I stumbled across half a dozen videos the other day, and they're what's sparking this blog post. Erica Wilson was someone whose work I first came across in a small way in Cathy Callahan's 'Vintage Craft Workshop' book. In it she gets different crafters to recreate seventies designs but with a modern slant. There're projects involving raffia, hessian, papier-mache, macrame and lots more, including embroidery.
The chapter on 'Stitching: Crewelwork, Craft Kits, and Applique' included a brief note about a lady called Erica Wilson.
The chair's shown in this photograph, and I can see why the stitching captivated Cathy Callahan so much. It's fabulous.
Erica Wilson's name stayed in my mind, so when I was snapping up a few secondhand embroidery books, wanting to learn more about the craft, I happily bought one of hers. (It's a great book, by the way. Dated, obviously, but very comprehensive.) All of which led me in the meandering direction of YouTube where I discovered a handful of episodes of Erica Wilson's TV programme for the American channel PBS.
Erica was born in England in 1928. She studied at the prestigious Royal School of Needlework in London, and moved to America in 1954 to teach. So successful, Erica taught classes, lectured and led seminars all over the U.S., and she went on to write sixteen books. Her TV series was shown on both sides of the pond, and I bet there are still plenty of stitchers who remember them fondly. She died in 2011, and her obituary in The New York Times was titled 'Erica Wilson Dies at 83; Led a Rebirth in Needleworking'.
I think this is my favourite of the videos featuring Erica' work on YouTube. It might be a seventies design, but it'd fit into plenty of modern interiors. If you've got a tea (or coffee) break planned, why not settle down on the sofa with a cuppa and give it a watch? I think you'll be glad you did!
I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out. The glue's su
I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're more the minimal Scandi
Another cold, bright day, and I spent the morning indoors, reluctantly dragging a vacuum cleaner around before getting down to the nicer task of adding wadding to the back of this patchwork. Backing fabric's now tacked on, and it's ready to be stitched. I also squeezed in some reading. I'm currently immersed in 'Transcription' by ever-excellent Kate Atkinson, who can be relied upon for a well-written book. The book I recently finished - hmm, not so good. I'd fancied a lightweight cosy crime, something easy, quick to read, and picked 'A Pen dipped in Poison' by J.M. Hall. Oh my, I've never come across a story in which so many people sigh. Characters sighing all over the place! There's a fair amount of frowning too, and one character is constantly depicted as stirring a cup of coffee, supposedly to indicate thoughtfulness. Seriously, if I was in a coffee shop with her I'd be snatching that spoon out of her hand and yelling 'For go
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