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I am pleased to say this small occasional table is finished.
I decided on Matt clear polyurethane varnish which allows most of the chalk paint patina to remain visible. The shells took much much longer than I imagined but I think the overall reproduction feel to it works, which is a nice reward for all my efforts.
I am very excited about something else on the horizon now…. what can I say, Pinterest is responsible, don’t blame me, blame Pinterest….more later…
g2g xx
Ok ppl, here is a close up of current WIP and the area photographed is one inch square !!
I gave him a black collar with gold studs, to suggest a leather article. Although very little leather work survives, Celtic, Saxon and Viking leather work was very ornate and there are a couple of examples on display at the Ashmolean museum. I’ve couched some silver thread too. Will be doing more of that but will probably bulk it up somehow?
Next is the progress I recently made with the Marie Antoinette garden cake table.
Next is stage 2 of the bedside table with faux patina.
So I BIN Zinssered it as a base layer for wallpaper. I used 1000gms paper, which is lovely and thick. I made sure there were no air pockets and will wait the full 24 hours before I cut that to size.
Ok so here is the progress I made re all.
I decided to spread wildflower seeds around this wasteland that I’ve cultivated, to which I will add wild bird seed. I’ve done this before at my mother’s and it works. Basically in the bird seed is a lot of wheat and as wheat is a nitrogen fixer, you find everything benefits that is growing nearby.
I decided with the door to strip the lacquer off the furniture and polish it. Although this means in the winter it will tarnish much more frequently, I just prefer the brass to look like gold and not like it did with the yellowed lacquer. Removing the lacquer to get back to the bare metal was easier than opening a bag of crisps - you basically paint it with neat nail varnish remover aka 100% acetone.
Then the stumps were so heavy, they broke the handle of my garden refuse bag, so there’s another job added to the list.
Not over the moon with the Celtic dog progress. Looking too predictable. Will be pulling some out and adding more blue.
Oh well have to dash off to hold down the day job. I will be visiting an archaeology museum soon, that should be good…
Here is the next instalment and the original design that I flipped.
The colours I decided on were inspired by The Book of Kells.
I’d like to draw your attention to the two areas of solid filling worked in opposing directions, where you can clearly see how densely the stitches stack up and create a very flat surface that reflects a sheen, or light, even with the very cheap cotton I’m using. Also, I’m noticing that if you work in one direction the stitches look more like mini chain stitch, but if you work in both directions, as they did back in the day, the stitches look more like split stitch and stack up even more densely.
The work takes a long time because each stitch covers 3 strands of ground fabric. Sharp points, curves and straight lines can all be worked easily. For the dog’s paws I had to go into the previous stitch, instead of the end of it, to create even tighter curves, which is also something I picked up from staring at Opus Anglicanum work in close up for a long time.
The black outline is a guide only, I’m still working out if I want that to be more apparent in the end?
I seriously underestimated how long this piece would take and had hoped to finish it for the Diamond Jubilee, as the first kings of England were Welsh.
Remember ppl, it took three women 25 years to complete a set of vestments for the Pope back in the day….
I’m working in sections now, instead of long lines, as a way of seeing faster progress but it’s not as hypnotic to work as the previous way of working. What I will say though, is that even though it takes a long time, it’s very very addictive - so be warned!
My personal view is this stitch most likely came to England via Byzantium religious textiles and not from secular French purses.
Apologies if the photo’s aren’t clearer, my hands are a little unsteady due to painting my front door and sledge hammering about 12 tree stumps the last two weeks. I’m so pleased both those arduous tasks are finito.
Hi friends!
What a Summer….
Ok, so further to my last post where I mentioned working on some stitch mechanics etc, I have managed to take those discoveries into design mode and have had a really great time bringing things together into a file of untidy, but logical conclusions.
So as a taster, here is one of the patterns I have designed.
And here is the WIP…
Ok, so it’s a needle book with an purpose-built space for your thimble.
However, while working on this pattern I was reminded of a design element that had intrigued me about four years ago…you can guess the rest….I went off on a trajectory for a few months….this always happens when I trace my thought processes back and realise something needs to be clarified, especially if there are confusing instructions ‘out there’. Then the other thing that happens is that once the scale of the work is set, then other ideas that were ‘free radicals’ before, suddenly become very useable and concrete. Namely miniature 3-d roses.
I have to go now because I have to complete a course that will enable me to gain promotion in the day job. I don’t completely detest my day job, but I am a bit grumpy at the present time with sloppy co-workers and their destructive social lives. Of course I am the one that has to pick up the proverbial slack and work even longer hours to keep the ship on an even keel. Enough about reality, which is not something I tend to discuss much on here because art, creativity, inventions and intellectual progress are far grander ideas….
Wish me luck ppl, I need it!
