Joyma embroiders a panel for the #25 million stitches project

My mum who's 82 was excited about participating in the #25 million stitches project.

She was my first embroidery teacher and always had something to embroider or sew. Her home has so many embroidered touches - embroidered guest towels, cocktail napkins, bedcovers to name a few.

She began work on her panel in Chennai at a time when she had to pack up her home and move to an assisted living facility in another state. She took her embroidered cushions along with her.

It was a difficult time. Being uprooted is not easy. Embroidering this panel helped to come to terms with the move.

In her new home she continued work on the panel along with her attendant - Omana who is fond of sewing and embroidery.

Embroidery has helped my mum and Omana bond together.

I'll be posting three panels to Sacramento next week.

A Second Panel for #25millionstitches

Here's the second panel I've completed for the #25 million stitches public engagement art installation.

Unlike the first panel I just began stitching. There was no concept. It just evolved one line of embroidery after another. 

Safari, the cat at my mum's place was witness to the creation of this panel, so it seemed only right to have him in most of the photographs.

I find the back pretty interesting. 

25 Million Stitches has a brand new website https://www.25millionstitches.com/. Learn more about the project and you might consider creating a panel. I've got my mum interested and she has started work on a panel.
Have a great weekend.

A second panel for 25 Million Stitches

I've begun work on my second panel for the 25 Million Stitches public art engagement installation.

I stitch while helping my parents pack and move to an assisted living facility. It's a big move and a big change. I hope I can try and make the transition as smooth and easy for them as possible.

Progress on the panel. Working from one end to the other.

Change is not easy. 

Mamma is choosing photographs to take with her from albums that contain photographs of individuals from five generations. 

It's lovely to look back in time and remember. Then one realises how we've changed with the passage of time.

And so it is. Ever changing never stopping.

The seasons are changing too, the North East monsoons have begun and the rain has turned parched garden green. It's a welcome sight to gaze at while one sits on the verandah and sips tea.

How are you handling change? What's your mantra?

March and April CQ blocks

 I visited my mum and dad in July and came back with all manner of bits and pieces of fabric, saree borders , bits of embroidery from a peasant top which my mum made for my sister and me as kids.
 All perfect for the  Crazy Quilt blocks I was making for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2016.

This is the March CQ block which is beside this cross stitch piece for the Joyful World Stitch along.

The pink and gold zari brocade piece is part of the border of one of my mum's sarees. It's falling apart but I've added some embroidery in blue chain stitch tohold the piece together.

The blue fabric is cotton dyed with indigo.   

This is the CQ block for April.
Since acquiring all these precious bits of fabric I've begun to put together the CQ blocks in no time at all. So instead of stitching the pattern for the month from the Joyful World stitch along first and then agonising over the CQ block, things have gotten so much easier. I hope I'll be able to catch up, it's almost August and I've only completed the pages until March.
Have a good week. Hope you catch up with whatever needs catching up with.  

Ode to Running Stitch

 My favourite embroidery stitch is the Running Stitch.
Ode to Running Stitch is a triptych and a little homage to the first embroidery stitch one learns when a person takes up embroidery.

 Running stitch is the stitch used to darn and patch fabric. It forms a a soft undulating texture if its done row after row.  I use running stitch to applique pieces of tussar silk onto a silk scarf.

 Running stitch is the base for a more decorative compound stitch like the three which have been embroidered onto each of the three pieces of the triptych. The pattern on the first piece is called 'Kukadi taang' by the Lambanis of Karnataka.

Running stitch binds layers together to make a soft Kantha quilt.

Which is you favourite embroidery stitch?

Ode to Running Stitch will be available for sale at the Festive Bazaar organised by  Madder Moon, Singapore from Dec 2nd to Dec 20th.

Africa inspired throws

My trip to Tanzania in August inspired these patchwork throws. A small group of women in North Karnataka made these hand sewn throws with noil silk cut offs from Plantation House.    

 Indian Ocean. The blues of the ocean and the soft white sand. It's magical in Zanzibar. R and I sat and watched the colours of the water change as the tide came in and the sun
made its journey across the skies to finally set. Absolutely spectacular.

 Masai. The Masai wrapped in their red blankets, so dramatic in the golden brown Savannah.

 The savannah in Tanzania. Browns and golds and the blue sky. Serengeti - the endless plains with the odd acacia tree I've never experienced such wide open spaces before and seen such exotic animals.

