Crazy Days

The past few days have felt like a bit of a whirlwind. It started yesterday when I met a friend at the V & A to see this exhibition...

Yohji Yamamoto

12 March - 10 July 2011

It was fabulous. Not a huge exhibition by V & A standards but very well lit and we could walk all around and right up to all the exhibits which was a real treat to be able to see the beautiful cut, drape and detail of all the garments. After lunch we headed on to meet more friends at Blythe House for a private tour around some of the V & A's archives... another treat!

I just about caught my train home with minutes to spare, got home, got changed and it was out the door for the "Night at the Museum" event. I wasn't sure of what to expect but we were busy all night, lots of people came to say hello and I had visitors sat at my table trying needle felting all evening.

This morning we were up early for a drive to Norwich to see the exhibition "Basketry: making human nature" at the Sainsbury Centre. It was brilliant and well worth the long drive. It's only open for another week but really is well worth seeing if you can manage it. Lots of traditional examples of basket making, some dating back thousands of years along side some stunning examples of contemporary basket work. I was also amazed by the permanent collection at the Centre - a wonderful eclectic mix of paintings and artifacts.

This weekend also sees another postcard swap. The one above arrived for me from Jane for my theme "Revealing and Concealing". Layers of fabrics peeping through a sheer top layer. My postcard was for Penny whose theme is angels.

I made a peg doll angel and stuck her to a postcard, based on this poem by Byron.

Here she is singing out of tune! You can see all the postcards here.

I'd like to say I'm going to sit down and put my feet up tonight but I'd better dash and get changed... we're off to see a couple of local bands playing at out village hall in half an hour. At least I'm not doing anything tomorrow!

Come and Say Hello

The next few weeks are going to be busy as I attend various events, starting tomorrow evening in Letchworth Garden City when I will be one of the ERTF "experts" (stop laughing now!) demonstrating a combination of felting and embroidery at the Letchworth museum.

Then, at the end of this month I have work in the PRISM exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London from 24th - 28th May. I will be there stewarding all day on Tuesday 24th and Saturday 28th.

And finally on 11th June I will be at the Missenden Abbey Open Day with a stall to showcase my work. I know some of you have already had an email from Colouricious telling you all about this.

So if you can manage to get along to any of these events please do come and say hello and tell me you read my blog... because it really does totally freak me out everytime someone I don't know comes and tells me that (I just innocently believe I'm talking to myself half the time!)

What... No Cake?

There has been no cake in the house for the past three days. My family think I am executing some sort of deprivation torture. So this afternoon I whipped them up a chocolate sponge with vanilla buttercream. But what they don't know is this could be the last cake for a while...

For at the weekend, Sam is moving out to pastures new and going to live in a flat in Cambridge. This means that until Joe comes home (not imminent as he is still in New Zealand without a passport) there will only be three of us at home.

Despite baking it, I don't really eat that much cake. Jacob, being diabetic really shouldn't eat that much cake and Stewart... well he doesn't need to eat that much cake... (although he might not agree)

Do you think they will notice the reduction in cake output? I know you will...

Collagraph Prints

A few weeks ago I attended a two day workshop at Art Van Go to learn how to make collagraph prints with Kim Major George. It was something I had tried very briefly when doing my teacher training many years ago but we had not really done it properly... I have vague memories of poster paints and tissue paper... not materials to encourage a love of printing! So this was something entirely new to me. The first day we made our printing plates and then on day two Kim brought in her press and we were able to make prints. I chose a trusty design from my sketchbook for my first attempt...

Two attempts with some subtle differences in the ink application.


The following design was based on a Hunderwasser painting and I particularly liked the way the lace printed,


Again a second attempt with the addition of some different colour


And finally a couple of little birds just to try out some different surfaces and ideas.


Kim often adds foils and sparkly bits to her designs and I thought I might like to do that with my two bigger prints - the poppies and the Hunderwasser tree. So I tried it with the tail feathers on these birds first to see what it would look like but decided I didn't like (It didn't show up on the photos so I haven't bothered to upload them) it so I'm not going to mess about with the others.


They are far from perfect, with areas of ink that are a bit splodgy or too heavy but I learned a lot and would love the chance to try some more now that I know how the plates print. But the best bits of all... the actual printing plates themselves...



The Hunderwasser tree is my favourite!

Fantabulous!

At Young Embroiderers today we started out by creating needle felted fabric. Twelve girls stabbing away with felting needles and not a single felted finger... I was pretty impressed! When their fabric was made they then cut out little people shapes which they then embroidered and assembled into "Button Babes"... colourful little brooches for their lapels! As ever I was totally blown away by the results, which I'm sure you will agree are amazing.

The two above were made by Grace and her Granny Moira (who is a very young and glamorous granny!) Grace made the one with red and yellow legs... and when I tell you she is only six and did virtually all of the felting and sewing entirely on her own I'm sure you'll be as impressed as I was!

The ones above and in the two photos below were made by Skye, Nikki, Imogen, Jemima, Francesca, Abigail, Sophie, Scarlett, Bluebell, Heather and Tabby... and although I can remember who made most of them there are one or two I'm not sure about... so sorry not to credit you individually girls! All fabulous though!

The three below were made by my trusty band of helpers Gill, Pam and Ann

And in a special photo all to herself is the one made by Abigail and Francesca's Mum, Rhian... because she claims she can't really sew. Looks pretty good to me!

And just before I put my camera away, Nikki produced a second one so here are her two together. Such beautiful stitching.

I know I say this every time but you have worked so hard, produced such beautiful results and as ever are a delight to work with. Thank you all my girls, helpers, mums and grannies!

Words

Today I bring you lots of photos and not many words... because I'm struggling with words. Only four days into my new module and I'm struggling to make sense of the words in my first assignment.... so while I attempt to "Destabilise the Familiar"... I bring you more SPECTRUM sketchbook work.

Collage in the style of Sue Dove, worked from an article published on Workshop on the Web.

Which led to this small textile piece.

And some machine texture samples from the class in St Albans on Tuesday. Despite my reputation for knocking shelves off the wall, Chris invited me into her home to teach her and three friends. We had a lovely relaxed day with some excellent work... from Christine...

and Lana...

Lynne...

and Shirley.

And while you feast your eyes on these pretty images I shall go back to making sense of my words... while I "smile an everlasting smile" (or is it a grimace?).... for words are all I have.

Busy Doing Nothing?

It feels as though I've not been here for ages... perhaps because I've not been here for ages??? But there has been much going on.

• I've been trying on corsets... very good for the figure!



• I've watched a wonderful wedding



• I've tidied my workroom



• I've been swapping postcards



• I've been teaching in St Albans
  

All of which could warrant their own blog post but as always happens when there is lots to blog about there is never time to do it... and when I've got the time nothing interesting seems to happen.

Today I've been with SPECTRUM, my group that meet in Ashwell. We are working hard towards an exhibition for early next year and today we have been developing work in sketchbooks... remember this sketchbook project? Well I'm still going with it (and encouraging the other group members to keep going with it!) and today I demonstrated some monoprinting with limited success...

But the addition of some coloured inks this evening has perked them up and I think I quite like them after all.

I might be back tomorrow with some photos of some of the other things I've been up to... but don't hold your breath!
(What is going on with Blogger spacing???)