-10-21T11:52:00.001+01:002021-10-24T13:54:34.976+01:00a textile tour<p>a few days of visiting <a href="https://britishtextilebiennial.co.uk/" target="_blank">British Textile Biennial 2021</a> exhibitions has been a real tonic - the beloved has been incredibly patient and generous, driving us up to Lancashire, around the venues, putting up with less than mediocre food and very little by way of interesting stuff to do for him - all without a single complaint - i am so very lucky</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOah8FJ340E7tEc7pc9O8c4HYgtpek3H46ANw_eYKzSKIVJ4yw7zAxCmHjxV1OevaMPb49W645Dw2UU1iIdyvZGg1d2DQ6x7_GbTwablfGGbMCIIgJ9q3DNVw5bg-TP3npgRfsphGwGHk/s1678/P1080132+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1678" data-original-width="1665" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOah8FJ340E7tEc7pc9O8c4HYgtpek3H46ANw_eYKzSKIVJ4yw7zAxCmHjxV1OevaMPb49W645Dw2UU1iIdyvZGg1d2DQ6x7_GbTwablfGGbMCIIgJ9q3DNVw5bg-TP3npgRfsphGwGHk/w398-h400/P1080132+%25282%2529.JPG" width="398" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>two of the events really stand out for me: <a href="https://youtu.be/kjNc9VXJyLg" target="_blank">the 62 Group "Connected Cloth"</a> exhibition and <a href="https://youtu.be/MwbKLe2MH34" target="_blank">Brigid McLeer's "Collateral"</a> installation - both addressed the lives of textile workers (and much more) in such powerful terms that i will be processing the impact for some time to come</p><p>a lot of the work and themes explored reminded me of how much i have learned about the world of textile production and it's impact in the past few years - how much of our history is tied up with textile production and trading - i wish i could explain this to my friends who see my interest as "doily making"</p><p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mitKfHOW_At3dvogJde8YM3K9rnU-esK/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">BTB2021 Programme</a> </p><p><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/16GuTdhuPCSqNuam8" target="_blank">BTB2021 Connected Cloth - My Photos</a></p><p><a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/Zi3d4ucVFFNJqM6g6" target="_blank">BTB2021 - Collateral - My Photos</a></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-41320465544084869402021-10-08T14:16:00.002+01:002022-01-03T17:36:02.909+00:00meaning to stitch 7 - digging into research<p> Ruth's latest post about taking research further gave me a chance to think back on my own experience</p><p>i am not a straight-line thinker or worker, so i naturally take a broad approach - hovering over the topic and identifying different areas - for textile work visual appeal tends to draw me in, but also stories</p><p>but on reflection is see no real pattern in how i decide where to focus - i remember that i struggled with ToT1 - the material initially swamped me because of the quantity - i was drawn in by individual stories but none held my interest for long - eventually it was an exploration of a batch of parchment scrolls which lit the fuse</p><p>actually handling and opening scrolls which were centuries old was eye-opening - their condition, the scripts, little margin notes and symbols were all so interesting - this started a direction for me</p><p>another direction was found in the tally sticks which we found in the bundle of documents - i had only heard about these and was delighted to get my hands on some - this led to an exploration of the history and use of tally sticks </p><p>i linked this back to the business in which the family had made their founding fortune, brewing (probably with hops as they were from the low countries) and also explored encoding and recording business information over the centuries - it was hard to know where and when to stop </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc1zfC5HzNFxVB9G084rhGAw98D49sGRpze2vMR4jiNPDPn6T-A4i7IiTkpg-F4jhgaQ9l1hyphenhyphen8p-axKpV1SCU-KpCpWnl0OO2tz8fAlI5znz0HKdrapkFPev3SyXI7shGim-qpBbufQU/s1279/IMG_5386.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1137" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvc1zfC5HzNFxVB9G084rhGAw98D49sGRpze2vMR4jiNPDPn6T-A4i7IiTkpg-F4jhgaQ9l1hyphenhyphen8p-axKpV1SCU-KpCpWnl0OO2tz8fAlI5znz0HKdrapkFPev3SyXI7shGim-qpBbufQU/s320/IMG_5386.JPG" width="284" /></a></div><div><br /></div>i was finding quipu, cuneiform, punch cards, bar codes and so much more - all distilled into "Keeping a Tally" as a final piece, but also a starting point as i'd never considered making a 3D piece until i decided on the format<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIppXuxXka393BXOj6dQqyu8Li9BysAAMqMTg4S1_22pVFtsFKGBz4vGgwjP2d5ylkU8qqKaITDQHLxr_Jam_k6n1ipXidQ30B_QFG4uaWYBK5o0zj-ClWNq0UUr0QdB0nV0iJfwqiuec/s1188/IMG_5384.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1188" data-original-width="991" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIppXuxXka393BXOj6dQqyu8Li9BysAAMqMTg4S1_22pVFtsFKGBz4vGgwjP2d5ylkU8qqKaITDQHLxr_Jam_k6n1ipXidQ30B_QFG4uaWYBK5o0zj-ClWNq0UUr0QdB0nV0iJfwqiuec/s320/IMG_5384.JPG" width="267" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>i had started with a focus on stitched work, probably flat but moved into mixed media with some textile and stitch in 3D and i felt i was barely touching the surface of what the collection of documents had to offer </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>on further reflection a missing element in it all is the people, their involvement and the influence on their lives - so that's a different direction i could have taken</p><p><br /></p><p>so, taking this back to current work - i still want to dig deeper into the people behind my paternal family, so it's time to shift the focus onto their lives</p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-17249308723152869092021-09-25T17:58:00.004+01:002023-07-31T16:57:25.273+01:00the