Wrapped Up

Thread wrapping-Tools and materials

I seem to have spent a lot of time wrapping things this week, it started off with Mr. Stitches birthday present, moved onto some preparation for a workshop I'm attending in March, carried on with some thread wrapping of twigs and continued with wrapping some of my hand dyed threads onto card so they're ready to use in my embroideries.

Temari-Materials

My favourite colour combination

Wrapped, ready to embroider

I'm going to a Temari (Japenese embroidered balls) workshop with the Embroiderers Guild in March, I'm really looking forward to it as it's not something I've ever done before and I think they are beautiful so I'm looking forward to learning how to make them. In preparation I had to wind polysterene balls in tights and sewing cotton, which was oddly therapeutic! I hope my winding is even enough.

Hand dyed threads and card holders

Linen mix 

Coton Perle 

I've also been working on thread wrapping and dyeing some twigs. I don't want to write too much about them here as I'm planning a separate blog post dedicated to twigs and thread in the near future! Again, it is a very therapeutic process, rhythmic and satisfying but more on that at a later date...

Wrapped and dyed branch

Wrapped and dyed sample

Detail

I've been blogging less recently, I was thinking about why and as with most things there isn't just one reason but a combination. It isn't because I've not been doing things, as usual I've been busy with a variety of projects including properly starting another new job (I seem to collect them like other people collect stamps.) I think it is partly to do with the weather, I love winter but at this time of year it is easy to become despondent after days and days of overcast skies, cold evenings and dark mornings. I just want to get home, wrap up and shut out the world. Yesterday, however, we had snow! It made the journey to work a little challenging (Mr. Stitches and I were amongst the few able to make it in) but it also made the world very beautiful. And I had to wrap up (you can see where I'm going with this.)

View from my studio window yesterday morning

When I got to work

The car park

It still sometimes surprises me how much I love living up here in Cumbria. I always thought of myself as a city dweller, I love the countryside but am never quite sure what to do with it. I used to love the bustle and energy of living in a big city (Manchester) and found it hard when I left for sleepy Penrith. I never thought I would settle up here but life has a way of changing your plans and now I live in Carlisle and work on what was once a farm (The Heathlands Project) and travel all over rural Cumbria to deliver workshops and am very happy! I live right on the edge of Carlisle, with the fells visible, the river nearby and easy access to the great outdoors. I digress somewhat but the point I was meandering towards was that I've not been blogging because I've been wrapped up in my own wintery world, and that's not such a bad thing. So, here's to wrapping up both literally and metaphorically!

This was the view when I got to work last week

Morning sunshine