a stitch in time

Still here

julieb — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:42:00 +0000

Still here, still coughing but working and enjoying it

A few pages from my sketchbook

Knitting and Stitching Show

julieb — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:41:00 +0000

This years Knitting and Stitching show at Harrogate takes place 19th -22nd November

Some of my work will be on display at the University of Cumbria stand and I will be at the show on Sunday 22nd November if anyone wants to say hello

For more details see http://www.twistedthread.com/

Owl at Sunset Handbag

julieb — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:05:00 +0000

Just listed on the juliebtextiles shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/juliebull

Owl at Sunset Handbag

julieb — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:05:00 +0000

After a week of swine flu I looked in the mirror this morning and saw a Halloween face staring back - or did I just overdo the make up?

Busy Busy Busy

julieb — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:35:00 +0100

Back to uni next week so busy sorting out and organising my work

Ive made a few important decisions

1. I finally have a title for the series, Ive been using "the survivor series" as a working title but Ive now decided on "Tales from the Welsh Wood"

2. My pieces will be known as embroidered cloths - Ive decided against making them into quilts

3. I would like to self publish an illustrated book to accompany the exhibition, telling the Tales and the inspiration behind them

Ive started a Character file with a profile on each character, templates and drawings and this is proving to be really helpful in building the stories and linking them together

New characters are emerging all the time the latest is this little chap

Had some good news this week about venues for the MA show - more on this later as dates are to be confirmed - weird to be sorting out dates for 2011 already!

Will leave you with the amazing sunset over blackpool last night

Reporting Abuse

julieb — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:15:00 +0100

One of the biggest problems for adult survivors is the issue of whether or not to report childhood abuse after such a long period of time

There have been successful prosecutions many years later if sufficient evidence is available (medical records etc) but generally the Crown Prosecution Service will take into account the abusers age and state of health and whether they are considered to be a danger to the public (eg abusing other children), the time elapsed, the cost of bringing the case to court and the likelhood of a successful prosecution.

Most survivors are advised by their counsellors/therapists that reporting the abuse can be a big help in gaining closure and can help immensely with the healing process.

For me the action of finally "telling a policeman" was a great relief and I could look my inner child in the eye and say "there, they know now and its all going to be ok"

I felt that I was also setting history straight by exposing the secret at long last plus a great relief that I no longer had the burden of carrying the secret!

Also I had taken back control and am now stronger for doing so

If you are affected by this issue please visit http://www.napac.org.uk/ where you will find lots of information, help and support

brownpaperbag shop new listings

julieb — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:31:00 +0100

New products just listed in brownpaperbag shop

Moda Cushion Kits and 1 metre pieces of quilting fabric

http://www.artfire.com/users/brownpaperbag

Poetic Justice

julieb — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:21:00 +0100

The journey to healing for child abuse survivors is long, painful and often very frustrating

My own journey continues and thankfully I have a companion along the way, the only other person who can understand our particular struggle because she was there too

We won a major legal battle this week thanks to her courage in standing up to our abusers but the war goes on

It can sometimes feel that no one is listening and I would like to share with you this poem written by my travelling companion as it sums up how we both feel at this moment in time

Poetic Justice.

Can you hear me? Is anybody there?

I’m blue in the face but you don’t care

about me.

The truth matters, that’s all I’ve said.

Yet no-one’s listening; it’s all in my head,

so I’m told.

‘I’ve never been better’, the one lie I’ve uttered.

I’m coated in clichés and my mind is cluttered

up with facts.

Protecting the innocents took over my life.

It’s my turn now and you’ve twisted that knife

for too long.

I witnessed your power being whittled away

when I talked about you in court that day,

at full volume.

Can you hear me now? I know you’re there,

red in the face but I don’t care

about you.

© Copyright 2009. Reproduced with the permission of the author. All rights reserved.

Then I Learned How to Fly

julieb — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 10:42:00 +0100

At last "Then I Learned How to Fly" is finished and sent off to the Festival of Quilts

For more images please click on the Flickr link on the right of the page

The fox and the fairy

julieb — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:56:00 +0100

sorry I havent been posting regularly lately but still frantically working to the deadline on the quilt!

