Friday Stitchy Feeling

I have a great Friday feeling as it's the start of the half term break, but it's also because I'm in Stitch magazine on my favourite things page and they included my "Abbey Fields" embroidery.
So if you happen to be in the newsagents this weekend take a peek in the back page.

Life's not been a bed of roses of late due to the recession so this has felt like a positive for a change.
My motto has to be "Stitching got me through it!"

Here is one of my brooches I'm stitching for the Mediaeval Fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon on June 12th.
It's suddenly sprung up on me, so I'm going to be industrious with my needle and threads.
I hope you have a great week.
M x

May Stitching & Painting

Here is a painting I did early last week based on a few sketches I made and also partly my imagination.
It was nice to have a change and to experiment with my paints.

The last few days we have had blue skies and warm sunshine, Summer feels real at last, not just a distant memory and it feels good.
We have beautiful yellow fields here in May and the trees are full of blossom, my favourite time of year.
This has had a direct influence on my mood and colour choices and so I continued with my Matisse inspired brooches.
I do hope Summer stays with us longer this time.

Inspired By Matisse

Did you see the wonderful art programme on the BBC last Sunday, Modern Masters, featuring the work of Matisse?
If you didn't manage to see it, it's available to view on iplayer.
See here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfsnd/hd/Modern_Masters_Matisse/
I was fascinated to learn how Matisse developed his work and how it changed dramatically when he moved to the South of France.
Influenced by the startling bright colours of the Cote d'Azure he revolutionized the way artists used colour.
This programme is a series of four, I have yet to see the first about Andy Warhol and I'm looking forward to seeing the next on Picasso.
So this piece is inspired by the way Matisse used colour in a Kayla coo kind of way!

Reaching Out To The Sky

I spent the day sewing yesterday, yes nearly all day, although this was at an embroiderers guild work shop I attended in leamington.
Our tutor was Jo Owen, a lovely lady who shared her passion for textiles with a wonderful talk and a display of her varied work.
We could stitch any landscape and I dipped into my sketch book for inspiration. The only requirement was to use only one type of stitch by hand, I chose couching.
Today I have been catching up with house work, but in my head I'm still placing stitches in patterns!

Stitched With Love

I'm making brooches for different fairs and art exhibitions at the moment, a busy time of year.
The Kenilworth Art Society is having a display of paintings, cards and a few of my brooches, at The lodge in Jefferson gardens Leamington Spa, for a week from the 15th of May.
I love creating my landscapes, a time to dream, absorbed in my stitching.

Sketching

My daughter and I had the house to ourselves this bank holiday, as husband and son went on a rugby tour to Bournemouth.
It was a very cold weekend here, a shock after the recent warm sunshine, when I sat outside and made these quick sketches.
I have been busy stitching on new work for the http://holytrinitymediaevalfayre.ning.com/ which is on June 12th, do click the link as there is lots of information on other arts and crafts people who will be demonstrating and selling work and details of the free fun activities.
I hope to bring you more stitching soon.