Blue skies, rain and denim

Then orange, then pink, so denim splurge.

John Lewis Edition (unknown)

Marie Claire. January 2011, pp. unknown

Embroidery on denim too is something that really fascinates me at the moment, 

some of my own embroidery below:

Testing out watercolour brush in MS Paint - nice texture, really irritating point/beginning of it though. If it was a gimp moving brush maybe that would be better? Blues abundance. 

John Lewis Edition Spring 2014/2013, pp. unknown

References:

John Lewis Edition. Spring 2013/2014, pp. unknown

Marie Claire. Spring/Summer 2013, pp. unknown

The Old Reader, RSS feeds and links

The Old Reader is closing its doors, turning to become private and for people who are more likely to pay for it. I wouldn't mind at all except having already had to move from Google Reader to The Old Reader only a good few months ago and then getting used to (that didn't take long actually) the look, layout and workings of The Old Reader (I've grown to really like it).

At the moment I think I'll stay away from RSS feed applications and maybe experiment with other ones (both website built ins/extensions/stand-alone software) in the far future.

In the meanwhile some really interesting posts concerning patterns and surfaces found on the various blogs I have bookmarked:

Patternobserver.com
Michelle FifisStreet Patterns: Embroidery Details
This post is particularly interesting for me at the moment as I have been practising with hand stitched embroidery on various scraps of fabric, generally trying to work with different tensions to create textures as well as forming embroidered patterns or motifs.

Street Patterns Mexican Embroidery
Links in with the above post but whilst the above post was looking at contemporary or very geometric shapes, this one looks to the past, traditional floral motifs and vines and shapes used on ethnic embroidery of the past. I'm really liking the use of colour, very bold and striking, whilst the shapes themselves are large and blocky/like simple flower drawings.

iseepattern.com
Whitney Catarella
Buffalo Exchange Spring 203 Trends Part 1 
The first image/print is beautiful! The tulips look magnificent against the dark star lit sky, and the lines on their petals look particularly fascinating (these lines originally come form a virus or some kind of bacteria/illness the plant has - at first bred because they looked distinguished and pretty - later found to be a weakness in the plant). The subsequent images are just as interesting, but the tulips really stand out for me.

beelah.com
Beelah'Crazy prints:) long modest pakistani dress'
This blogger/fashion blogger often highlights beautiful fabrics and textures, particularly modest dress which is an important thing within Islamic society and culture. Known for the spectacular colours, prints and embroidery, this blogger presents a brilliant collection of the fashion of Asia and the Middle East - well any where that modest beautiful fashion exists :D 

Trend Tablet
Lidewig EdelkoortBloom  
Press Ctrl F (use the text search bar) and then look up the following:
'Tools for peace'
The photos are beautiful and sweet, as is the idea of using flowers as tools to create emotional stability, peace and a kind of prosperity.
Also have a look down the page, lots of photographs - sharp and crisp with excellent visuals and colours.

Pinning and cutting

My blog will now be showing my art work and practice as is progresses.
So now to some OLD work:

The above orange fabric is a piece of silk with a very traditional blossom pattern in black and well orange. But what an orange! The photo doesn't show the power in the orange sadly.

Newcastle Mela, September 2011

Photos from Newcastle Mela 2011

Ooops...bad photography skills results in an
interesting incredibly motion blurred image, 

the pattern lost, but perhaps a new one made.

The Mela in itself, is an amzing show of diversity and culture in Newcastle,
it's a celebration of what makes Newcastle a fantastic and amazing palce to live
and of course is a perfect oppotunity to eat good food (with or without the spicy kick).
It has an amazing lineup of performers and live music
that would gurentee to make you stop, take a seat and listen.

The photos coming up are simply of the kurtas there.

Kurtas are tunic like tops,

like a kameez (the blouse/top part of the shalwar kameez),

they are worn with trousers like jeans or actually suit like trousers.

The above pattern comes from a red kurta I bought.

The sun or flower like motifs really attracted me to it in the first palce.

This kurta is in the currant style of a dress.

 Like any clothing styles vary season to season,

at the moment the dress style is..well in.  

ORANGE! Hah bet you didn't see that one coming.

Meticulouse beadwork again,

I don't think I've seen orange beadwork in a while.

Seems to be a colour not often used on clothes.

Hopefully next year I can get more photos,

might include some of the actual music, and costumes worn too.

Shisha (also known as abla) Embroidery

An old kameez which I adored for the
embroidery and especially for its mirror work,
a traditional technique in India and Pakistan 

and other countries in which small pieces of mirror
are secured onto fabric and embroidered around

The simple grids of light pink thread, as seen above, 

are cleverly couched down with the actual thread
making up the material of the kameez (a tunic like top).

The two large mirrors above are
embroidered to look like mirror flowers.

 

Blue and pink make an amazing colour combination.
A play of colour fused with that of light and mirrors.

The unique bead work uses small wooden like tubular like beads.

Shisha Embroidery TIY (Try it yourself) with clear photos and instructions
There is a bit of information about Shisha Embroidery on 

Wikipedia but so far I haven't found much on the web or in the local library. 

Brown and pink and all things pretty

Cut offs from an old kurta
(basicly a tunic top with a mandarin collar).

The deep pink colour can't really be seen here for one of 2 reasons:
1) my camera isn't as good as eyes at picking up colour
2) an incompetent photographer.
Take your pick. :D

The detail on the neckline area spills out onto the chest area.
The use of beads and pretty gold disks and
the chain like stich embroidery speaks for itself.

A closeup of these cicle disks shows they ae detailed with lines,
so far I haven't found any other fabric adorned this way.

The golden brown beads imbedded
amonst the very fine chain stich

Chain stich how to

Mirrors, reflection and...SHINEY!

I love photos of threads - yes...seriously,
better then photos of bunnies
(mostly as bunnies are very camera shy).

The thread used in the embroidery seems entwined
with strands of silver reflective colouring - beautiful.
Not forgetting its shiny, SHINY!
(Oh give me a break, I'm a magpie XD)

Alongside the flower and stem embroidery
are little paper thin circular mirrors. More reflection.

The fabric itself has a lovely texture and

is beautiful in this aqua like colour,

with more then a little hint of green.