Sunday 17 July 2011

Two more hangings

 Almost finished. I had a shuffle of my work days this week so wasn't able to finish off the hangings today. Even tho the shop closes at 6pm on  Sunday I started at the ungodly hour of 9am. Still a long day but better than finishing at 10pm & I'd have been up for B&B breakfast at 8.30 anyway. Mustn't grumble, well, much anyway, glad of the extra cash the job brings as the studio is pretty quiet. We'll just keep on with the various bits of diversification for as long as necessary.

Anyway, this week I chose Foxgloves & Forgetmenot - I took a pic of a forgetmenot ages ago but it's dissapeared & they're well over now. My beautiful foxgloves are almost gone, I do love them. I took this pic a couple of weeks ago.




Here's the sample



This may have gone a bit dark but I'm on the lap top tonight - normally it's set up to run on the pc  moniter - & I find the density of the image changes quite a lot with the angle of the laptop screen. It's lovely to use tho, I can see us not bothering with the 'big screen' eventually mainly as it's a faff to plug it all back in & you can use the laptop anywhere in the house. More of that technology stuff!

Anyway, here's the hanging.




I'm pleased with how it's turned out, a little similar to last weeks but the flower colors are the flower colors. I'll hang them away from each other. More stitching needed. I just want to say how great it was that you all joined in the 'twig' debate. I loved everyone's helpful comments, loved the disscussion, thank you.

The next hanging's color choice came from the fabrics - I looked at the boxes in the corner my 'stitching room' & saw burgundy & burnt orange/terracotta. I lay down the background & then went into the garden to find the matching flowers. ;)



This is more purple than I thought - I seem to have 3 similar clematis, 2 I bought for my special birthday last year & one that flowered just after I took this pic mid week was probably a better color, more deep magenta - I thought it had died. You get the idea ( I seem to say that a lot!) The flower with it is a Hieracium Auranticum, a mouthful that really doesn't flow off the tongue & I never remember it. A weed really commonly called Fox & Cubs. I love it but it's going to seed now & I must go round cutting back, tho the wind & miserable rain today has probably saved me the trouble (a good day to be stuck working indoors) so I'll have triple the flowers next year. So I was thinking burgundy more than purple & anyway decided to use a lovely potentilla as my inspiration.



I came up with this sample



I realised at the last minute that I'd almost run out of gold thread, I mean how could that happen?! I had a look in the Middlest's fishing lure tying box - I'd given him some gold thread to tie with once - but I'd already had that one & not replaced it. ;( Luckily I had some copper metallic thread & look forward to using more of it on the sample & hanging. I thought I had some silver metallic that I could have used on the blue & purple hanging but that seems to have run out/dissapeared too. So more fme & some hand stitching needed too. I'll get there in the end.


I did have 5 little beads but whenever I turn round I loose something, it'll turn up!

We're off shopping in Inverness tomorrow - I'd swapped my days to be here for B&B as the DH & Middlest have got to go buy a black suit for the Merchant Navy/ Nautical College which starts end next month - number 2 flies the nest! I'm a little emotional to say the least, (but not in front of him!) They could have mentioned you'd need a plain suit before he bought a beautiful dark with pin stripe one for his interview - still, it got him in to college ;) We've only got a booking for tomorrow pm so I get the benefit of a 'day out' as no booking came in for tonight & I'll hit the shops & stock up on gold & silver metallic thread & more copper. A worthwhile investment I think.

20 comments:

Sandies' Patch said...

They are gorgeous hangings, Emma!
The threads you ran out of, are they for the machine or handstitching or both? I suppose I should enlarge the photos, that might tell me!

Would you be able to send me a few of the seeds of the unpronoucable plant, Fox and Cubs?
I'll swap you some seeds or thread or buttons,beads,lace,ribbon.....

Carry on with the lovely work,

Sandie xx

Numinosity said...

Nice how you're using your own garden as your muse. Flowers give us so much don't they. Coloriffic! Thanks for stopping by my neck of the woods in blogland too.
xoxo Kim

Chesterbrook Academy Elementary said...

You have such a wonderful sense of color.

ju-north said...

Love the connection between your love of gardening and textiles! We passed by Inverness recently on the way to the NW. Have a good week!

mano said...

hi emma, i'm so sorry, but blogger don't show me your blog last weeks, so I couldn't comment your wonderful works. I love them all - the colours are so beautiful!
I don't know, why my translator isn't working - sorry!
have a good week!

artymess said...

Lovely rich textures Emma.....x

Jill said...

Inspiring work as always Emma, and you seem to be bursting with creative energy - lovely stuff.

Heloise said...

You are on a roll with these, all lovely. I love the colour combinations and texture.

Anonymous said...

Your colour combinations in both pieces are spot on. I love the little coiled orange centres of the forget-me-nots - they make the whole flower really pop! But the orange and burgundy is absolutely wonderful - both the real flowers and the hanging.

Iz said...

I love the magenta and orange - you are prolific! I'm fascinated by your life up there on Skye - I only venture to "town" once a month or so, but at least it's only 17 miles away if I run out of threads!

Suztats said...

These are wonderful, Emma! I love their vibrancy.

Jan said...

These are wonderful. Surprisingly I like the foxglove one a bit better, usually I always would choose the second color choice. They are both nicely representative of your flowers while still remaining mostly abstract. What a great idea! Our gardens are so inspiring. Are your foxglove the wild variety or are they domestic? There are huge swaths of them around here, they really move into the forest areas that have been clear cut, they transform an ugly mess into something beautiful.

Beverley Baird said...

What gorgeous hangings! I love the foxglove one - just bought a foxglob\ve plant yesterday at half price - it's still gorgeous tho.
Love how you use your garden for inspiration.

Catharina Maria said...

Hi Emma , I love the red orange so much and i love that you used your flowers out of the garden for looking the colors what is good !
Love from ♥RINI♥

Iz said...

Me again - I've just nominated you for a Liebster award because I love everything you do here!

ArtPropelled said...

I've been trying to leave comments here over the last few days but seem to be going round and round in circles..... so here goes.....

Loving your garden hangings especially the foxglove piece .... which I enlarged and studied closely. You've certainly captured the essence of foxgloves!

ArtPropelled said...

Yay!

Kelly Warren said...

These are beautiful Emma! I love how you chosen the flowers as your inspiration. I wish I had such lovely flowers in my yard!

Laura said...

I love the way you are pulling color and form from your inspirations Emma...beautiful work!

Linda Vincent said...

Fan-flippin-tastic...you are on a roll girlfriend! ;-)