Winterthur's Incredible Exhibit

With Cunning Needle: Four Centuries of Embroidery
On view in the East Gallery through January 8, 2012

I am trying my best to figure out how to make it to Delaware before January 8^th to take advantage of an exquisite exhibition at Winterthur.  The well done gallery guide is such pleasure in to view, I look forward to seeing what other treasures the museum holds!  It has been a very long time since my last visit, and this is a wonderful draw!

http://www.winterthur.org/pdfs/NeedleworkGalleryGuide.pdf

I did discover a tidbit about muga silk, which I was not aware of before….the textiles are really amazing in themselves!

Back to the Drawing Board

After taking a few days off from any needlework, I have been able to spend several focused hours tonight simply sketching and planning, and it has felt good! On my task list is to come up with a design for a stole and matching pulpit paraments for a church's first Sunday service in their newly built chapel.

Since this will fall in Advent, I am choosing a lavender dupioni silk....


and am playing around with a variety of designs that reflect the name of the church, Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church, and the welcoming nature of their congregation. We will see... :)

Lesage Embroidery

Tonight I have entertained myself with watching Lesage discuss his couture embroidery and the contribution of his family's business to the world of design. Unbelievable vision. And although not liturgical, many of these ideas can be brought to life in our practice of worship, in expressing the beauty of God's word.






Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIkV0XW8rYU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

A Stole for Advent

Lovely french knots on dark purple damask... Now in my Etsy shop!

Ordination Stoles

Here is a collage showing details from three red stoles of my own design. All are in dupioni silk and are hand embroidered and all feature the dove - a traditional symbol of the Holy Spirit.


I have placed them in my Etsy shop if you would like to see them in more detail. As always, I welcome special orders!

This is the Day That the Lord Has Made

This joyful stole is now available in my Etsy shop!


www.Etsy.com/shop/MontreatDesigns

Mermaid Love - New items in my Etsy shop!

Please stop by my Etsy shop to see my latest offerings!

There is a cute Mermaid Love embroidery kit that is truly unique and makes a great gift, framed treat or even a great starting point for a handbag! The best part is that you can personalize the ribbon to say what you wish! Make the gift special, make it your own!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MontreatDesigns?ref=pr_shop_more

A Wonderful Day

Thank you to all of you who stopped by today. It was a great joy to meet so many of you and to see old friends! Thank you for making this day so very special!

Collage

I have been working this week on a few surprises for the upcoming exhibition at Duke Divinity School on October 10. It is going to be a great day!


Please stop by and let me know you have seen my blog. I will be holding a drawing for a piece of art and don't want you to miss out!

Rainbow Dove in Ordinary Time

Thanks goes out to Kathy at Dyed Fiber: www.dyedfiber.Etsy.com. Kathy does a quality job in creating beautifully dyed fibers to use. A real range of colors in perfectly named shades of Bouquet, Frisbee, Lawn and Lifesaver...And it arrives so quickly!

I liked the mellow contrast of colors that her 'Bouquet' offered to this clean grassy green shade of dupioni for ordinary time.

Wedding Ribbons

Here is a detail from a wedding stole design I am playing with. The pearls were fun to bead with and the 'ribbons' are made of two different shades of cream.

IHC

An Edwardian Anastasia Dolby design.

We Are All Children of God

Today my younger son and I joined others, in downtown Raleigh, in support against having hateful language added to the NC constitution, in the form of an amendment, which strips away many current rights of the LGBT community. It was an experience that had the audience personally acknowledging the struggles that so many have endured, and how hurtful the decisions of our state house and senate are to so many. Heartfelt speeches brought it all home and it was humbling.

As Americans, and as fellow brothers and sisters of the world, it is important to understand that these topics are issues of dignity and human rights.

Our search for justice, equality and freedom cannot be chosen piecemeal. To advocate for women's rights, the rights of the poor, rights of racial equality, but to then to deny civil rights to the LGBT community is not acceptable.

I truly believe that nothing in creation can separate any of us from God's love.

