A taste of the Knitting & Stitching Show

I'm home! Had a fabulous break, tired from traveling, but refreshed - I needed it.
I'd normally talk about things in Chronological Order saving the best til last but this time I'll start with the highlight of my time away; the last day (not counting friends & family visits, of course!)

I've been waiting for months to get to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally - I realized that I could just catch the first day of the show on the last day of my holiday & spurred on by the possibility of seeing the work of          Cas Holmes in real life, I made it happen.

 I asked permission of course for taking photos, introduced myself as a follower of her work, book & blog.

She was very busy along with her friend & collaborator Anne Kelly

but still made time for all the young students around - I include myself in that lot ;)

Being a follower of Cas' work I was quite amazed at how much I hadn't seen before,

 I mean I think every piece was new;  absolutely stunning & magical in real life!

 I took some pics of them on their cameras & just managed one on mine

 I desperately wanted to touch her work, very carefully of course, & on a technical aspect

 see how the work was hung - very tight to the top of the work, a thin quilting sleeve

 & hers are softer to the touch than I manage, I probably use too much pva or acrylic wax to attach & seal the work

 she was inviting people to join her in making little squares, above - I like a good square - then they'd get strung up & taken to each of her shows. I sat down & made one, didn't photograph it ;(  & I can honestly say that 10 minutes was the one serene & calming few moments of the day! It was desperately hot & airless.

 I got a pic of Anne by her 2 pieces of work before she left. While Cas was rearranging a sign just outside her stand, leaving me in charge.....ME! some of Anne's students came in & said 'look, it's Miss's work' Imagine having a 'Miss' like that to teach you at school!

Some more beautiful smaller pieces of work including books, oh so lovely.

I can't really do justice to the excitement I felt seeing this work in person & having a chance to talk to Cas; I'm sure I could have asked so many more questions but it can get quite overwhelming, from both sides, I imagine & I just enjoyed absorbing it all. Completely inspiring & so great to meet them both, thank you!  I'm so looking forward to the book coming out next year ;)

Well, again, the best first, not last. Tho certainly there was so much more amazing work there.

You first saw on walking in the Embroiderers guild North east Region work - above & below

 called 'Mining a gold seam' I hope you can read the names on the cards.

Then I decided to walk round half of the suppliers hall - I love the bottom right particularly

 I should have gone straight to the exhibition bit as it's exhausting in the crowds, Stef, above.

Oliver Twists, my fave bit top right (can't find a direct link)

Then look at this a nettle knitted short jacket! lovely. I asked everybody first could I take a pic & blog about them. 

 Oh, I'm inspired to put more flowers in my work by this wonderful piece by Jill Denton I'd honestly never seen her foxgloves before!

& fun & happy mixed media pieces by Sue Dove (I saw sue but can't be sure the google links are her, anybody knows, please tell me ;) ! - theirs was the first stand as you entered the exhibition bit.

 I met Frances Pickering, too busy looking to take a pic & Lynda Monk's work, above, demonstrating on Art van Go's stand.

 Jean Littlejohn & Jan Beaney very busy people being greatly encouraged to go off for their break by their tireless DH's, just caught them.

but I'd never seen the work of Judy Merchant, just wonderful

Can't resist a circle, can I? If you go to the show tomorrow, the last day, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

I've more, but this is enough for one day, I think. Here I am, home to my very own pot of gold.......
ok so I was fiddling with the camera & missed the most amazing rainbow.....! darnit!

Giveaway results & a few bits & pieces

The winner of my 200 plus posts giveaway is.......

Su from Living on the Edge !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you enjoy what you make ;)

I forgot I made these brooches last week & stitched the backs on while talking to the Rellies - the fabric was from last year, the same as the previous earrings; nothing wasted (which is part of my problem ;)

 On the same note, I dropped some tiny pieces of fabric & threads from one of my many bits bowls/jars onto a piece of stabiliser, ironed down & stitched around. It was only small so I cut it into 4 & made 3 brooches, the 4th piece might be a button one day.

 The 4 earrings on the left were prepared for last weeks chat time but I was too busy talking.....
The earring on the right was from the corner of the coin purse below (about postcard size)

 I had it in mind to make many purses but made just one. It'll just have to do!

Making a large piece of new fabric with many bits & pieces is great, you can really get into the 'zone' but it's also a little neck breaking to do too much at once & daunting when time is short so to avoid failing completely, I made this purse sized piece, even allowing for a little shrinkage for when you add the first few stitches.

So I sprinkled about, oh, 1/16th of one bowl (there are many more purses, brooches, earrings, hair clips, pendants & hanging hearts to come!) added turquoise organza (I have to buy the organza & gold thread - rarely find those in a charity shop!) Stitched some straight lines in both directions then filled in with some free machining.

