Juliette Orton

A little while ago I had the pleasure of introducing my 'Stitch'n'Rip' technique to some members of Marlborough Embroiderers' Guild in a 1 day workshop. I remember receiving this booking nearly a year ago and I am always shocked by how quickly time passes! I started the workshop by showing some examples of my work which use the 'Sitch'n'Rip' technique and several of my sketchbooks were available to look at and use for inspiration.          I then explained the different stages of the 'Stitch'n;Rip' technique and gave my students materials so that they could have a go at making a flower in order to understand the process. They created some fantastic flowers!               Having gained an understanding of the technique, I gave the ladies some materials to create their own interpretation of one of my Plume pieces. On a linen background, they combined paper layers which included some pre-printed ...

I recently gave a talk to the Bedford Embroiderers' Guild and as I presented my sketchbooks and artworks many of the attendees admitted that they just didn't know where to start with new ideas.  I explained how I went about it and how sometimes inspiration can come from the most unexpected places - such as a cup of coffee! In this instance I just loved the shapes that the milk foam formed (or 'Latte Art' as those in the know call it apparently!) and as I am a lover of nature instantly saw an emerging bud with beautifully veined leaves. This led me to open my sketchbook and start drawing and developing the shapes. I loved the flowing forms and started to think of different media that I could use to explore them further. I used wire to recreate the shapes and bound threads and papers around them to add colour and texture. I also used scrunched up magazine pages (with floral images) and machine stitching to present the shapes in another way. ...