Reflecting and looking foward.

Happy New Year !

As January dawns I always find myself looking back at the year gone by, reflecting on the highs and lows and planning for the next 12 months.

For the purpose of this blog it will definitely be highs and I'm so lucky that their have been many.

I've had my work featured in some lovely magazines including this one, Be Creative, its a really beautiful publication and seems to be going from strength to strength.

I was fortunate to exhibit my work at Made in Cheltenham and it was here I met Andy Poplar from Vinegar and Brown Paper. This sparked an idea for a collaboration and one of my favourite ever pieces was the result. It sold very quickly. I do hope we can do more.

 

New work was a theme for last year too, I created new pieces for an exhibition at Unit Twelve in Staffordshire. Based on a kitchen garden theme these were embroidered seed packets with visiting creatures. I will be back to this lovely venue in August to teach some workshops.

In October I was delighted to be accepted as a member of the Society for Embroidered Work this organisation promotes embroidery as an art form. Take a look at their website, so inspiring.

The year ended with another order from Liberty London, my husband and I delivered in person and enjoyed a smashing day taking in the Christmas atmosphere.

2019 will bring lots of workshops and an exciting collaborative launch, please sign up to my newsletter to get all my latest offers and events. I'm really excited to see what this year has in store.

 

A piece just for you - commssioning work.

 

 

 Out and about and fairs and events I'm often asked about commissioning work, the options, the process the costs involved etc.
I've been very fortunate to have made work for some lovely occasions; weddings, Christenings, special birthdays and a house warming.
The wonderful  thing about butterflies is that to many people they have sentimental meaning and they can also be attached to specific locations. They are a symbol of the fragility of life, rebirth  and remembrance.

Any bespoke piece starts with a conversation about the intended recipient, do they have a favourite butterfly or is this to be location based ? I then start to research species and their specific habitats. Some customers want the butterflies to have this level of accuracy, others just love a particular butterfly.
There are lots of discussions at this stage, I may send you photos or sketches of ideas to choose from. With location specific commissions, where I mount butterflies on their map locations, I may need your postcode to find the appropriate vintage Ordnance Survey map.

 

I am happy to supply the butterflies framed or unframed. I can also offer a limited number of beautiful antique butterfly cases, these came originally from the Natural History Museum.

 Any size of piece is possible from a 25cm frame to 50cm and everywhere in between and beyond.

As well as vintage map backgrounds, butterflies can be mounted on original artwork. I always add an embroidered linen label with the species Latin name. There is an artist label on the reverse of the work which has an individual serial number.

So please do not hesitate if you have any ideas, I will be happy to start a conversation.
Prices start at £150.

How to hatch a Swallowtail.

 

Hello everyone, I thought it might be a good idea to show you the processes that go into one of my pieces. One of the questions I get asked most when I'm out and about with my hatchlings is 'how long do they take ?'  

So here goes.....  Making a Liberty Swallowtail.

Each butterfly begins with a drawing, either from a specimen, book illustration, photograph or a combination of all three. I create a line drawing which simplifies the wing patterns .

 

The next stage is to break the patterns down into colour layers, these can be any number but usually about three or four. These are then traced onto bondaweb. I then select the fabrics that best match the colours of the particular species.

 

Each of these layers are then applied to individual fabrics and cut out. I use a very sharp pair of scissors. On the Swallowtail the black layer is fairly complex, this can take well over an hour.

The layers are then fused together and placed on a background of silk with another one of interfacing. This creates a stable base for embroidery.

I can then begin to stitch, looking very closely at my original source material, I satin stitch the edges of each wing part.

Next I cover each piece with a voile or organza and stitch the veins on the wings.
Using my very sharp scissors I then cut away parts of this layer to reveal what's underneath.

This creates iridescence and depth.

 
I then apply more free motion embroidery to add interest, it's this stage where the piece can come to life. The separate wings are stitched together to complete the butterfly's shape.

Hand stitching tiny beads and sequins adds texture. I then felt a body from pure wool, referring to photos, sewing bead eyes and antennae of hemp string.
And he's finished.

