shirts

I have been very bad at taking pictures of shirts, mainly because over christmas I was so busy I forgot. So I had to dig out all the ones I’ve made for Gareth and take pictures. I made one with naughty ladies on for my dad last week and I forgot to photograph that.

THis is my favourite, which he wore on his birthday last week. It was mostly quilting panels, so i had to cut creatively to make the most of the large images

For once I didn’t put a pocket on because it would have spoiled the front panel with the planets. The pale blue is a reproduction of the handwritten calculations that put the first rockets into space, which I thought was very cool.

Gareth was born in 69, so he really liked this shirt.

The bit above the astronauts which the eagle quote had to be included, so I pieced it into the sleeve.
And I struggled to find buttons until I stumbled across some online, but they only had a few of each design, so I mixed up rockets, spacemen, and UFOs

Ever since I started making shirts for Gareth, I’ve wanted to make him one with DNA on, because his Phd is genetics, but for the last ten years I’ve been unable to find anything, then…

Red isn’t his normal choice for colour, but this fabric is exactly how I envisioned DNA fabric, which the strands in pinstripes.

But it seems that DNA fabric are like buses – you wait ages, then two come along at once.

I really like the green circuitboard fabric trimming that one though. Gareth has always told me he’s not great with computers, then when he was cleaning his dad’s house out last summer there was a pile of 1980s computer magazines, and he admitted that when he was 13 he used to earn pocketmoney by writing articles for them. I now realise “I don’t understand computers” means “I don’t want to fix out ever problem you’re whining about on your laptop”

He hasn’t worn this one yet, as it’s more summery, but I can’t beleive two separate manufacturers produced fabric which is a terrible visual pun on cats and cacti – they are both called “catcus”

The question here is not “why did I buy this fabric” but more, “how could i possibly fail to buy this fabric”

And I finally got to use some cute cat buttons I bought at the button queen before I even met Gareth,

And because he likes a seaside shirt

This one is basically because I liked the fabrics –  knights, pirates and vikings

And finally a very plain one with bamboo, which he’s been wearing almost every day. It was just a cheap fabric from leeds market, but gareth grows lots of bamboo in the garden. he was well impressed because apparently it shows a very rare blue bamboo

That one’s almost innocous

happy valentines

Happy valentines day

classes

There’s a three day over three months at the AShmolean Museum. we’ve called it “discover medeival embroidery” because doscover is the museum’s current corporate buzzword – you can do a project in laid and couched work or a small opus anglicanum project like a face, the choice of design is up to you – I will ahve a couple prepared or you can bring your own.

https://tickets.ox.ac.uk/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=ash&c=multicourses

I’m also trying a one day workshop at a privately hired venue in york. It’s in the suburbs and thus easier for those who drive, but not so far from the central station that you can’t catch a bus

https://www.opusanglicanumembroidery.com/product/onedayclass/31?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false

There’s also a one day gilded medieval applique in Nottingam in May, but they haven’t made the link live yet, so I’ll update when they do.

Also an Imc class, but You’d have to look that up on the Imc website

jack in the green

He’s very small, only about two inches in his stocking feet, so I did him all in split stitch.

boring little border

A boring little border, but progress nontheless.

I may have mentioned before that I’m fascinated with the endlessly varied little scraps of border between the lettering in the luttrell psalter. Like a lot of the borders this was pastel pink and blue in the original, but I’ve worked it in russet and gold because it reminded me of plough furrows, and in fact of the strips of land in medeival fields you can still see etched into the rural landscape to this day. With the next turn of the frame the ploughman and his oxen will be striding along the top of this, so it may be boring, but it’s functional.

odd trio

I think you can see now why the ducky is looking a bit embarrassed

I’m not sure if mr nekkid is slightly embarrassed because he didn’t realise anyone was using the pond, and omg the mermaid just saw his willy, or if he’s just realised he’s pulled – she does seem to be giving him a bit of a come hither look.

other people’s work

THis one belongs to Liz, who did the three day course at the AShmolean last year.

Liz has done the opus course previously, so her dragon, Wenualt, and the rider St Hilda, are done in a mixture of laid and couched work and opus techniques, using both silk and wool. Her face is opus style but in heavier silk, as Liz felt her eyes weren’t up to the fine stuff, with underside couched silk for the Halo, as seen on the Syon cope.

I’m loving the colour scheme, blue and green is always one of my favourites. Plus you can’t go wrong with a dopey grin on a dragon.

And this is Alice’s first go at laid and couched work, a Freya kit bought at TORM last Autumn

and a jolly good job she did too.

 

And link in case you fancy coming to a one day class next weekend

https://www.facebook.com/events/478607766418146/