Visit to the Vets

What a morning - annual checkup at the vets for the Schnauzer. Clean bill of health, but it is official, vet pronounced Schnauzer is a total wimp, he has a very low pain threshold and cried and wimpered and howled throughout the check up. So embarrassing. He does love the vet and greets him accordingly, but..........!

The first image I've included today is from a recent visit to Wells Cathedral. I went to see the Church Embroideries that Jane Lemon and the Sarum Embroiderers' had created, they were beautiful and I feel sure that this particular view of the ceiling must have influenced their design work. I found the light in the Cathedral magical.

I was very fortunate a few years ago to work with BECTa and a number of school students on the theme of Opus Anglicanum (medieval Church embroidery). I am not especially religious, but I love the social history entwined with the art work. Original Images came from the V & A in London, who have some wonderful copes especially the Syon cope. What was really thrilling about this case study was I could combine my love of using digital art and textiles as well as more traditional media. You will be able to see the students digital and traditional sketchbooks here

A year later I was asked to deliver a seminar at the Watershed in Bristol to a number of teachers and digital artists who were interested in the case study. Now that technology has moved on ....I really ought to be thinking of some new case studies to develop with the students.

I was inspired to create a textile piece too, loosely based on the theme of Opus Anglicanum and the images I had discovered at the V & A. The images were digitally manipulated in a paint program and then downloaded to my sewing machine to be stitched. The motifs were stitched onto water soluable paper, and as usual, I prefered the wrong side of the stitching! There are rather a lot of different techniques on one cushion, pretty good as a teaching aid. Can you spot the different textile techniques?