I have been stitching on the khadi cloth that i dyed whilst i was still in France. I am not sure if it is worth the effort- the contrast does not seem great enough at times and then just as I am about to lay it aside it tugs at me for more stitching- to keep going or not.... maybe I don't seem to have any inspiration to start anything else at the moment- my sewing machine sits and looks at me desultorily- and I have no ideas that want to pop into my head.
Thank you for all the comments about the linocuts in the previous posts and the good wishes for 2011. Yasmin thank you for the book suggestion- it has been ordered. Maybe that will fire up my imagination ?? And Starfire's comments that the imperfections make it look lovingly hand made has me thinking.
And in case you are interested I will be starting another on-line lino-cutting class on 24 January 2011- there is still time to sign up. The course is designed to enhance your skills both with the tools and designs that are suitable for lino cutting and stamp making in general.We print onto fabrics- enabling you to make unique one-off fabrics for use.Email me if you are interested
Last year when I was in Syria as a Creative guide several of the women in the group of travellers talked of Jane Digby an english woman who in the nineteenth century after many adventures ended up marrying a Sheikh in the desert of Syria- indeed her tomb is in Damascus. So i ordered a book - The Wilder Shores of Love- by Lesley Blanch which recounts the lives of several women who travelled to the east in the nineteenth century including Jane Digby- so can't wait to read it . It is all part of the research for the trip to Syria from 16 April to 29 April with Creative Arts Safaris which is looking more and more like it will go ahead- we still need a few more travellers. This time I intend to study more closely some of the textile stamps in the Azem Palace- which had it's own weaving and printing workshop.
4 comments:
I find your Khadi cloth quite lovely, it strikes me as deeply moody. Perhaps I am deeply moody and I am projecting, but it does capture my feelings well.
I also appreciate the additional pictures, its nice to be exposed to exotic locals, when you are living the frontier life in Wi. lol
Lady Jane Digby was a great tale...she was in my mind a few times as we wandered.
Khadi is looking good, agree with other comments about being moodie....perhaps the lines will start to meander more or develop into some of your motifs? it would feel lovely, and does strike me a cloth for introspective stitching somehow.perhaps that comes from the personal time that has alreday gone into it...someone hand spun the thread and someone else personnaly loomed it....what an amazing accumulation of daydreasm and meditations it must also hold whe you think of that.
Lady Jane Digby's grave is in the old English cemetery in Damascus. It's at the back on the left hand side with low chains around it. You can see the additional block that her Sheikh added to the original tombstone with her name engraved on it in Arabic. Her house is still in Damascus too, although very much altered.Her original sitting room still has the same wallpaper and wooden storage cupboards in it. The current inhabitants have a large photo of Lady Jane on the wall of this room.
Must look upthat book on Lady Jane, sounds interesting.
The khadi stitching is lovely, would you maybe add some glitz (gold thread) here and there???
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