This design came to me in an absolute flash of inspiration. When Lilith starts talking, I stop what I’m doing and pay attention. Apropos of nothing, I started seeing elements of a 6×6′ design of her and immediately grabbed my notebook and started to sketch and make notes. I’m very excited about this one and may put the Sunrise Mizrach down to work on this, once I have all the materials I need. I don’t always know exactly what I want for a piece, so it’s pretty interesting to completely channel a design and all the materials in one sitting.

She’ll make a great companion to the Queen of Sheba I did a while back. I hadn’t intended to do an abstract Lilith, but I guess I am now. I don’t know if you can read my scribbles, but the view is of Lilith flying away from Adam. Her body is an hour glass and I think I’ll give it the look of sands running through it for a little “memento mori.” I’ll use real feathers for her wings. I have some stunning guinea hen feathers that should work pretty well. I immediately saw her hair done with couched recycled sari silk yarn. I did some quick research online and it really is exactly the look I want. I’m debating between all reds or multi-color with emphasis on the red. The last major element is the cowrie shells in the corners. Those are both “yoni” imagery and hints of the seaside cave she flees to. Oh, and unlike Sheba which I did on black Dupioni silk, I’ll do Lilith on black leather.

Technorati Tags: lilith, embroidery, fiber art, notebook, sketches, inspiration, channeling

I’m working on another piece in the Tambour stitch style. I haven’t completed the finishing work on the pomegranate challah cover yet, but I hate that part so I’m stalling. Really what I’m excited about right now are these great project cards for floss organization! I love that I can write the numbers directly on them and there’s even a magnet for the needle. I think this is the most organized and untangled my floss has ever been on a project!  This is actually a design I could almost replicate and now I have a good record of what floss I used.

Oh, and a Mizrach is a wall-hanging intended to go on the east wall. Traditionally it’s to remind Jews of which way Jerusalem is when they pray, but for me it’s really about the sun and remembering that it will rise again in the morning no matter what today has been like.

Technorati Tags: wip, mizrach, embroidery, judaica

Uploaded by apple & eve on 15 Feb 08, 12.39PM EST

Apple & Eve is one of my favorite Flickr/Etsy embroiders. She creates the lovely, sweet little creatures that she hand embroiders. I’m a sucker for hedgehogs, but in general it’s her unique style that really intrigues me. I’d never have thought of creating little animal shaped canvases like she has.

Her work seems like the perfect thing for those of us who just love stuffed animals, but want a more grown-up collection than most of the new “softies.”

Check her out: Blog | Flickr |
Etsy

Technorati Tags: favorites, embroiderers, etsy, flickr, blogging, fiber artists

W.I.P. Pomegranate Challah Cover, originally uploaded by Carly & Art.

Almost done with this challah cover. The embroidery work is actually done, and I’m just down to the finishing work. I find that far less inspiring so I often stall there.

The design is based on tambour stitch patterns, but tambour stitch is done with a special hook and this is done with a plain old needle. It’s really just a chain stitch. I saw an article about tambour stitch in an Australian embroidery magazine I stumbled across at the book store and really fell in love with the style. It’s stitched with DMC Pearl Cotton, which had a nice effect.

I stitched most of the flourish around the pomegranates at my last Kohenet training intensive. I felt like a positive Madame DeFarge, capturing all of the stories and magic of that experience in my stitches.

I’ve decided that I’m so in love with tambour stitch that my next project will be a tambour-style stitch Mizrach. I’ve already drawn the design out on the fabric and it’s a sun rising over the water with rays in the sky and rays in the water. Of course, I finished the outline and realized I didn’t really have a palette of colors at my finger tips to begin stitching.

Technorati Tags: wip, tambour stitch, chain stitch, challah cover, judaica, pomegranate

Bob Ross

Originally uploaded by merwing

I love artist Aimee Ray. Her embroidery is just so sweet and simple. She recently posted this embroidered homage to Bob Ross, as well as several other portraits of her childhood heros.

Seriously — check out those happy trees!

Well done, Aimee. Well, Done. (*applauds*)