Reflections in the Rain: Coming Home with a Head Full of Stitch

The cases are packed. The ship has turned back toward England. And through the window, I’m greeted by a familiar sight — grey skies and steady drizzle. Not so different, really, from some of the landscapes I’ve walked through over the past weeks. But today, the mist carries a different weight: it signals the end of this beautiful, creative journey.

Though I may be returning home, I’m certainly not leaving empty-handed. I carry with me photographs, textures, colours, and stories — enough to fill sketchbooks, inspire workshops, and guide my next stitched pieces for months to come.

🧵 Stitching Through Place and Mood

Looking back, each destination offered a distinct mood, a sensory imprint that shaped how I saw the world as a textile artist:

In Akureyri, low clouds and soft reflections inspired a calm, minimalist design rooted in atmosphere and shape.

The rusting boats in Isafjordur gave me a rich colour palette of earth and iron, and endless texture for experimental surfaces.

The geothermal fields of Iceland buzzed with raw energy — bubbling earth, steam trails, and mineral crusts, all begging to be interpreted in layered, abstract stitch.

In Reykjavík, folklore and history wrapped around modern life, and I saw how narrative and memory can shape design as much as scenery.

The sea fog and stillness reminded me that sometimes it’s what you can’t see that gives a piece depth — subtlety, silence, and suggestion became the materials.

And then the Faroe Islands, with their moss-covered hills and mist-softened edges, brought texture, layering, and quiet beauty to the forefront of my imagination.

Each blog, each walk, and each captured image has built a sort of patchwork in my mind — one that I’ll stitch together more literally over the coming weeks.

🎨 Ideas Waiting to Be Realised

Now, as I sit with a warm drink and the ship glides into English waters, I feel a gentle urgency bubbling — not to rush, but to begin turning inspiration into form.

I have:

Workshop ideas sketched out from fog and field

Digitisation plans for abstract embroidery motifs based on stone, rust, and steam

Clothing concepts using shapes and patterns inspired by distant shorelines

And dozens of photo references ready to evolve into collaged textile stories

🌧 Coming Home Isn’t the End

Rainy England might seem like a quiet note to end on, but it’s actually perfect. This weather encourages reflection, gentle beginnings, and planning. It’s the kind of day to open sketchbooks, gather materials, and lay out threads in the colours I’ve just lived through.

Tomorrow, I’ll write the final chapter of this creative travel blog series — a full-circle wrap-up of what’s next and how I’ll begin turning ideas into physical textile work.

But today?
Today I sit in the afterglow — grateful, thoughtful, and creatively full.