In case I haven’t raved enough about “All Creatures” here…it’s absolutely wonderful! So life-affirming. And my husband, who likes action/adventure/war movies/shoot ‘em ups is hooked too!
Hubby and I signed up for PBS via Amazon and binged All Creatures. .. We get to season 4 and we have to pay for each episode! Streaming services need to get organized.
I agree! We can’t stream where we live so we have to wait for the DVD. It teaches patience if nothing else! At least we know what to get each other for Christmas next December 😊
What an uplifting post - and such a thrill to see your art, Prue, you are truly gifted. The embroidery is unlike anything I've ever seen, it's like those ancient botanical china patterns captured in threads. UN-real! We of course also adore All Creatures here as it helps us get through Canadian winters with something decent to watch - did you see The Durrells in Corfu, also really super. I love Jilly Cooper especially her earliest books each with a single name as the title! (Esp 'Harriet!') And that poor terrier and his wee toe - and poor you, for being the one who has to administer the "faerie dust." I am hoping that the antiseptic potion will soon be done ... hugs to you both from the land of ice and snow xo
Sue, its lovely to see you here! I've so enjoyed your blog post this week. I wish we could entice you to Substack, I know you'd fly!
Adored the Durrells in Corfu and the doco that Keely Hawes did after it was all over about the filming of all the series in Corfu. We have a family we adore here whom we call the Durrells - exciting, exotic and filled with joie de vivre.
Yes, love all things Cooper. There's one called 'Prudence'!
The Chinese embroidery is something I admire but will never tackle. I have acquaintances here who study with a master. The thing with Chinese embroidery is that it is the same front and back. You cannot tell the difference. Finishing is exquisite. That's so far beyond me as to be in a far-off galaxy. The silk threads alone are so fine, it's breathtaking.
As for the Terrier - GRRRR! from both sides!!!!! XXXXX
Prue! I am coming to Substack soon! Watch this space ... I just have to find out how to migrate the ENTIRE blog over but I am totally on board this time. Dear Ramona has some excellent step-by-step on her WriterEverlasting blog that I will be following to the T once I have a few days to devote ... thank you for the support as always! xo
But just to put your mind at ease, I never managed the transfer. I actually got my webman to do it for me. He handles my domain name, etc and any technical glitches that occur. I'm a total techno-dunce!
I love stumpwork! I love the name! I don't know that I've ever known anyone who has done it, though, and it's a shame because I see it's extraordinarily beautiful. Wow!
Anything I can't do? Where do I begin? Maybe that's another post!
Stumpwork essentially dates from the Stuart Era, but you can imagine that the 20th and 21st centuries with dyes, weaves, improvements in metals and so forth, have taken it to the highest levels. Jane's work is the apogee as I say. But check out the work of Jenny Adin-Christie. It's breathtaking in an entirely different way. Jenny worked on Princess Catherine's wedding veil and other royal garments since...
I just looked at her website. So many gorgeous things! My mother did beautiful crewelwork, and I've done a little of it myself, but yours are so intricate, and the raised pieces are so special!
I still have a 'need' to embroider 'The Owl and The Pussycat' bookcover from Jenny Adin Christie but it has vast amounts of needlelacing and that is my least favourite stitch of all time. It brings me to tears. I'm afraid I will mess the kit up utterly.
I think that's the thing, Terry. Always be open to opportunity and Fate. Maybe the Vikings had it right from the get-go. The Norns will lead you to exciting places. Didn't Uhtred of Bebbanburg say 'Destiny is all.' ?
Oh yay! I'm SO delighted to finally get to see your work! And they are stunning Prue!! And great to see you have them framed and up to enjoy every day. Wow. After reading the Stumpwork robe I'm especially appreciative of the work that has gone into making those images (and all your words to create that world too!). So lifelike and evocative of real creatures. What an amazing skill you have to be able to create such emotion and life in these sculptures. Thank you thank you for sharing them with us.
Thank you for the prompt, Sabrina. I may have been too afraid to write about it otherwise.
The thing is that anyone can learn stumpwork. Jane took that very first class on the assumption, that no one had ever stitched any sort of stitch in their lives before.
