A magenta week

After a white week I felt the need for some stronger color. I missed taking a pic of a lovely rose, no idea of the name as it was a cutting from one of the gardens I worked in before the joints protested too much ;) So I thought Fuchsia instead & found a total of 9 magenta red flowers but I'll leave the scabious, lillie & new honeysuckle blooms till another time. As well as fuchia, I was inspired by astrantia & the perennial sweet pea.

Here's a sample

A mix of rich magenta smokey pink & burgundy recycled fabrics

The first hanging, dark fabric for the astrantia at the top, smokey pink for the sweet pea (I can't help that they look, well, just a little rude....) & a fuchsia tucked in at the bottom there. Not sure how well the pink metallic stitching works. Some burgundy/red french knots & running stitch & sari silk couched down. 

The next hanging was inspired by achillea, leycesteria & rosa rugosa.

The beads aren't attached yet, todays job along with just a few other things. I wondered a hanging or 2 back how I could 'name' these & decided on a label hidden in a bead

but it does make the bead a little large compared to the others, hmmm. When I saw fm stiched writing, I couldn't beLIEVE it could be done so I'm quite proud of this.  But is this Naive Art, a joyful exploration of different techniques or just a little slapdash?

You can tell the nerves are fraying - it's 4 weeks today & I'm not ready....yet & it's getting a little more difficult to quell the rising panic, but at least it gets me running around like a headless chicken finishing things off! Good, I guess. There's so much I wanted to do, to prove I could & I suddenly realised I could have another exhibition one day, it doesn't all have to come out of my head into this one .......did I really say that?!

Right, I'll come back later & catch up on some lovely blogs when I've finished, mounted & framed a few things!