Category: The Work of My Hands

Amos & Boris

18 July, 2014 / / 5 Comments

Some images are so imbedded in your consciousness that you can hardly look at them properly. This project certainly made me look at a very familiar image in a different way.

When I was growing up, one of my dad’s favourite books was Amos and Boris by William Steig. The book is about a fearless mouse who embarks on an adventure, meets a whale and discovers how lasting friendships can endure between very different people.

It’s a favourite in our house too, and so for my Dad’s birthday I decided to experiment with a new technique – watercolour and embroidery.

I’m planning to write a tutorial covering the whole process, but here is a peek at the finished piece.

Nothing to Report?

11 July, 2014 / / 1 Comment

There are lots of reasons to blog – to reach out to other like-minded people, to carve a space in the vastness of t’Internet or just to have a place to express yourself.

Why do I blog?

Guilt.

I may not have thousands of followers hanging on my latest post but part of me refuses to acknowledge that fact. So as the week rolls on and I contemplate what to write about, there’s a certain element of deadline guilt that sets in if I haven’t quite managed all I set out to do.

This week has been particularly frustrating because I’ve got several projects in hand that I desperately want to talk about but haven’t quite got to the point where I can share them.

There’s this one, that I’m trying to finish up while experimenting with some in-progress shots which render most of my Hovel inaccessible.

There’s this one which is still very much sloshing around in the rinse cycle of my creative washing machine.

I’m hoping some communing with artists past might gain me some ground.

Finally, there’s this one which is very exciting… but I can’t reveal anything about it until Sunday.

So how about it, do I get a passing mark for this week?

The Satisfaction of a Job Well Done

20 June, 2014 / / 1 Comment

I’ve finally ticked off my most long-standing item on my To Do List (that’s the worst of these electronic lists, they mock you with your own inefficiency).

Commission a Hoop from Misericordia

You can now place your commission orders directly from the website.

Commission a Frame from Misericordia

Choose your format – frame, hoop or mini canvas and your font style, add extra text if necessary, and head to the checkout page to add your text and colour choices.

Commission a Hoop from Misericordia

I’ll then email you with a PDF of your design so you can check the spelling and layout and then I get to work creating your masterpiece.

Commission a Mini Canvas from Misericordia

It was absolutely worth waiting 187 days for that, wasn’t it?

Coming Over All Matrimonial

13 June, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I love a wedding, do you?

Mr & Mrs hand embroidered hoop - Misericordia 2014

I’ve got a few friends’ weddings coming up and they’ve made me feel all nostalgic for the excitement and fevered planning that went into our wedding.

Mr & Mrs hand embroidered hoop - Misericordia 2014

(Although I must admit, I find great relief in being well through that stage. It was fun while it lasted, but matronhood suits me quite well.)

Mr & Mrs hand embroidered hoop - Misericordia 2014

I have a variety of visions for these pieces, ranging from a gift for the work colleague who you wish well but don’t fancy buying a lone dinner plate off the uninspiring gift registry to a rather sweet bridesmaid’s gift to an ironic gift for the couple who are passionately devoted to their cohabitative state.

Mr & Mrs hand embroidered hoop - Misericordia 2014

I must apologise for the rather traditional wording, I’m desperately awaiting my first Dr & Mr or Ms & Ms, so please get commissioning!

Mr & Mrs hand embroidered hoop - Misericordia 2014

Commission – Madeline

23 May, 2014 / / 0 Comments

I’m a wee bit behind on showing off my commissions, so here’s an update.

Madeline hand embroidery - Misericordia 2014

I really enjoyed this one, although it was meant to be ‘just a simple design’ it turned into quite a lot of stitching!

Madeline hand embroidery - Misericordia 2014

I do love a cherry blossom, Edinburgh is particularly blessed with rows and rows of trees (including one poor confused tree in the Meadows which always flowers on its own and at very strange times of the year).

Madeline hand embroidery - Misericordia 2014

Blossom trees always remind me of both Japanese and French Impressionist art, so I thought they would give a suitably Parisian flavour.

Almond Blossoms - Vincent Van Gogh 1890

Almond Blossoms – Vincent Van Gogh 1890

It’s not until I went to look for an image for this post that I realised how much I must have been holding that Van Gogh in my mind. There you are, another reason to expose small children to works of art.

A Little Change of Focus

9 May, 2014 / / 3 Comments

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I run two businesses – Misericordia and Killer Pilates.

They both have little seasonal variations which peak nicely at different times of the year.

PhD Comics – Jorge Cham

 

Last year, I completed my Studio Equipment training and its about time for me to take my exam.

pilates 1

So for the next month or two, I’m going to have to put the threads to one side in favour of springs, anatomy books and spiky balls.

I’m planning to post about once a week, to keep my hand (and sanity) in and there may even be some more guest posts!

1000 French Knots

2 May, 2014 / / 2 Comments

Safety in Numbers

I thought I ought to inaugurate my return from holiday by helping someone else complete a project.

I picked up a tweet while I was away which pointed me to this post on artist Lisa Solomon’s blog.

Her work explores ideas of repetition and collaborative effort, for instance this piece where participants contributed 1000 crocheted doilies.

1000 doilies :: 8000 pins :: 100 colors of thread :: me + approx 45 women all over the world crocheted the doilies :: me + 6 helpers installed the doilies :: 4 days :: 1 wall :: 1 art piece for “sen” at Fouladi Projects.

 

The piece that caught my eye looks at the Japanese (get the feeling there’s a bit of a theme here?) good luck amulet senninbari, a belt which was embroidered with 1000 knots. Each knot was meant to be stitched by a different woman. The symbolism seems to come both from the number 1000 and various other plays on words which derived from the addition of coins stitched into the belts as well as the text or images of tigers created by the knots. For much more information, see here.

1000knots stitching

I’ve submitted my contribution – you have until June to submit yours (allow time to post to the States).

If the thought of french knots (you only have to do between one and ten) makes you break out in a cold sweat, you could contribute a drawing of a doily instead. There are details here and here.

I’ll keep you posted on the piece, it should be very interesting.

Someday Soon?

21 March, 2014 / / 2 Comments

I’m about to start a Parisian-inspired piece, so I’ve been googling a lot of cherry blossoms.

Pinned from elleamberley.co.uk

 

It’s not helping my Spring-longing very much…

I think it’s time to step out of The Hovel and do some embroidery in the sunshine!

paint

I’ll just get these frames painted in, they’re a suitably Parisian shade of cream, croyez-vous?

Copyright © 2026 Misericordia

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