Tag: Ark Project

Just Like That

6 February, 2017 / Katy / 0 Comments

I gave myself a little Misericordia sabbatical over the last few months. I thought it would be restorative, but it just made me feel like I wasn’t accomplishing anything, so here I am back again.

Plus 6 cm - Misericordia 2017

Procrastination is my specialist subject, so I was happily dithering over the next installment of the Ark Project when all of a sudden, I took out the iron and the shears and cut out the fabric for the last phase of this set of furnishings. I was just as surprised as you are.

Roundabout - Misericordia 2017

Allow me to walk you through the design difficulties of this particular piece.

The mantle is the most-handled part of the set. The Torah is carried around, undressed and redressed by many hands during the service. The fairly flat rectangular shape and set it and forget it-ness of the curtain and bimah cover meant I could use three dimensional loose banners for the text and leaves, but the mantle has to be Ballet Costume Stable.*

The final aesthetic challenge is a lack of decorative space. Torahs are meant to be royally attired, which means a breastplate, crown and a sceptre (which is really a hand-shaped pointer so you can keep your place without getting your mucky fingerprints all over the scroll; my religion takes books very seriously indeed). Once you’ve got the bling on, there isn’t much available space for decoration. Most of the time the dressed Torah is out of the ark, it’s cradled against someone’s shoulder, which covers even more of the front.

By Sultan Edijingo (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Sultan Edijingo (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

It’s going to call for a complete change of approach, where the previous two pieces were designed as images, this one is going to have to be draped on a Torah form!

Watch this space for a cardboard Torah dress form, coming soon…

*Ballet Costume Stable: Is there anything that will catch on people or other fabrics? Can you spin around 32 times without anything falling off it? Can you put it on and take it off in the dark within 32 beats of music?

Musn’t Grumble?

2 September, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

It’s not technically true that I have nothing to report.

Myrtle and Willow - Misericordia

I have been working away on the myrtle leaves, but the progress isn’t visually thrilling (neither is it giving much of a sense of progress).

Ibuprofen - Misericordia

So instead of progress, I have a cold, a professionally embarrassing back injury (I did it while sitting down and putting my teaching shoes on), and a pair and a half of trousers.

Trousers with Cat and Hankies - Misericordia

Churidar trousers notes - Misericordia Trouser perspective - Misericordia

Still, each leaf snufflingly stitched is one more increment towards leaflessness.

The Leaf, the Ruler and the Wardrobe

12 August, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

I wish I had some more exciting photos to show you, but I started tacking the myrtle leaves into their positions and realised that things were looking a bit thin in spots. So, I’m back to cutting out leaves yet again.

Leafless - Misericordia 2016

I’m trying not to get too overwhelmed by the scale of it, so I’ve been breaking things up by draughting trousers and starting a new jumper!

Draughtine trousers - Misericordia 2016

Still, this time next week, school will be back in and hopefully I’ll get back to my routine with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for leaves!

New black jumper - Misericordia 2016

You’ve Guessed It

29 July, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

A dinosaur looks on - Misericordia

More leaves.

Myrtle leaves - Misericordia

At least they’re myrtle instead of willow, which adds a (very little) variety.

String of myrtle leaves - Misericordia

Trails of leaves - Misericordia

By the Burn, By the Sea

26 July, 2016 / Katy / 1 Comment

You find us in the middle of the middle week of the summer holidays.

Summer Book - Misericordia

We have explored the country and the sea and now we are returned home to test the limits of our imagination, patience and co-operation.

Summer Book journal with kids - Misericordia

In the hopes of creating a new tradition, we’ve started a Summer Book. There’s a slight nod to the educational goals of writing and drawing, but mostly I want to promote journal-keeping and delay the inevitable ‘Can I watch something?’ for another 10 minutes or so. It was great while we were away, but it’s suffered a little since we got home and have been surrounded by our familiar pursuits.

Last gasp stash - Misericordia

I did manage to finish my shawl, even though I ran out of both the original wool and the emergency wool just in time for the bind off. I’m hoping that the contrast edge evokes sea foam and not desperation.

Diving In Shawl - Misericordia

As a first piece of lace, I’m very pleased with it, but as a shawl, I’m still looking for the best ways to wear it. Maybe a shawl pin?

