Another postcard from my vacation

This is again, stitched on pelmet vilene after being painted with koh-i-noor dye colours. As I was back home before finishing this off I added in some extra sequins and beads - which I have plenty off after splurging when making the metal thread shoes a few months back.

I chose the postcard theme from one of the pages of my sketchbook which I did when in Italy. In fact, this is one of the reasons my blogging has been a little sparse of late - I have been mainly burbling, scribbling and sploshing paint in my little travel sketchbook. I have completed at least a page a day since the end of April. I have slowed down college work as I decided before going to Italy not to bother trying to get my panel/hanging done for the end of term exhibition. Nobody else will have so why tear myself to pieces trying to?

That said, I do have to get the hanging done sometime as well as get some of my finished work mounted or patted into some form of display worthy format.

Back from my holidays

I am now back from my holiday in Tuscany. Trouble is I now feel as though I need another break just to recover! Unfortunately this is going to be tricky as I have had a mountain of washing to climb as well as my usual college work and full time job. I took my sketchbook with me and I may post a few extracts here. The picture above is one of a couple of fabric postcards I started on the journey.

My friend C suggested pelmet vilene as a possible postcard background - stiff so that it did not require hooping but still stitchable. So the night before my departure (in between wiping my nose and feeling awful) I cut some 6x4 pieces of pelmet vilene and packed them along with a selection of stranded embroidery cotton taking extra white incase I needed to "dye" some on my travels. My pencil case just about takes my koh-i-noor dye palette and my water brush pens as well as the usual sketch pens and pencils. At the last minute I slipped in my water colour palette block too.

The pattern and colours were inspired by a poster of a pottery exhibtion happening in Rome. I think it was Etruscan or inspired by - my Italian really isn't up to much. The red is an improbable colour as it is only in modern times the a real red ceramic glaze has been developed. Majolica ware mainly relied on shades of blues, greens, browns and some yellow.

Postcard from Tuscany

Postcard from Tuscany

Definitely got a room with a view. San Gimignano is in the distance. We have already been here as well as the last night of the Montespertoli wine festival.