She's a brilliant and clear communicator and would sit one on one with anyone in difficulty. She also used a white board and had the knack of drawing large images of how she wanted our needle to move. She's a former maths teacher and approached everything with that fine analytic mind. I'm much more haphazard. She's the true embodiment of a Renaissance mind - science and art bound together. The Americans loved her and would invite her back year after year.
Jane sounds like a brilliant teacher and you have been so fortunate to have her as a friend too. I have been doing some embroidery off and on (mostly off) since I was a teenager, and now I have returned to it again for a mural project. But honestly, I am not precise or patient enough to accomplish the level of work you have done. I probably could be taught what to do and how, but I still wouldn't be patient enough to persist. But I love the movement of the needle through the fabric creating the patterns. And am happy to plod away at that level!
Wow! That is an incredible tour! I am inspired, to say the least! I will keep going, and am happy to have reconnected with the needle and thread in a way that feels sustainable for now. Thank you for the encouragement and resources to further inspire me!
You are SUCH a talented lady. Extraordinary. There is always more to learn in this world. I have a feeling I thought stumpwork was something farmers did after felling trees!! How embarrassing. Grin.
Enjoy this wonderful time of year my dear - the sun, the sea, the salt air. I’ll sit here and listen to the birds and be thankful for the amazing people I follow on Substack. All the best. 🤗🤗😘
What are the right words? Sumptuous? Masterful? Inspired? All of these! I have always held a fascination for needlework. Though far from accomplished, I have at least dabbled in it and thus have some sense of the attentiveness and artistry involved in your work (and your teacher's). The 3-dimensional aspect takes it over the top!
And amid all that, I want to shine a light on your husband for bringing your work out of the bunker. It most certainly deserves to be seen, and what a glorious display he created. Brava!!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm at pains to let everyone know though, that with the right teacher, no matter what stitches you know or don't, this is within the bounds of everyone's capabilities.
Do you know I used to be called Elephant Stitches by my Home Economics Teacher in High School?
It certainly induced a complete loss of confidence in my abilities and having a mum who was seriously brilliant with a needle didn't help, despite that Mum was so encouraging.
It wasn't until I was pregnant and saw infants' clothing embroidered with this and that and thought that I might just be able to overcome my trepidation. I suppose the rest is history, really.
Thank you because at the time I cried (11 years old) AND like many nasty, bullying things, one never forgets. That's the thing with elephants, you see...
Rereading, I see that you used the word sumptuous already. I must have inadvertently "borrowed" it. 😬 Elephant Stitches sounds endearing. I hope it felt that way to you. I must ask: Do you use magnifiers, or is your eyesight still strong enough to see with the level of precision needed?
Also, I meant to write this earlier: I love that you took handcraft and turned it into a whole novel, a series even.That's just amazing! I went looking, just now, for where I could find a set of the books and came up a little short. I can find the first in paperback, but it seems all the others only show up as Kindle editions. Am I looking in the wrong places?
Thanks so much for going to seek the books, Elizabeth. But no print until later in the year.
They are all having a springclean and re-publish for print and for e-book now that Book Five has been released. They will still have the same covers but the title of The Stumpwork Robe is looking like it may change.
Re the embroidery - yes, I wear magnifiers clipped onto my strongest reading glasses. I'd be hopeless without. My eyesight started to weaken not long after I started to learn stumpwork. I don't think that was connected. I think I had reached the age (40-50) where sight does start to change. I had hoped things would improve when I had cataracts removed about 5 years ago but not so, sadly. Long distance vision did but not close-up. Sometimes I use the magnifiers to give myself a good mani/pedi!
Wow, wow, wow and again wow, Prue - your stumpwork is absolutely incredible. I love reading about people's creative passions, and I feel I know you better now that I've seen what you create with fibre and stitch - it's wonderful.
And thank you so much Sabrina for asking you to show us!
Hugs and pats to the Terrier, poor chap. That must be one very sore paw..... 🐾
I love your writing, Prue, and it turns out I love your art just as much!
Re the Terrier - things took a turn for the worst and after a week of sending images to the city vet from my phone and being encouraged to plug on with what I was doing, I finally decided I just couldn't keep up the war with the little chap. So I made a vet's appointment for tomorrow and took him for repeated swims in the salt water and then wrapped the foot in a bandage. It took a little of the stress away and he wasn't able to lick and thus get the shakes.
