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Moira Carter

Process - STOP sowing, START sewing


Indulging in more Bootcamp loveliness with Lilla Rogers over at Make Art That Sells, and this month's mini assignment had us drawing/painting sewing accoutrements using three different media.

So I sort my sewing drawer and basket and take some photos to sort of get me in the mood.


Well I admit right now that I got out four types of pen – I know it should have been three – and started doing line drawings, and that is where I stopped!

Here are the initial drawings:

Lilla also gave us a photo to pull a colour palette from so I did that.


Time passes and I have done nothing else except made a Pinterest collection or two:

Go on follow the links and take a wee peek - I'll still be here when you get back.

More time passes and nothing much happens — the Muse has gone off in a huff!

I decide to post photos of my drawings in the Facebook group and see if someone can offer some well needed guidance as to where I should go from here.

Hurrah! Margot Tantau to the rescue!

Simple suggestion: make a pattern out of the line drawings, but enough to get me thinking. I even come up with some text to go with my artwork and suddenly know I'm going to design a tray with a border design with text in the centre saying;

"Stop sewing and start sewing"

Paraphrasing something my partners father once said to me when I was sewing a lot and he's sent me some seeds through the post.

I draw a mug with a pincushion in it!

Hang on I was meant to be drawing a tray.

I draw a sort of container/desk tidy ...hmmm ...I draw a tray with shell like handles.

I love all three and decide to use them all. I add a swoosh of colour to each and start cleaning up my wee drawings and placing them over the colour.

I think - not enough wee drawings, I get out more bits and pieces.

Scissors, a tape measure, more thimbles, buttons, vintage in the main as they are so pretty.

Next day I scan, scan, scan all morning. After lunch and walking a friend's dog, I start putting things together and I have a lovely pincushion mug. A few hours later a tidy and the border of the tray.

I put it all together and think too much?! Take out the canister - I ask Lori Rudolph for some feedback and she and her stepdaughter think I should put it back in - so back it goes. They particularly love the green and orange pop!

Sunday morning and the deadline is beginning to loom. I get started on the text which I thought about in my sleep - deciding that I needed uppercase on the STOP and the START.


I draw it over, and over and over. I rethink the layout - something is missing - I need some wee seedlings to get the point across, to make sowing understood and decide they need to be balanced with ...a heart pincushion with a teeny tiny button and bow.

I put it all together and add a strawberry pincushion, a reversed out line drawing for a backdrop, my logo and Voila!


I must admit I am really pleased with this one!

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