Revelation

Artisusan - that is taking empathy much too far. We take so much for granted, including the putting on of pants -is that the American version of pants or the English, which translates as knickers? Whichever, it is a most frustrating state to be in and I wish you normality as soon as possible.

Hippopip - I find that the loo roll isn’t as sharp as the WS paper but a combination of the two works well - sort of going in and out of focus. I did a lot of research into loo rolls and found the best for casting is the sort sold for recreational vehicles. Another good one was found in a college up North where I was doing a residential. We were responsible for leaving several of the loos paperless. The person who had to replace them probably thought there was a nasty bug going round.

Clarabelle - I have to say that I named my daughter Claire because I thought it couldn’t be shortened. So what do we all call her - you guessed it - Clarabelle. I am so astonished that you bought a computer just to join WoW. That is a terrible responsibility for me, keeping the standard up!

Thanks to everyone who mentioned Workshop on the Web. I do so love doing it so it is great that you enjoy it too. Just been commissioning for the June issue and have got a great line-up, including Pauline Verrinder, Hilary Hollingsworth and Jean Littlejohn.

Annabelle, I must introduce you to Jane Wild. She has been doing some fantastic life drawing lately. I sent her to look at your study. If she lets me I will post some of her stuff when I see her in a week or so.

Sue - yes I am posting more and, yes, it is due to frustration at not being able to do much. So glad I’ve got you lot to talk to.

I remember writing an editorial for Embroidery mag about someone who was chair-bound after an operation. She said that having time for reflection gave her a whole new way of looking at her work. Perhaps it is working for me. I pinned my background on to a board to have a good look before stitching. You may remember that it was going to have a top ‘floaty’ layer of strips. Well, I started fiddling - a tuck here and a fold there - and then pinned the fossils on and looked some more. I have decided I don’t want a top layer and I like it as it is. What do you think?

It is quite big. Even with the folds, it is about 30 inches square, so I can still get away with it as a major piece for the exhibition. I may couch some threads over the top as they were a big part of the original design. I cloned some onto the photograph. Here’s how it might look. Not sure it needs it and I can always use that idea in the next piece.

I managed to do a little stitching this afternoon, just to integrate the piece and merge the colours into each other a bit more. I like to use a zigzag for this, varying the width as I stitch. One of the ace things about Berninas is that they haven’t been seduced into making the width and length controls electronically controlled. They have socking great buttons instead.

Here I am stitching into a piece of puff paint on Thermogauze (current issue of WoW). It’s becoming part of the background very nicely.

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I really hope to finish this tomorrow if the back holds out.