Went to London yesterday

to see the Quilt exhibition at theV&A and to meet my friend Judy who has now settled in Kent.  Had a lovely day together although Judy has back problems and found walking round the quilts a bit tiring.

Some of my favourites were, the small baby's cot quilt with embroidery (one of the first ones shown in the exhibition), the Royal Clothograph quilt, the blackout quilt because I had one just like it on my bed at my Gran's, the Wandsworth HMP quilt and Tracy Ermin's bed.  I didn't buy the exhibition book but I did buy postcards of quilts I was particularly interested in and Diana Springall's "Inspired to Stitch".  Well okay I know I could have got that anywhere but its one I've been looking to buy and I couldn't go home without one now could I.

Whilst we were there we managed to go into the Islamic room where three small coatsbelonging to princes,e colourful tiles, silk carpets from Isfahan were exhibited.  I was in Isfahan several years ago and lucky enough to be invited into the home of a carpet maker who exported his carpets to Harrods.  There was no way I could have afforded one then or now but seeing the colours brought back the memories.

Now that I have two new sewing areas to use, I'm sitting in this one at the moment, I've actually done some work.   I've almost finished my June Journal Page, photos next time, and completed a couple of swaps although most of the work was done in my second sewing area.  It's now as dark as it appears in the photo in fact its sometimes so bright I have to pull the blind down.

Two swaps for the Surface Design group, first an ATC on the theme of 'any technique'.  I've used a fractured fabric technique for this one.   It's one I first encounted with Maggie Grey where you repeatedly bond and cut fabrics in different directions, the more you cut and bond the greater the fracturing.

The second swap was again with Surface Design this time to produce a bookmark using soluble fabric.  I sewed tiny scraps of silk fabric onto the soluble fabric then using a metallic thread free motioned a lacy fabric around the edges and linked the fabric fragments.  Just realised that both these swaps entired tiny pieces of fabric.

Back to my journal page now and I have the big decision as to which room I will use.   I hate to admit it but I think I worked better in a smaller area but daren't tell Keith that.

Back again

We really enjoyed our holiday in the Lake District and were lucky enough to get some beautiful weather.  We stayed  in a cottage on the Priory Manor Estate,  The cottage was small but large enough for the two of us with the most stunning views over lake Windermere. The only downside was the steep bank back up to the main road.  It seemed like walking up a 1:3 and by the time we got to the top we were too tired to go much further.  After the first time we took the car to a view point just slightly along from the estate entrance and walked from there.

Our cottage unfortunately there also my shadow!!

What laid at the bottom of the garden.

We never got tired of watching the light change on the lake or the boats passing up and down.  There were several short walks near to where we were staying and managed to do several of them. One of the reasons we went to the lakes was to see just how far Keith could walk without too many problems.  He did really well and since we've got back we've continued to walk.

Besides walking we did some seeing and visited several tourist sites such as Hill Top Farm where Beatrix Potter wrote Peter Rabbit and her other animal stories. It was smaller than I expected but the gardens were wonderful. In fact the Lakes were in full colour while we were there, especially the Rhododendroms.

We even found the watering can that Peter Rabbit hid in from Mr McGregor, well that's what I think.

We went to Kendal to deliver my evening purse for the charity exhibition and called in at Sizergh Castle while we were in the area.   I enjoyed the house but I loved the gardens.   The door knocker reminded me of the one on Durham Cathedral, its not the same but similar.  And I loved these steps that had seen better days.

We spent a day at Penrith, well I couldn't go there without calling in a Just Sew could I and Keith had discovered there was a timeryard that sold wood for woodturning. That made for two happy bunnies!!  On the way we called in at Aire Force and walked up to the waterfalls.   I did take some photos of the falls but the angle I had to take them at makes them look odd.  

The trees around Aira Force are some of the largest in the country, one a giant PuzzleTree we named the "Nora Batty" tree because its bark looked like her wrinkled stockings.  The bark of others just asked to be turned into textile art of some description.   I'm thinking about what right now.

Everywhere we went the ferns were blooming in great profusion.  These primordial plants seem to take on a personality of their own.  This one reminded me of a druid raising his arms to the sky.  Whilst the larger one is keeping his eye on you.

Crook Hall visit

Crook Hall is one of those places on your doorstep that you always mean to visit but never get round to doing.  Well yesterday we finally went there with the U3A gardening club (no we're not keen gardeners just like to see what other people have achieved and drool over them).   There has been a hall on this site since the 13th century, added to in the Jacobean perios and again in the Georgian period.  The gardens have an eclectic cottagey feel to them, small, secret and beautifully scented.   Best of all they have a wonderful view of Durham Cathedral almost as good as that from Durham train station.

