Every stitch has a story

Clearing up after Easter, come across these lovely card from Oxfam  - bought by my son.
We almost take this decorative embroidery for granted. The cards are on sale all over the place - in other charity shops, not just Oxfam, and they don't cost a fortune.
But when you look closely - what craftmanship. How long did this take? What was the embroiderer thinking and where was he/she living?

Sewing workshops in Hammersmith

A great embroidery workshop today at the Masbro Centre, Hammersmith.
More on the Bridging Arts blog.

Corduroy in Cologne

Cheerful corduroy armchairs in the lobby of Hotel Glockengasse in Cologne.
The black towers of the cathedral - miraculously surviving WW2 bombing  - magnificent over acres of concrete rebuild.

Tapestry and a Roman stone

The interior of Escomb Church near Bishop Auckland in County Durham takes the breath away. Noticed the criss cross carving on this wall stone mirrored the diamond grid on the tapestry kneeler beneath. The carving is Roman - done to make plaster adhere to it more easily.

Dog appliques at Brumus

Wonderful appliques on chairs at Brumus (on Haymarket, London). Not just one dog but a whole parade...A rainy morning outside but flights of fancy here to cheer everyone up over breakfast.

On trend shoes at the Goya show

Fabulous fabrics and detail in the portraits at the National Gallery's current Goya exhibition.
In particular, very on trend shoes....Here on the Marchioness of Santa Cruz.

Love this scanned tapestry tray..

It matches someone's  nails...

YSL in detail at the Bowes Museum

Another chance to visit the YSL exhibition at the Bowes Museum over the weekend. Amazing that so many of the garments are not behind glass and it's wonderful to be able to examine them so closely... The whole show has an other worldly air (Who wears these clothes and when? Who can afford them?) and you feel that visitors are transported by it to a sort of fairy tale reality where you can be Cinderella for a day.
An invigilator tells me too that lots of keen seamstresses visit and there's as much interest in the process (the various toiles on display) as in the final result: someone asked if they had turned a dress inside out to look at the seams....

Tiles at a Bosphorus boat stop

Tiles on Besiktas boat station on the Bosphorus. To compare with these decorative edges and lines of tiles and geraniums outside the Midland Hotel, Manchester.

Cafe mosaics

Love these lamps at a roadside cafe near Kabatas tram stop in Istanbul. They're mosaic-ed - if that's a word.
Fabulous Byzantine mosaics in mosques and churches ....here echoed on the street.