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Lois Ives
LoisHand and machine sewing, manipulating threads and fabrics, have been important recreational interests throughout my life.
Since retiring from a long and happy career of pre-school teaching, I have allowed [indeed encouraged] these interests to blossom into a full-time obsession.
Recently I have been experimenting with silk and wool tops, some felting, lots of twin-needle sewing, "creative" lace and beads - all in the name of embroidery.

Purse

The patterns I make with machine quilting bring to my mind the raked sand-gardens of Japan.


I sometimes wonder if the priest / gardener of such places as Roanji, has as much fun making his patterns as I do, sewing my very own textured patterns.

Patterns

The material draped on the model and in lots of my current work has been made out of wool and silk tops.
These layers have then been felted and then sewn with a twin needle.
Model
Braids Also in recent times, I have extended a long-time interest in knotting and braiding into the Japanese art of kumi-himo. I make these braids on a small, wooden, circular loom called a maru-dai and I use a wide range of threads from silk, cotton, rayon sewing and knitting yarns.
My braids are mostly thick and bold and lack the exquisite, fine repetition of most kumi-himo being done in Australia - that I know about. This has probably come about because I am braiding in isolation.Braid Strap

Braids

Then again it may be down to the fact that I love taking some "traditional" stitch, technique or whatever and taking enormous liberties with it and sometimes it is successful and often it is not - but it's fun trying.

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