A little behind

Not sure where the time has gone; I'm a little behind in everything. Well, I can't go back, I just need to froward a little better, I think.

I was greeted by starlings on the wire by my front door this morning (I'd be devastated if someone suggested an underground cable!) probably from Siberia, on their way south I'm reliably informed.Some magical circling going on here & there thru the day.

I made a  baby card & was asked to personalise it! I just pretended it was text & dug out a bit of girly lace, quite pleased - my DH said he wanted one with his name on! The leather pram is an older design of mine that I built on.

Found these in my laundry a couple of weeks ago, I'm ashamed to say.  They've made tiny little (Cara) potatoes with no help from anybody, amazing really. i potted them up, just to see.

Made some cards for an order, but I've REALLY got to get on making for the 4 CCF's that are happening soon!

I'm embarrassed that these squares were taken with a flash, badly. You get the idea.

Went a little mad with the first one in size. It's a start of something I saw in Angie Huges' book when I was browsing the shelves in Inverness a while ago. Ooh, her textures & colors! I compensated with the size of the next one; bits from my box. Card making leftovers, stitched organza, metal wine bottle neck bits - nearly lost my fingers getting them off & a question to myself. Which way?

I just took the dog for a walk along the bay as he was trying to bite my knee off while I was writing this. Wonderful listening to the peeps of the meadow pippets, the crarck (?) of the heron & the call of the, I think , curlew. No oyster catchers screaming tonight. It was that beautiful gloaming time, dark enough for the bats to be out but light enough to be able to see their outline against the sky. I could smell the fires, knowing there'd be one waiting for me when I got home. I could smell the seaweed & the brine. Of course last night I'd have had a clear sky with a half moon & stars but I was happy. I do love seeing the lights on & the curtains not yet drawn , a peeping Tom? not really - it gives quite a safe, secure feeling knowing there are other people there, I don't feel excluded as some might. I once gave a suggestion at a stress management group I went to after the having of my youngest knocked me off my feet a little, to someone who wanted to feel as happy & cosy as the neighbors she saw thru their lit windows, of putting her own cosy lights on & going outside to look in her own windows; not sure how well it went down but we've got to make our own cosy I think.

 I need to fit in a bath, some yoga while I'm all warm & a bit of supper before ironing an enormous amount of bedding for our B&B cupboard & a cottage change over I'm doing for a friend who's gone away by the time the Single Father starts at 9pm. I'll try not to tear all over the duvet covers!

A Little Bit of Everything

September has gone by so a strip & a month of squares.

A twiddly bit I found on my desk; the way I feel sometimes!; from a B&B breakfast tea box; making some cards using starfish 'beads' so I drew one; a nugget of rust on some umbrella fabric; a blade box, I think, mounted on bits & pieces from my box.

September all together.

Remember that fashion show i was making my bodice for? Well, I also made an 'accessory'...a parasol inspired by one of the Chelsea floweshow programs, beautiful floral parasols & when I saw them i thought "stitch that!" When the idea of a fashion show came up at Rag Tag I thought that's what I'll make. I knew it would take a while, away from my work in the studio, but I did it anyway!

I stripped a brolly. (Well, I wasn't going to attempt to make one from scratch!)

Then I wrapped it (yes, I know) with lots of different colored strips of fabric, including strips of the rainproof stuff. I strung wire a little between the spokes.

Then I added some netting, stitching it to the spokes & wire.

Over time, while watching tv or chatting to visiting family, or just fiddling about in the studio when I should have been doing something else, I made some flowers out of lots of bits & pieces of fabric & stitched them onto 'panels' I'd thrown over the netting, stitching here & there. I sewed some hearts on the machine as a nod to the Alice in wonderland theme. I was thinking fantasy, as was the brief. The inner spokes needed covering but I ran out of time (?) so I ruffled some netting up & into the spokes with the odd stitch to keep it in place. I made a 'glove' out of a bit of netting & added 3 leftover flowers to a cuff to wear over the 'glove. I didn't get round to a facinator & I borrowed a friend at RT's neclace.

Well, it's fantasy all right!

I'll have to post the show pics tomorrow as it's taken hours to load these! I've had a bath, supper with my family, watched x factor with the boys & done a bit of washing up while waiting, hey ho!

A month of squares & a 'panel' of postcards

Well, I've finally found the time & dry weather to lay out all my beautiful postcards in one big group. I had to climb a ladder (& it's still not straight!) & wear a midge hood, they were dreadful as it was warm & still. Any postcards generously given to me by artists aged 15 & under will be in a seperate special frame. ( thanks Ruby & the youngest!)

So my next job is to stitch them together. I had an idea that they could spin round somehow so I could read the back, but I think I may never get them up onto the wall if I try that. I'll imagine it's a patchwork hanging, in loose terms, & stitch them together, with intent, meaning & gratitude to all these lovely people who gave me such a wonderful start to my year of being 50.

This might be the final positions, I may swap around a bit & put Corrine's at the bottom, so I can open it out fully. The idea is to mix up the bright with the more calm & neutral ones. Any other suggestions?

I do so love them.

The last strip of squares in August.

Swan vesta packaging, a doodle of a Black Arches moth's markings  while watching gardeners' world, bits & pieces from card making, more delicious paint peelings from the pallet saucer, a card sample & some bark that was laying around by mistake which Tam chewed at - I thought I may as well stick 2 pieces together, use them before he got them again! You know I can't help using strips of gold & then I attached a rusty key hole ( the first time I've used one!) I found it on the floor (where else?!) outside work, but unusually, I had a hand in it finding it's way there. I'd reported that the lock wouldn't shut on the noticeboard. I'd noticed that the key had changed when next I was asked for it & then I found the old lock, discarded, only to be reused by me. Hmmm, I find that quite satisfying.

A month of squares for August.

I love the look of it, but I certainly am stuck on grids at the moment. I need to go wild with some more cuffs, I think.