Lots of Irish art gift ideas to suit every budget.
Read moreNew Products, online shop and Christmas workshops
Check out Kathys brand new online shop filled with gorgeous goodies or book in for her festive felting workshop.
Read moreNew Online Free Motion Machine Embroidery Workshops
I’m delighted to announce a new date for my online introduction to free-motion embroidery course where you can learn how to embroider your own daisy and butterfly hoop just like the one featured above
Over the course of the evening’s workshop I will make learning this exciting skill fun and easy. I will guide you through each part of the process step by step, and explain how to stitch everything from a simple stem through to developing your own flowers, seed-heads and leaf textures.. On completion of this course you will have the skills to do any of my intermediate courses.
My Next workshop will run online via Zoom on Thursday July 8th at 7 pm Irish time.
The workshop fee is 50 Euro it comprises of one hour practical stitching followed by a half hour of questions and trouble shooting. You will also receive a recording so that you can follow along at your own pace afterwards and really hone your embroidery skills.
Upon registration each student will receive their zoom links and a pattern to work from alongside the workshop on the evening.
Check out some of the beautiful finished pieces created by past students in the gallery block below.
To register for this workshop please email me at kathyrossart@gmail.com
Light in the dark, bringing color to life.
At the beginning of each year I always allow myself time to play with different ideas and processes in the studio.
For me there is nothing more inspiring than our native wildlife. Going out into nature everyday and exploring different habitats and environments has been my saving grace over the recurrent lock-downs here in Ireland.
We have an abundance of wildlife living in our 5km limit and are extremely lucky to be surrounded by lots green spaces to explore. Over the past few weeks I’ve started going for my daily walks closer to dusk. Its like a magical time where other wildlife species starts to appear, your senses become more heightened in the darkness and every sound or movement in the undergrowth brings forth a new surprise.
I found that with the low levels of light I began to imagine species with more vibrant colors and texture and wanted to create pieces to capture the magic of that time of the day. Breaking all the rules, I started sketching some native species using bright pops of colour . I wanted to see how these would translate into textile pieces and so the fun began.
I also decided to use various different weights of thread in each piece to give them more of a textured appeal. Usually when working in free motion embroidery I tend to opt for Aurifil 50 wt thread due to its fine line and precision . But I’ve incorporated heavier weight threads such as Aurifil 40wt, and 28wt into these portraits to give the animals more definition and texture. Layering heavier weight threads against lighter threads allows different colors to shine through the artwork giving it an almost luminous quality.
I wanted convey the magic of dusk through the back drop of each piece an so I experimented with different fabrics from brocade to denim and embellished them with ,metallic threads , fibers and inks in order to bring that magic to life.
Each piece shimmers and sparkles in the light adding an extra dimension to the artwork.
Email kathyrossart@gmail.com for pricing details etc.
Creative Waste
As an artist, inspiration can come from many places. The landscape surrounding you, wildlife spotted on a hike or even from cleaning out your studio!
I like to do a big clean out before I start a new project and often I’m struck by the amount of waste a textile artist can accumulate. I try and keep even the tiniest scrap of fabric and thread in the hope that I can incorporate it into a new art work somewhere along the way.
My latest project has done just that.
A keen birdwatcher I wanted to create a habitat using studio and household waste as my inspiration.
I take many long walks through my locality taking photos and sketching wildlife on the way. I like to pay attention to the colors of the hedgerows and textures of mosses ferns and branches at different times of the years. Along with the behaviors of the birds and wildlife .
At this time of year you can spot many abandoned nests along the hedgerows. Its amazing how they’re so tightly woven together and lined with different natural materials to maker them the perfect environment for new life.
I took inspiration from this and using scraps of fabric, wool roving from Irish sheep, old threads and string I stitched together my own little nest. The thrush itself was also appliqued before I reorganized my thread palette and embroidered his details.
I wanted to add another layer of recycled materials to the artwork so after finding a sheet of handmade paper I had made from scraps I decided to stitch the entire piece onto this. I added branches by sculpting old paper, card and even toilet rolls to create more twigs and leaves.
I titled the finished piece ‘Nesting’ its 43cm x 30cm unframed and available to purchase.
You can see more images and videos on how it was made over on my Instagram feed too.
Christmas Commissions
With Christmas fast approaching now is the perfect time to get in touch and order a bespoke artwork for that special someone. My Christmas commission book is now open for orders.
Following on from the popularity of my Wildlife embroidery hoops I’m also making landscape hoops. each piece features a needle felted sky made from Irish wool and the seascapes are particularly specials as each one is embellished with sparkly fibers and metallic threads to capture the light and bring each piece to life.
I can also embroider a little message into the back of each hoop, so whether its just ‘Happy Christmas’ or something more important you want to say you can have it immortalized in stitch.
Prices start at 180 Euro for a bespoke 9 inch hoop and I can ship internationally (just keep in mind the last date for posting internationally in Dec 3rd)
Also check out my Facebook shop for more ideas and ready to purchase pieces.
https://www.facebook.com/KathyRossArt/shop/?ref_code=mini_shop_page_card_cta&ref_surface=page
Commission slots are booking up fast so message me ASAP to avoid disappointment,KAthy
Heritage breed sheep Portrait Exhibition with Project Baa baa and Galway 2020
I am delighted to announce that my exhibition of Heritage breed sheep portraits in conjunction with Project baa baa and Galway 2020 will open at the end of this month in the Printworks Gallery, Market Street, Galway. Textile Artist.
