Sunday 6 April 2014

Bejewelled and Boro-d

So here are my finished necklaces.

    

The dreamcatcher circle has given me ideas for this year's Art Trail. Together with the CD felting and weaving, I think there will be a circular theme!

And I liked the first, smaller blue necklace, and wore it for much of the time while making the others - so definitely wearable!


It's always difficult with machine embroidered jewellery to make something soft, as machine threads always seem to go scratchy - even if they are soft to start with. Metallics are the worst.

I then had the knotty problem of how to display them. A utensil rack found in the charity shop looked promising,

 but a shirt box from the local "gentleman's outfitters" was the final choice - perfect!


I finally made it out of the house on Friday. It's been a week of snuffling with a cold, allergies (I blame the catkins) and smog, sitting huddled over my sewing machine stitching beads for the competition, so by Friday I was ready for a change of scene.

Someone had given me a freebie ticket to the creative stitches show (which was just as well considering how much I was fleeced for a Travelcard...) so I toddled off there first. I wasn't sure what to expect, but there were some delightful surprises - including Bobby Britnell's barkcloth shoes, and Dionne Swift doing her thing. I was particularly inspired by Christine Plummer's little books made from recycled paper and Decovil.


And despite not really being a "quilt" person, this log cabin made of old shirts caught my eye (and sorry, I didn't make a note of the maker - I usually do but forgot this time).


But it was the next visit on my itinerary, the Boro exhibition at Somerset House, that made my day. Absolutely lovely. A real meditation for the eyes. And all the more wonderful as when I tentatively asked if photos were allowed, I was told to take as many as I liked! So I did...












Even Mr G was inspired. He reckoned I could "do something" with old jeans and shirts. Which then strangely reminded me of the shirt log cabin quilt. Maybe he's onto something...

5 comments:

  1. Lovely jewellery but I know what you mean about scratchy machine threads. I keep reading about the Boro so think I might try to fit it in on Saturday morning when I have to be in London anyway

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  2. Ooh, I do wish I could get to the Boro exhibition, it looks wonderful :D

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  3. Lovely jewellery and I really like Christine Plummer's little books.

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  4. I love the jewellery. I'm hoping to call in to the Boro on Wednesday when I go up to the Fashion and Textile Museum

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  5. 'Boro...a meditation for the eyes' ...I like that Iz :-)
    I would have loved to have seen that exhibition.
    Your jewellery is stunning; especially against the purple velvet.

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