'If you make happiness your goal, then you're not going to get to it… The goal should be an interesting life."

Dorothy Rowe

Sunday 22 February 2009

A chapter of accidents

It was probably because I chose this tile to make a stamp from. The pattern doesn't look quite right, which is why I chose it - I was interested to see how it came out when I stamped it.

Although it has intersecting lines I decided it would be easiest to do as a string stamp, simplified a bit. I used double sided sticky tape over the tile image, rather than carpet tape, so I could see through it.


I find with string stamps, they either stick easily - or the ends keep lifting. Guess which sort this was? Fortunately it also dried very slowly, so I was able to stick the ends down again. [That's why you didn't get to see it yesterday.]


Then, when i stamped it - I kept getting it the wrong way round.



Then I added too much water to the paint. A soggy string stamp is not much fun - it squelches and slides and you get lots of blobs.



But after all that - I like it much more than I expected! Some sort of line stitch, like chain or stem or couching, I think.

As I forgot to do a proper daily photo yesterday, [i.e. one in the church series I seem to have inadvertently got myself into], here are a couple of extras and for once they are embroidery!
These are kneelers from the Cathedral. If you have done your C&G History of Embroidery you may have heard of Louisa Pesel, who was 'Mistress of the Broderers' at Winchester Cathedral in the '30s. I don't know if she had a hand in either of these - I suspect not - but the lower image reminds me that she is supposed to have told her embroiderers that when working tent stitch they should change to a slightly different shade every 20 stitches, to make the work look more interesting.
Sounds like a good way to use up left overs and dodgy dye lots to me, but isn't it effective?



1 comment:

sharon young said...

Lovely examples of kneelers, I'm guessing they're from Winchester Cathedral, I haven't done part 2 of the C&G yet so haven't come across Louisa Pesel.
Your stamp design turned out really well in the end. But I know just what you mean, I've had the same trouble myself.
Lovely to see you on my blog, I don't think it would be practical for us to go to Southampton by train, but that would be a nice option, we did think about it .