Oliver and I are inside this afternoon, no afternoon walk to the park today. Oliver is a five year old Golden Retriever, a new addition to our little family – he joined us just over three days ago. Oliver is settling in so well and has brought us so much joy, we are so grateful to have him. I’m sure you’ll hear about him every now and then as he has found a spot in the Studio he particularly enjoys and is very much part of our lives.
Over the past couple of weeks I have really been enjoying doing quite a bit of freestyle machine embroidery again – I love the free motion of it – it feels a bit like flying – I suppose.
As usual I have learned a few things over the past couple of days – actually I think these mishaps were me being a bit silly…
- When sewing make sure the fabric is not overlapping on itself at any point – I did this the other day and only realised after I had sewn circles and circles of machine embroidery – OH DEAR!
- When cutting fabric with the roller cutter make EXTRA sure there is nothing under the piece of fabric being cut – the measuring tape was hiding under a piece I was squaring off – I picked it up to measure a piece of fabric and it was suddenly very ‘itsy bitsy’ – I was surprised for a moment and then realised what had happened – another OH DEAR!!
- Always have spare machine needles on hand and it is also a good idea to make sure they are good quality – strong needles are so important when doing freestyle embroidery as it all becomes quite layered. I have had quite a few needles go ‘ping’ – and another OH DEAR!!!
Published by Alla D by Ali Oelofse
I work with fabric and thread in an intuitive way, using a combination of the following techniques: free motion embroidery, simple hand embroidery, raw edge appliqué and appliqué. The process of hand stitching intrigues me, particularly the practice of slow stitching. I have always been drawn to fabric, growing up I would dye pieces of fabric in various ways and stitch these together to form what what I would call ‘a quanket’ - I suppose a creative quilt. This enthralled me for hours. As a young child I loved playing ‘school school’ with friends, but I wasn't very good at allowing anyone else to be the teacher. I would sit in lectures and think ‘gosh I would love to be up there’ - later after I had received my MA in Anthropology (cum laude) I did end up teaching first and second year students, which felt very nourishing, as it was a dream. Yet, I had this deep desire to make and be surrounded by colour, texture and to just be creative in a tactile way. During 2017 the journey of Alla D by Ali Oelofse began. Over the years Alla D by Ali Oelofse has become a traversing of the everyday - stitching stories of the everyday - the ordinary things that happen that we often feel aren't important. I am deeply inspired by the everyday, the Japanese notion of wabi sabi, stitching stories of the goings on around us - whether a moment of stillness, a flower, a very tall tree, people and conversations and of course the changing seasons. Within this notion of the everyday I am inspired by the idea of ‘home’ - exploring ideas of home and belonging. The meaning of home and the idea of connection and ‘groundedness’ is a notion that intrigues me.
I find working with fabric and thread both healing and uplifting, creating moments of stillness and surrender. I share the joy of slow stitch, quieting the heart with others through workshops - each time I am left in awe at the profound impact hand stitching and the journey of exploring various narratives seems to have on people. It’s ‘magic’. There is a connection that takes place - a connection to the Self though the material, something happens when one engages the head, heart and hands. A slowing down which allows one to listen to the rumbles of the heart. I believe my role as an artist is to inspire and bring a little sense of whimsy and joy, an idea of ‘lightness’ in our often very serious world either through a workshop or by the art I create. I am humbled by people and their journeys.
‘To stitch is to be’ - to be still, to ponder, to create, to be inspired’
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Alla D by Ali Oelofse 