Today, on venturing to town ready for tomorrow - I purchased baby socks sized 000, and taped one on his foot. It's light, breathable and switches off the terrifying lick syndrome as if one has flicked a switch. He's actually sleeping as I write this. I feel less anxious too.
They plan to sedate him and give his claw and paw a real going-over, so I imagine when he comes home, he will have antibiotics, pain relief and the horrid cone of shame.
I think the baby sock works a treat! But it doesn't cure a bad infection...
Oh gosh, Prue, I'm sorry the injury is proving problematic - the poor Terrier. It sounds as if the baby sock idea was exactly right - it's obviously calmed him down, and you too, of course.
Cone of shame? Might I suggest a rebrand to 'badge of honour'? I remember always being so proud at school whenever I had a graze or a cut which required a plaster (band-aid), and would take great pleasure out of any extra attention I would be able to squeeze out of people as a result...... 😊
Sending love, strength and positive vibes to you both for a good trip to the vet tomorrow. 😘
Stunning stump work. (Say that 5x really fast.)
I never knew the name of that art form. I want to touch it.
We Love All Creatures…!
That's what I was like when I first saw it, CK. My hand inched out and I was desperate to touch.
In case I haven’t raved enough about “All Creatures” here…it’s absolutely wonderful! So life-affirming. And my husband, who likes action/adventure/war movies/shoot ‘em ups is hooked too!
Hubby and I signed up for PBS via Amazon and binged All Creatures. .. We get to season 4 and we have to pay for each episode! Streaming services need to get organized.
I agree! We can’t stream where we live so we have to wait for the DVD. It teaches patience if nothing else! At least we know what to get each other for Christmas next December 😊
Great gift. I may have to splurge on the $2 per episode if we can’t figure out this odd streaming.
CK, sign up for Britbox. It's worth it.
I'm tempted. Do they stream all the BBC shows? My mom recommended Shakespeare and Hathaway, Death in Paradise... Ghosts was hilarious!
It's a feel-good for all ages and tastes, that's for sure.
What an uplifting post - and such a thrill to see your art, Prue, you are truly gifted. The embroidery is unlike anything I've ever seen, it's like those ancient botanical china patterns captured in threads. UN-real! We of course also adore All Creatures here as it helps us get through Canadian winters with something decent to watch - did you see The Durrells in Corfu, also really super. I love Jilly Cooper especially her earliest books each with a single name as the title! (Esp 'Harriet!') And that poor terrier and his wee toe - and poor you, for being the one who has to administer the "faerie dust." I am hoping that the antiseptic potion will soon be done ... hugs to you both from the land of ice and snow xo
Sue, its lovely to see you here! I've so enjoyed your blog post this week. I wish we could entice you to Substack, I know you'd fly!
Adored the Durrells in Corfu and the doco that Keely Hawes did after it was all over about the filming of all the series in Corfu. We have a family we adore here whom we call the Durrells - exciting, exotic and filled with joie de vivre.
Yes, love all things Cooper. There's one called 'Prudence'!
The Chinese embroidery is something I admire but will never tackle. I have acquaintances here who study with a master. The thing with Chinese embroidery is that it is the same front and back. You cannot tell the difference. Finishing is exquisite. That's so far beyond me as to be in a far-off galaxy. The silk threads alone are so fine, it's breathtaking.
As for the Terrier - GRRRR! from both sides!!!!! XXXXX
Prue! I am coming to Substack soon! Watch this space ... I just have to find out how to migrate the ENTIRE blog over but I am totally on board this time. Dear Ramona has some excellent step-by-step on her WriterEverlasting blog that I will be following to the T once I have a few days to devote ... thank you for the support as always! xo
Delighted.
But just to put your mind at ease, I never managed the transfer. I actually got my webman to do it for me. He handles my domain name, etc and any technical glitches that occur. I'm a total techno-dunce!
I love stumpwork! I love the name! I don't know that I've ever known anyone who has done it, though, and it's a shame because I see it's extraordinarily beautiful. Wow!
Is there anything you can't do, Prue? 💕
Oh Ramona! I'm laughing as I write this.
Anything I can't do? Where do I begin? Maybe that's another post!
