Hi Anne......Lula's Projects

snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net said

When you return to something that you started awhile ago, are you ever tempted to rip sections out because you want to change the color, fiber or stitch?

You could also make a handbag or purse to match the vest or jacket or wallet or eyeglass case or .... as you said, the possibilities are endless.

ooooooooooooooooooooh -- those are all my kind of projects. I have a fondness for women with attitude and character.

I feel that there is a real absence of contemporary designs for free style, surface embroidery. Because of this absence, I've been forced to be somewhat creative and embroider and embellish fabric with themes that strike my fancy I love your painted canvases as well as many of the ones available from Maggie and Company!!! Unfortunately at the present time, I can't justify the expense of the canvas, specialty threads, and framing. For a lot less, I can buy threads and embellishments and work with iron on transfers or printed fabric.

Would you consider printing some of the designs in black and white on fabric? Some of us aren't afraid to use whatever stitches we think would look good and fibers or embellishments we have on hand. Others prefer projects that are accompanied by fiber and stitch requirements. Many of the punch needle projects on the market fall somewhere in between. If the design isn't printed on an accompanying fabric, the stitcher is told to use the iron on transfer included in the package and to purchase their own cloth.

I was a real stitching fanatic last spring. Not only did I embroider and embellish your autographed fabric, I got permission from another artist to use her ladies in lingerie cards as inspiration. Next I became obsessed with enhancing articles of clothing such as shirts and jackets. Some of these projects can be seen at

I took advantage of going out of business sales by several local shops and spent more than I probably should have on absolutely gorgeous cotton, wool, and metallic threads, ribbon floss and silk ribbon. I also bought several punch needle kits which had instructions and preprinted fabric but no threads) and ribbon embroidery books.

Despite getting hit with what the doctors and I came to agree upon was an unidentified bug after numerous tests, I attended Share-A-Stitch, the Tennessee Valley Region's annual stitching seminar, in Louisville in late June. I took Catherine Jordan's Perfect Forest class because I was intrigued by the three dimensionality of the design. You can see a picture her project at the link below. I just finished my version, The imPefect Forest, yesterday and don't have it captured for all time yet.

From one of the now closed stores, I bought a Dancing Rabbis Kippah canvas for less than $10!!!!!!!!!!!! I used some of my recently purchased light wool 'thread' that was similar but not the same as the colors used by the talented designer and some beads. To make it more interesting, I decided to use something other than tent or basketweave but confirmed the difficulty I continue to experience remembering patterns. I ended up using brick and mosaic stitches at different angles because I almost always was able to catch my mistakes quickly.

I never intended to cut along the lines to sew it into a skull cap. My religious niece was expecting a baby momentarily so I turned it into a birth announcement by stitching over those lines and using alphabet beads for the baby's name and date of birth. I ended up with an almost 8 x 8 picture which I finished by pulling apart a picture that had shadow box frame. The picture I took is terrible but you can see the design at:

Yesterday, I began working on the canvas I painted in a class taught by Rosalie Peters who (whom?) my EGA chapter brought to town. Since the chapter was subsidizing the costs to the point that all I had to pay was $20 for supplies, I couldn't resist even though I doubted that I'd use the technique much. I was also dreading filling the flowers and background with teeny stitches over one or maximum of two threads. I was elated when she told us to forget that we were stitching on canvas and to think about using a combination of straight stitches like long and short, satin, couching or anything else we wanted to use. When she showed us some of her completed projects, we were very intrigued by her use of what she called a trellis stitch which produced rows of diamonds and looked like it would be quick to do. Thanks to a kind soul here, pattern-following challenged me was pointed to a site that diagramed the stitch which they called canvas lace.

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Hear! Hear! And the Linea line (which many chains appear to be phasing out) was never quite right either. There is so much "fun" stuff in XS and even needlepoint - why can't some of that be carried over to surface work? All you can find is landscapes, flowers and "kittens in a field playing with a ball of yarn" (AKA barfola, according to my 11 yo dd). Wonder why surface work doesn't catch on? This is it - there needs to be more "attitude".

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I would be in line to buy it! I love Lula's work and have done one of her Moonlight Romance pictures myself. (Here's a picture if you'd like to see

or )Like Anne, I do a lot of my own designing when I do surface work. Justfinished a Sue Dreamer baby sampler - it was supposed to be XS, Ididn't want to do it that way, so I traced it, colored it and thenoutlined it in stem stirch and added some accents (braided tail, fuzzytail, etc.).