Scottish Liturgical Stole

Thistles - representing Christ's suffering, on a day that marks the anniversary of such sadness for our country.

Thistles in my Sewing Basket

Here is part of a stole that I hope to put together later in the upcoming days. I have a beautiful piece of mossy green mohair, and will try my best to marry the two for a stole for ordinary time.

Vibrant Green for Ordinary Time

I wanted to design something cheerful and was fortunate to come across this beautifully vibrant green at my favorite fabric shop. Playing against that backdrop I embroidered a cross freehand, playing with gold, pink and green. On the lower panels, I designed a bit of gathered leaves and very small beading detail on small crosses as visual fill.

A French Knot Butterfly

Dove for Pentecost

This is a stole for Pentecost, minus the sometimes seemingly scary flames of the spirit, for the children. The yarn-like white is actually thick silk, and the colorful thread is Egyptian cotton. Dove and red background is dupioni silk.

A bit of hand smocking

Lavender dupioni hand manipulated silk trimmed with vintage velvet ribbon on white silk. Not seen is an embroidered butterfly on the upper part of the stole.

Dragonfly

Sometimes the most perfect path is choosing simplicity.

Inspiration from Mumbai

I have spent time sketching away in the evenings and have been waiting for a packet from India to arrive. Happily, it showed up on Wednesday, in time for me to play around with the choices and lay out thoughts for weekend work.

With Hurricane Irene approaching North Carolina, it looks as though I will have plenty of inside time!

Kimono Silk Accent

I think beauty and meaning are added when vintage fabrics are elements of new art for worship. Here is an example of vintage Japanese silk previously used in a kimono in the 30's added as an accent.

Green Liturgical Stole

A circle for eternity, God's constant presence.

A pale grassy dupioni silk, with an embroidered circle of vines, leaves and water on yellow silk. A contrasting tonal bronze dupioni piece is secured with a piece of wood wrapped in silk, embellished with French knots and seed beads.

Lent

A stole for Ordinary Time

I had fun with the contrast of the apple green and purple/pink dupioni silk. Framed in French knots.

Fisher of Men Stole

Photo after photo the colors don't come out the way they appear in person, so I gave up trying to adjust the colors - that is being thrown off by the beading - and manipulated it to show the design and contrast.

I kind of love it!


Here is the original pic.

A Stole for Advent

Here is some couture purple with orange/pink dupioni. Embellished with Egyptian cotton.

Vibrant and hopeful.

Detail from Fisher of Men Stole

Here is a bit of a preview.... Coral in French knots.


The rest involves more coral and a batik fish, but the color is muddy due to beading that I added, it's showing up a bit odd on film, but looks pretty in person. I have to work on that!

Beaded Baptismal Stole

For this particular stole, I chose to collect a variety of beads in aqua and use the last of my Nicole Miller cotton.

The shell is from a beautiful blue silk that I have been waiting to find the right home for. I finished the base of the hand beading with tiny french knots, which I kind of fell in love with.... :)

I am working hard in creating original designs for my upcoming exhibition, and I think this will be one the audience might favor...we will see!

Stole for Lent

Here is the completed stole I wrote about in my July 4th post. The bottom of the stole was finished with an embroidered lattice pattern bordered by French knots.

Royal purple IHC

Recently completed, a traditional look with golden yellow dupioni silk, hand applied with a French knot border, all on a deep purple damask.

Not too many words

Just a few photos...









I find such pleasure in embroidering stoles for women by hand. Lots to be thankful for!

Thanks Be To God

I was reminded today to reflect on how amazing that many of life's experiences can come together to bring such pleasure.

It is a gift. Thanks be to God.


Image from zersen on deviantART

Less Common Symbols of Our Faith - Bees

The Sweet Word of God ~ Psalm 19:10

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.


Since time began bees have been part of the great myths of humanity and have always been extraordinarily potent symbols.

