I picked up this little chest of drawers for £5 the other week. It was in a bit of a state but you know how we all like little drawers!!!
John cut the top off and replaced it with some oak and we added a plinth to the bottom. Because of some of the marks on it and the removal of the metalwork leaving unvarnished places I decided to ebonise it with some Black Polish.
I've lined the drawers with some soft bump and all my special, semi precious cabochons have finally found a nice new home. I'm rather pleased with it
One thing I made for a friend for Christmas she has opened. Only a little thing and it's a bit of an experimental piece.
Strangely while it was stitching out near the end it was still stitching but the needle stayed in the up position. I'm not too sure if it's something wrong with my machine or the pattern as it seemed to happen in the same place each time. In the new year when there is more time I will investigate further.
And the sketchbook each day fell after day 9!!!! No surprise there really. Perhaps it's just the wrong time of year or I really am as useless as I know at using sketchbooks!! I have this book...
...and I decided to randomly open it each day and take inspiration from the page. Anyway, the efforts so far.
I slash the pages down between the spirals so I can take the pages out to work on them and then slot them back in. They are using all sorts of inks, pearl gels and pens I have around the studio that don't usually have much of an airing so that's a nice something to come out of it anyway. Maybe I will pick it up again when I don't seem to be out of time!!
It's that time of year to wish you all a Happy Christmas and creative New Year. I seem to have a few interesting adventures ahead of me and I hope they turn out as well as they possibly could!! Keep creating!!
I finished the long piece. 100 x 30cm
It still hasn't a name but I'm working on it.
Pleased with it over all and it will definitely be going in the exhibition in March.
I finished the Drawing for Textiles course with Dionne Swift. Wasn't too happy with this one. I didn't find it inspiring and other things took priority. Her Developing Sketchbooks one I did quite enjoy and found I came away with some things to take further. Perhaps it was that the drawing was done very much in her scribbly style, one which I'm not a fan of, rather than pushing our own. Still, you live and learn and if anything I can put it in the 'don't want to do that or that way again' box.
Last weekend I took the train to Harrogate. I managed a bit of a mooch around on the Saturday afternoon and met up with Hilary Beattie who had one of the galleries. She soon raided some of my purchases.
Unfortunately the fur was moulting everwhere and her black top was covered in it. She was seeing what she would look like going grey like me.
I finally saw the Hardhome Embroidery. A great piece of colaborative work.
And the FoQ winner was there too done by Laura Kemshall. Yes it's huge but other than that it's lots of programmed machine stitch on a printed photograph. Not sure how I feel about it tbh.
Anne Kelly was there with lots of her own work and several pieces done by others. I really liked this piece by Leisa Rich called Mass Hysteria.
Also all the little insect pieces she had sent in including my glowworms which actually do glow in the dark.
There really was lots and lots to see, I'm sure you've all seen or read about them after Ally Pally and Dublin too. In between shopping on the Sunday I did stand sit with Hillary a fair bit too.
We took it in turns and I think she quite enjoyed herself visiting others but she did manage to sneak a bit of playtime in, which she wasn't supposed to do in a gallery! If you know Hilary you know her joyous abandon when playing with her materials!!
I've just read the latest Cloth, Paper, Scissors and seen the article by Robyn McClendon where she talks about her 360 days of collaging. As you know I am pretty useless at these sketchbooks and there is no way I would be able to do 360 days worth! However it is 1st December and if you remember last year I did the month of blogging challenge. Well I thought I could just try to put something in my sketchbook for the 31 days of December. It helped watching Hilary and seeing her books. Yes I can do that! Can't I? I will let you know now and then!!
Winter is finally here so keep warm and stay safe if you have it too!
