Pink Candy and Mocha - #the100dayproject 25-31

These were days of scarlet cheeks, candy pink and blush grey hair and mocha mushrooms!

This combination really stretched the imagination, and the first day I resorted to a pre-stamped embroidery which I think summed up the week - wandering from colour to colour, subject to subject ....

First came a couple of mushrooms - the background of these are machine stitched. Scraps of fabric are laid down on a base fabric and , using the decorative stitches on a sewing machine, rows and rows of stitching create the effect of a new background fabric. I often use this technique to create unique backgrounds for applique and feature stitching. The mushrooms are raw edged appliqued onto these essentially pinky red backgrounds. Do these colours make them fairytale like or just a bit sinister?

You might have noticed a theme of red polka dots in these little works .... that just reminded me of red cheeks, and so a series of quirky characters was born .... a party girl, a pair of nerdy teenagers and a rather sophisticated mature woman. These are all free machine stitched and then coloured with Prisma pencil. I enjoyed this technique - it's like drawing with the sewing machine and colouring in later. The "drawing " isn't perfect and that's what I like about it - the stitching lines are free and seem to add 'life" to this little odd portraits. The backgrounds are made from old whitewashed book pages. I guess you;ve worked out I like drawing people with glasses and rosy cheeks!

Hope you will also check other posts in this series ...

Sunshine and black and white

Pistachio and dark chocolate

Greens with mustard

Ready, Steady, Go

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Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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