Saturday 28 May 2011

Glimmering

This is my favourite bit of one of my latest pieces in the 'Lake Isle of Innisfree' series. 
The new venue for the exhibition, which starts there in July. is huge and we will need more pieces and I am enjoying myself so here they are.
The line I am working on is 

'Midnight's all a-glimmer'.

I started with lots of very dark pre-felts and composed several backgrounds to work on. 
 This is a small one about 10 inches square. 

I've enjoyed experimenting with lights on dark and trying to make it 'glimmer.'


 Below is a bigger, longer piece with machine and hand stitch.I still have a little bit more finishing to do on this.
 Perhaps its not immediately apparent but I've cut around the shapes on some of the edges. Black is very difficult to photograph. When you look at black felt it draws you into its soft surface, but the camera just sees the light it reflects back.

I've got plenty more felt backgrounds ready for more stitching! Here's a bigger one. 

Can't wait to get 'glimmering'.

It occurred to me the other day when I was looking through my photographs, that I hadn't explained  the origin of 'Low sounds by the shore'

The colours and textures were inspired by this fantastic seaweed on 'The Flaggy Shore'
So colourful and bright.
Just thought I'd show the two together.

I had a recent request for a felt item from a very lovely lady who has bought a lot of my pieces. Remember the Pumpkin?
She writes the etsy feedback the way I wish I could write my descriptions! 
If you've nothing better to do, pop over to my etsy via the link on the right, and peep at my feedback.

Anyway I just thought I'd share the process.

Here's a bit of 'prefelt': that is, some wool that has been partly felted but still has a long way to go.
I cut a piece off and  I added some faint greeny-yellow stripes and felted it all some more.


 Here you can see the difference in size and texture once felted. Its shrunk lots.


 Here it is before being stitched into.........

...this.
She loved it!

Thank you for all the kind comments on my last silly post. I am hopelessly out of step with blog reading and everyone is so kind to take time to comment here. 
And for every published comment I have yards of 'anonymouses' offering me everything from dubious surgery to homes in France. Thank goodness for the blogger spam filter.

38 comments:

Elderberry-Rob said...

Oh my goodness I HAVE to get to the seaside - I have just remembered why childhood on the beach was so fab, I had forgotten thosse colours - I want some... your work is fabulous, beautifully interpretted. Oh to be a mermaid with seawead for hair and a waistcoat of your beautiful felty creations. Bettyx

chocolatefrog said...

Stunning, I adore those colours. Would love to see the exhibition.

Rachel said...

Fascinating to see the difference between the felted piece and the same piece once embroidered and embellished. Thank you for showing this aspect of development!

sea-blue-sky & abstracts said...

Like the 'abandonment' and free-ness of these pieces Jackie - nice colours too. Lesley x

JP said...

just love it all

LOVE STITCHING RED said...

Beautiful pieces. Hope your exhibition is a huge success our dear May Queen x

Jennifer Tetlow said...

Really lovely as always - and I'm really pleased to see the process - or a little of it, very interesting and highlights just how much work goes into your pieces. Going to peek at Etsy ..

Anonymous said...

The arum lily is lovely but the colours on "Glimmering" really glow.

Plum Cox said...

They are all so lovely! Thank you for showing us before, during and after of the process - really thought provoking! You are clever to know how to get the results that you want with your felt, and to enhance it so beautifully afterwards.

Mary Welsh Hubbard said...

gorgeous - all of it! I really like seeing the before shots too - really shows how your beautiful stitching brings the pieces to life.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

yum! I really love the colour combinations esp. the black, blue & green. Absolutely stunning!

Hanni said...

Every time when I look at your newest creation I am just amazed, this piece is wonderful.

Ro Bruhn said...

Gorgeous work as ever, so glad to see you're back in full swing again.

Thimble Fingers said...

Wow! Wow! Wow! What more can I say?!

Heather Woollove said...

Jackie--What glorious work this is!
I'm thrilled with the scale of your new pieces...and it's wonderful seeing the 'befores'!!
XXO-

A time to dance said...

I love these pieces...but then I wear these colours all the time...it makes me so happy to read the passionate accounts of your work ....you sound like your old self again Jackie...I just cant wait till tuesday...very nervous...about the interview not seeing you of course...until then ...lots of love...ps blogger is doing my head in its taken hours to do a post - you know what I am like and I hate big gaps between comments and pictures but blogger wont let you move things...

Iz said...

These are amazing pieces - just fantastic, so detailed and flowing and spontaneous - love them!

mimilove forever said...

Just completely divine, the "Midnight" piece has made me all melty, it reminds me of Van Gogh with it's beautiful swirling colours and stars. And you know I aodre the movement and texture in the sea shore... just beautiful beautiful work missus!! xx

Heather said...

I can see the stars, waves and ripples in those first pics Jackie and it is so interesting to see the felt before you begin to add stitch to it. I love the Flaggy Shore and the seaweed, and the Arum Lily is gorgeous. No wonder your lady loved it. Happy Glimmering!

Melissa said...

Love the colors! Can't wait to see more!

JP said...

your work is just getting even more lovely!

Lesley said...

These pieces are lovely, as always, but especially good to see the 'work in progress'. Fabulous colours, and the stitching takes them to a new dimension.

jeanette, mistress of longears said...

Endlessly fascinating watching your developing ideas and the inspiration behind them!

Maggi said...

Just love the glimmering pieces and the last piece is gorgeous, no wonder she loved it.

Beacee said...

Thanks for sharing the process, Jackie. I've looked at it again tonight with new eyes.
It was lovely to meet you at the gallery this afternoon - totally unexpected - but to see your pieces on display, I was blown away.
If anyone lives near Lytham and hasn't been to the exhibition do try and go this week before it closes. Jackie's work looks gorgeous in the photos, but the colours and textures are amazing to see first hand.

Jackie said...

Thank you so much Beacee..it was so lovely to meet you and such a coincidence. Meant to be I think.

Gina said...

All so beautiful. The exhibitin will be fabulous

silverpebble said...

Glimmering, gleaming, twinkling. Beautiful.

Twiglet said...

I love it all!! You are such a clever thing!!

Jo Hopwood said...

How gorgeous to see a little of the process - very beautiful and inspiring :-)

maggik said...

I just love the 'midnight' pieces - such beautiful colours. You can't blame people for wanting to touch your work? Thank you for keeping me company yesterday - really appreciated that! I just hope that you haven't caught my wretched cold!!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous work and very inspiring :)

Rosie said...

Just lovely - do I ever wish I had your skill. The exhibition at Lytham was superb - so brilliant to really see the textures which you can't quite appreciate in photos.

Robin Mac said...

Oh Jackie, I do love to read your blog and look at all the wonderful stuff you make. that seaweed is the most stunning colour - I have never seen anything like that here in Oz. Cheers

Anonymous said...

your work is amazing and so very inspirational.
olwyn in france

Caroline said...

I haven't been around in blogland much recently so it was such a treat to read 3 posts in a row! Beautiful work - as inspirational as ever and a hilarious story about the cat (expensive cat, that is!!).

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful. Lake Isle Innisfree is one of my favourite poems - I have a framed copy on my wall.. I would love to live in a bee-loud glade. :-)

Katie said...

ooooooh,I am loving this! What more needs to be said!



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