Stumpwork essentially dates from the Stuart Era, but you can imagine that the 20th and 21st centuries with dyes, weaves, improvements in metals and so forth, have taken it to the highest levels. Jane's work is the apogee as I say. But check out the work of Jenny Adin-Christie. It's breathtaking in an entirely different way. Jenny worked on Princess Catherine's wedding veil and other royal garments since...
I just looked at her website. So many gorgeous things! My mother did beautiful crewelwork, and I've done a little of it myself, but yours are so intricate, and the raised pieces are so special!
I still have a 'need' to embroider 'The Owl and The Pussycat' bookcover from Jenny Adin Christie but it has vast amounts of needlelacing and that is my least favourite stitch of all time. It brings me to tears. I'm afraid I will mess the kit up utterly.
I see what you mean. It's spectacular! I love those little seaside cottages, too.
I'd never heard of stumpwork. The examples you've shown are very beautiful, and it's a lovely story of how one thing can lead to so many others
I think that's the thing, Terry. Always be open to opportunity and Fate. Maybe the Vikings had it right from the get-go. The Norns will lead you to exciting places. Didn't Uhtred of Bebbanburg say 'Destiny is all.' ?
Oh yay! I'm SO delighted to finally get to see your work! And they are stunning Prue!! And great to see you have them framed and up to enjoy every day. Wow. After reading the Stumpwork robe I'm especially appreciative of the work that has gone into making those images (and all your words to create that world too!). So lifelike and evocative of real creatures. What an amazing skill you have to be able to create such emotion and life in these sculptures. Thank you thank you for sharing them with us.
Thank you for the prompt, Sabrina. I may have been too afraid to write about it otherwise.
The thing is that anyone can learn stumpwork. Jane took that very first class on the assumption, that no one had ever stitched any sort of stitch in their lives before.
She's a brilliant and clear communicator and would sit one on one with anyone in difficulty. She also used a white board and had the knack of drawing large images of how she wanted our needle to move. She's a former maths teacher and approached everything with that fine analytic mind. I'm much more haphazard. She's the true embodiment of a Renaissance mind - science and art bound together. The Americans loved her and would invite her back year after year.
Jane sounds like a brilliant teacher and you have been so fortunate to have her as a friend too. I have been doing some embroidery off and on (mostly off) since I was a teenager, and now I have returned to it again for a mural project. But honestly, I am not precise or patient enough to accomplish the level of work you have done. I probably could be taught what to do and how, but I still wouldn't be patient enough to persist. But I love the movement of the needle through the fabric creating the patterns. And am happy to plod away at that level!
Sabrina, keep going. There are some of the best teachers in the world in the UK.
Check out Jenny Adin-Christie!!! Amazing work. A wonderful woman who has small residential classes. Nicki Franklin. Becky Hogg. And how about this: https://www.needleworktours.com.au/tours/the-queen-to-queen-embroidery-lecture-and-workshop-tour/tutors
Wow! That is an incredible tour! I am inspired, to say the least! I will keep going, and am happy to have reconnected with the needle and thread in a way that feels sustainable for now. Thank you for the encouragement and resources to further inspire me!
I am SO GLAD that you had asked Prue to show us, Sabrina! 🙌
Oh this is all so lovely! What a community!
You are SUCH a talented lady. Extraordinary. There is always more to learn in this world. I have a feeling I thought stumpwork was something farmers did after felling trees!! How embarrassing. Grin.
Enjoy this wonderful time of year my dear - the sun, the sea, the salt air. I’ll sit here and listen to the birds and be thankful for the amazing people I follow on Substack. All the best. 🤗🤗😘
Exactly the connection I made in the beginning, Beth - the stumpjump plough!
Happy days!
What are the right words? Sumptuous? Masterful? Inspired? All of these! I have always held a fascination for needlework. Though far from accomplished, I have at least dabbled in it and thus have some sense of the attentiveness and artistry involved in your work (and your teacher's). The 3-dimensional aspect takes it over the top!
And amid all that, I want to shine a light on your husband for bringing your work out of the bunker. It most certainly deserves to be seen, and what a glorious display he created. Brava!!
Thank you, Elizabeth. I'm at pains to let everyone know though, that with the right teacher, no matter what stitches you know or don't, this is within the bounds of everyone's capabilities.
Do you know I used to be called Elephant Stitches by my Home Economics Teacher in High School?
Some teachers have a lot to answer for, Prue. That comment by your HE teacher has really made me cross.
