Progress on 1 Year of Stitches 2018 at the end of May

 It has been a busy month with guests at our B n B but there have been periods of quiet when I could put up my legs and take out One Year of Stitches and add a couple of lines of embroidery.

Doing embroidery has been a contemplative affair. Contemplating the attitude of people because it's been a month of interactions with so many different types of people.
The learning for me has been to be more like those who are appreciative of people and the service they provide, sensitive to the environment and the judicious use of resources. There are those who have come into our lives, luckily for a very brief period to remind us that your attitude and demeanour determines the response you recieve from other people. There is no excuse for high handedness. There's no free lunch, you have to pay. Don't blame people, the place, the traffic or the weather for choices you have made. Finally happiness and the creation of great memories aren't packaged goods, it's a state of your mind.
I'm off to make caramel custard for dessert tonight.
Remembering a childhood friend who passed on last year on the 1st of June. Miss your zest for life and brilliant smile Monisha.

Trek

The trek in the Himalayas inspired this scarf. We were advised to put one foot in front of the other and take small steps, a bit like the embroidery on this scarf - one small stitch at a time.   

The cotton silk is soft and fine and this is what I saw while folding up the scarf so I had to have R hold it up with the light shining in from the back so I could photograph it. 

Its amazing what blogging has given me in terms of interactions and learning in all these years I've had this blog.I have to thank all those who choose to stop here and all those who follow Million Little Stitches to read/view what I have to say. Its led to many collaborations and exchanges which have enriched me. Recently there's been a group ( you know who you are) who have reached out with an exciting idea which is still gestating but I'm happy  and excited to have been invited. It's much too early to say anything about this venture but I hope I'll be able to tell you all in the very near future. Small steps I guess can get  you to exciting places.

The Little House I made for this project has reached Japan. :)
Its going to be a hectic couple of days but I hope to have the CQJP pages for February ready to show sometime next week.
Have a great weekend.  

What's Cookin?

What's cookin'? The Christmas tree is up and decorated. I like the ritual of decorating the tree and remembering the story behind each ornament. I also like to add at least one new ornament each year, this year's addition is a pretty enamelled bauble decorated with poinsettias and holly which was given by my sister. 

2011 is drawing to an end and I have been scouting for projects to be involved in, in the new year. I've signed up for two projects TAST 2012 and Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012 . If embroidery and creating heavily embellished surfaces interest you. You might consider signing up for these two challenges. The Crazy Quilt Journal Project (CQJP) will document events and milestones in each month of 2012 and will be compiled into a fabric book eventually .I think I'll make flowers the theme and incorporate silk ribbon embroidery (SRE) flowers .SRE is going to be another first so I've signed up for tutorials .

What project or challenge are you contemplating taking up in the new year? Cathy Cullis has thought out and discussed at length how one can go about choosing a project.   

With embroidering scarves, Crazy Quikt Jourbal Project and Take a Stitch Tuesday its going to be a packed schedule but when I came across this blog during a blog hop I couldn't help but wonder if I could devise a similar project which would help me recyle flyers I get in the newspaper most mornings and improve my origami skills. I'd like to do something similar, any suggestions?
If you're wondering about the pictures in this post, this is what's currently cookin' - a scarf I appliqued, tea dyed in a cast iron vessel and am currently embroidering.
Drop a line, I'm off to make a cup of tea and browse the net.

Embellisher needs your votes!

The shortlist for the Covered in Stitches Contest is out and my embroidered interpretation of  The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency has made the shortlist.

 I need your votes dear readers. Please click on this link and vote for The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Embellisher. Voting is open until 22nd November 12 am CST.

Stupendous embroidered creations were entered into this contest which can be viewed here.


Update - 24th Nov.2011
The Winners of the Covered in Stitches Contest have been annouced - read about it here .
Thank you for your votes, it was a fun contest and it was wonderful to have ones work make the shortlist.

Entrapment

 Entrapment. People must wonder where I come up with the names for my scarves. Usually the pattern, the colour or texture suggests a name. In this case I caught a bit of the movie Entrapment while embroidering this scarf!

Its a silk cotton scarf, two colours divide the scarf into two halves along the length of the scarf. Zig zagging lines of chain stitch and circles of sequins embellish Entrapment.
Entrapment and Purple Prose will be available at Plantation House just in time for Diwali!

