Seven Random Facts

I finished my commission today - a book jacket for a scrap booking album. I've made quite a few books and book jackets in the past but never one quite this large so it was a bit of a challenge. It was made by making a bonded sandwich of painted brown paper, painted bondaweb, painted Ivy leaves, sparkly snippets of fabric, another layer of bondaweb and finally a chiffon scarf. This was then heavily machine stitched in and around the leaves before constructing it into the jacket. For subscribers to Fibre and Stitch the method is the same as in my article that is in the current issue (Did you notice how I subtly slipped that in?)

This is a detail of the leaves and the stitching.

Because I haven't much else to post about, I thought I would take up the challenge from Lesley's post and write seven random things about myself. I thought it would be easy but it's not...


1. I was born in Hackney in the East End of London where I was brought up until I was five years old so I'm a real Cockney, although my mum tried to drum it out of me by making me have elocution lessons at school!

2. I was named Gina Maria which I think makes me sound a bit like an after dinner drink and despite the exotic sounding name you have to go back a long way to my paternal great grandfather before you find the Italian ancestry.

3. I have a pathalogical fear of spiders and once made my brother clear out my entire bedroom (and I mean clear out... it was emptied) after spotting a particularly big specimen. He never found it and three days later the big b****r was back again in the same spot!

4. I've run in the London Marathon... twice! The first time was in 1988 and the second time was in 1998 when I took 3 hours and 64 minutes ; ) I would have liked to have done it again in 2008 but my running days are over due to dodgy knees.

5. I used to be a Maths teacher in a past life many years ago (pre children)

6. I hate making phone calls.

7. Since moving to our village nearly 18 years ago I've been involved in Amateur Dramatics despite having no previous experience. At first I helped out with the costumes and scenery painting and swore blind I would never ever go on stage. It is a foolish thing to say never ever as these photos testify! You'll be relieved to know that the fish net tights have been retired and my thigh slapping Pantomime days are over!

The Artful Dodger in a Pantomime version of Oliver called Tale with a Twist, written by one of our members.

Colin, in Mother Goose

And Nurse Nora in another home written Panto... Tarzan, the Pantomime

I would like to point out that is fake hair and fake boobs in the last picture! So there you have it, seven random things about me! The other thing of couse is that I'm very good at distracting myself from what I should really be doing... and that is finishing off my Opus module for this semester. Better go....