Exactly -- !! I didn't frame my concern well at all in my comment below, but gosh! Grr!
It certainly induced a complete loss of confidence in my abilities and having a mum who was seriously brilliant with a needle didn't help, despite that Mum was so encouraging.
It wasn't until I was pregnant and saw infants' clothing embroidered with this and that and thought that I might just be able to overcome my trepidation. I suppose the rest is history, really.
Thank you because at the time I cried (11 years old) AND like many nasty, bullying things, one never forgets. That's the thing with elephants, you see...
These things always stay with us, don't they? I had similar experiences, too - never forgotten!
Maybe there's a post there...
😁
Rereading, I see that you used the word sumptuous already. I must have inadvertently "borrowed" it. 😬 Elephant Stitches sounds endearing. I hope it felt that way to you. I must ask: Do you use magnifiers, or is your eyesight still strong enough to see with the level of precision needed?
Also, I meant to write this earlier: I love that you took handcraft and turned it into a whole novel, a series even.That's just amazing! I went looking, just now, for where I could find a set of the books and came up a little short. I can find the first in paperback, but it seems all the others only show up as Kindle editions. Am I looking in the wrong places?
Thanks so much for going to seek the books, Elizabeth. But no print until later in the year.
They are all having a springclean and re-publish for print and for e-book now that Book Five has been released. They will still have the same covers but the title of The Stumpwork Robe is looking like it may change.
Re the embroidery - yes, I wear magnifiers clipped onto my strongest reading glasses. I'd be hopeless without. My eyesight started to weaken not long after I started to learn stumpwork. I don't think that was connected. I think I had reached the age (40-50) where sight does start to change. I had hoped things would improve when I had cataracts removed about 5 years ago but not so, sadly. Long distance vision did but not close-up. Sometimes I use the magnifiers to give myself a good mani/pedi!
All good to know! Thanks, Prue.
I did not know of stump work. How very lovely. I'm glad they are back on the wall for you to cherish.
Thank you, Janice. Sometimes, it's nice to look back on achievements. This was one such moment.
I really enjoyed this post. It gave me a glimpse into your busy and pleasurable life. Thanks so much,
Martin
Thank you, Martin.
Wow, wow, wow and again wow, Prue - your stumpwork is absolutely incredible. I love reading about people's creative passions, and I feel I know you better now that I've seen what you create with fibre and stitch - it's wonderful.
And thank you so much Sabrina for asking you to show us!
Hugs and pats to the Terrier, poor chap. That must be one very sore paw..... 🐾
I love your writing, Prue, and it turns out I love your art just as much!
I second Rebecca’s comments! Incredible skills!
Thank you... my cheeks are hot...
Thanks so much, Rebecca.
Re the Terrier - things took a turn for the worst and after a week of sending images to the city vet from my phone and being encouraged to plug on with what I was doing, I finally decided I just couldn't keep up the war with the little chap. So I made a vet's appointment for tomorrow and took him for repeated swims in the salt water and then wrapped the foot in a bandage. It took a little of the stress away and he wasn't able to lick and thus get the shakes.
Today, on venturing to town ready for tomorrow - I purchased baby socks sized 000, and taped one on his foot. It's light, breathable and switches off the terrifying lick syndrome as if one has flicked a switch. He's actually sleeping as I write this. I feel less anxious too.
They plan to sedate him and give his claw and paw a real going-over, so I imagine when he comes home, he will have antibiotics, pain relief and the horrid cone of shame.
I think the baby sock works a treat! But it doesn't cure a bad infection...
Oh gosh, Prue, I'm sorry the injury is proving problematic - the poor Terrier. It sounds as if the baby sock idea was exactly right - it's obviously calmed him down, and you too, of course.
Cone of shame? Might I suggest a rebrand to 'badge of honour'? I remember always being so proud at school whenever I had a graze or a cut which required a plaster (band-aid), and would take great pleasure out of any extra attention I would be able to squeeze out of people as a result...... 😊
Sending love, strength and positive vibes to you both for a good trip to the vet tomorrow. 😘
Such beautiful work, thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Maree. It's a pleasure.
Your work is amazing and beautiful. Stump work is a new to me; I'm in awe of it.
Thank you, Mary. I'm very much an amateur but when one manages one of the elements, its a pretty good feeling.