Rocks, Linen… and a Tin of Sardines

I’m sitting and my computer today … and you know what that means.
Blog day.

It’s been one of those weeks in the studio where one idea quietly leads to another, and before I know it, I’m surrounded by some finished and some half-finished pieces, new directions, and a growing pile of possibilities.

I finished the second piece I made last week with the fabric packs and mounted it to go with the first one, which always feels satisfying – bringing things to a small sense of completion before moving on.

Earlier in the week, I taught a Rocks, Pebbles and Stones class, and as often happens, teaching opened a door. It nudged me to try something a little different. Instead of working with my usual hand-dyed fabrics, full of colour, I found myself drawn in the opposite direction – towards white on white. Different linens, subtle textures, quiet layers. I’m thinking of adding some lace here and there, small bits of fabric, before quilting it and eventually adding the 3D rocks on top. It feels calm, and I’m curious to see where it goes. I will share more on this once it is further along.

While looking for something entirely unrelated, I came across a few frames I had bought and painted years ago. They came with canvases – but one of them has mysteriously disappeared. I have no idea where it went. What it left behind, though, was an empty frame asking to be used. So I cut a small piece of foam core, just 4″ square, stitched three little rocks, added some hand stitching, and placed it inside. A couple of tiny rocks in the corner, and suddenly it became a small assemblage. I love when things come together like that, unexpected and simple.

I also went back to an experiment I had started a couple of months ago. I had started to stitch a small piece with rocks, but then it got left aside. After the class, I thought I ought to finish it, so I changed a few of the rocks, and added lots of colonial knots and placed it inside a tin of sardines – clean, of course, and only after I had eaten them. I wanted to see what it would look like. And you know what? I really like it. I can definitely see more of these in my future, perhaps exploring different ideas inside those little tins. It’s a good thing I seem to always have a few on hand… empty and full.

And speaking of sardines – summer is coming, and sometimes there’s nothing better than sardines on toast with tomato slices and a drizzle of olive oil. A perfect warm-day lunch.

Somewhere in between all of this, I worked on a long, narrow scroll – combining a few of my embellished rocks with paper, vintage lace, buttons, and all sorts of textures and tags that lift to reveal what’s underneath. A bit of transparency with cotton organdie, and a piece of mesh I don’t remember where it came from. It’s one of those pieces that kept slowly revealing itself as I worked on it.

I ended up calling it “This morning I don’t know” – a line that stayed with me from a rendition of “Bed of Roses” by Bon Jovi I was listening to while I worked.

There are, clearly, too many ideas flowing at once… but I’ve learned not to question that too much.

Some of them will stay. Some will quietly disappear.

In the evening, as it’s usual, I return to my stitching – working on my book pages, adding a few marks, a few threads. Daily marking the passing of time. And boy! It seems to be going quickly …!

That, more than anything, is what grounds me at the end of the day.

Thanks for reading. Until I write again, I’m off to keep exploring ideas,

Ana