Although a lot of the medieval hall  was standing it had fallen into disrepair.  It is now restored using the original materials where possible and is typical of halls of this period.   The hall comes complete with an offset fireplace and a minstrals gallery.   In the far left hand corner is an alcove supposedly where a soldier died and visitors are invited to stand in it with their hands on the walls to see if they are 'ghost receptive'.  

I tried standing in the alcove but I could only feel was the walls,   The Jacobean hall is much cosier but it is reputed to have a ghost.  The Grey Lady has been seen by lots of people but she was keeping herself to herself yesterday.

The Georgean part of the hall is ghost free and lived in by the family so we weren't allowed to go there. The gardens though, as I said before were lovely and when we were there the rain stopped, the wind dropped and the sun came out.   There is a small solar garden at the end of the medieval hall, tiny, packed with plants and peaceful. 

This was the Shakespeare garden and is planted with the flowers in his plays such as forget-me-nots, pansies (heartsease) and many other.  There is also a moat pool, a woodland walk and the present owners have planted a small maze which although not at full height yet is still fun to walk through.

Now its time to get down to some work and make a start on my May journal page.

It's been a quiet week

It's been a fairly quiet week, my friend's funeral went off as well as any funeral can and we all felt better having said our goodbyes to him.   I've been friends with Ann and Ken since I was 15, many moons ago, and even if we don't see each other when we do meet its as if we seen each other just the day before.   Some friends are like that - for life - other can be more transient but I enjoy them all.   Ann's gone off to the Lakes this week with her daughters and their families and I hope she really relaxes and enjoys the peace and quiet.   We off on our 'jollies' on Saturday and I'm really looking forward to it.

I did manage to get some sewing done this week.   I was persuaded to enter the Reticule (shop in Kendal) cancer charity exhibition.  For a £5 entrance fee you were sent either a fat quarter of fabric or a bag of Texere yarns - I chose the yarns and when it arrived they were all shades of pink.  This is what I made:

I used the pack of yarns and my embellisher to make a fabric which I lined and turned into a small evening bag.   The flower was made from wool tops which I wet felted and cut out two rough flower shapes.  These were then beaded, tasselled and sewn in place on the bag.   There is a small internal pocket.   I had several shades of pink and purple ribbons but none that matched well, or were too short to bind the bag.   So despite having told myself I was not going to buy more ribbons  I did.

This is a close up of the flower, I really should have rotated the photo before I imported it.  Never mind you can still see it clearly.  I will take it with me when we go to the Lakes next week as the shop is in Kendal and hand it over.  It'll give me an excuse to browse in a shop I understand is packed with goodies.

I don't think I told you that a few weeks ago a lady I'd not met before emailed me and asked if I would sell one of the houses I made for the Textilechallenge group swap.   It was the Hen House.  As the group no longer exists I didn't want to sell or part one of  my set of houses.  However we came to an arrangement, I made her her own Hen House and she sent me one of her handmade gifts and this is it.

These last tow photos are close ups of a couple of the panels on the tea cosie - its much to beautiful to use.

One other thing I've been meaning to show you.  When we were decorating my sewing room and sorting out all the stuff I had scattered throughout the house I came across this Elizabethan sweetie bag.   I had made it some time ago at one of the Embroiderers Guild workshops.   We drew the flowers, painted the centres and used goldwork threads and silks to embroider the rest.   I'd completely forgotten about it until it came to light.

I forgot to take a photo of the back of the bag which is quilted into small diamond shapes with a tiny sequin and small bead in the middle of each shape. Not at all sure what I'm going to do with it but its been put away again and will probably be another decade before it sees the light of day.

Day trip to the Lake District

It seems to have been all doom and gloom recently, my friend with the pancreatic cancer passed away quietly this week.  My other friend with the spinal cancer has lost the use of his arms and legs and is now in a hospice.   We definitely needed cheering up so we set off yesterday for a day in Windermere.  Actually we've booked a cottage for a week at the end of April and we thought we'd try and find out where it was.  As usual we went via Ullswater and what a difference from the last time we traversed this road earlier this year.

This was February when the lake rose well above the retaining wall on the roadside and flooded the road.

You can see from this photo just how high the lake has risen.   Yesterday, despite a cold wind, it was sunny and the ducks were enjoying having their photos taken.

I love the view down Ullswater toward Skidaw and Patterdale.
We'd stopped at Rheged for morning coffee and a look round the boutiques.  Bought some bits and pieces in the Paper Shed and sweeties to keep us going until lunchtime.

We had lunch overlooking Winderemere, fed the ducks, walked along the lake shore.   The sun had gone in by this time so we headed up to Lakeland Plastics to see what they had new (I simply cannot go to the Lakes without calling into Lakeland Plastics).  Several pounds later we headed off to find our holiday cottage.   Its about a mile outside of Windermere but has a lovely view over the lake.   The cottage was occupied by holiday makers when we got there and we didn't like to intrude but we were quite pleased with where it was and how it looked.   Looking forward to going there on the 22nd.  