Im working on the last 2 characters - the last of the 3 busty bopas (fairy) and Flower Girls sidekick Mr Fox

Images soon - back to embroidery!

take care

Julie

flying to freedom

julieb — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:18:00 +0100

I take a lot of comfort and inspiration from song lyrics which after all are just poems with music!

The quilt is approching completion - while I stitch I listen to music and take inspiration for future projects

Ive been listening to this one a lot lately - flying seems to be a developing theme in my work - so many ideas not enough hours in the day!

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
all your life
you were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, Blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,

A beautiful piece of creative writing

julieb — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:05:00 +0100

The Lighthouse's Tale
I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves.
I keep my lamp lit, to warn the sailors on their way.

I'll tell a story, paint you a picture from my past.
I was so happy, but joy in this life seldom lasts.

I had a keeper, he helped me warn the ships at sea.
We had grown closer, 'till his joy meant everything to me.

And he was to marry, a girl who shone with beauty and light.
And they loved each other, and with me watched the sunsets into night.

[Chorus:]
And the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea.
And the winds that blow remind me, of what has been, and what can never be.

She'd had to leave us, my keeper he prayed for a safe return.
But when the night came, the weather to a raging storm had turned.

He watched her ship fight, but in vain against the wild and terrible wave.
In me so helpless, as dashed against the rock she met her end.

[Chorus]

Then on the next day, my keeper found her washed up on the SHORE.
He kissed her cold face, that they'd be together soon he'd swore.

I saw him crying, watched as he buried her in the sand.
And then he climbed my tower, and off of the edge of me he ran.

[Chorus]

I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves.
And though I am empty, I still warn the sailors on their way.

A beautiful piece of music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDuHghTPGio&feature=related

Thanks to brooksbayne http://twitter.com/brooksbayne

Trying to stay positive

julieb — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:19:00 +0100

Quilt progress is happening a bit too slowly but at least Im working on it

Really struggling at the moment as Im in the middle of a difficult and upsetting family situation - cant talk about it here as its "gone legal"

Im supporting a relative and Im so thankful for the support of my lovely man - thanks darling I just couldnt get through this without you

Trying to stay positive and be creative but its hard

Michael Jackson

julieb — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:56:00 +0100

I shed a tear watching a shocked and emotional Jermaine Jackson announce his brothers tragic death to the world

I am so sad for the family and so sad for the fact that the world has lost a unique musical genius but mainly for the fact that Michael Jacksons life was so troubled and filled with pain

His troubled childhood obviously had a massive impact on his life as an adult and I will never understand why he didn't receive more help for his problems

But I do understand his pain

People with "normal" childhoods and loving parents find it so hard to comprehend the trauma suffered by survivors of childhood abuse

His death has got people talking about child abuse once more and I welcome the debate but please remember that not all abused are also abusers - there are millions of people struggling to cope with their past whilst living healthy wholesome lives

Whatever he did or didnt do in his private life I really hope that his legacy will be his music and the happiness it continues to bring to so many people - that is how I choose to remember him

Rest in love, Michael, I hope you have finally found the peace you deserve

If you are an adult struggling to come to terms with an abusive childhood please seek help http://www.napac.org.uk/

Here comes the sun

julieb — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:10:00 +0100

The sun in all her glory - revealer of secrets, exposer of darkness, all seeing and and all knowing

Cloths of Heaven

julieb — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 09:03:00 +0100

Watched an excellent TV prog the other night hosted by Cerys Matthews

It was all about celtic poetry - I enjoyed it so much I wanted to watch it again straight away!

As a result I have rediscovered my love of the wonderful Irish poet WB Yeats

This is one of my favourite poems and has given me inspiration for my next piece

Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

WB Yeats

fairies and flowers

julieb — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:34:00 +0100

OK so the fairies took a lot longer to stitch than I imagined!

Sorry the photos arent great, the silver thread doesnt photograph well

Flower Girl has started spreading flowers and joy!