 

To answer that familiar question, about three and a half hours, without the sketching stage.

 

Stitching at Liberty, a wonderful evening !

I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to write down my thoughts about my recent trip to Liberty.

 

It all started with an email a few weeks ago asking me if I’d be interested in giving a demonstration in the beautiful haberdashery department. About twice a year, I think, the store hosts a Lotto evening with entertainment throughout the store and a chance to win discounts on purchases through a scratch card system.

After thinking for all of three seconds, I booked my train and accepted the invitation. For those of you who have read my blog before you know my love of Liberty and that having my work in the store is the greatest achievement in my embroidery career. So actually stitching within those beautiful walls was yet another dream come true.

I decided to work on a Purple Emperor butterfly, in iconic Tana lawn prints, purple is also such a Liberty colour.

 

Along with the butterfly I took my threads, beads and needle felting equipment, sketchbooks and patterns so people could see my processes.

 

The day dawned and I made my way to the station, I was fortunate that my hubby had work in the city on the same day so he came with me. It was just as well as I was also delivering a new order to the store, comprising of seven framed pieces, so the help was greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

As I entered the store I noticed a board with all the details of the day’s events, my name was on it. I was so thrilled.

The staff in the haberdashery are so lovely, especially Rachel who went out of her way to make me feel welcome. I was there with Alice Garrett of Alice Caroline and Petra Boase. We set up and got chatting, only to discover that Petra and I did the same degree course in Manchester, one year apart. It was brilliant reminiscing and made the evening just speed by.

 

I had to get to grips with a Janome machine, we eventually made friends though I won’t be swapping my Bernina. It was so nice to chat with customers and explain the process of making the butterflies.

The evening went really quickly, the store was buzzing with customers, live music and flowing Prosecco. I had a surprise visit from one of my dearest friends too, so that made it special. Having Richard, my husband, with me too was just perfect he is a constant support to me. It was such a lovely experience, with some retail therapy thrown in, and the chance to see behind the scenes, I will never forget it.

 

The Purple Emperor is now finished, I’ve named him Arthur after the original Mr Liberty. Thank you to my very special friend, Linda, for the suggestion.

I think I’ll hang on to Arthur, stitched within the walls of Liberty he is a very unique hatchling indeed.

 

 

 

They've Landed !

As you may know from my previous posts the greatest thing that has ever happened to me, creatively, happened this year. My work is for sale in Liberty of London. If you read my blog you will know that my love of all things Liberty began at the age of 7.

Well at the end of last month I finally got to see them in the 'flesh' or should that be fabric, in their new home. Lovely friends beat me to it and sent me pictures of them, but nothing could compare to the feeling of seeing them myself.

It started with this sign, proclaiming the new Haberdashery, its wonderful to see a department like this developing. I remember seeing the outrage on social media when John Lewis threatened that their habby would be going.

I felt like a child creeping downstairs on Christmas morning to unwrap their presents, except in reverse as I ascended the amazing wooden staircase towards the third floor. My heart was beating so fast and the emotion rising as I got nearer.

I walked through the door and there they were, sitting against a pale grey wall. It was so difficult to take it all in.

Inevitably, I burst into tears and my lovely hubby took a picture !

The haberdashery is glorious, with wonderful vintage tables displaying beautiful notions and materials. There are also work tables, the walls are lined with inspirational mood boards too.

I would highly recommend a visit, there is so much to see and I bet you won't be able to leave empty handed.

Dreams can come true !

2017 has got off to a very exciting start, in fact probably the most exciting thing that has ever happened in my creative life.

It all began on a Saturday December at a craft fair in Chagford, Devon. It had been a really great day, it was an incredibly busy I was feeling very positive about my work and the way ideas had been developing. Then in came a lady busting with positive energy, I hadn't met her before in person but I had received a lovely email from her after she read my blog on my love for Liberty fabrics and how I used them in my work.