Got home to find that the two books I had ordered from D4Daisy had arrived and I'm wondering where I can get Keith to put me up another bookshelf.

Hmm might have to work on him a bit. 

I've made a start on my entry for Reticule's Summer Exhibition to raise money for breast cancer.   I was sent a pack of pink  Texere Yarns and I've used my embellisher to felt them to some wadding.   My next step is to make it into a small evening purse.  I hope to finish it off either tomorrow or Monday.  I need a shade of ribbon I don't have so may have to go into town to buy some.  I'll post pictures when I've finished.

It's taken me a lot longer than I expected

To get back into the swing of things.  I've not blogged for quite some time and felt unless I made the effort and began again I was in danger of dropping out.   So sorry to those who follow my travels and in the last week I have begun to sew again.

I promised last time that I'd show you some dyeing I'd done using alcohol inks and this is one of the pieces.  

I bought this book which gives you lots of ideas on using alcohol inks both in dropper bottles such as the Ranger ones.   But you can also use pens with alcohol inks such as Sharpies or Copic pens.  Both are very easy and simple to use.  You simply colour the fabric with your pens then drop alcohol blending solution onto the fabric.   I showed the book to a couple of friends and we got together to try out some of the methods in the book.   The result is fairly serendipitous but lots of fun.   We used silk but it works just as well on other fabrics.   The inks and blending solution dry almost instantaneously so you don't have to pack away wet fabric.

I finished my 'Twilight' picture for the EG's Sparkles exhibition next month.  I used the alcohol inks on tinfoil for the frame.   I dropped several colours of ink onto felt then stamped it onto crumpled kitchen tinfoil.  Once it dried, which took only a few minutes, I glued the tinfoil onto a wood frame.  Not sure of the name for this piece but couldn't think of anything else.

 Just in time I managed to get my March and April journal pages for the CQ 2010 challenge finished.  March is in remembrance of Mum who would have been 94 on the 8th March.  I've used fabric paper in two inch block patchwork as the background.  Printed a photo of Mum onto fabric and using Photoshop created a scrapbook page.  The lace is again dyed using alcohol inks.

April's JP is also on a paper fabric quilted background.  The top layer is made using soluble stabiliser and tiny scraps of fabrics.   I've called this infection as it was a really nasty kidney infection that laid me low during April.  The infection is spreading across the page just as it spread to my kidney's, lungs and liver.  Luckily I'm now fit and feeling up to sewing again.

 

 Once quilt I was unable to upload to the challenge site was my intepretation of 'Passage' - Passage to India.  I was doing the bi-monthly challenge on the 3Creative Studio site but try as I might I could not log on to upload the photo, the deadline being yesterday.   I tried re-registering but was told I was already registered, when I tried to use my registration details I was told I couldn't be found.  Guess I'll be sitting out this one.

Keith has finished my sewing room and I've finally moved in, these are a couple of photos of it but don't show all of it.  However its now full of junk from our dining room.   We ordered new flooring for the dining room and were expecting it to arrive end of next week but its arriving on Tuesday.   So all hands to the pump we've had to empty the dining room so we can redecorate it before the flooring arrives.  Keith decided to take off the radiator so it would be easier to take off the old paper and put on the new.  Unfortunately our plans went a bit astray as we developed a serious leak.  Good job we have new flooring coming as the old one is sitting in the garden dripping wet.  Still its all under control now but we've had enough excitment for one day and will start the decorating tomorrow.

If you are wondering where I've been, I've been in hospital with a rather nasty kidney infection.  The affects of which ran riot through my body.   I'm out of hospital now and beginning to recover but am very tired most of the time.   Naturally my creative output has been zero.

However, before I took ill I'd been experimenting with alcohol inks and will show the results in my next blog.

I haven't left town just been decorating.....

I'm feeling quite guilty because I've not been blogging as much as I feel I should.  Problem is I don't have a lot to show you and there is only so much 'dear diary stuff' that can be tolerated.   The reason for the quiet time is that we've been decorating.   Well at least we've sat around a lot talking about decorating.   Once Sy moved out, his room was to become my workroom but you know what its like as soon as you have an empty room you start to notice the scratches, scrapes, sun bleaching, marks on the carpet etc and you simply have to do something about it.  But before you get around to doing something the room fills up with junk!!!   We decided to decorate the whole house, start with our bedroom and steadily work our way downstairs and out through the front door.

First thing we did was buy ourselves one of those Dulux Paint Pots.  Our reasoning was that as neither of us can bend as easily as we used to it would be a great help and it is, to a point.   It's wonderful for large areas, not a lot of use in small areas and the paint whilst expensive goes a very long way.   For example we bought a5 litre pack (5 litres is the smallest unit they make to go into the posts) and painted our bedroom walls.  After two coats we'd used all of an inch of paint......  Unless we want to paint the whole house Raspberry what do we do with the other 9 inches of paint left in the pot?   Ours is a small house so one pot of white will do all the ceilings for the next three years.  Get the picture..