plan takes shape<p> at last i am getting a clearer idea of where to go with my piece</p><p>hours of sifting through lists of slaves owned by family members, trying to get a picture of how many individuals were listed has shown a fuzzy picture - my main purpose initially was to find out how many slaves were owned by family members, but i gradually felt that i needed to identify them as individuals</p><p>i now feel i need to do this to acknowledge the role they played in my family's development and existence - without them i doubt i would exist </p><p>listing the names of as many as i can is the starting point - i want to record these for myself, but know that i don't have the patience to stitch over 500 names - so i have decided that i will use initials - the names listed are not always the "real" names of the individuals, they are a clerical representation of name mostly given by european owners and middle men, so they are a code, in some ways a "shadow" name - i can reflect that by acknowledging each indivual's initials and i think i will do that in white silk stitching on the body of the christening gown, maybe even working from the back - i think i will also add a small bead for each individual, probably around the hem of the gown, it will add weight literally and symbolically</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISuDVeWHI6lGBzon0329jc5dIqT-VL4aeHwHSjgPmsLSBDbUnhtu4lWNM-Mn6qXVan-o4UJb5S3Y_xR7xb2fs_E5uh3IND5V_tYO0yFLnVuxwYrvHPNL65vfevdBe_yctrA89kjSAQ2c/s1033/P1070714+%25282%2529.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1033" data-original-width="1013" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjISuDVeWHI6lGBzon0329jc5dIqT-VL4aeHwHSjgPmsLSBDbUnhtu4lWNM-Mn6qXVan-o4UJb5S3Y_xR7xb2fs_E5uh3IND5V_tYO0yFLnVuxwYrvHPNL65vfevdBe_yctrA89kjSAQ2c/w393-h400/P1070714+%25282%2529.JPG" title="sample of reversed word on paper imprint" width="393" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU5kDWc_TZLeKFaDwqTVhZqchrvSMGBYJXCrRT-qqXvl4etYgay7CJOn-yKKrslJJcnWoVhOzizxNXOPNpSwYWLT0el4288P9DBB54mfZsZqjS5oF1_C_8ssdJHsmh_jY6MMVP1IsQPQ/s1362/P1070715.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="1362" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbU5kDWc_TZLeKFaDwqTVhZqchrvSMGBYJXCrRT-qqXvl4etYgay7CJOn-yKKrslJJcnWoVhOzizxNXOPNpSwYWLT0el4288P9DBB54mfZsZqjS5oF1_C_8ssdJHsmh_jY6MMVP1IsQPQ/w400-h241/P1070715.JPG" title="sample - word stitched from the back" width="400" /></a></div><br />this leaves me with the other aspect of the effect on the family historically and as individuals - for this i currently plan to use pieces of <a href="https://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/2021/09/making-impressions-1.htm" target="_blank">gown imprints on paper</a>, stitched with words and phrases - these will be stitched from the back as a reflection of their being part of the hidden history <p></p><p>what i now need to work out is how to bring the two elements together........... ?</p><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-47041638441316312772021-09-25T15:25:00.009+01:002024-02-20T11:43:38.785+00:00meaning to stitch 6 - grim records<p> after a lot of dithering i have finally taken a look at the online records on slave ownership - i knew that this would not bring any pleasant surprises and what i have learned is really superficial, but i feel it's a start </p><p>i think i have decided that i want to honour the fact that without the many people who's lives were controlled by my ancestors this family would not be where it is now - their contribution was incalculable and many of them paid a huge price</p><p>the records show over 600 slaves were registered as being owned by my family members: Antoine Cantin, his partner Louise (a freed slave herself), sons Pierre and Jean and daughter Suzette, as well as Benoit Ollier, Pierre's Father in law and Josephine his wife (also a freed slave)</p><p>a bit of extra background: Pierre's wife was the daughter of Benoit's first partner, a freed slave, who he did not marry - two of Pierre's children married two their first cousins, Jean's children - this means that Pierre and Jean, both children of a freed slave became slave owners, in a big way - i find this very disturbing</p><p>from the historic documents </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Antoine Cantin - 19 slaves</li><li>Pierre Cantin - plantation owner - 94 slaves</li><li>Jean Cantin - plantation owner - 209 slaves</li><li>Benoit Ollier- plantation owner - 200 slaves</li></ul></blockquote><p>further "personal" slaves were also listed for their daughters and partners, but i am still checking the records for these</p><p>the records are fascinating documents - they seem to reveal as much through the information they don't list as through what is written in them: </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>men's relationships are rarely noted, but women have their children and grandchildren noted </li><li>many families were listed with no male parent- </li><li>i found one family where the daughters were listed with their mother's family name but both sons had different family names, no father was noted for any of them </li><li>more accurate information about identifying features is listed than about ages or place of origin </li><li>several slaves were listed on the records of more than one family member at the same time</li><li>one family member was listed as owning slaves at least two years after his death</li></ul><p></p><p>i feel this speaks volumes about the attitude towards the people listed in that they were possessions and not individuals ... no surprises there i guess - but what i find really worrying is that this attitude was still reflected in the behaviour