Linda

Whenever i read that people are wondering about

I have the same feeling ,, FREE STYLE is after all FREE , thus it needs no designing as such and esp no ready made designs. Free means that one can gather one`s materails and go for a walk ,,, A piece of cloth here , a stich there , a bead on one sside a buttun elsewhere , after all it is called FREE not planned free .... Anne ,,,, why not go in your house or shop and collect a basket full of `whatever ` ,,,,,, than sit down and look at it , talk with the material , feel them touch them , spread them in front of you ,, pick up your back ground material and start placing materails and pinning them on it ,,, mirjam

Mirjam Bruck-Cohen said

I've got a running dialogue going with quite a few members of my EGA chapter. Some think I'm highly creative because I'm 'brave' enough to use whatever I have on hand to stitch with and to morph something that was created for another media such as fabric or cards into an embroidery pattern. I've learned to accept their praise. Others in the chapter who have truly artistic talents in not just embroidery don't understand that it's almost impossible for me to create something truly original.

My forte, if I've got one, and my comfort zone is modifying the heck out of someone else's work.

Mirjam, I think it's wonderful that you do what you do, but every time this subject comes up you chastise people for not designing their own works. But you know, not everyone even *WANTS* to do so. It's one thing to be encouraging and supportive of those who wish to design their own things from scratch, or even to suggest the possibility to those who are unsatisfied with what they can find, but I don't think it's useful or supportive to tell people that there's no need to look for designs and they should simply create their own when they don't wish to, for whatever reasons. That just implies that what they *DO* choose to do is somehow valueless. For those who enjoy stitching others' designs or modifying others' designs, that's just *fine*. They don't have to design their own or work in the manner you prefer if they're uncomfortable with that. No one implies to classical musicians that they're "less than" if all they do is interpret and perform the work of other composers. I think Anne's work is delightful and creative as is, and agree that it would be great if there were more designs available in this middle ground where the designer and stitcher collaborate to achieve a final product.

Best wishes, Ericka

Anne ! You speak creative , you read creative , i feel that you can do it ,, first step Stop listening to what others tell you about your creations ,,, listen only to your heart , your hands and your soul. mirjam

Ericka, what a great answer - I wish I had said the same thing!

Ericka I am very lucky to be asked to curtae and work with veteran and first time exhibiting Artists. I proofread catalogs i go and listen to people who want to create , and i am so glad and thankful that I indeed can help many people, who later tell me i encourage their creativity. Help unplug the creative blocks, always believing that THESE are the keys to open oneself to create. It works for many people, and doersn`t work for others. When i write it i intend to encourgae , it is up to a person to use or not use my advice. I am not saying to people they should do it , i just tell them it is a possibility. By writing about this possiblity , i do not look down on those who choose or wish not to create their own ...... I just encourage people to dare and look beyond the obvious. mirjam

That's not the message I get from Mirjam's posts. What I get is to think for yourself, be creative when and where you feel like you can. I find that encouraging.

I do very little original designing, but I nearly always change things about the charts I purchase. I've never felt put down by Mirjam's posts.

Different strokes for different folks is how I see it.

Perhaps it is a language thing, then. I think it is fine and wonderful to encourage the person who says, "I'd love to make my own designs, but I'm just afraid I'm not good enough" or even the person who says, "There just aren't enough designs out there I like." I just think that at least among those I know, it isn't considered particularly supportive to tell someone who has clearly said she does not wish to do her own designs from scratch that, "FREE STYLE is after all FREE , thus it needs no designing as such and esp no ready made designs." The clear implication is that those who prefer, or even require, those ready made designs somehow aren't "getting it" and just need to stop being so silly and design their own. I understand your intent is to be supportive. My only point is that I do not believe that your posts in these matters come across that way to many and thus you might wish to reconsider your approach.

Best wishes, Ericka

Ericka ! And what about reconsidering your approach ? After all this is a ng , people write many opinions and ideas. I am sure that for some people my approach will be helpful and for others it isn`t relevant. I have never seen you give any Creative advice to anybody. And yes i believe that FREE Design is FREE = it has no rules . And Alas most of us are taught and educated to work by rule. I find it important to encourage people that it is indeed OK to have their own ideas. If you don`t likw , there is no need to jump on my back ,, just don`t read it . mirjam

Mirjam -

Sometimes, you want someone else to do the thinking - not all of us are full time artists or have the ability to design freestyle work. For example, I ran across The Dogs of Duckpot chart again recently

. My ddloves this picture, so do I, but I don't want to do it as XS. Now, Ican figure out what to do, but lots of people don't have theknowledge/ability/time/desire to pick out the different kinds of wooland floss, to think that some of those dogs would look better in a"fluffy" stitch (like cut turkey loop maybe), to mix the browns to getthe effect, etc. That's what some of us who like surface work wouldlike to see! Your work is very inspired, but it's your livelihood as well as your avocation. Most of us aren't lucky enough to stitch for a living, so we need to fit it into our lives and, in hopes of getting good results faster, would like someone to guide us along.

