Origin countdown 25 days

I love to finish things. To tie off the last thread, snip off the last frayed edges, to press and to fold and to put away in a stock box, or better still, to put on, or hang up.
I finally completed my first large framed panel ready for Origin. This piece has been months in the making, started in July with masses of cutting out between me and Lucy, that week’s student helper. There are 28 blossoms, each taking some 7 circles to be cut, folded and sewn.

I finally made it to the DIY shop for the framing necessaries (small hammer and nails) and got stuck in with the framing this evening. The frame is one of the many old and tatty gilt frames I got from the antique shop sale last week. I love the way it looks like it belongs in a museum. Working with these frames has filled me with nostalgia for the three years I worked on (among other projects) the refurbishment of the suite of paintings galleries at the V&A. I never got near any actual frames – I was working on making sure the text and the content made sense and was accessible, and creating lots of hands-on and explanatory elements within the galleries. Somehow (quite by chance) this photo has captured the glowing gilt frames which I associate with the Sheepshanks Gallery. I would love to display all my framed pieces on a crimson wall. And indeed at the V&A!