of my own father, generations after slavery had "officially" ceased </p><p><b>my notes on the records</b>: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">names: for the individuals "born free" i doubt that many of the first names were the ones given at birth, the family names were spelled as the clerk at the time saw fit, some family names were clearly given by french-speaking traders, owners or other (e.g. Boeuf, Cochon !) </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><u>ages</u>: dates of birth were only recorded if this happened during the period between records, some were copied from earlier documents unchanged, i am sure many were estimated when the individual was acquired as some are given as younger than in earlier documents</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>occupation or role: many different occupations are listed, but not always legible - the majority of individuals are listed as "Pioche", this translates as "pickaxe", but meanings change so i can not be certain of what it means, but i guess it is equivalent to "general worker" or "main d'oeuvre" - some are listed as "petite bande", many of these were children, but this seems to be a term used only on some records as children (as young as 3 yrs old) on other records were listed as "pioche"</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>other personal details: height is recorded in pieds and pouces*, roughly feet and inches, but i am not convinced of their accuracy - information was recorded for some about scarring and tattoos, but this is often difficult to decypher</p><p>family relationships: these are completely omitted for many records and seem sketchy where given - fathers are rarely acknowledged or listed with their partners or children - without birth and marriage records it is not possible to achieve any clarity over this, and i doubt that these were maintained accurately for slaves - much more research would be required to check </p></blockquote><p>* <i>History note: the metric system was developed and introduced in France in the late 18C after the revolution, many of the french slave owners (including my ancestors) left France before the revolution or well before the metric system became widely used - pied (foot) and pouces (/thumb/inch) were used in France but not standardised as they had been in England, so it is hard to know whether the record keepers (mostly british) and the slave owners of french origin all used standardised "imperial" measures</i></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-39992615363544109832021-09-13T12:01:00.008+01:002024-02-20T11:44:09.716+00:00meaning to stitch 5 - revisiting family<p><i>late august</i>:</p><p>i have not started any work for Ruth's group because i have not been able to think of a family-related theme i want to pick up - but the recent death of a cousin of my mother's and thoughts of people's roles in life has reminded me that there is one side of her family that i have not begun to explore...... my maternal grandfather, Leon Barbaut - i've explored some aspects of my maternal grandmother's side in work on <a href="http://stickyfingerstuff.blogspot.com/search/label/Delvallet-2016" target="_blank">D</a>........</p><p>actual contact with B...... side has been very limited because my grandfather died when my mother was 8 and his family did not live close by</p><p>then i realised that i have not even touched on my father's family - again part of the reason but there's a reason for that: distance, both physical and emotional - my father's family were mostly a long way away on the far side of africa, at a time without the internet when long-distance travel and phone contact were very expensive - also my father created an emotional distance between us and those who were only a few miles away - so i have trouble getting to grips with my feelings about my paternal relatives - another story for another time maybe?</p><p><i>mid-september</i>:</p><p>delving into my father's family tree and history has thrown up a lot of issues - the main theme of which seems to be hidden histories, although i'm not sure how "hidden" they were - as some of this involves abusive employment practices and social attitudes towards different cultures i don't feel ready to tackle this head on - but i am interested in the way this may have influenced family relationships and behaviour </p><p>i am beginning to wonder how much of a role "secret histories" played on my father's reaction to family life and the way his life took shape - starting life as a blank sheet, the first child, later eldest son among several sisters and one brother </p><p>that thought begins to tie in with the christening gown as a starting point, with so much to come ......</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6806129182100059735.post-25851306619762387062021-09-13T11:44:00.006+01:002022-01-03T17:37:28.178+00:00making impressions 2<p style="text-align: center;"> quite pleased with imprints of the christening gown </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMb27dHLjO8KQUQ8capDTIm9a4j-Y3Hvj_fjjVK8lC3dQEPLrSKT2vZvdvfAX8YoXoNwPBXzLUF_1Hk1i9pqlxHhY_SLs2ZHgMn5uB_xH6P4ITnHRz6iQbQCMz2EjPoGZk5h2rxoT-Tk/s2048/ChG+imprint.cutout1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1530" data-original-width="2048" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlMb27dHLjO8KQUQ8capDTIm9a4j-Y3Hvj_fjjVK8lC3dQEPLrSKT2vZvdvfAX8YoXoNwPBXzLUF_1Hk1i9pqlxHhY_SLs2ZHgMn5uB_xH6P4ITnHRz6iQbQCMz2EjPoGZk5h2rxoT-Tk/w640-h478/ChG+imprint.cutout1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">now i need to work out what to do with them!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>stickyfingershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15436162668495166095noreply@blogger.com0