Linda

Ahhh, so sorry my opinions are so irrelevant compared to others'...

...and that my advice is so lacking in interest and creativity.

And of course it couldn't be possible that the term "free embroidery" is sometimes used to mean something akin to "surface embroidery" as opposed to charted work.

So obviously I must not be able to think outside that box. Ahhh, now that my limitations have been pointed out to me, I shall no doubt need to pack up and take my uninteresting and uncreative opinions and keep them to myself.

Unless those ideas include wishing to work from someone else's design?

No worries.

Best wishes, Ericka

I think even when you work from someone else's design, you always put your own stamp on a work -- whether it's changing floss colors, or even making your own frame and/or mat choice, or other finishing choice.

Besides, I do stitching as much to settle myself down as I do to be creative.

Erika, I'm sure you have your own reasons and ways of stitching, and they're as valid as anyone else's.

Well, I think the amusing thing is that I rather doubt most folks here actually *know* every detail about what I have and haven't done stitching wise, so the assumptions are rather interesting ;-) I think it's one argument to debate whether something is "art" or whether someone is more or less of an "artist" (however one defines those terms) depending on the degree of originality they exhibit in their work. However, I think that there is plenty of room for people to choose what level of design involvement they wish to have in their stitching, and that whatever they choose and are comfortable with has value to them, and that's all that really matters for the vast majority of us. I think it's delightful to support those who wish to venture bravely forth into design. I just have some qualms about being dismissive (or of appearing dismissive, whether or not one intends to be so) of those who choose not to go there--which opinion I hold regardless of what I do personally as a stitcher.

Best wishes, Ericka

Ericka i have reread my first text , and i think that you indeed `overreacted` to something that wasn`t even there ,,,, mirjam

Linda , Thank you for your reaction. I must say that people here make a lot of Unneeded fuss about this subject, Somebody asked for advise i gave my kind of advice/opinion and i think it should have stayed in this phase.

I thank you for understanding that i am an artist, but i would not say i am a full time artist , nore do i stich for my living. mirjam

Anne,

You are such a witty and clever stitcher! Looking at your finished pieces was just the "tonic" I needed today when the construction people accidentally "broke" a water pipe while they were demolitioning our kitchen which caused the water to be turned off.......the result was NO water to use for any purpose for a whole workday! Good thing I had fed the cats and set out a small bowl of clean water for them just before this happened.

So, during this extra L-O-N-G day, I needed something to cheer myself and coming across your post & links was just the perfect thing! All your stitched pieces made me smile and even chuckle........loved all your clever uses of embellishments and the fun choice of designs you applied them to!

It was so much fun to see the cows and the elephants in their 3-D outfits and environments! I may "borrow" some of your ideas for a future project.....the beaded grass skirts were literally "cool"! I like the way you made the floral leis too.......overall, I liked the whole package of your finished projects! You carry the whole fun concept from beginning to end with those cool frames!

Your more "serious" stitched pieces looked very good too......proves your skill and range as a stitcher! Bottomline, I enjoyed seeing your site very much!

I'm planning to take next year off from exhibiting at trade shows to regroup. I'd like to use this time to create many of the ideas that have been playing in my mind but never seemed to have the time to do......not rushing off to trade shows will give me time to focus. For once, I'll have the room to spread out and work in my new studios, to totally immerse myself into creativity!

And yes......it'd be interesting to see some of my needlepoint designs embroidered rather than on canvas. Usually one good idea will lead to another, so who knows where this detour will take me?! Maybe I'll come up with some really good embroidery designs and expand my business! I could use a break from labor intensive canvas painting!

On the subject of changing direction on an old project.......yes, sometimes I frog whole sections of an old project I pick up again after not working on it for a year or two because my tastes may have changed or a better idea may have popped up or even because I'm tired of the same old......there are a few times that I've even discarded the project totally! I've learned not to hang onto projects I've lost interest in or not working out as I've imagined.

My great purpose in life is not to waste time stitching or creating things I've lost interest in! There are so many other creative ideas to do than to be stuck on something I'm not excited to do. I've even taken threads and embellishments from an old project to apply to a project I'm totally excited about & can't stop working on! Haha, in my world, there's always room for more color & glitz!

Happy Stitch> snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net said