Bees, in their role as workers, are a symbol of the industrious and prosperous community governed by the queen bee. As organizers of the universe between earth and sky, bees symbolize all vital principles, and embody the soul. Bees also symbolize eloquence, speech, and intelligence.

In Hebrew, the word for bee, Dbure, has its origins in the word Dbr, speech. They settled on the mouth of the child, Plato, “announcing the sweetness of his enchanting soul ” (Pliny) (http://www.lunedemiel.tm.fr/anglais/06.htm)

In the Church, the beehive is a symbol for community of those who work together for the benefit of all. Used modernly as a symbol for the Christian Church, and is one of the best.

There are so many great historical symbols of our faith that I would love to see return in liturgical art with more frequency. Bring back the rooster, the peacock, the ship at anchor, the dogwood, the lobster!!!! :)


“The soul… may have many symbols with which it reaches toward God.” ~ Anya Seton

Church Embroidery Designs

On this sunny Fourth of July in North Carolina, I am spending part of the holiday watching a couple of classic patriotic movies (one if which is a painful revolutionary musical - not a winning mix!) :) and doing a bit of work... Part of my enjoyment in seeing the movies are the set designs and the portrayal of clothing, bedding and housegoods which were embellished with embroidery....

Okay... Let's fast forward to the late 1800's where Anastasia Dolby was one of the founders of the School of Art Needlework in 1872, which would later become the Royal School of Needlework. The school was a direct reflection of the social, cultural and political history of Victorian and Edwardian Britain.

Dolby attributed many of the designs in her book 'Church Embroidery, Ancient and Modern' to Mr. T. J. Burton. It is his design (I believe) that I have used on a piece of lavender dupioni silk, in which I have adapted by adding a variety of green tones for the palm branches and tiny french knots to fill the cross.


The book is sold on Amazon and the like, but is available online for free at Google Books. It is really worth a look at the lovely classic designs.

Textile Production in Europe: Embroidery, 1600–1800

Here is a wonderful link to the Met's show on Embroidery......the link takes you even deeper, swirling into the past! Liturgical embroidery is featured and a nod is given to the economic crutch it gave to the industry...the church being the customer with the deepest pockets.

"Textile Production in Europe: Embroidery, 1600–1800 ". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/txt_e/hd_txt_e.htm#slideshow1

Silver Anniversary Sparkle

In joyous celebration of 25 years of ministry! I had a ball with mixing in grey/silver pearls and beads with the creamy pearls and crystals!!!! This was a thoughtful gift from loving friends in honor of their pastoral caregiver's anniversary of her ordination.

Improved Version of a Favorite

I have recently completed a Joyful Sparkle stole and am now working on another, and really am happy with my new and more heavily beaded design. Ordination stole, wedding, Easter, celebration? This is amazing... Especially in a candlelit setting!

Butterfly and Lace

I love the symbolism of the butterfly.... Here is a simple butterfly in white on vintage fabric trimmed in lace from the 1930's.... The fabric had been stored very nicely, but is so terribly fragile.

Belated Blessings

I am slowly working my way through unfinished business... Out in the mail tomorrow goes a late anniversary gift to Oregon. I wish I could add in hugs and smiles as well!


Lots on my plate, but I could not be happier.

Three by Three by Three

I have had the absolute best time working on this little gem. It is a wedding gift for a wonderful couple. I offered up my services to the bride to see she might want something personalized... Maybe a monogrammed ribbon for her bouquet or a sachet? She came back with a neat request of a ring holder that the best man would keep the bride's ring safe and secure before the big handoff.

She provided me with a photo from a bride's magazine that showed a satin pouch closed by Velcro - (about 2.75 x 4 inches I believe) which looked like this:



I thought I would create a design that showed off the "W" which the bride will be taking as her new name, as well as the wedding date which is fun, being 9.10.11.

The couple met through a wonderful mutual friend playing matchmaker, and they share important loving values. Their church has been a central part of their relationship and that is why I chose the trinity for the inside of the booklet (always my favorite symbol of marriage ~ the two partners and Christ).




 

The finished size is 3x3 inches.