Confessions of an extreme stitcher!

In a recent post on my personal Facebook page, I referred to myself as an "extreme" or "rebel" stitcher. These terms most definitely apply to my bead embroidery, bead weaving, hand and machine embroidery. Oh, I'm quite capable of stitching in the conventional way (and still do at times), but there's a little devil in me that simply loves to break the rules!

My subversive qualities stem back to my fibre art days. A week long class with the extraordinarily accomplished embroiderer, Sylvia Naylor, taught me how to torture the threads, just enough to turn them into a garden full of weeds and wildflowers. Her free motion machine embroidery techniques were not new to me, but helped to open my eyes to both a world full of possibilities, and a new way of thinking. I wish that I could say that I was as accomplished as the master, but that would have taken a lot more time and dedication. I do love the effects, but I'm afraid that my eyes didn't appreciate the concentrated effort!

As many of you already know, my bead embroidery path started with Robin Atkins' Bead Journal Project. Participants were required to commit to one visual journal piece per month, in the same shape and size, and use at least one bead. As an experienced fibre artist, I felt that I had it made! My original vision of the series included fibre, free motion machine embroidery, hand stitching, and a sprinkling of beads. Little did I know that I would immediately gravitate to encrusted bead embroidery! Did my beads line up in nice, tidy rows? Of course not! It soon became apparent that I was going to throw "everything but the kitchen sink" on my pieces (I do so love recycling!), and "tidy" was not something my muse recognized. I like to think that my pieces are complicated, and sometimes even thought provoking! They're certainly not orderly, but do contain a strange type of order (at least in my mind they do).

In my early beading days, I learned a handful of bead weaving stitches, including peyote, brick, ladder and right angle weave. I made a ton of bracelets! I wore them, gave them as gifts, and even sold a few. Then I abandoned the process completely! Were they too orderly for me? Am I allergic to perfection? Was I just bored? I've always been interested in freeform peyote (stitch), but didn't even attempt it until a year or so ago. I started with a bracelet, and then made a pendant, gravitated to beaded beads, added it to a beaded art doll, and then started making rings. Could my goal of a freeform necklace be far behind? The ideas are percolating, but I'm not quite there yet! Instead I'm working on another doll, and this time I've included some freeform right angle weave! It's far from the reveal stage, but it's definitely showing promise! Visions of bracelets are dancing in my head, as is the possibility of combining this stitch with my freeform peyote,

Don't ever be afraid to change it up! Be a "rebel", stretch your beading, and ignore your self-imposed limitations. "Extreme" is the name of the game, and it's very freeing! Besides, if you don't like the results, you can always frog stitch! Ripit....ripit....ripit!!!

We must remember to never forget!

John McCrae, a Canadian physician, composed the poem, "In Flanders Fields" on May 3, 1915, during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium. The poem was written, as a reaction to the death of one of his closest friends. According to Wikipedia, "The poem and poppy are prominent Remembrance Day symbols throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, particularly in Canada, where "In Flanders Fields" is one of the nation's best-known literary works. The poem also has wide exposure in the United States, where it is associated with Memorial Day."

As a child, I was asked to memorize, and recite this poem, during many of my early school years. It's one that I still remember, word-for-word, and promise to never forget! I will also never forget the meaning, as my mother's brother, Robert (who I never knew), was shot and killed by sniper fire, on December 27, 1943, during the battle of Ortona, Italy. Uncle Robert's effects, when returned to the family, apparently contained a Dear John Letter (from his fiance), a simple diamond engagement ring, and a metal and enamel necklace. The necklace and ring are in my possession, and the necklace, is something that I've wondered about for years. Was it made for a woman or a child (it's very small)? What type of metal is it (no marks)? How old is it? Who made it, and who was the intended recipient? Unfortunately, a mystery that will never get solved, at least to my satisfaction. Sigh!

The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance, that quite obviously, still strikes a chord, with people around the world. A virtual tide of red poppies, has flooded the internet over the last few days, with far more to come today! Poppies have been made into jewellery, with many and varied techniques. They've also been well represented in photography, crochet, knitting, felting, collage, painting, fibre art, bead embroidery, glass and polymer clay. While I don't remember my original design motivation, one of my earlier bead journal pieces, does include some fibre poppies. However, as it was not specifically made to honour our warriors, perhaps it's time for me, to create a larger, more important, work of remembrance!

Our countries were built on the sacrificies of our brave men and women of the military. A fact that we should never, ever forget!!