Embroidered interpretation of The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency interpreted as an embroidered piece for the Covered in Stitches contest    

I've used French Knots for the  crocodile, Stem stitch, Open chain, Chain stitch, Herringbone and Buttonhole wheel to name a few. Some applique. All images will enlarge if clicked on. 

A detail. Other than framing this embroidered interpretation I wonder what I can do with it. Any ideas?

 The cover illustration for the book is by Hannah Firmin.See more of her richly coloured  wood and lino cut illustrations here.
Take a look at other submissions for the Covered in Stitches Contest - here and there's time until the 7th of November if you'd like to participate.
Have a great week.

Covered in Stitches

From pen and ink to being covered in stitches.

Read all about it here.

Covered in Stitches is about embroidering the cover for your favourite book. It may be the existing cover illustration/image you choose to interpret in stitch or you create the cover illustration.

Guess which book cover I've chosen to interpret in stitch?. Don't you love that French knot Croc? I'm quite pleased with the way its turning out. Next update I'll have a pic of the book cover I'm interpreting.

I've won tickets to go watch Johnny English Reborn this weekend, thanks to Radio Indigo.

Hope your weekend is wonderful.

Embellished Fragments

In my last post I wrote of a path I was exploring but I now find I'm exploring more than one path simultaneously. One such path which I would like to call Embellished Fragments has begun with this first piece.

Bits and pieces of silk and cotton some dyed with tea, others used for hand pieced patchwork and embroidered wisdom have come together in the creation of Fear Less.

Would you buy something like this? You might ask - what purpose Fear Less serves? To which I would answer - its a fragment - frame it, incorporate it into a quilt or just keep it in a drawer or folded and kept in your purse so you can touch, read and ponder the meaning of the words embroidered on the fragment.

I leave on a project tomorrow- (yet another path!) I'll be back in the first week of August.

Flowers for Kath

Kath in Crete ( so totally exotic I must say) has received the page I made for her so I can reveal it here.

This is the last page I created in the 13 month long book page swap. I rose to the challenge and have completed my end of the bargain successfully. 13 pages made and sent out and all 13 received without mishap. Fell back on the commitement of a page a month a couple of times but there was also the opportunity to catch up.

I got my first page in the swap from Kath as a matter of fact, so we've come full circle.

I've begun work on the cover for my book of Leaves. I hope to have the book ready by the end of March.

Have a great weekend.

Goddess Lakshmi - Traveling page for October

I wasn't expecting the postal system to be so efficient and deliver this page from India to Australia in ten days or less.

This page is for Johoanna who's creating a fibre book on the theme The Goddess Within.

I decided to depict the Goddess Lakshmi who's represented as footprints leading into the house during Diwali. The image is from a rangoli/kolam pattern.Its all embroidery and lots of gold sequins after all Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth.

Three pages to go before the challenge draws to an end and I've almost caught up. Ann I'm working on a fairytale for you and one about the sea for you Mandy, both should be in the mail by the time December draws to a close. Then in January there's a page for Kath. The year has gone by so swiftly.

Have to start putting my book together too.

Meandering and Criss-Crossing

Travelling on projects and criss crossing Kerala, I've found time to stitch a million little stitches into two scarves I embroidered last month. I name my scarves and these two are Meander and Criss-Cross.

Meander - Open Chain Stitch.
The scarves usually have rolled edges but I decided to experiment with a raw edge.
Criss - Cross
Criss-cross is all about Blanket stitch,running stitch and sequins.
The raw edge finish has really caught my fancy.

Travel is on the cards again this month and the scarf I'm working on at present will go along.

A couple more million stitches the results will be there for you to see by the end of the month.

I'd like to thank the tribe of 170 followers of Million Little Stitches for their unwavering support of a blog where the posting has become quite chaotic but I hope that will change in the near future and I can go back to posting at least once a week.

There's no place like Home

When you are on the road and away from home as often as I've been lately, you start appreciating that space you identify as home. Everyone's definition and description of home is different. Here's Pat's interpretation in the form of a fabric ATC and postcard. Both are little gems.

Can't stop admiring the details of embroidery and the beaded edge. I've made heart themed ATC's for a swap but this is the first in my collection.
My dream home will have a fireplace and on winter nights there will be smoke curling out of the chimney and a garden.
Thank you Pat for these exquisite little pieces of art. I have yet to begin on my part of the swap but I'll surprise you sometime soon.

