Stitchy Snippets - Bold and Beautiful

Here in London the nights are drawing in as a winter chill spreads through the city. It may no longer be sunbathing weather (although I'm not sure if we really even have that in our summer!) but it is perfect weather for stitching! Liz Payne's gloriously colourful embroidery has brightened our day and I hope you find it inspiring too.

Bold and bright patterns of colour and shape are integral to Liz Payne's work. Her work is densely textured with hand embroidery, beading and fringing, which all form additional pattern within her designs.

Commonly, Liz will start out by painting fabric and canvas which are next adorned with embroidery. Known widely for her art pieces, Liz also embellishes shoes and designs her own range of bespoke jewelry.

Liz talks about her work: 'I’m not shy of using colour in my work (sometimes every colour!). Using stitch I’m able to introduce a textural dimension to my work, drawing the viewers eye into and across the intricacy of the details.'

Take a look at her Etsy shop 'Flirting with Yellow' to see more of her work.

Stitchy Snippets - Embroidered Sentiments

Take a tour through these beautiful illustrations by Australian based artist Laura McKellar. Her passion for different artistic mediums is evident in her work, which includes photography, textiles, fashion and graphic design. Laura's stunning textile pieces are initially worked and edited on the computer often incorporating photography then digitally printed onto fabric to be further embellished with hand embroidery. Her colourful palette is sure to brighten any chilly, Fall morning. Find out more about her work here.

Stitchy Snippets - Antique Textiles

Louise Saxton has an expert eye for antique embroidery and lace. Her artistic practice is centred around reclaiming vintage needlework to produce contemporary, textile collages and sculptures. Louise Saxton talks about the appeal of embroidery: 'Needlework is an ancient art form, beautiful as well as practical, and whether simple or complex in design it is painstakingly constructed.'

Saxton predominantly uses pins to fix the textiles and fabricate her collages and with this technique she can achieve a textile relief. This technique also echoes the traditional handwork experience and the labour involved.

Undertaking residencies in Mexico and Malaysia has broadened her insight into local artisan technique, influenced her work and also helped in increasing her great collection of needlework.

Saxton regards her artistic process as a 'silent collaboration with the anonymous original makers'. This transformation of forgotten and discarded textiles is integral to her work as it returns importance and value to the craft of needlework and showcases these precious pieces of handwork. Saxton elaborates: 'Historically, handmade embroidery and lace were as economically valuable as gold and silver... Needlework is cross-cultural, but sadly in most parts of the world today, it is in danger of disappearing.' Promoting traditional needlework and textiles within her work helps to protect the art form.

To find out more about her work and upcoming exhibitions look here.

Friday Instagram Finds, No. 3

Today I'm going to share with you three amazing hand embroidery artists from Down Under...Australia!

@dandelyne
Sonia Lyne of Dandelyne is one of my favorite people in the world, and we've never even met! She is the brains behind the mini embroidery hoops that have made stitchers like me so happy. She's one of the happiest and upbeat people out there, and 100% genuine. She is incredibly generous to the stitching community, and frequently shares the work of others who make art with her mini hoops.

Sonia's mini hoops are so fun and versatile. Here are a whole bunch that she stitched up. She used a variety of mediums and designs inside the hoops, like embroidered designs, pretty fabrics, and felt with stitching.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 15, 2015 at 4:54pm PDT

In addition to her mini hoops, Sonia is known for her sweet custom portraits. She blends fabric, felt, and embroidery stitches to create one of a kind keepsakes.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 25, 2015 at 6:58pm PDT

You can buy her mini hoop kits to create your own fabulous necklaces, brooches, and she now even has 1" hoops for earrings! Each kit comes with really neat patterns for motifs you can stitch inside the mini hoops.

A photo posted by Sonia Lyne (@dandelyne) on Mar 22, 2015 at 5:15pm PDT

@suosaaribymariafeaton
Maria Featon is the reason I applied to Feeling Stitchy to be a contributor! She saw the blog post, and sent me a message letting me know that she thought I'd be perfect for it. I probably wouldn't have applied, thinking I would never be accepted, if it hadn't been for her. I'm starting to sense a trait amongst Aussies! They must be the nicest people on the planet! Maria's embroidery is bold and beautiful. She uses vintage bedsheets and patterned fabrics to create gorgeous pieces.

This bird (is it a peacock?) is my favorite of all that Maria has done! It's understated, yet has a huge impact. By stitching a small portion of the scene, she's made the bird pop off the fabric.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Apr 1, 2015 at 4:44pm PDT

Here's an example of how she uses vintage bedsheets as the perfect backdrop to the embroidered text.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Mar 17, 2015 at 5:34pm PDT

I just can't get enough of the vintage bedsheets as fabric for embroidery! This picture also has fabric from a vintage nightie.

A photo posted by Maria Featon (@suosaaribymariafeaton) on Feb 28, 2015 at 6:38pm PST

@candykinscrafts
Candy Barnes is another Aussie whose kindness and sincerity comes across in her interactions. She creates the cutest, sweetest, most adorable portraits based on your children's artwork. She has even managed to stitch children's artwork onto mini hoops by Dandelyne!

This adorable scene was drawn by Candy's daughter, then stitched by her onto this mini hoop!

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Apr 3, 2015 at 2:14pm PDT

Here's one of Candy's hoops of a child's drawing. She stays true to what the kids draw, and then transfers their visions onto fabric using needle and floss.

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Dec 11, 2014 at 1:50pm PST

Here's another custom piece she did based on a child's drawing. In this one, Candy added felt to fully represent the original piece. This is just so sweet, and becomes an heirloom piece that can be kept and handed down for generations to come.

A photo posted by Candy Barnes (@candykinscrafts) on Mar 9, 2015 at 4:26pm PDT

I hope you've enjoyed edition number three of Friday Instagram Finds on Feeling Stitchy! Please leave comments below to let me know what you thought. If you find a great embroiderer or stitch-related needle worker who you think I should feature, be sure to tag one of their pictures with #feelingstitchyig, and I'll take a look!

While you're on Instagram, make sure you follow Feeling Stitchy! We're @feelingstitchyish. We'd love for you to stop by and say hello :)

Friday Instagram Finds, No. 4 will be published Friday, May 1, 2015.

Nerine's Machine Embroidery

(I like how "Nerine's Machine" rhymes.) To my inbox: a nice note from Nerine about her free-hand machine embroidery on handmade skirts. I especially like this embroidered flour-sack skirt she has for sale on Etsy.

Link to Nerine's blog