The photographs in Decorate are by Debi Treloar, of whom I’m a bit of a fan. Her pictures also appear in two other books on my bookshelf: Flea Market Style and Cheap Chic, both by Emily Chalmers. And a few more on my wish list. If you’re not familiar with her photographs, do yourself a favour. But I digress…
Decorate and Pattern both place much emphasis on conscious thought when it comes to breaking down the why and how of creativity, be it when decorating a room in your home or putting together a look book for the upcoming fashion season. A great deal of thought goes into every detail and colour choice to create finished products that are well above par, which is why they’re well above par.
And the reason the processes in these two books have been prevalent for me is that I’ve been undertaking a lot of decision-making lately with regards to shape and form, fabric and threads and most importantly, colour. I’m designing and stitching for those two projects that are still under wraps and putting the finishing touches on the next issue of The Stitch and Thimble – and I’m swiftly learning the value of well-thought through ideas and colour schemes, precisely placed design and trusting your gut.
Another thing I’m (still and will likely never stop) learning is that the options available to embroiderers when it comes to stitches are vast and infinite. Simply changing a stitch length or distribution, or combining two stitches in an innovative way can breathe life into an embroidery and trigger a whole new stitching thought pattern.
So you could say I’ve been on a rather large learning curve of late...
As with most creative endeavours, thoughts and ideas far outweigh the ability of the creator to execute – time simply doesn’t allow for it. But at the same time keeping some sort of note of all these directions of thought is vital for decision-making as well as for building up a personal reference library for future design undertakings. So how to balance out the mental with the actual?
Seeing as spring has officially sprung here on the southern tip of Africa, perhaps it’s a good time to revamp my online thought collection (that is, this blog). It’s been taking an extremely far back seat to everything else that’s been occupying my time of late and is in need of a serious spring clean (resurrection?). I aim to do better, to make more of an effort to create an infinitely more readable, enjoyable, interesting and thought-provoking space for those of you who have been and still are so generous with your attention. My thoughts, ideas and inspiration inevitably relate to embroidery, fabric and all-round stitchery owing to my obsession with textiles and design. And the gathering of ephemera into concrete ideas of a visual nature is no bad thing to share – perhaps it’ll even contribute to the furthering of the craft, which is ultimately my intention with all this malarkey.
Decorate and Pattern both place much emphasis on conscious thought when it comes to breaking down the why and how of creativity, be it when decorating a room in your home or putting together a look book for the upcoming fashion season. A great deal of thought goes into every detail and colour choice to create finished products that are well above par, which is why they’re well above par.
And the reason the processes in these two books have been prevalent for me is that I’ve been undertaking a lot of decision-making lately with regards to shape and form, fabric and threads and most importantly, colour. I’m designing and stitching for those two projects that are still under wraps and putting the finishing touches on the next issue of The Stitch and Thimble – and I’m swiftly learning the value of well-thought through ideas and colour schemes, precisely placed design and trusting your gut.
Another thing I’m (still and will likely never stop) learning is that the options available to embroiderers when it comes to stitches are vast and infinite. Simply changing a stitch length or distribution, or combining two stitches in an innovative way can breathe life into an embroidery and trigger a whole new stitching thought pattern.
So you could say I’ve been on a rather large learning curve of late...
As with most creative endeavours, thoughts and ideas far outweigh the ability of the creator to execute – time simply doesn’t allow for it. But at the same time keeping some sort of note of all these directions of thought is vital for decision-making as well as for building up a personal reference library for future design undertakings. So how to balance out the mental with the actual?
Seeing as spring has officially sprung here on the southern tip of Africa, perhaps it’s a good time to revamp my online thought collection (that is, this blog). It’s been taking an extremely far back seat to everything else that’s been occupying my time of late and is in need of a serious spring clean (resurrection?). I aim to do better, to make more of an effort to create an infinitely more readable, enjoyable, interesting and thought-provoking space for those of you who have been and still are so generous with your attention. My thoughts, ideas and inspiration inevitably relate to embroidery, fabric and all-round stitchery owing to my obsession with textiles and design. And the gathering of ephemera into concrete ideas of a visual nature is no bad thing to share – perhaps it’ll even contribute to the furthering of the craft, which is ultimately my intention with all this malarkey.
1 comment:
I have the worst time reading the letters I'm supposed to type to prove I'm not a robot. Anyway, I look forward to watching your blog develop. I enjoy it but had lost it for a long time, only re-discovering it very recently.
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