Victoria & Albert Museum

In October I was in London on a visit with my sister to see her daughters.  

I took the opportunity to visit the V&A museum.  It is a museum dedicated to applied arts. I wanted to see the portrait of Margaret Larkin in the embroidered jacket.  It took a while to find it.  It hangs in the British Galleries.  Pieces of the jacket are also on display. The photos are not the best as they are behind glass. 

There many wonderful pieces of embroidery and if ever in London it is a museum not to be missed.  There a wonderful court dress on display.  It is all embroidered and in a very good condition.  The amazing point of interest is that the dress is very wide but very narrow!  So one can move through the corridors at court.

Also on display is King James’s wedding coat.  It has been done in gold work and an explanation of how it was done also on display.

It is an experience not to be missed.  There is a lot more to tell

Chinese Masked Dancer

Watching Jane stitching the Japanese mask has reminded me of a Chinese Masked Dancer.  At a conference in Beijing in 2008 a gala dinner was held in the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square.  It was an amazing experiance and to this day I stiil don't know what we were served for dinner!  One of the performances was a Chinese Masked Dancer. He wore a number of masks and during the routine took them off. The masks were of fabric and could have also been embroidered.













If you look carefully you can see the different masks in this photo.





The masks were most impressive. We always assume masks to be made from a hard substance but these fabric ones are very effective.

Another mask.

Instructions for Ornament

I wanted to post the instructions on the blog but the diagrams lost their lines.  So if there is anyone who would like a copy of the instructions just drop me an email.  It is really quite simple and quick and no charges!  I completed one in peachy and bronze colours. I now must make one in pinks and silver for my Irish cousin.

Workshop of Christmas Ornament

The ladies very busy counting and stitching.  The stitches were new to the ladies but they coped very well.  I think a good day was had by all.

A picture of a couple of the kits. The canvas in the kits was a gift from friends in USA.  Thanks, it made the kits special as we don't get such wonderful canvas here.  In fact it is hard to find canvas. Some of the threads I used were from the prize I received for the competition Stitching up a Storm.

Christmas Ornament

My local embroiderers guild is holding a Christmas workshop in September and I was asked if I could make an ornament in canvas work. When we had our last meeting I had not completed the ornament and 19 ladies signed up for the workshop. They have a lot of faith! Thanks Girls
I am going to do a couple of other colourways - just for fun.

I put some gold fabric behind the canvas to add another dimension and it has turned out very well.