I'm off again on a craft project at the end of the week. I'll be back in a fortnight to appreciate once more the comforts and quirks of the place I call home until then have fun and stay safe.

Circles

I've been travelling, travelling a lot is more like it and everywhere I go I carry a scarf to embroider and its circles that I've been creating with a million little running stitch.

This one I've named 'Amulet'. Its large two and a half meters long and forty four inches wide. Its an amulet you can wrap yourself in.

Has the running around in circles unconciously translated itself into my work I wonder? Finding time early in the morning to embroider what I like to call little pools of potential on the scarves before the duties of the day have to be dealt with.

This one is named 'Fossil'. Running stitch circles on tussar silk with a sprinkling of sequins.

And this one is named 'Pond'.
Someone visiting the store asked if embroidering these scarves were my way of meditating and I couldn't agree more.

I'm travelling again today to visit family and there's a scarf I'm taking along with me. Circles and running stitch have given way to lines and open chain stitch.

All Creatures Great and Small

Gayle's book is based on the theme All Creatures Great and Small and this was my contribution for the month of August.

A shiny, glittering, embroidered and sequined peacock perched on a Flame of the Forest in full bloom. The leaves are printed foil from a snack packet and for the flowers I got to use my nail polish and some embroidery.

If the idea of upcycling appeals to you and you happen to be in Bangalore then make time for Anu and here's some upcycling and recycling I'm doing.

Plantation House

Have you visited Plantation House yet? For a number of you geography gets in the way so let me take you on a little visual tour.

I was there yesterday to spend time with Shalini and hand over three pieces of my handiwork and of course talk and talk and talk.
That's 'Overgrown' which has many admirers I'm told.
Overgrown is about tussar appliqued squares and cretan stitch on a bright turquoise cotton silk fabric.

A little section just for my scarves! 'Islands' is draped on the t stand and folded on the step stool is 'Autumn'

Detail of Islands. This is a reversable scarf.

Plantation House garments can be worn in more ways than one like this Bedouin inspired Japanese tunic in the foreground but for that you need to visit the store to experience the transformation and be enchanted.

'Autumn" is a hand pieced patchwork scarf.

My work has been received well at Plantation House and I was delighted to see a Japanese lady visit the store wearing one of my scarves and apparently in that state I stop functioning because I failed to ask her, her name or remember to take a photograph. Thank you for choosing to buy and wear a Maya.

Maya now available at Plantation House

Maya - limited edition hand embroidered scarves by moi are now available at Plantation House, The Leela Galleria, Bangalore.

Coastline

Chris has received the page I created for her in March, as part of the on going swap at The Story of the Traveling Pages so I can now post the page for all to see.

I decided to depict an aerial view of the coastline.

The blue sea and breakers come ashore to a beach of white sand criss crossed with footprints and then there is the tropical vegetation beyond the sand and the blue ovals are swimming pools.

The back of the page. For April there's a landscape to be created.

Its good to be back and catch up on all that's taking place in the blogsphere, come back in a day or two to read about my time in God's Own Country.

Something I've been juggling

Here's one of the many project's I've been juggling and it got done last night.

This is in the midst of cooking up a storm and getting the house back to some semblance of what it was a month back so R will recognise it when he gets back tomorrow after a month of snow storms and freezing weather in NJ.

This is for my mother.
She has had the words of this little prayer for over twenty years now and wanted it to grace the entryway to the house.

I think the quilt motifs cross stitched on muslin adds to the whole homespun feel. The motifs are also so appropriate. There are a number of feral cats who live on the veranda of the house and my parents feed them. I hear there's a new litter somewhere in the neighbourhood. The basket motif is symbolic of my mum's green thumb and all the fruit which the garden produces.
Now I have to get it framed in time for my mum's birthday next month.

OK the kitchen beckons,extreme juggling on the culinary front will take another day to abate.

Happy juggling all that needs doing in the week ahead.

Footloose and Fancy Free

A small hand stitch mixed media book.4 inches x 9 inches.(10cms x 22 1/2 cms)

Inspired by the footloose pigeons who roost on ledges and air conditioning units.
Pigeon feathers. Gathered on morning walks.
Small hand stitched books are on my mind. Ideas simmering.

Have a good weekend.