Spice Market. The colourful market in Zanzibar,the different colours of the produce and the awnings protecting the shops from the sun inspired this throw.

  

Spice Market. The colourful market in Zanzibar,the different colours of the produce and the awnings protecting the shops from the sun inspired this throw I used lungis. A lungi is a woven  cotton fabric which is usually checked and worn by men in India like a sarong. Currently this Bollywood song has made the humble lungi top of the charts.
The throws are reversable and are generously sized rectangular lounge throws 74" x 48".

The show at Madder Moon was a thumping success. Some pieces of my work sold which has me so excited. I now have to find more venues and galleries which will show my work. If like me you find yourself  wondering where you can find an audience for you work there's good advise to be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Azul

Azul is a cotton silk sarong. Discharged globular forms embellished with running stitch and transparent sequins create a border along one edge of the sarong. 

Azul is destined for a store in Goa. I'm sending a tiny collection of my scarves and a couple of sarongs to this beautiful store in an old Goan house later this week.

Patchwork

My next scarf is a hand pieced patchwork of tussar silk in earthy tones.Each patch has a paper foundation. Usually both sides of the scarf are patchwork but in this one I'm thinking of using a whole cloth on the other side. 

While cutting the silk for the pieced patchwork I have bits and pieces left which I keep and use for Crazy quilting but I decided to create a 'boro' of sorts with these odd shaped bits. I'm connecting them using running stitch.

The back and front of my boro experiment are visually different. The hand pieced patchwork is all about clean straight lines while the boro is more organic.
My weekend was a heady mix of a lovely birthday lunch, an evening watching the IPL matches with friends, a wedding reception and trying to keep cool during the massive power outage on Sunday. The week ahead looks quiet with a sprinkling of excitement.  How is your week shaping up?

Mineral

Mineral is a dark green reversable tussar silk scarf.  

All four edges have a fringe like raw edge. One side has applique and running stitch and on the quieter reverse there's a hit of sparkle from the sequins.   

Two sides of the same scarf.
Happy Easter to those who will be celebrating. I'll be treating myself to a sinful sweet treat after the period of abstinence. :)
Early this morning I folded a cute origami bunny box made with the excellent video instructions by Leyla Torres which can be found here and here's another.

On a separate note - I've become an affilate of Amazon and Flipkart. You will see the banners on the side bar. Should you wish to shop online I would appreciate it if you could click on the Amazon or Flipkart banners/buttons and make your purchases.Amazon and Flipkart will pay me a small percentage of the value of your transaction without increasing the cost for you by even a cent. Thank you and happy shopping.

One Blue Bit Short

One Blue Bit Short is the latest creation.

Black tussar silk.Fringe like raw edge along all four sides and all the usual suspects - blanket stitch, running stitch and sequins.
One Blue Bit Short is elegant if I say so myself. Will be available at Plantation House this week.
My next scarf is going to be a hand pieced patchwork one, haven't made one in a long time. I also want to see if I can move from squares to hexagons or may be octagons which means I'll be marking and cutting a whole lot hexagons or octagons out of cereal cartons which I've been saving for just this.
Here's an update on the Little Houses Project and here's a moving account by Joni of people trying to rebuild their lives a year after the earthquake,tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan.

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.  

Graffitti

 The elements which define Graffitti -  skinny cotton silk scarf, appliqued with tussar silk, chain stitched, tea dyed ,running stitch details, a raw edges finished with blanket stitch and tassels  .

 A soft feel and a primitive appearance characterises  Graffitti.

This scarf is the first in a series exploring the representation of circles. The circle is a recurring element in my work ( like you never noticed) so in the next couple of scarves I make I'm going to explore embroidery and sewing methods/techniques to create a circular form and circular patterns. This is one of the techniques I'll be trying.

Pebbles

Pebbles - a silk cotton scarf

 Circular forms of different sizes stitched with running stitch.The random placement of the circular forms reminded me of pebbles scattered.

Colours used are browns, greys and a space dyed black and white.

Pebbles is now available for sale at Plantation House which has moved into a larger space on level 1 at the Leela Galleria, Bangalore.

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.

Purple Prose

Purple Prose my latest creation. Cotton silk scarf embroidered with tiny sequins and appliqued with pieces of silk.  

Will be available for sale at Plantation House.