Trapping Threads

I admire those who keep their embroidery floss in an orderly fashion -- all neatly wrapped, labeled and organized by colors, shades and dye lot numbers.  Admiration or not, I have to admit that I am not one of them.

My threads are in glass jars above my work table.  These glass jars are filled to the brim with the various threads which make up my life and my work.  Each jar contains a collection of a color selection.  All purples together, all rose/pink/coral together, all greens together, all browns together, all rusts and golds together, etc.  Its really no way to work efficiently because with each project begun I must get down the jars that will apply to my color scheme and go through each skein of floss.

BUT - that's my joy: sorting, sifting, laying out the various color dye lots.  Laying out the shades in light, dark and in between, touching the threads and comparing them for density and shade.  Deciding what I will need to add to my 'collection'.  Last but not least - filling each jar to the brim with threads that I might or might not use in the future.  Sometimes organization is not necessary at all *smile*.

"Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable". - Mary Oliver

Abstract Punchneedle

In keeping with trying to warm up my little corner of the world this winter - I have begun a punchneedle picture that explores the fluidity of color and shading and I'm using lots of 'warm' color. 

The first step for a punchneedle project is to use my lightbox and trace over the design so that it appears in simple lines on a piece of paper.  As I draw the design I make notes to myself ('double line here' or 'blend colors' here).

Once the design is drawn on paper, I turn the paper over and retrace it.  Because the actual punching is done on the reverse side the pattern needs to be reversed when putting it onto the fabric.  After the pattern is reversed on the paper I lay it on the light box and position my Weaver's cloth over it.  I then trace once again -- this time onto the fabric.

After that the fun begins! This is the time to choose colors, to pick through floss and yarn and whatever might end up being put into the punchneedle form.  Because punchneedle can appear 'flat' if only one color is used at a time I always mix and match threads for any one section of a piece.  Sometimes I use three different shades of the same color family for background.

A picture like this will require a LOT of threading and rethreading because there will be so many variations of shades and changes of color.  In a small space like this picture, rethreading will be the most time consuming part of the process.  Threading the needle and then rethreading the needle and then rethreading once again to only cover an inch or less of space can become quite tedious.  Or it can be accepted as part of the process, which is the way I like to look at it.

As I punch, I write down the colors that have been used in each section.  The reason for this is that if I have to go back and fill in a space (which can easily happen with punchneedle) I will know exactly the combinaton of thread that I used in any one section.

The nice thing about punchneedle is that you can even make notes in the margin right on the fabric as you go -- that edge fabric will all be gone when the picture is finished.

So here you have a little 'lesson' in punchneedle.  Now that I have prepared the design and fabric I think that I'll get busy and start punching -- such an active word for such a quiet, peaceful process.

"I broider the world upon a loom

I broider with dreams my tapestry

Here in a little lonely room

I am master of earth and sea

And the planets come to me".

- Arthur Symons

Fiber is good for you!!!

Whoever said that fiber is good for you must be right!  Everytime I look around my studio at the various stashes of ribbons, floss, yarns and fibers it makes me feel good!  Sometimes I reach out and touch those beautiful hanging ribbons and fibers just for the fun of it.

Sometimes I stare at a particular strand, looking at the color blends, being inspired to translate those patterns into something of my own. 

Sometimes I dump out all these rolled up balls of yarn and fiber and revel in the fact that they are here -- ready for use -- ready for looking -- ready for dreaming.

I am the "Fiber Queen" - long may my fiber collection reign!! Anyone need a special color of some ribbon or yarn, let me know because I probably have it! *smile*

"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort". - Franklin D. Roosevelt