Marking with Stitch

In among some travels and trips off island to meetings and appointments I've been working on sample pages for a book that has been bouncing around in my head. Rather than making small samples that then get lost in drawers, I thought if I put them into a compilation of some sort then I might actually refer to it from time to time. So I'll steal a title from Emily Carr and call it "The Book of Allsorts".....
Here are some of the pages I've done so far on Khadi paper which I love but its darned hard to find locally.

 Even though I think its a bit "twee" I like the limited use of colour and the delicacy of it. Also the combination of watercolour and stitch - it includes the scraps of a well worn doily.

 Simple lines and dots with a bit of thread - unpretentious but dramatic!

 This is the reverse side of the one above, the red loops work well but the brush marks are a bit wimpy....

 Good concept of overlay - but not enough contrast, I'll work on more of a similar idea...

 It's okay but not much else....

 Free motion zig zags....I'd like more variation in size, density and orientation

 The stitches work well but again, the background isn't dramatic enough...need more negative space.

 This I like!

 A bit like tree bark...I think if I work into this more with marker or washes it might be better.

 Yup - its good, machine stitch design isn't the best choice however....

 Probably my favourite....

 Yeah, as a composition its ok, otherwise just "meh"

So again, the reverse side of the one above - a better combination of shape and line - simple but acceptable....

What have I learned about my ideas so far with these samples? I like the simplest of marks combined with basic stitches, not because they are easy but rather they seem to be more engaging, spontaneous and have some elements that are suggestive rather than literal. The hand stitches are more organic, less precise and structured.

My Book of Allsorts" will continue to grow - I'll add binding soon - but a few pages left to build.

Be Careful What You Ask For!

One of my goals for 2016 was to read more good books! I've always been an avid reader but have found in recent years that I've kinda gotten lazy about finding something to capture me between its pages.
So I went to the best source of all knowledge, Facebook and asked all my friends! Wow, you all amazed me, thank you, thank you! I am now equipped with reading material for the next 12 months and more. Some I'll buy and some I'll look for at the library. One person keep a list on Pinterest to share, great idea and many suggested www.goodreads.com

So I promised the list to everyone and they are not in any particular order. If you've read the books listed, then look for others by the same author! At the bottom of the list are authors that are recommended by other but not any particular books. I've not vetted them or checked spelling and I didn't look up the authors for books if they weren't provided (I know, I'm not very helpful, sorry!)
Let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Title                                                                       Author

Left Neglected                                     Lisa Genova (Still Alice)

Puny Sorrows                                      Miriam Toews
Ragged Company                                Richard Wagamese
All the Light We Cannot See               Anthony Doerr
Ru                                                        Kim Thuy
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox    Maggie O'Farrell

Guns, Germs and Steel                       Jared Diamond.
Life after Life                                      Kate Atkinson

God in Ruins                                       same

Road Trip Rwanda by                         Will Ferguson

 914                                                     same

The Girl on the Train                          Paula Hawkins

Boys in the Boat

Shit my Dad Says                                Justin Halpern

What we Keep                                     Elizabeth Berg

Maude                                                  Donna Mobry

Bone River                                           Megan chance

Dreams of Joy                                      Lisa See

The Game of Thrones                          George RR Martin.

Water for Elephants                              Sara Gruen.

A House In The Sky                            Amanda Lindhout.

People of the Book                              Geraldine Brooks

When I Found You

The power of One                                Bryce Courteney

Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times

A Light Between Oceans

Deep Down Dark

Loving Frank

The Glass Castle.

Old Filth                                              Jane Gardam "

The long way home                            Saroo Brierley

A House in Fez                                   Suzanna Clark

Mao's Last Dancer                              Li Cunxin

Colour                                                  Victoria Finlay

The promise of Iceland                       Kari Gislason

Chocolat                                              Joanne Harris

The Invention of Wings                       Sue Monk Kidd  

Bone Clocks                                         David Mitchell

The Reason I Jump                             Marcus Zusak "

The Book Thief

What the Pilgrim told the Psychic      Jane Christmas

Anne Cleeves                                      Jimmy Perez series set in Shetland Islands

The Saints of The Lost and Found.      T M Causey

The House of Niccolo Novels             Dorothy Dunnett

Big Magic                                            Elizabeth Gilbert.

Marie Bostwick

Three Day Road                                  Joseph Boyden

The God of Small Things                    Arandhti Roy

Never Let me Go                                  Kazuo Ishiguru

The Book of Negroes.

Orenda                                                 Joseph Boyden.

A Tale For The Time Being                 Ruth Ozecki

Second Skin                                         India Flint

Favourite Authors

Margaret Maron, Louise Penny, and Anne Emery

Wanda E Brusetter

Bill Bryson

J K Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith has written a trilogy featuring a detective Cormoran Strike.

Anything by Bryce Courteney, Colleen McCulloch, Tom Keneally

Jodi Picoult

Toni McGee Causey

Henning Mankell if you enjoy Swedish noir,