The 'button' is from the opposite 'corner' to the earring & the loop is a bit of seam twisted & zigzagged. I must fins my cording foot as my cords/loops are always pretty flat! They 'round up' with a bit of manipulation ;)

 This will probably find it's way into my Etsy shop before too long.

Bought this from my friend, Yoga mentor, knitter extrordinare Toni who has a little shop with Theo on the old pier in Broadford, 20 mins down the road. I usually buy these hanks just to have/stroke/be inspired by as I'm no knitter, but I have used some in my work, honest! This one is neon Nylon ribbon/tape, can you believe it? Delicious.

Anyone heard of  Lauren Shanley? I'm trying to find just an inch of space in the studio so I'm going thru some mags & ripping bits out - I know, sacrilege especially as this was in Embroidery magazine...Aug 07, see what I mean? When I saw this piece I was enthralled, then when I got over the fright from the image of the head/face I realised I'd read (& kept) an article on her before. Nice to be consistent.  Her coats are to die for. If I start on one now I may have one to wear for my 50th wedding anniversary! Along the same lines is this wonderful artist, Paulina,  who I found on Etsy, very dreamy, have a look!

I discovered that my little point & shoot camera does get upset if you turn it to take a portrait pic. Who knew? Landscape from now on, easy ;) No more cricked necks!

I'm away on holiday next week so I won't be about for a bit. See you soon, tho! x

A busy week with Rellies & A GIVEAWAY

I've done nothing creative this week but I've had a fabulous time with the DH's sister & uncle up for their annual visit. On Monday we went off to the Isle of Eigg for the day.

 Loch Nevis from the Armadale on Skye to mainland Mallaig

 It was the only day in the week that the ferry called twice at Eigg, once to drop us & once to collect, of course.

The Sgurr on Eigg on arrival from Mallaig

We were starving after all that bouncing around & had the most amazing hamburgers & coffee & cake in the Eigg cafe.

 Tilt left, sorry, I'll have to try & sort this out! By the cafe, a lovely rusty red ;)

tilt left, walking thru the woods

& back to the shore by the ferry terminal

I've obviously got to keep our new point & shoot camera, a Lumix with a Leica lens no less, on the level when I take a pic. It doesn't seem to cope with turning sideways. Having said that it's a lovely little lightweight thing!

We went for a couple of other walks & got completely sodden near Portree but nevertheless went for coffee &  cake in The Bakery under my favorite Skyeworks Gallery  The photographic exhibition was fabulous (as was the cake!) My favorite pic was the one used in the promotion leaflet, you'll see when you click the link. A daisy in the garden of local photographer Donnie Mackay - must ask him how he got that moody effect ;)

Thursday we went to Plockton (in MY exhibition space ;)to see the work of my textile friend Polly Bryan - I'm so glad she did this!

 oh. she's spinning!

 The middle piece is Mulberry bark, torn, pulled & beautifully beaded

 Lovely organic shape there

 Sea colors

Autumn colors

 My favorite, hopefully she'll send me a pic of the one similar that was sold from above!

 Lots of goodies

 Pastels, a woman of many talents

 Needle 

felting, mainly

 another favotite landscape, tilt left

& last tilt left - colors you could eat!

A quick walk up to a viewpoint I've always been meaning to go to in Plockton

 Across to Skye

over to Loch Carron towards Kishorn where they held the record for building the world's heaviest moveable object, an oil rig - probably still do ;)

We were taken for a wonderful meal  by DH's uncle to the Plockton Shores great food & friendly service. A great week altogether!

MY GIVEWAY!

Celebrating over 200 posts; some would call that a lot of rabbiting - nobody here of course & I was delighted when someone local described what he was hearing from me when chatting to a friend as a "stream of consciousness". Much kinder ;) So, I'd like to offer a little giveaway of some scrappy fabrics in juicy colors, a bit of tissue & music paper, a copy of one of my painted papers (left) a little foil, rusty ring, bullet & shell & a spare tube of clear silk gutta - I got it to use as a resist. Just leave me a comment telling me how you might use this collection! I'll let you know who's won as soon as!

Giveaway next week

Sorry! Completely forgot about the giveaway I promised, so sorry, I'll give it a go for next week! The usual work load & all I managed this week was to make 6 little earrings.

I'm still, very slowly, sorting out the studio & I haven't come across the one packet of earring findings that I have. It's in there somewhere. Meanwhile the above won't be going into my Etsy shop just yet ;) I'm working towards stock for the craft fairs & i came across some pieces of made up fabric scraps & turned some of it into the earrings. I'll make up some more fabric for more stock, but that's the bit I love, it could turn into a purse, an earring a brooch a cuff, one day i'll do enough for a bag! I have been given a little commission for a coffee percolator warmer..... that'll be a nice change ;)

Just a really quick one tonight - we've got the Rellies up this week, staying in the local self catering cottage  & just spent a lovely first evening catching up with them. Must take the camera on the walk tomorrow, I'm on holiday!

