All things bright and beautiful

 

Challenging yourself with new techniques or new colours is great way to break out of a creative rut.  Some of our group have been inspired by workshops provided by Textile Artist Stitch Club.

One of the tutors, Saima Kaur drew on her Indian heritage and the folk embroidery of phulkari cloths to tell stories.   By using simple geometric shapes it becomes easy to draw figures and then fill the clear lines with stitches.  Whilst Saima uses her work to tell stories, Claire Ketteman was excited by the repeat patterns of larger phulkari's.  Using bright contrasting colours, with the occasional odd-block thrown in (spot the difference), she has used the technique to create a flock of lapwings with their distinctive head feathers.  "The bold shapes needed bold stitching" says Claire "I had to use much thicker threads and larger stitches than my usual style".