Tag Archives: embroidery

Sue Stone • From Sketch to Stitch • Stitch magazine June/July

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Stitch magazine has published my ‘From Sketch to Stitch article in Issue no 83 June/ July 2013. The article explores the way I work and how my pieces are put together focussing on my work ‘Family with Fish’ 2011. Click here to Buy Stitch magazine  More images of the work in progress 

I also have an ebook for sale which documents the full making of this piece.  Preview or buy the ebook. The ebook is available for iPad and iPhone only at the present time. To hear about my news and events and to be informed when the ebook will be available in other formats please sign up to my monthly newsletter

This piece is also featured in the 62 Group of Textile Artists 2012 ‘Radical Thread’ Book. Edited by Lesley Millar the book was produced to celebrate the group 50th anniversary. Preview or Buy Radical Thread

image of Family with Fish

62 Group exhibition • Small Talk opens today 4th June 2013

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The latest 62 Group of Textile Artists’ exhibition opens today at the Constance Howard Gallery which is housed in the old Deptford Town Hall building on New Cross Road, London, SE14. 

The 62 Group has a strong link with Goldsmiths as many of the exhibiting members were past students and indeed teachers. “Small Talk”, as the title suggests, brings together new small-scale work in a range of mediums in response to the gallery space.

For more information about the exhibition dates, opening hours and accompanying talks from 62 Group members see: http://womanwithafish.com/Small_Talk_info.html

My piece ‘Do you come here Often?’ can be seen in this exhibition. For more information about this mixed media work which combines embroidery and appliqué with acrylic paint see: http://womanwithafish.com/Do_you_come_here_often.html

image of Do you come here often?

A new home for East End Girls aka Alice, Madge and Muriel

I am delighted to say that one of the major pieces from my Stuff and Nonsense exhibition will soon be going to a new home in London although I will be very sorry to see it go. I have a soft spot for this piece as it combines some of my favourite people with one of my favourite places. It was first exhibited in the 62@50 exhibition at the Holden Gallery at Manchester School of Art in 2012.

Craft & Design Selected Silver Award

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Congratulations to Carol Naylor who has just been awarded the Craft & Design Silver selected award 2013. Carol was selected for this award by judge Kaffe Fassett whose fantastic exhibition ‘A Life in Colour’ runs until 29 June 2013 at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. http://ftmlondon.org/ftm-exhibitions/kaffe-fassett/
See more of Carol Naylor’s work at : http://www.carolnaylor.co.uk/

carolnaylortextiles's avatarCarol Naylor

Certificate Silver textiles_CarolNaylor copy

Here’s the certificate for the Craft and Design Award. The award means I will get coverage in the magazine in the Autumn and also an image will be used on their 2014 calendar. Interestingly earlier this year I was short listed for a calendar in Japan, big project, I didn’t get it but it doesn’t seem to matter now!

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My 5 Favourite Embroidery Stitches

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There are so many great embroidery stitches so why do I use so few of them?

The answer is that the ones I do use are so versatile. These are my 5 favourites. 

straight stitch

1 • Running Stitch

Possibly the most useful of them all, Running Stitch is a basic, straight stitch that can be used in so many ways. By varying the length of the stitch and the thickness of the thread so many different effects can be achieved. I use it most frequently for drawing portraits using just a single strand of stranded cotton thread.This stitch is also good for hair as just changing the direction of the stitch can give a wave or a curl effect. Patterns can easily be created on clothing by using the stitch in different directions to draw squares, stripes, triangles and zigzags. Here are some examples of how I have used running stitch.

study2 for tea party in tokyo 2
study of a young man

Another of my frequently used straight stitches is Arrowhead Stitch. I often use this simple straight stitch to form a ‘mock’ herringbone pattern which evokes the look of a woven herringbone tweed fabric. This is achieved by combining 2 different colours of thread in the same needle. It’s so useful for making patterns on coats and jackets as seen below.

arrowhead stitch
arrowhead stitch 2

3 • Cross Stitch

More recently I have been using a lot of Cross Stitch in a free, non-formal way to create patterns on dresses and also  a colour filling stitch on my Graffiti series. Vary the size and of the stitch and the thickness of the thread for for more variety of finished surfaces.

cross stitch
cros stitch
x stitch

darning

4 • Darning Stitch ( Needleweaving)

Darning Stitch or Needleweaving as I prefer to call it is a great stitch effect for drawing house bricks. A long straight stitch forms the warp for the area you want to fill and then using the needle to weave your thread in and out of the warp stitch to form the weft building it up until the whole area is filled.


darning 2

5 • Couching

This versatile stitch is used to hold a thicker thread onto a background by stitching it down to form shapes or to fill an area. Vary it by using a different colour, a cross stitch or an angled stitch on the top instead of a straight stitch.

Enjoyed seeing my favourite stitches? Let me know what yours are.

couching
couching

 

couching
x stitch couching



 

Designer Crafts at the Mall 2013

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Designer Crafts at the Mall 2013 is nearly here. I’m frantically trying to get organised along with my preparations for Christmas. I will be showing some large textile mixed media, embroidery in the exhibition and also some small hand embroidered studies and handmade cards and postcards will also be for sale in the Shop within the Show.  Click here for more images and information .Click image for more information Designer Crafts fler 2

Textiles: The Art of Mankind

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Just got my copy of Textiles: The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser. It’s an impressive and lavishly illustrated large tome 24 x 29 cms in size with over 1,000 full colour illustrations. Looking forward to reading and re-reading this fantastic reference book. I immediately looked in the index for my name as I had been informed that some of my work would be included in the book. Oh my goodness, my portrait of my husband in Barcelona ‘David as Dali‘ 2010 is there full page, in all its glory on page 350. My Grandparents portrait ‘Loaves and Fishes’ 2010 is also there on page 348. The book is  published by Thames & Hudson ISBN 978-0-500-51645-4 and is available on Amazon.

Review of the Knitting & Stitching Show, Alexandra Palace, 2012

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Now the dust has settled from my week in London I will show you some of the highlights of the 62 Group ‘Package Tour’ stand at Alexandra Palace. My favourite has to be Audrey Walker’s ‘Still Life’ a simple still life featuring a gin bottle. A masterful use of a simple straight stitch. The piece reminds me of what I was taught at Goldsmiths by Constance Howard in the 1970s which is that we stitchers don’t need to know hundreds of stitches we just need to use the ones we do know well. See my full review of the show at : http://www.textileartist.org/review-of-the-knitting-stitching-show-alexandra-palace-2012/

Two more highlights for me which show the diversity of the group are Heather Belcher’s felt ‘Blanket’ and Helen Weston’s ‘Chink in the Armour’ which are also shown below.


 

Link

Some Things never Change

The Knitting and Stitching Show is nearly upon us and I shall be travelling to London for the first show at Alexandra Palace next week. I am helping to install the 62 Group of Textile Artists’ ‘Package Tour’ exhibition and will also be on our Stand TGJ3 on Thursday afternoon.

My work ‘Some Things never Change’ can be seen in the exhibition. For more information about this work click on the “Some Things Never Change’ link above.

I am looking forward to seeing how fellow members of the group have risen to the challenge of fitting their work within a box of a set size. As I usually present my own work on a stretcher and sometimes frame it I decided to make my work as a hanging and roll it up to make it fit into the box.

It will be great to meet lots of new people at the show and there will be the opportunity to buy the 62 Group book, RADICAL THREAD, on the stand at a special Knitting and Stitching Show promotional price of £15 which is a saving of £4.50 on the recommended retail price. The book which celebrates our 50th Anniversary, is a great read.

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