It's nice to be appreciated!

Embroidered tree pipit

A couple of weeks ago I had one of those emails that brightens your day and makes you feel all inspired again. It was from a lady who had been bought one of my embroidered bird bags from Folksy a few years ago, a damp flat had sadly ruined the bag but she liked it so much that she got in contact to ask if I could make another.

The original bag

I made a few of these bags (about 5 or 6 I think) but I didn't continue making them as although people liked them they took a lot of time and effort and I couldn't justify selling them at a price that would make it worthwhile for me. However, flattery will get you a lot of places and I was so pleased that my work had meant enough to someone that they would take the time and effort to contact me and request a replacement that I agreed straight away.

The new bag

If you've been following this blog you'll know that I've been struggling with my creative mojo recently so this little project has been great for me. It's given me a nice confidence boost (someone likes my work, can't be all bad) and given me a reason and focus to not only get into the studio but to do something more productive than sort out my threads whilst I'm in there!

Tree Pipit line drawing, pen on paper

I began as I usually do by drawing, just quick line drawings to capture the flighty nature of birds. I did this sketch of  tree pipit and really liked it and decided it would work well so I used my sketch and the photograph I did the drawing from as a basis for the embroidery. I used three shades of purple and free motion embroidery to create this little guy, I like his inquisitive look and I hope that he'll be as loved as his predecessor (and not succumb to damp!)

Detail

I really enjoy free motion embroidery, it is very like drawing and I like the quality of line. I was so inspired by working on this piece that I went straight on to another stitched bird, but more about that in another post...