Myrtle Leaves in stiffener - Misericordia

There was temporary relief from the willow leaves by way of some myrtle leaves, but I’m hoping to get the last of the willow applied this week. Off I go!

Taking Solace In Work

24 June, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

Willow leaves - Misericordia

Well, it’s been a rather emotional day so far. I’m trying to take my mind off things my immersing myself in cutting out another hundred or so willow leaves (which reminds me of an apropos song) and watching the BBC adaptation of North and South.

Willow garland - Misericordia

North and South - Misericordia

Kipling with willow scraps - Misericordia

Aches and Twinges

10 June, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

It’s been a grumbly sort of week.

Stem placement - Misericordia

Knitting chart, crumpled - Misericordia

A week of coughs and sore teeth, thrashing children in my bed, of forgotten phones, cheesecakes oozing out of their tins in the oven, sore shoulders, last kid collecteds, I’m hungry but not for thats and I’m sorry for shoutings.

Spikey balls - Misericordia

Measuring cups - Misericordia

I think I’ll just creep quietly into this corner and hope that the universe doesn’t notice me until things are looking a little more cheerful.

Myrtle stem and thimble - Misericordia

Myrtle stem - Misericordia

Stitch By Stitch

20 May, 2016 / Katy / 1 Comment

My work this week can best be described as incremental.

Applied silk stems - Misericordia

But there are only so many times you can make a movement before it must come to some result, so I am awaiting the discovery that I have accidentally completed something.

Wrapped knots - Misericordia

Oh, look!

Willow stems - Misericordia

Test and Retest

6 May, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

Sketchbook to do list - Misericordia

Having tested a variety of stem/branch ideas, I suppose it was only logical that, when faced with the fabric I was actually going to use, I decided to do something completely different.

Banner layout - Misericordia

I’m trying to embrace a bit of texture, as well as rediscovering an technique I haven’t used since I was enthusiastically making friendship bracelets at school. (I’d like to see the youth of today try to use loom bands in their future textile art…)

Bias strips - Misericordia Bias strips joined - Misericordia

I haven’t quite got the stems finished, but on the whole, I’ve made quite a lot of progress on it this week.

Bias strips bound - Misericordia

Next week will hopefully involve cutting a lot of leaves…

Leaf test - Misericordia

To A Bodkin

22 April, 2016 / Katy / 0 Comments

The furniture rearranging continues apace.

Sewing Drawer - Misericordia

I’ve reordered my supplies by genre rather than work/not-work and realised that I had only been using the front half of my plan chest drawers. (I suppose that’s part of the challenge of a large drawer in a small space!)

Drawing Drawer - Misericordia

With the liberal application of hoarded fruit punnets and clicky-sticky tape, I’m slowly bringing a bit of order to things (no clear flat surfaces though, let’s not be too hasty).

Corded rouleau - Misericordia

I’m still itching to draw rather than sew, which hopefully explains the slow progress on anything involving a needle and thread (no matter how beautifully organised). I did get a bodkin out, which is always pleasing. I’ve been playing with corded rouleau to use as stems for the Ark Project tablecloth, and it’s been unnecessarily difficult.

Bodkin - Misericordia

In the end I’ve settled on turning the loops empty and then threading it with a homemade cord made of scrap fabric. I’ve managed to streamline the production so much that I’ve stopped cutting holes into the ends of the fabric in favour of slits so I don’t have to put the wee flappy pieces in the bin.

Corded rouleau with recycled padding - Misericordia

I’ve become very callous and started to cut up abandoned or unsold embroidery. I just don’t seem to have the energy spare to deal with shuffling it around or looking after it.

Recycled cording for padded rouleaux - Misericordia

I wish I could say it was helping me get more work done, but it’s been mainly infinitesimal updates to various baby books, half rows of knitting, and a pleasant return to regular Pilates sessions.

Recycle scrap fabric into yarn - Misericordia

This is my favourite bit of the cord-making process, when you pull the two ends and they lock together. I’m not sure what the emotional equivalent is, but I’ll let you know when I find it.

Use fabric scraps to make corded padding - Misericordia