A Lull and a Couple of Wows

Somehow a week has passed since my last posting - and I had been so good with frequent updates this year too. Sorry, dear readers. I have not forgotten about you! My mom was visiting, and I've just been quilting away on that same piece - almost done.

I was very excited to hear this morning that my workshop on the Expressive Stitch next month has already sold out, and there is a waiting list! I am hoping the festival will add a second one, but, oops, just felt a wave of performance anxiety wash over me. I must remind myself that stitchers are such a lovely bunch of people, and getting together will be so inspiring and fun that there's nothing to be nervous about. This workshop is part of the annual Gabriola Island of the Arts Festival - there is an amazing lineup of workshops in writing, performing, permaculture, music, visual art, and more. If you are in the neighbourhood, you should come and play! Or make it a destination visit - Gabriola has lots of accommodations, good restaurants and beautiful scenery.

Heather Cameron, Strange and Singular, 2014, Hand embroidery on canvas, 20"x28"

And, what a difference a frame makes! So far, in the Codex series, I have left all the works unframed, just stretched over artist's stretcher bars. My intent was for them to be more like pages in a book, with implied continuity, and less decorative and precious. But as it happened I found a frame at the recycling centre that was the exact size I needed, so rather than using my previous method, I laced the embroidery over the MDF panel that came with the frame (after covering the panel with acid-free barrier paper) and popped it into the simple wood frame. Wow! I like how clean and finished it looks, as well as being somewhat more protected from damage. (There is no glass in the frame. Fabric has to breathe.)