Banjara Kantha and Stitch

Its lovely to spend these dark wet wintery evenings just stitching - I find it very therapeutic - hopefully, lots more to come. These first pictures are of a coin purse inspired by Linda Kemshall's recent video on banjara embroidery and I still love making them - total addiction now.

This piece is just simple running stitch which I have been inspired to do since taking a Kantha class with Dorothy Caldwell in London recently - lots more to do on it though.  

Cork Textiles Network

At this year's Knit and Stitch show in Dublin, Cork Textiles Network will have on display a number of 4" deep boxes decorated by its members.  There is an open theme and I am looking forward to seeing these all on display at the show. This is my entry entitled 'Freedom' made from rust dyed cotton with thermofax print and discharged satin with hand stitch.
Hope to see you there :0)

Knit & Stitch, Ally Pally

I am just back from a great show at Ally Pally and inspired by the lovely work and people at the show. I went to the show on the Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, Thursday was the first time the show opened late and this was a great option.  When I arrived, the exhibition spaces had almost cleared of the many people who visited early in the day and I was delighted to be able to speak with Dorothy Caldwell, Leslie Morgan of Committed to Cloth and James Hunting.  All were so helpful, informative and allowed photos of the works on display and talked openly about how they present their work, finish them and any other questions asked were answered in detail.  What a great way to learn from the professionals. I also took a 2 hour workshop on Kantha stitch with Dorothy Caldwell on the Friday, spent most of the time talking and taking many photos of her beautiful Kantha samples so I didn't achieve a whole lot but luckily I am booked again for Dublin for the same class.   Here are some of the photos I took fromm Dorothy's exhibit and also from James Hunting.

And James Hunting's work below - there are so many tiny stitches and detail on these that my camera on my phone barely captured them - they are more beautiful in real life.

Banjara

I have been recently inspired (addicted) to making a Banjara sample.  Having watched Linda Kemshall on Design Matters making her lovely sample I decided to do some research and have a go at a sample myself.  I loved doing this and have plans for many more but be warned, they take a lot of time.  No cowrie shells as yet but managed to buy an old necklace at a market in Angel over the weekend so I just need to drill some holes in them :0)