Thursday 17 September 2009

Influences

These felt brooches, as well as just the shapes without backs, have been in great demand.
Worldwide !
I love making them..I think I've told you that before, but its true.
My house is in a dreadful state and I'm building up to a mammoth clean but I keep sloping off into my sewing room to play with felt and velvet.

Duck egg and teal, orange and lime, are among my current favourite colours .

As I'm stitching one I'm thinking ahead to the next, so that some of the variations get skipped in the turmoil that is my mental design process.

'This one in orange, ooh what would it look like in green? with a black edge, skip the green,, just black...no.... orange spikes..dots..no I'll do both..' ,
but if I try to draw first it just doesn't work.

Anyway I was wondering where the shapes come from.

I've got a bit of a cold virus at the moment......really...


..maybe this is it?

Or this?


Autumn is coming along with some nice mellow sunshine, and the front door has at last been united with the rest of the woodwork by colour..a beautiful colour called 'Ball Green'.
The silver birch tree in the garden is turning lime and gold..so ..voila!
(Not silver birch but oak-ish)

Very fiddly to make.


Really much nicer than in the photograph and very much a prototype.

But what on earth influenced me to make this?

Was it my husbands recent project?


I really hadn't connected them until I glanced at his report again, which I helped him with last week.

Piles of inspiration!



If you are in the Uk have you been enjoying the Harris Tweed programmes?
I have a cupboard full of beautiful patterns and designs and I am totally committed to it for little purses bags and brooches ..coming soon!

Does anyone have any thoughts on Folksy?
My shop seems to be dying..hardly any views since a flurry of sales earlier..well.. 7!
I used to enjoy being part of a UK venture but I think I prefer Etsy .
Any thoughts?
By the way my toes in the previous post were in my walking boots and thats where they'll stay for photography purposes anyway.

38 comments:

Maggi said...

Beautiful, of course. I love the way you are able t change mid-stream.

Anonymous said...

Oh my golly, these are STAGGERING and have me itching to be making something myself - I'm only at the keyboard because I am supposed to be completing a travel article! Hope the cold clears up soon.

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

I wonder what Freud would have made of them? I think the orange triangle means "Danger - Mad Stitcher at the sewing machine"
;o)

Absolutely adore the colours of the new leaves

Happy sunshiney day to you

Deborah OHare said...

I was about to close my Folksy shop but then made a few sales, now they are slow but regular. Thing is, it's nice to be able to offer customers the opportunity to pay in £s.
Have you seen Misi?. I have had many more views there, than on Folksy (though sadly no sales) and from reading the forums it seems that lots of others are moving over. I think the opinion is that Misi does more to promote itself, bringing it to the notice of the public.
I am still amazed though, when I talk to people at exhibitions etc about how few people have heard of these sites (including Etsy).It seems to me that most of the audiences on these sites are fellow crafters who are all trying to do the same thing.
Have you heard of "notonthehighstreet". Your stuff is so beautiful I think you could do really well there, and it seems to prompte itself to the non crafting public.
Hope this helps!

Karen said...

I signed up for folksy but as a buyer I found it incredibly difficult to navigate, to see what I wanted to browse. I couldn't easily find sections for example, embroidery, paper goods etc. Because of that I don't feel I want to list on there, everything about it seems ''unpolished'' to me compared to etsy.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

These pieces just keep getting better and better!

Mary Welsh Hubbard said...

Oh My Gosh Jackie! I Love Love Love the leaves! L.O.V.E them! Do you think I love them? :O)

ArtPropelled said...

Ooh yes, I love Oakish!

Gina said...

I rather like the leaf... but then I like the cold virus too!

ju-north said...

I love the virus ones (but you had better not call them that!)

Elizabeth said...

Oh these are all so glorious!!! Your color combos are fabulous and the shapes truely are reminiscent of virus shapes and bacterium, but Retro as well!! Just Fabulous!! ( I use to work in Genetics)

The mess will always be there waiting for you but the inspiration and the drive to create must be captured when it appears!! At least that is my story and I am sticking to it!!
Hugs!
Elizabeth

Carol Q said...

these are your gorgeousest (?) yet Jackie. I love them. I had a go the other night with my meagre supplies and produced an amoeba LOL. Got a long way to go before I make anything anywhere near as lovely as these.

Grangry said...

Yummmmmm! I can see real possibilities in those leaves. Some people who do not relate to the abstract 'virus' shapes may well like those!
I've had a shop on Folksy - no sales at all and very little interest. I think it may be because it was featured in the Guardian as a recession busting place to buy home made goods - giving the impression that it was cheap! Also the name 'Folksy' suggests folk art so I think that may limit the customer base.

Heather said...

The endless colour combinations and variations are amazing. I can see you might have been influenced by the heraldic design your husband was working on. I love those new leaf shapes and their colours.

