Sea Urchin II is still in process but I am getting better at making French Knots !
needle lace stitched over Whisper silk organza & boar bristles, vintage glass beads, French knots & thread beads
the top resting over the base, will weave them together once all the French knots are done
This wonderful bundle of naturally dyed vintage cloths and threads arrived from Ulrike all the way from Germany!
Frangipani flowers from one of our gardens
Sea Urchin II still in process
Posted: January 11, 2017 by Mo Crow in Braille for the Soul, It's Crow Time, LaceTags: lace, netting, thread
Comments
It's Crow Time 
this is beautiful. makes me want to learn how to make the netting. is it standard lace making technique? I’ve never tried lace, will search for it.
this is just my messy random interpretation of needle lace, proper lacemakers would shudder!
ha. I love it like this. sometimes proper lace is too perfect. this feels much more organic
the Australian textile artist Meredith Woolnough is doing stunning work with a sewing machine on soluble fabric here’s the link to her website
yes, I love her work. beautiful. (I’m in Aus too – Sydney)
French knots hahaha! They are tricky little blighters to get even, aren’t they? But your urchin is coming along beautifully
they are tricky but learning that it’s all about not being too tight with that wrap, used pliers to pull the needle through on a few & then some were too loose & needed mending!
Can I also recommend the work of Eleanor Jane Robinson (http://www.eleanorjanerobinson.com/index.php) also from Newcastle. I have exhibited with her twice and her work is remarkable.
Wow, brilliant sense of line!
Beautiful….dreamy. Loving this sharing, Mo. Exquisite sea urchin….love the frangi pani flower too, never seen one, though use the Monoi oil full of their scent. Did you just weave the silky, lacey threads in a random pattern for the body of the sea urchin or following a stitch? Such a treat to see this in the special space of Winter morning dark before it begins to soften and dissolve…
it’s like a knotted fisherman’s net, I love how all the tiny knots feel like grains of sand, exploring the haptic senses with Braille for the Soul
The sea urchin piece is so beautiful. Thank you for sharing it.
looking forward to seeing how it holds the form when I start weaving the two halves together
Exquisite work, just beautiful. I love frangipani flowers a wonderful scent, we used to grow them when we lived in Dubai, unfortunately can’t grow them here.
perhaps you could grow one in a pot on wheels and bring it inside in winter? I dream of growing peonies, cherries and blue Tibetan poppies but they just shrivel up in our hot summers
such stunning needlework! i love making french knots
slowly getting into the rhythm of them
Your french knots are awesome! I am still struggling the mastery.
this one is all about going very very slowly and how it feels…
Such beauties Mo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(((Els))) will see what happens when the two halves are joined together… am hoping for a springy roundedness
Your sea urchin is so delicate and beautiful, Mo. You are so patient- I always remember my grandmother trying to get me to do French knots which always ended with a tangle of despair! xxx
(((Julie))) one of the good things about getting older is slowing down enough to enjoy the rhythm in the repetition
This is so beautiful Mo, incredible work. Happy new year to you.
Happy First Full Moon of 2017 Doris!
Dear Mo the Magician, Wishing for a movie to watch your hands casting the spells that made this. Beautiful.
Oh Ha! video cameras… I just freeze and turn into a rabbit on the spotlight!
I’m with Hazel … if only a stealth camera could capture the magic of your hands as they weave their magic
I am so slow it would be like watching a snail meandering from one side of the garden path to the other!
I have a soft spot for sea urchins and have a small collection. I have embroidered using them as a design source but yours is capturing the ethereal beauty of them and is much more subtle than mine – beautiful and inspirational
they are so fragile!
This sea urchin is a magical thing, Mo, and a delight to see it as a work in progress.
now is the tricky part, weaving the two halves into a rounded springy urchin-like form
soul-full 🙂 I smile about the French knots – yes – rhythm, repetition, and keep holding the long thread fairly taught before putting the needle back down and through…
am still working on finding that sweet spot
as you say,braille for the soul.. Exciting to think of weaving the halves together.. Such fragile beauty
it’s working!!!
Ooh – fantastic! Go well X
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/echinoid-directory/taxa/taxon.jsp?id=947
Just found this for you! Hope the link works
what a treasure!