drifting along

the river continues to be the main focus of my creative journey as I drift from one facet of it to another in an ever-widening circle

this week it was the current...

it seems once I get something to the point where the "technician" in me can take over and work to execute the design idea the creative side immediately starts casting about for the next thing

you'd think I'd get in a jumble but it seems to work out rather well

over the years and through all the seasons I've taken endless photos of the river's surface though the vast majority were taken in either November or December... the  obsidian-coloured water, the low-light gleam of the oily-looking surface, the reflections of the trees on the opposite shore hold the strongest appeal for me...

they seem to highlight the current markings on the surface in the most captivating way

so... more samples then

textile samples, the markings need to be stitched... I'm already seeing large pieces of richly textured cloth, the current patterns drifting across them from edge to edge... sigh

it has to be on dark linen

do I have dark linen? or do I need to do more ink-dyeing?

I think have two that might work; one, half an old linen dress bought many years ago from a charity shop in the UK - the other, an old camisole of my own

where are they now, since the big tidy up of Spring?

(I strongly recommend seriously reconsidering any big reorganizations in your creative space before starting!)

a half hour later they had both been located, the cami too purplish, the dress just right

 cutting up the half dress there were several small curved pieces - should I trim them straight?

no - leave them as they are... I know I'll be grateful for the little bit extra in the margins if I find I need a hoop

the curves add a bit of the river too I think, as I pressed them flat

a search through my river photo file yielded a few that looked promising

the swirling circles have always fascinated me... their motion is mesmerizing 

I shake my head at the memory

tiny ripples too

also, always in motion

a few simple pencil sketches, more for muscle memory than to work from

what threads then?

metallic threads for sure, but first cotton

sewing thread or embroidery?

sewing - it's finer

it might look too defined though?

start with it - you can change it if it doesn't look right

what about metallics?

after, to highlight

a beginning then

a few stitches later I remembered a piece I had done in one of Karen Ruane's courses

where would that be? 

must be in the sample box... - at least it was the last time I'd seen it

needle down,  sample box lifted off the shelf, one after another I searched through the pile of sample after sample of techniques I had learned from her over the years

as I looked, several were laid aside... not what I was looking for but they were sparking ideas for other work I am also in the midst of

and there it was

not quite right but it shows the way...

there was Payne's Grey ink in a jar on the worktable

brushed over the surface, this way and that the surface went from white to blue-grey

free-machine embroidery on silk cloth with paper

the swirling whirl of the stitching would be perfect, it just needs to be sparsely done, spread out, more in a meander 

drifting and swirling, slowly over the whole of the cloth

hand-stitching added later to add subtle detail and a metallic gleam here and there

and so, another plan has formed...

take care,

Jillayne