Julie said...

I really like the new oak leafy patterns and colours. Surprising that they are fiddlier than the spiky patterns.

Sloping off to the sewing room sounds much more fun! Hope you soon get rid of that cold but not the inspiration.

Dot said...

I love seeing the different color combinations you come up with Jackie and the different shapes too! You have a wonderful imagination and lovely (and adventurous) way with colors.
Love your 'stuff'!
Dot xx

Beena said...

I like them all very much! They don't make me think of a virus (laughing)! I think of ancient symbols or futuristic ones, for some reason. All pleasing shapes, whatever their meaning, in exquisite colors.

Anonymous said...

You are in charge of your own influences, of course. But in your work I see Klimt, Byzantine mosaics, La Tene Celtic spirals, and Mid 20th century "Astro" design. I also see ghosts of ancient textile work by the Scythans and Sarmatians who loved to juxtapose fibers like silk applique onto wool felt. What I love about your work is that it hits so many different touch points all at once.

Kim said...

Thought you might get a giggle out of seeing a stuffed toy in the shape of a cold virus ... if so, go to www.giantmicrobe.com!

Rosie said...

I absolutely LOVE them all Jackie! You are so talented. My favourite is the new oak leaf experiment though, might have to get me one of them cos it would look fab on my new red coat!!

A time to dance said...

As your biggest fan...I am a size 22!...I lov everything you create...you are so clever, everyone coments on your hearts...i wear one every day and use the bags at the weekend. Afer watching th eharris tweed prog I was glas that I had bought some when we went to skye ... I am delighted you are making more harris tweeds goods too...have a good weekend...i am doing a fair and feeling very very nervous...whats new?

Catharina Maria said...

I love them all , the colors are beautiful !
Love from the Netherlands , RINI

Marieke said...

Beautiful, gorgious and simply unique... I love your work and I'm so happy my new brooche arrived!!!

Also blogged about it to spread the word even more, because everyone should have one of your brooches ;0)

jude said...

don't know about folksy... but love those leaves.

Anonymous said...

I love the brooches soooooo Stunning I love the new Oak one too .
I have missed the programes on Harris tweed ,I will try and get them on the computa .
love from sesga xxx

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Hi Jackie, love your leaf prototypes, they're very impressive.

I stumbled upon the Harris Tweed programme last Sunday and thoroughly enjoyed watching - for the scenery, cloth and the story! Must remember to watch tomorrow night. BFN. Lesley

cluckingabout said...

Jackie you have kept me going these last few months!THANKYOU..your work is amazing and your last post So funny..What about bright cakes and patchwork?haha x keep on being yourself and doing what you want when you want..x

Viv said...

Have read your blog for some time and have now screwed up courage to have a go myself. Thanks for the info about the harris tweed programme. I watched the first episode and really enjoyed it. A real drama. Love your use of tweed mixed with velvet.

Cat said...

I love the leaves too but they look abit difficult to do. I'm going to miss you on your break. BUT, we all need breaks from time to time. Good thoughts and prayers I'll be sending your way.
Cathy

Endy said...

Sono meravigliosi!

Victoria said...

The leaves are beautiful, Jackie.
Wishing you a peaceful break, hope all is well.
xo Vic

Kitty said...

The oak leafy ones are fabtastic. Really.

Keep your chin up, big love and hugs. Take care.

xx

gunnelsvensson said...

Your works are always so beautiful! Lovely texture and colours! I don´t know anything about Folksy, but I know my Etsy shop didn´t works well anymore! I don´t know what is wrong, but I don´t do any sales anymore :-(
I think I will try anything else soon.
I have read about your blog break. I hope it isn´t any seriuos in your family ?
Take care / Gunnel

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

Jackie, just to say we miss you too! Hope all is ok. Thinking of you! xx

Heather said...

Just want to send love and best wishes. Hope all is well - come back soon, we all miss you.

Chriss said...

I love your work and would love to purchase some, they are divine. I shall miss your blog, it is one of my favorites. Hope you are back soon.

Aileen Clarke Crafts said...

Really enjoyed the programmes on Tweed. Got into a little discussion about it on facebook and put up a link to your Tweed set on Flickr just to make the point that people can and WANT to make other things apart from jackets with it! : )
I had no sales on Folksy for ages but them got 2 yesterday after restocking my shop last week. I'll see it out till th end of the year anyway.
As always, love your creations Jackie. All the best, Aileen.

Lajoni said...

Hi first time on your blog....its lovely....just wanted to say I really like your teal & DE blue brooch, well I like them all but I'm blue kinda gal...will be popping back when I have more time x



Mo
st of my pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Dear Anonymous.....

....don't waste your time...I have a spam filter.