Driven to Create!

Well I didn't go to the bank today! The money that should have been transferred to pay the tax wasn't there and if it isn't there tomorrow I shall be having a hissy fit. Fortunately I have time! Not a lot but some! So I stayed at home and got stuck into the Piece with a capitol p. This is now going under the name Cherries. I firstly added the gold mesh and liked the look of it so free machined it with gold embroidery thread. I have to say three cheers for Gutermann gold thread on a large 5000m cop because not once did it break and I did a lot and fast. In fact I filled three bobbins for the gold alone. Then I added the circles of distressed rayon. One factor I hadn't taken into account and this is where sampling is a good thing as I tell my students, was that some of the lovely bubbles were flattened by the stitching. When I stood back to look at it they so looked like cherries that I added stalks and hence the new name! Added some lovely floaty yarn in pink and pale mauve on the pinky leaf shapes for the centre vein and ditto with a bubbly green/blue yarn which I had hand-dyed some time ago, on the green leaves. It is so good to be able to find just what one needs when one needs it. Then I wasn't sure in which direction to go. So I put Markal paintstick rubbings across the seam lines to break up the solid colours. This I was pleased with but felt it needed more. But what? I had to go to work this afternoon as I do every afternoon and left it hanging on the wall. Well I have three options now:
1. Stitch over it as it is using a straight stitch in a sideways movement.
2. Overlay with tulle which has had leaves machine stitched onto it with the embroidery module. 3. Use a pattern stitch and make a broken grid across the straight lines.


This shows a mock up of a piece of the tulle layered over the piece on one side. If I use the tulle I'll only do a diagonal piece so that one side is covered and the other isn't. It is interesting to see how the tulle mutes the colours and the contrast with the un-tulled pieces. If I use the tulle I would then over stitch. The biggest problem here is the small space I'm working in. It is very hard to get far enough back to really see how things are looking. But I'm having fun and really enjoying how this is going. I have to say that writing and reading blogs have fired up my enthusiasm no end. Suddenly I feel motivated to create again! And unlike my usual pieces this one has been most spontaneous. Just off the top of my head doing what came to me. This is such a liberating way of working.