Her name is Linda Bassett, her Instagram handle is Liberty Lindy Lou   https://www.instagram.com/libertylindylou/?hl=en
She is incredibly passionate about all things Liberty and stitch related. Her feed is very inspirational and well worth a look. Linda developed a great relationship with Ed Burstall the American MD of the store, and continued to have strong connections with the buying team after he left.

We managed to have a lovely conversation, over my stall in between customers. Linda took a few photos and said she would send them to Liberty. I was thrilled but at the same time I didn't dare believe that anything would happen.

I have loved the Liberty brand ever since visiting for the first time with my Mum at the age of 7. I clearly remember the beautiful wooden staircases, the amazing colourful scarves and the sense of history that seemed to ooze from the walls. Mum bought me a lovely gold box containing a foam bath oil and soap, but the best thing was the black and white picture of the store on the lid.
Today it is full of tiny scraps of Liberty fabric.

My Liberty box

My passion continued as a student when I became a regular visitor to the Manchester branch of the store, especially at sale time.
I had also, a few years ago, taken my wearable butterflies to the Open Call at the store, a fantastic and positive experience. The process was filmed for the Channel 4 documentary but unfortunately I ended up on the cutting room floor.


Three Liberty Peacocks

So I continued to work with these beautiful fabrics and decided to work on a bigger scale and create British butterflies and moths.
Anyway back to this December, the day after the Chagford Fair an email arrived from Liberty, asking me for details about my butterflies. I think I almost stopped breathing I was just so determined to get this right. A week of emails between myself and Julie Hassan, the senior buyer for home, led to an appointment to go to London to take samples.
I had about three weeks to make new pieces and prepare myself, all the time pinching myself that this was really happening.

 

The day arrived, I had planned it down to the finest detail train times, parking, tube routes nothing left to chance. As you might expect I was incredibly nervous, I had a little time to kill when I arrived in Regent's Street so I lapped the store and found a little café for a cup of chamomile tea.

 

 

After entering the Liberty office building I waited a few minutes and was called to take the lift to the third floor. Here I was met by Julie, she put me at ease straight away. She was so easy to talk to and very encouraging, her buying experience meant she knew exactly what would work and how the pieces would be presented. I think I was maybe there for about 45 minutes and then emerged onto Kingly Street, excited and emotional. I rang my sister and we both burst into tears.

 

A dream come true is an understatement, my work will be stocked by Liberty of London! I owe so much to Linda and I cannot thank her enough.  

 

I will write about the new pieces I created for my first order in my next blog!

Workshops 2017. Get crafty.

Hello everyone, I've been mapping out my new year and thought I'd let you know about the workshops I have planned for 2017.
I have some lovely new venues and a combination of hand and machine stitching.
Workshops are great fun and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach some fantastic talented students, who very often inspire me.
My first career was as a Primary school teacher so I love the process of presenting a group with the same project and seeing all the different ways it can be interpreted.

 

 My first workshop is on Saturday 25th March at The Magpies Nest, Bideford. This is hand stitching on silk applique creating this cute Blue Tit in a hoop. More details https://www.facebook.com/TheMagpiesNestBideford/?fref=ts

Next I'm back at the fantastic Make at Monteray. 25th April.
This is a machine applique and embroidery workshop, the idea being to learn new techniques and gain confidence with your machine. You will produce a lovely butterfly cushion in your choice of colours.
http://www.make-at-monteray.co.uk/events/craft-workshop/machine-applique-butterfly-cushion-with-heather-everitt.html

In May 20th,  I'm back with the members of Exeter's Embroiderer's Guild, this time with a landscape workshop. As an added bonus we will be joined by members of the Young Embroiderer's Guild, which will be great. https://exeterembroiderersguild.org/

Blue Tit Brooch

Poppy Brooch

 

In October 4th, I will be in Barnstaple, with the members of the West Country Embroiderers. This is a new workshop making a bird and a poppy brooch.  http://www.westcountryembroiderers.co.uk/

So if you interested please click on the links or contact me directly on mail@heatheremb.co.uk 
It would be lovely to see you.