The week that was.

I've been sorting boxes, moving them from one place to another, as you do. When the Middlest went off to college I thought, great, I can use the underneath of his bed to store the see thru plastic boxes that are full of my fabrics, only a couple of colors in each & one just for organzas & silks. When he came back from sea for a few weeks summer holiday he decided to buy a double bed & to avoid too many costs he'd use plastic fish boxes as the base, just as his brother did when the neighbours came round & said 'do you want a free double matress, we ordered the wrong size?' Well, you'd say yes, wouldn't you? (he does mow the lawn occaisonally while they're away as a thank you, in between his split shifts up at the hotel) Anyway, I had a few in the greenhouse which, a couple of years ago were growing tomatoes. There aren't many left now, perhaps if I'd looked after the tomatoes earlier this year they wouldn't have taken them?

Anyway, I've lost the 'under the bed' storage - I can't keep fabric in the studio over the winter, it gets decidedly foosty, bad enough in the summer months. He's gone back to college & I've lined them up against the walls where I can actually see the contents better. Hopefully he won't notice when he's back for a visit.....

How do you store your fabric?

In between B&B's & the day job I've managed to reawaken my Etsy shop it's been on my list to do long enough. In honor of it's awakening I finished making this purse.

A few items of clothing (I loved that dress!) stripped  & stiched with a little touch of lime green chiffony something.

I would have used the 2 small triangles cut off the top for the toggle button, if I could have found the piece I cut the purse from.

But no mind, I pulled some tiny pieces together & made one up & while I was there I made an earring to go along with it.

I just read that last week I hit 200 posts so I thought next week I'd have a giveaway. It'll probably be along the lines of an experimental pack with some recycled fabrics, book pages possibly a printed sheet of my painted papers & then maybe a card or 2. It might encourage me to carry on with the sort out ;) Then tomorrow i've got to persuade the DH to help me cut back at least 100 heavily gone to seed Alchemilla Mollis plants. I really must prevent having 150 next year but i fear it may be too late!

A restful week

So I've had a restful week, one less shift in the 'proper job' a couple of nights no B&B - things are naturally quieting down & on this September 1st no sign of the Blue Moon as winter has closed in! The moon was fabulous on Thursday evening tho, coming back from yoga I had a stunning view - we'd just done Salute to the Moon, of course. Can't complain we've had a fabulous summer, the best up here in 13 years. Even the midges only came out early August instead of May.


A couple of months ago I bought 2 single bed covers at the local Blythswood charity shop for £3 each. I had the idea to make them into one double cover & dye them forest green - good old Dylon.

The above was cream the other an interesting pink.
The label said dry clean only & I had a feeling it wouldn't really work...

Only the nice gold bits went green the rest is a rather lovely silver color ;)  If you can imaging a single cover in the middle of the bed, hanging over the sides a bit, I just cut the two sides off the other cover & added them to the sides of the one on the bed.... The top green line above is the whole cover then the added bit resting on the back of the dyed cover, a lovely smokey green. Of course the flash has turned it monochrome but you get the idea. I had no idea til I took this pic that the trimmings were different, call me a soft furnishings expert!

I had a cushion pad laying around the studio - different to the clean new ones I was using before - so I made one cushion. I'll look out for a couple of ready made second hand small forest green ones to sit either side. It'll be enjoyed by the next B&B guest & will make the  room more finished looking to finally have a cover.

So nothing creative in the studio this week, not even a card, which has been refreshing, relaxing & what I needed, no pressure. We did have a guest who wanted to visit the studio 'after breakfast the next day' so I spent a happy time sorting out the piles of work we'd just unloaded from the car & dumped. The 'gallery' end is looking lovely now but my working bit of the studio will take more than a happy time!

I've been very slowly getting back to my buddies & catching up on their blogs. I enjoyed Jill at Third Age Musings post on the Festival of Quilts &  I've seen there are more people's posts on the FoQ to go & visit. I really appreciate you all giving those of us up here a looksee ;) I was interested in her link to Stephanie Redfern's work  & was blown away by her work on her blog. I'd come across her before but obviously hadn't had much time to trawl thu all her wonderful detailed pieces - she also has a different, to me, clean simple way of working but give me messy detail any time! It reminded me of a visitor to the exhibition saying, when looking thru my workbooks on the table 'you must have a lot going on in your head'  I told her it helped to get some of it out onto paper.

 The printmaking course that I thought was returning is a 34 week Art & Design course - I want 10 week just printmaking - I can't commit to a college year at the moment. Maybe I'll buy a printmaking book or do an online w/s! A less frenetic autumn/wintertime is coming, more for my time.

Our guest just came back, 10.30pm & said the moon is out.  It's been raging all day! Standing with the dog seeing the brightness of the moon, the stars & the silver lining of the remaining clouds gives  a lovely hopeful feeling, I'd rather watch that than listen to the news.