‘Each portrait will incorporate needle felted wool shearing taken from each of the breeds. The completed portraits are made by layering needle felted sheep wool with hand and machine embroidery to create a hyper realistic representation of each subject. The work is highly original. By using shearings from individual breeds incorporated into the artwork the artist will tell the story of each breed through its own portrait, creating an awareness of the importance of Irish sheep wool and the variety of wool and breeds in the country.’
I began working on the portraits in May of 2019 by visiting sheep breeders throughout the country. The portraits evolved from sketches and photographs taken from each of these visits. Each breed and its wool is so unique and has been represented in a way that I hope captures their individuality and the versatility of Irish wool. I used techniques such as needle felting, and fiber manipulation overlaid with embroidery to create each piece.
Venue: PRINTWORKS, Market Street, Galway
Free: Covid 19 Restrictions apply (Booking available from 27/10/2020)
Exhibition is free and open from Friday 30th October to Friday 20th November 2020. Open Bank Holiday Mon. Tue - Sun 11 - 5pm. Covid 19 restrictions apply.
Buy Online: All exhibitions will go live online once the event has been formally opened. Artworks are for sale online also. Purchase enquiries to hello@projectbaabaa.com
https://projectbaabaa.clr.events/event/130188:5-sheep-breeds-wool-portraits-by-textile-artist-kathy-ross-free
Colourful Hoops and a new Aurifil Artisan challenge
Its been a crazy few weeks with everyone learning to adjust and cope with all the new changes and restrictions. During the first few weeks of Lockdown I found it hard to focus on work. Everything felt grey and pointless. I was craving colour and vibrancy and so after playing around with ideas in sketchbooks I decided to create a range of smaller colourful hoops to brighten up my feed and hopefully my followers mood too!
I'm calling them 'Windows to the World, as each hoop is like a little aperture capturing something beautiful.
Each hoop is is between eight and twelve inches and features a different little colorful creature.
They've been proving super popular to and selling like hot cakes.
My two most recent hoops were these little Bees. also used them for my April Aurifil Artisan challenge which was to showcase my favourite weight of Aurifil thread. For me its always been 50wt.
As an embroidery artist you need a huge range of colours in order to create that hyper-realistic look. Aurifil have them all!!
50 wt Thread adds precision and accuracy to my work whilst also being strong enough to stitch through all those layers of applique. its quite simply the best!!!
Auifil DOM With Patsloan
Aurifil Designer of the Month
Run by industry darling, Pat Sloan, the Aurifil Designer of the Month Program has been a mainstay of the Auribuzz blog since 2011. It all began with Pat’s offer to design a Mystery Block of the Month for Aurifil’s customers in 2010. It was such a success that Pat suggested we continue the block of the month model with the selection of 12 designers per year, introduced via a ‘Designer of the Month’ interview along with one unique quilt block. Every year since then, Pat has assembled a new team of top-notch Designers, featuring one per month throughout the year.
This year I was lucky enough to be invited to be one of the guest designers for the 2020 DOM. The challenge foe 2020 was to create a block inspired by Auifil Color Builders https://www.aurifil.com/color-builders.
There are 12 color builders in the collection and Pat Sloan cleverly assigned each box a corresponding month and Italian City the designer was then asked to create a block inspired by either the color or the city matched to them.
I was asked to work with the fabulous Pompeii Red collection, Immediately I knew what I wanted to make!!
A few years ago we went on a family holiday to Italy and there were fields and fields of the most spectacular vivid Poppies. I hadn’t made any Floral pieces before and felt this was the perfect opportunity to try something new.
Each Designer was also given matching Kona Cotton Solids from Robert Kaufman https://www.robertkaufman.com/
and a base of charcoal Linen also from Robert Kaufman. I began my drafting my applique pattern, cutting each piece and then fusing it to my base , before hooping it up to add all the free motion embroidery details.
It was such a fun project to work on!!
You can read my Interview with Pat Sloan and download the pattern here
https://auribuzz.com/2020/02/15/february-aurifil-designer-of-the-month-kathy-ross/
https://blog.patsloan.com/2020/02/free-february-aurifil-designer-block.html
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'Kirstie Queen of Crafts'
The making of ‘Kirstie Queen of Crafts’ with Janome Uk.
Read moreAurifil Artisan September Challenge, Embroidery.
I wanted to share one of my latest projects with you which I made as part of the Aurifil Artisan September embroidery challenge.
Ive always loved Aurfil 50 weight for its precision and strength but I wanted to showcase how it can be used to capture details and texture in a free motion textile piece.
I choose to make a portrait of a Vixen and cub as we have had a few Fox visits to our garden over the last few weeks.
I began with a very loose under painting with acrylic inks and then needle felted in the base colors so that I had and initial layer of texture in place.
Then its time for the fun part of the process, thread painting
One of the most used color in this make is no 4150 Its a beautiful variegated tone which ranges from pale yellow to an ochre orange.
Making a piece such as this requires an huge range of tonal changes to capture all of the different tones of fur on the foxes and so these variegated threads are a great place to start.
I used at least another 20 colors but that's the great thing about Aurifil when your a thread artist, they have a tone for everything. :)
I cut my subjects away from their backing fabric about half way through each make. I do this so I can really hone in on the tonal qualities and details of the subject. I also love that when they're reattached to their backing fabric they stand out and have a 3 dimensional quality.
I painted in the darker tones of the back drop using Acrylic inks and then stitched the foxes in place using the amazing Aurifil Mono-filament.
Mon-filament is fantastic as its an invisible thread and incredibly strong so it can cope with all the layers of fabric felt and threads without interfering with the details of the final piece.