Sometimes when we have a bad day its easy to forget that others may have greater challenges to deal with each day

Please watch the attched video - it puts everything back in perspective

The story unfolds

julieb — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 12:45:00 +0100

Not feeling great today - Ive come down with some sneezy virus - uck!

Anyway I can still sew - its nice snuggling up on the sofa with the quilt

And talking of the quilt - I would like to invite you into my fantasy world and start introducing the characters that live there

The little girl is Flower Girl "where she goes, flowers grow" so there will be lots of flowers around her soon

For those of you old enough to remember the old Cadburys roses advert and the slogan "ooo roses grow on you" - thats where I got the idea as it was always on TV when I was a child!

Flower girl is kind, beautiful and clever, she brings joy to whoever she meets and leaves flowers as a sign of her happiness

She has a trusted friend and sidekick called Mr Fox - more about him later

The marmalade cat is based on the many ferral cats that lived in the woods near my childhood home - he is their spokescat - the cats are keepers of secrets, they hide and evesdrop and are flower girls informers

Some of the ferral cats work for the bony drama queen , flower girls arch enemy and are not to be trusted

The latest characters Im stitching are The 3 Busty Bopas (Bopa is the Welsh word for a special auntie)

These are 3 mature fairies who work with the fairy godmother to protect Flower Girl from the bony drama queen

They each have a magical creature as a pet

Blodwyn has a bluebird

Myfanwy has a merbird ( it looks a bit like a seal with wings)

Gwyneira has a (well Im not quite sure yet!)

OK Im off to stitch - hope to show you the completed bopas tomorrow

Learning to fly

julieb — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:51:00 +0100

Yesterdays post contained a cat

He is part of an embroidered art quilt I have entered for this years Festival of Quilts at the NEC

I still have quite a bit of work to do on this quilt yet and its what I will be mainly working on during the next month

The title of the quilt is "Then I learned how to fly" and is the story of an abuse survivors journey to break free from her childhood pain and "fly"

The Story

julieb — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 14:15:00 +0100

Hi and welcome to my blog

I am a UK Textile Artist/Designer working in the medium of embroidered textiles

Ive just completed the first year of a 2 year part time MA course and finally feel as if I have some breathing space!

Its been an interesting year - ranging from emotionally draining to inspirational and exhilarating

My reasons for wanting to do the MA were to try and find myself, my style and my place in the Textile Artworld

Its the first time I have taken the time to really focus on my art practice and discover what was important to me

I have rediscovered the joy of drawing, designing and translating my ideas into reality using my favourite medium, fabric

My current work uses patchwork, embroidery and quilting to tell stories in cloth

I have researched how every world culture includes amazing textile works where the maker has told traditional and sometimes personal stories in cloth and thread

What was the story I wanted to tell?

I instinctively knew from the beginning of the course what the story would be but avoided the subject as it was so personal and emotional

Fate decided the matter for me when a close family member needed my help and support when a problem we had battled with for years resurfaced

I had a head start on my journey to healing and it has been an honour to have played my part in setting her on the path to hers

I felt it was time to stand up, be counted and tackle the issue head on

Adult survivors of emotional, mental and physical abuse have a hard time finding the help and support they so desperately need

Unfortunately, as with so many things its all about funding - or the lack of it

There is a lot of help (quite rightly) for victims of sexual abuse and rape and those who have been so badly affected by their past that they need urgent help

But there are, so Ive come to realise, so many people like my self and my relative who have "coped" for years in their own way

But the deep emotional damage caused by a childhood of abuse will eventually "catch up" with the best of us manifesting itself in depression, anxiety, panic attacks and a host of physical symptoms such as bowel and stomach problems, neck problems, asthma and insomnia to name but a few

It is at this point that most people seek help through counselling and therapy

My work is cute, cosy and safe but has a deeper meaning telling the story of my childhood fantasy world where I

would go to escape the pain

I want to tell my story while also bringing peoples attention to the issue

I'm no longer afraid to admit that I am a Survivor

If you are also a Survivor I would love to hear from you

If you need help the best place I can send you is NAPAC, a wonderful organisation where you can be directed to the help you need

The National Assocciation for People Abused in Childhood http://www.napac.org.uk/