Feeling warmer, revisiting, reviving and new work
Posted on: February 24, 2012
Isn’t it good not to be weighed down with layers of clothing and yet still shivering? Of course it is unseasonably warm and we do need some rain, but it is so good to feel some warmth after the chill.
It has also been good to be in the workroom, re-visiting printed pieces and working with some beautiful fabrics. The hemp I use is a gorgeous heavy fabric, grown with very little impact on the environment and is so satisfying work and live with. It’s a fantastic surface to print and embroider on and it softens and improves with age and washing. It is indeed a wonder fabric full of amazing properties – seems like madness that its not more widely used.
Then it’s combining fabrics and textures – like a softly washed re-claimed merino wool blanket with hemp or vintage linen applique, adding stitched line with plant dyed wool yarns or vintage french cotton threads, that gets really exciting. Beautiful materials are an inspiration and sometimes it’s just a simple re-connecting with your materials and tools that is the start of a creative process - yes it’s definitely good to be back in the studio.
