Chipping away at this and that amongst the dyeing days. The left panel has small areas to finish, spread over the whole so tonight will be the zone for completing all that!
Sideways or it has to be “scrolled” to see!!!
I’m almost done the first figure, also for this piece. Patience and dexterity are being called into play there. Also have to wear stronger glasses! I’m further along than the photo suggests, but i haven’t time this morning before heading off to the DayJob to re-photograph.
Ya just gotta stick with it, and try to ignore it.The irritation, i mean, not the work. A delicate touch is tough when the fabric can’t move. I’m used to warping, bending, folding when i stitch: it’s part of the fun.
I can’t take this one anywhere either, as packing it will probably shift the cloth, which has to stay taut and on grain. Haremcloth is wonderful, but a bit of a shifty thing 🙂 I loathe using hoops, however the tension was necessary for this. Not looking forward to the larger figure–until it’s done 🙂 At least i know how i’m going to treat larger areas now with the other figure(s). (Still can’t decide if i need a third, or if after doing a first layout on the background will show that two is enough.)
I’m still not entirely happy with the shape of the foot, but when it’s applied to the background, can adjust that.
I find myself extremely irritable today, probably because i took an over the counter sleep aid last night–which bloody well didn’t work. Minor snags, literally and figuratively with the stitching on this piece has me kind of pissy right now, so it’s time to stop. Especially since i can do this one only in the stoodio in good daylight. The stitching corner is not going to work for this element.
The original paintsketch:
And so far, with foot sort of fixed:
Less of a heavy sock effect now, though i think the toe needs picking out too……
E N U F as Momma says. No stitching tonight either, break time. I’ll pick it up again tomorrow.
It’s time to move onto another part of this work.
The first figure is started, (though in placement on the work, it will be the second figure…) BUT i shall have to rip out that entire foot as it is WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too heavily worked. That’s where i started, and of course as i worked through, found the rhythm and look, and started enjoying myself, that bulky, excessive, cumbrous, pulchritudinous spog really started bothering me.
I could do the lazy thing as some artists are wont to do, when they can’t draw the appendages at the end of the arms and legs.and hide it behind something. You know, all those figures standing in piles of hay, apparently holding *something* behind their backs…..
Nah. Rip it out, though it’s going to be a pain in the Bazotski to rework so the whole thing doesn’t fall apart. A delicate clat is going to be needed.
This beautiful bamboo thread was the one i thought i would run out of, but fortunately a dear friend sent me another lump of it. Thanks Meg, you are a Peach!
Photo above “pre” all the stitching!
And i may have to order more of the little Valdani ball of “Shimmering Denim”, a lovely variegated, but a silly name–who’s ever seen denim “shimmer”? 🙂
Anyhoo, i had a good weekend with the work, and am closer to finishing these 2 sections than i thought. As always, working intense areas gets rather myopic and one can’t see the whole until stepping back, literally.
I also finally settled on a title! Since this piece is about memory, and all the associations and “syndromes”, it is now “Tabula Memoria”.
“Our mind doesn’t even have the ability to actually create a memory exactly how it was; it can only recreate a representation of what it believes took place, and that is never completely accurate. No memory you have is a reliable source as to what actually transpired. It is humanly impossible to create such memories. Many details can be lost over time and may even be completely replaced by new ones.” attribution unknown
Wow, did Valentine’s pre week and the week of, screw things up time-wise for stoodio work! When i picked up the big current work yesterday, and the accompanying stitch notes, i realized i hadn’t done any stitching for 10 days! As a floral designer, these “holidays” are exhausting. Every year, i say “i’m not doing this again at Valentine’s/Mother’s Day/Christmas”…and every year, there i am……….
But i did get in 6 hours yesterday on it, and have enough time this morn before i head off to the fffFlower Mines again, to get in at least 2 hours with it.
At least half still to do on the left side above, and two thirds on the right, below:
There will be only a few more red inclusions, as i’m adding more of the blue. The red is to signify a different sort of memory, way of remembering, and it doesn’t need a lot to make the point. I also toned down the new reds to a softer version, also in fitting with the theme.
Folded together, i can see the progress and effect:
And now i’m pinning reminders so i can work through smoothly!
Even with the time away, i’m pleased with the time frame with work done, and the time frame left to complete.
As many of you know, i am a floral designer by day, and this being Valentine’s Day “week”, i haven’t had much stitching time! It’s been more stressful this year, when people seem to forget it’s the same day EVERY YEAR DUH (and wait until the last minute, and then bitch because we’ve run out of things), but our flowers were stuck in the mountains for 48 hours due to the road and weather conditions! You should have seen me beetling around yesterday, “power arranging” vases and bouquets, making up for the days we couldn’t do it! I’m thinking of adding a “F***you Fee” to difficult customer orders…….
Every minute counts though, and a stitch here and there adds up. I’m loving this blue variegated on the axons and ganglia!
Since when do i have to “finish” a section before i move to the next? Perhaps that “drag point” merely means it’s time to move on to something else to stop the dragging of heels?
The other side is the same, but different 🙂 I decided to further “fragment” some of the hex/memory symbols, by using the blue and the red together behind. One or two of the smaller areas will be solid blue, but more of the red will be used, as i want this side to be more of the compartmentalizing and fracturing symbolism. The threads too will echo this, partly because the effect works, and partly because i have to marshall my stash carefully, as some of these threads can’t be replaced/re-ordered. Working the materials in this one is definitely a case of use what you have and don’t buy more, and more importantly, don’t change the plan just because you ran out of something!
It was also time to pin up on the wall, and see the whole. When you work by hand like this, and in intense areas, it gets a little myopic.
GADZOOKS! It sure FEELS like there’s more done…… (And the top third isn’t even in the photo…..)Â Okay, well, considering how much hand work has gone into this, yes i have so done a lot. I *do* see progress, i like the feel, and while i was a tad concerned the red would be too powerful, i can see that in value, it pretty much “matches” the other side. Not that i worry about “matching”, but the eye must travel properly.
albedo too 
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