Ryde Arts Festival

Packing up some pieces of work for Ryde Arts Festival.  TRAC colleagues are organising distribution later in the week.  My hand embroidered panel will be in Bijoux Jewellers in Union Street and my machine and hand embroidered gift box will be in Forget-me-Not Designs in Cross Street.  Both were made as part of my City and Guilds.

Embroidered panel

The panel was inspired by a wooden door boss on Buckingham Road and encouraged me to look at other wooden panels and work by artists such as Grinling Gibbons as well as looking at embroidered panels in the V&A Collection.  It is built up in layers: wadding, painted fabric over cords, running stitches, cut away appliqué circles, printed shapes, seeding, lace, eyelets and other circles.  Buttonhole bars add depth to the surface.  Satin stitch and couching finish the edge.  The work is laced over a wooden panel with an integral hanging mechanism so it can be hung flush to a door or wall.

Embroidered gift box

The gift box was an experimental 3D piece.  It takes inspiration from artists such as Janet Edmonds and uses a technique called patching and piecing. Fabric strips are assembled, machine embroidered, cut up, reassembled, machine embroidered and so on a number of times.  The new fabric is embellished with hand stitching before the box is constructed over painted pelmut vilene.  Beads add extra detail to the lid and wrapped cords make nice little feet.

Hope you enjoy looking at all the art work in Ryde next weekend.

The Ryde Art Collective (TRAC)

Delighted and very excited because TRAC likes my work and wants me to exhibit with them. Group members’ work is of a high standard and I feel honoured that my work has been accepted. My mind is racing with ideas for my first show, whenever that will be. I’ll find out more in a couple of weeks. Must focus and get started now. I’ll keep you posted.

You can follow TRAC on Facebook.