For a long time I have been a keen photographer. My passion is photographing birds and flowers and I have hundreds (make that thousands) of photos filed on the computer. Digital photography transformed my hobby, and now that it costs nothing to take 100 photos of the same thing, well, of course, I do just that, though I do throw most of them out!
Very occasionally I am really happy with a photo, but, being the perfectionist that I am, that is a rare occurrence. However, I make a policy of keeping at least one photo of an item, no matter how bad it is, so that I have a record of a bird seen or a flower discovered.
There is really not much to like about the photo below in terms of photography - the tail end of a bird on the right, a seagull in the way in the centre etc - full of flaws. However, I decided to keep it because I liked the stance of these majestic Pelicans:
In fact when I was thinking of a design using these amazing birds, I decided to use this photo to produce some applique. It was a very simple procedure, just printing out the photo in black and white, tracing the outlines of what I wanted and ignoring all the extraneous matter. A flip of the traced outlines for fusible webbing, a bit of sewing and we have a cushion:
This design appeared recently in Patchwork & Stitching magazine Vol 16 No 2 just in time for the Summer holidays here.
Here's another of my flawed photos - a Scarlet Robin with a tangled mess of branches:
Yes, I could edit the photo and remove all the rubbish, but I like taking the photos not spending all day making them decent. I would rather do that with needle and thread:
Here's another fuzzy photo - a red-capped Robin:
This one was turned into a cross-stitch:
The moral in the story is that not everything with flaws needs to be thrown out. With a bit of artistic licence and a needle and thread, they can be transformed into something of beauty.
I hope you had happy Christmas celebrations as we did. Ours were much quieter this year with just a few of our family with us. We're looking forward to seeing some of those who have been away when they return in a few weeks - I just love having family around!
Meanwhile I have been busy stitching the new 2015 free Block of the Month design that I have for you. I'm afraid that all nine blocks are not going to be complete and made into a wall-hanging, but the first block will be ready for launching as planned on 11th January.
Talking of free designs, there are just four more days for you to collect all the 2014 "Shining Like the Dawn" patterns, so download them now before they are no longer available.
Happy stitching!
Val
8 comments:
As always, your work just astounds me. You find beauty in everything you do. Such talent.
Val, I love your photos and how you've turned them into such beautiful 'needlework' - you are so creative and talented. The pelicans - both the photo and the cushion - tug at my heart. :)
Val, your photography has always been astounding, but what you've done with it blows me away!! I've always wanted to do the same, but have yet to take the time. Lovely work. Happy New Year!
Hi, I love your pictures and also how you turned them into needlework. They are beautiful! It the bird crock-stitch available for purchase? I love birds and doing them in cross-stitch. Have a Happy New Year! Hugs, Sandi
So inspirational and creative! Thanks for sharing.
Turning photos into stitched treasures is a beautiful way to enjoy memories everyday. I also love your bookmarks in the previous post. Blessings with Peace and Joy for all of 2015...
How clever are you! Some stunning stitching there. Thanks for sharing.
What a fantastic idea Val. Thanks for sharing it. Looking forward to your next BOM.
Cheers, Tracy.
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