Happy New Year!

Christmas is done and dusted, the decorations are stored away, the house has been cleaned and I am off to the florist to buy flowers. The hyacinth bulbs I bought at the village Christmas Fair flowered early because I failed to store them somewhere cool and dark. I simply loved the pot they came in too much to hide it away!

I am looking for something bright and cheerful to herald the arrival of Spring, although I know it is still a while away.

 The New Year always brings fresh ideas as the seasons move forward and nature’s palette changes. I love to choose new colours to interpret this, and I am currently working on some smaller pieces for Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. I am drawing inspiration from the landscape, from our garden, a trip to the market, even my visit to the florist and a whole host of photographs I have taken. I look for shape, colour and form in all sorts of places and these can all help to spark the beginnings of an idea.

My first ever piece was a still life. I chose this composition because it was a first hand reference to interpret. I call it ‘The Blue Vase’ simply because I had some lovely flowers in my favourite blue vase at the time. I’m not naturally gifted when it comes to drawing or painting, I don’t have an art degree or indeed any formal artistic or textile training, so I am really pleased with the way it turned out. Once I had taken the time to enhance it with both free motion and hand embroidery stitches, it really came to life. I love to create and this process feels really natural to me.

Since then, I have allowed my love of landscapes to come to life.

I love laying out the fibres, and whilst I have an idea of what I want to create, I never quite know how it will transform. The colours can change quite dramatically, so it’s always a bit of a surprise when I remove the piece from its bamboo roll!

I very often wet felt in the early evening, so I can leave the piece to dry overnight. I am always impatient to get stitching into a new piece, and this way, it’s ready to go the next day. 

I find the creative process so very satisfying, it calms me and takes me out of myself for hours at a time.

I love to get out into nature and I love to be creative. One informs and inspires the other, both help to balance my being. Here is a little bit of what helped to balance and inspire me this week. 

Louise x