I do get things finished...

Hello all.

Hope you're enjoying this continued fab weather. We British really are obsessed with it aren't we.

So - here's my evidence that I do get things finished. Here's my Olympic postcard for the Embroiders offering to the Olympiad. One of the countries our group has is Cuba and I decided to represent the cultural side of things and illustrate ballet. So here we are:

I used soluble fabric as a base for the ballet shoes. And just so there was no confusion beaded the word 'ballet'.

I've also finished another altered book page - but won't be able to show you these until the end of the project.

So now - just one more altered book page and then I can look at my Angie Hughes UFO. Oh it never ends does it. LOL.

Take care all.

Another exhibition

Well - had a great day yesterday and saw a great exhibition - really top quality work. It was the Living Threads Group and if you get the opportunity to go - please do - you really won't regret it. Besides displaying a very wide range of textile skills - the way it was displayed was extremely well done.

One of the artists we met, Gilli Theokritoff, made the piece below which I'm sure many of you saw at the Festival of Quilts and Malvern last year. Unfortunately you couldn't take photos but I hope this quilt will give you an idea of the quality of work.

Hope you're all enjoying this unseasonally warm weather - I've seem lots fo very pink people. LOL.

Take care and I hope to hear form you soon.

Uttoxeter Quilt & Embroidery Exhibition 2011

Hello all - sorry for the delay in posting - I've been enjoying the sunshine and I hope you have too.

Had a fantastic day out on Sunday at Uttoxeter race course at the Quilts and Embroidery 2011 Exhibition. It was great - fab pieces on show and great company too. So I thought you might like to see some of the work on show:

Great work I'm sure you'd agree. 

A real surprise for me was the postcards we'd made at Leamington Embroiderers Guild.

It was great to see all our work on show.

Take care and enjoy the sunshine.

Angie Hughes class

Hi all. Yes surprise surprise - here's another post. Just got back from a class with Angie Hughes organised by the Lutterworth Embroiderers Guild. It was so popular we had to book her for an extra day. 

Had a great time and wanted to share with you what we all got up to.

 So here's what I ended up with. For those of you who know - you'll see there's a lot of work left to go.

And below is another piece I managed to get started on - much bigger and a different colour scheme - lets see how it goes.

If you get the chance do Google her please do as there are lots of images out there of her work as well as lots on her site.

If you get the chance to take a class with Angie - please do - I'm sure you'll have lots of fun.

I also popped in to see the Market Bosworth Quilters yesterday. Theye were taking a class with Edwina MacKinnon. Another great teacher.

More holiday snaps...

So here are a few more holiday snaps.

See you all soon

Hello - I'm back...

And I've got a tan LOL. 

Have a look at the photo below and see if you can guess where we've been for the week.

Well - it's St Ives. 

We had a great time - fantastic weather too - hence the tan (well perhaps not so much of a tan than a shade more off white than normal). So the next few weeks I'm afraid you're going to be bored rigid with photos and what we got up to.

We started the week with a walk about the history of St Ives and later in the week a walk and talk about the art of St Ives. They were really good.

As you can imagine lots of art in St Ives a large number of very well known artists such as Patrick Heron, Ben Nicholson, Alfred Wallis and of course Barbara Hepworth.  We went to the Barbara Hepworth Museum and I took a few photos. I hope you like them.

See you all soon.

Hello

Hello all,

Hope you're well. I'm enjoying the sunshine - I hope you are too.

 So here's a photo I took on an early evening walk earlier this week.

See the sunshine reflecting on the lake.

And I am doing some sewing too. I'm making slow progress - but I'm really enjoying it. I'm rediscovering old stitches I haven't used for ages.

I'll be back soon.

World Book Night

Well - Saturday was World Book Night.

I was lucky enough to be selected to give away 48 copies of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell.

The books were specially printed - as you can see below.

I had a very nice evening sat in the pub - with great people - giving out books and having a drink. It really couldn't have been much better

I'm pleased to say I've managed to give all of my books away. 

If you weren't lucky enough to pick up a book on the night -keep your eyes open as the idea is that they're circulated once people have read them.

Now I'd hate to think you thought I spent all my time in the pub - handing out books. So below is a combination of fabrics I've put together to use as the basis for an exercise using different stitches. As you can see I've used the fabrics I dyed the other week. And the threads too. So keep watching and I'm sure you'll see how I get on.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Dyeing Day

Hello all,

I've had great fun this morning. Been dyeing and am very pleased with how it's gone so far.

So here is my attempt at graduated dying from Magenta to Ultramarine.

And this set runs from Bright Turquoise to Golden Yellow.

 And I've been very good at making sure I keep a record too. So I've noted the colours and how they've been mixed. I also brushed the colour against the notes and I've added a square of fabric to ensure I have a record of the colour achieved. 

As i had some of the dye mix left I made another plastic cup up and added some threads that have been wound onto plastic cotton reels. I also added some manufactured printed fabric too to see how they turn out.

So - next time I'm sure I'll be able to show you the results. 

Hope to hear from you all soon.

Preide & Prejudice - a lovely day...

Well - I had a great day yesterday with some lovely ladies celebrating a good friends birthday.

We spent the day eating cake, drinking tea and watching Pride and Prejudice. The proper one from the autumn of 1995.

Yep - and here's a picture of the lovely Colin.

It was a real treat to spend time with such lovely people and watch such a great programme. 

I'm very lucky.

Finished!

 YAY - finished

I'm really please to have finished this. It's not exactly as the one we were shown on the class - but it is in the style of. I've really enjoyed doing something different. Beading wasn't something I'd really done before - but I'm pleased with the finished piece and would certainly include it again as embellishment.

 And here is one of the altered books I'm working on. The cover (above) and the inside pages (below).

I won't be able to show you anything else on this until I get it back - completed - at the end of the year.

As you've probably guessed the theme is 'The Celts'. I'm intrigued what others will some up with.

Hmmm. I need to find something else to make now....