Next problem is I can't decided whether to leave my 830 downstairs and take my Horn cabinet upstairs or visa versa.   I also want a new shelving put in to hold my stash.   Think this decorating might go on until 2012.

I have done some work ,though not a lot.   I wanted to do a portrain of my Mum for my March contemporary quilt journal page.  Her birthday month was March so I thought it appropriate month to do one.   I used a photo I'd taken on her 93rd birthday last year and alterned it in photoshop then cut out layers of colour to built up the quilt.  This is it.

Now I have a problem with it - how on earth am I going to quilt it?   I've had it up on my wall staring at it but the answer hasn't arrived yet.   I know I want to quilt the lines in her face to give it more contour but I'm not sure I've picked the right photo to do it.   Everyone who has seen it on my wall recognises it immediately as Mum and want to touch it but so far I haven't had the nerve to put needle and thread into it.  

Like everywhere else in the country our daffodils are late this year but my crocus bloomed with the sun we've had this week.

Their bright little faces smile at me from ny kitchen window box.  I believe Spring may have arrived.

Moving Blues

I think I must have the 'leaving the nest' blues.  Sy has finally flown the nest (not that he hasn't done it before but kept coming back) and this time I believe he's actually going to make a go of it.   Buster has gone with them and has settled into his new home extremely well, having taken over the conservatory as his 'nap room'.  Both Sy and Julie have been off work this week to sort out their new home but both are back to work tomorrow.  Sy will drop Buster off on his way to work and pick him up on his way home so we haven't actually lost him.  

It's been a busy couple of weeks and I haven't done much sewing to show you but I have done some.  Julie asked me if I'd make her a linen basket like ours.   Keith made the frame and I sewed the bag, ours was made out of some old silk dresses Keith's aunt had brought back from Thialand but Sy and Julies is plain old black and white sheeting.  I still think it looks okay though.

 I cut a 6.5" strip of both black and white sheeting and proceeded to cut it up into wavy slices.  I ironed them onto iron-on dressmaking interface then put another strip of black sheeting behind the lot and started sewing the strips down onto it.  I had great fun using the fancy stitches that came with the 830.  I used black thread on white and white thread on the black.   The top band of the linen bag is black and the bottom white both inside and out.   Keith made the frame and it was hung onto it by tabs.  It took longer to make than I had anticipated but the new homers were pleased with it.

I have been doing a bit of hand sewing at night I started with a piece of painted bondaweb I'd been given which had already been ironed onto burgandy furnishing fabric (velvet type).  I started out by layering black net over it and embroidering running stitches following some of the paint lines. Then I left it, thought about it and cut out a purple felt tree.  I've got as far as starting to sew bark patterns in stem stitch and its at the stop and think stage again.   I keep thinking of a title for it, so far its been Purple Haze and The Twilight Zone but its still work in progress so keep an eye on it.

Reticlue in Kendal are having a 'Birthday Challenge' for a cancer charity.  It costs £5to enter and you get either a bag of Texere Yarns (mine are pink as you can see) or a fat quarter of fabric, colour of your choice from which you have to make an article for their exhibition.   My muse hasn't told me yet what I'm going to do with this yarn but I'm almost certain it will involve my embellisher.

I feel the need to contribute to this charity, having survived breast and bowel cancer myself.   I've also heard this week from two close friends that both have had a cancer diagnosis.  One with spinal cancer and the other with pancreatic cancer.  As yet we don't know what the prognosis is but its not looking good.

These are the last cards I will receive from the private swap as three of us have now decided we want to do other things.  Sad but its time to move on and we'll all keep in touch as we've become friends by now.

The cards haven't scanned too well but the black one is from Jennifer and I'll say a little more about Jennifer later.  The White one from Doreen who may carry on swapping with new partners.  Blue is Cindy's and the Pink one Christine's.   Cindy spends a lot of time commuting between here and the States so time is a little short for her.  Christine has made teaching commitments and is going onto bigger and better things.   Jennifer bless her went to Chile for three weeks and had a wonderful holiday thre.  On her return however she found her farm house had had a serious fire caused by a rodent eating through a wire.  Not a good homecoming but I believe she is coping well and wish her all thebest. 

I've made a start on my March CQ Journal Page in so much as I have done the computer design work, bought, washed and ironed the fabrics.  All I need now is the Steam a Seam Lite that I ordered from Rainbow Silks nearly two weeks ago.  They have packed it as they rang me about my order so it must be lost somewhere in the mail.   I'm keeping my fingers crossed it turns up tomorrow.

Off to start Sunday lunch as the family are all coming over to eat.