Making Great Headway

Today was spent resolving some of the designs of yesterday, machine stitching it out and stuffing.

I've been working the past couple of days with the company of Kobna Holdbrook-Smith reading Ben Arronovitch's Peter Grant series. I'm up to Broken Homes today. A really good listen and Kobna is one of the finest orators I think I've heard.

I received this in the post.

Some time ago back in September I wrote an email into Twistedthread say that had it not been for my friend Julie taking a photo of it in situ I would never have known that Dragons Ho had won a Highly Commended. It may 'only' be an HC but I'm rather proud of the fact that it's 'only' an HC in our largest international quilt show and it was the first time I had entered something there. They're quick enough to point out the thousands of quilts they have entered into it so to win anything against such large competition is staggering. You don't even hear much of the second and third places, I'm not sure if they have certificates or not and I do hope it's more than that, let alone HC. The young lady I was emailing with said she would mention that perhaps everyone who wins should receive some acknowledgement. So hopefully next year this will happen, even for the little guys with the little prize.

This wasn't an exercise in me trying to have trumpets blown it was more trying to have pen pushers understand the passion that goes into creating these things. Perhaps others could let me know their honest thoughts on the matter.

A Play With Paint

I managed to paint and stitch a panel today. Here's a snippet of it.

I'm quiet pleased with it.

Other than that quite a bit of coursework planning has been done and I hope to take a chunk out of that tomorrow.

John finally surfaced this morning. He's managed to eat something tonight, though he's complaining that nothing tastes right, which I'm really pleased with as he's lost 9 lb in four days.

Back to the lovely magazines this evening and a bit of knitting. I've just started this cardie for Olivia.

I made this pattern before and it was one of Elsa's favourites so I'm doing another in a larger size of course!

 

A Little Light Reading

A busy day today doing nothing creative at all! I did have this little lot drop through the letter box though.

A delicious pile of reading this evening. In fact several evenings!!

A Quiet Start

Not a lot to blog about today. I did my SW weigh in and I've put on a pound. I'm pleased with that after being in Dublin! I'm obviously making good choices!

The afternoon has been spent reading up on subjects for my next session of the course and making a mess on my desk. You know how I feel about giving too much away when a course has been thought out by someone and paid for by someone else so not too much detail I'm afraid!

John is currently a bit poorly with some nasty bug so fingers crossed its only a short lived one.

 

On to Week Two of 31 Days of Blogging

Are you all still here? Thank you if you are, I'm impressed. That's one week of posts you've been following! 

This morning was spent stewarding at the Gallery Upstairs where my Erosion pieces are on display. I forgot to take photos but here's one from the well attended opening on Saturday taken by James Manlow, Bournemouth's Poet Laureate.

Of course there was also lots of arty chatter with my friend Karren who I did the stewarding with. I think we're both benefitting from having each other to nag at about where our art isn't taking us! 

This afternoon I have made covers for another couple of sections of my coursework.  There is so much to try and keep tabs on I find semi binding it now and then keeps it in order and I can put it away knowing it's safe and not in my way.

I had very positive feedback from my lovely tutor, (and I can now say lovely tutor because she has replaced the dreadful excuse for one I had before!!) and she has now passed on my next session. So much for perhaps waiting until after Christmas!  Actually this part seems very enjoyable and I am going to spend the afternoon gathering thoughts, materials and perhaps stitch a sample or two.

Blogger is also having trouble sending out emails to me to let me know of replies so I apologise if I do miss you and don't respond. I think I am going to have to go back to answering under the comments again rather than by direct email until they sort it.

Link to the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge

Small Finishes

Today has been nice and quiet here.  I managed to make some cord and paper and tyvek beads for a purse.

The purse is a part of my coursework which has now been sent off with several other things.  

Yesterday, while down at Lulworth, I bought several fossils for a future project and this gorgeous palm sized piece of Labradorite.  It looks so lovely on my desk I made it a little cushion so I can admire its flashes of colour. Labradorite tempers the negative side and focuses the energy and thoughts so perhaps it is very much needed in a studio! 

All holiday washing is done and put away so the new week starts a fresh tomorrow.  Have a great week! 

A Bit Blustery!

And we're down on the south coast not being hit by the worst of it!  I hope the hatches are battened down up north.

Last week Andy the builder became a granddad for the first time.  This is a Jelly Roll Race I made for him and his wife as new grandparents.

I forgot to take a photo after it came off the longarm but I did swirls and hearts all over.  I think all grandparents should have a quilt so they have somewhere for new baby to lie or crawl, be wrapped in on the lap and snuggle up in as they grow older.  At the very least it's a lot easier to clean baby sick off of than a sofa!

Today Mike was running an Ultra Marathon along the Dorset coast.

We went down in support to Lulworth Cove and saw some huge waves crashing over the entrance to the cove.  

Of course the biggest of the waves happened just after I had put the phone away! 

Olivia enjoyed her walkabout though.  

 

Good job she had hold of both her mum and Papa's hand as one gust of wind literally blew her off her feet! She was airborne! 

This afternoon I have a date with my studio! 

Post Four for Day 4

Well we're now home! It was a great quickie away and the house has almost made it to the end of its revamp. At least a lot of the stuff that doesn't need dog fur all over it has been finished. Andy reckons another couple of days and we'll be done. But is a house ever done? Most of the other rooms are looking a little tired in comparison but I think they can certainly wait a while!!

The hotel had a really cute display in the reception. Loved the wadding clouds.

I managed some sewing in the airport...

I managed some sewing on the aircraft...

We also managed to find a calm weather window to land in comfort, much to the surprise of the pilot.
There's still no place like home and all the dogs are glad to be sprawled in front of the fire.

Link to the 31 day Blog Writing Challenge

Dublin 2

Well Dublin has been fun today!  Pouring rain, liquid sunshine they call it. The roads are absolute chaos as they are extending the Luas (tram). It will be great when finished but they keep finding bodies and collapsing cellars so delays. 

We've used taxis a couple of times, it would have been much quicker to walk but at least we stayed dry. They take an age to go not far and some interesting diving skills though. Don't fancy luring a cold in just before Christmas!  

Today was a scoot over to the Museum of Decorative Arts and History. It's another museum in ex military buildings, this time the very splendid and grand Collins Barracks. 

Porcelain sculpture. I'm always amazed at what people can do with porcelain

Some great exhibitions including Ib Jorgensen  fashion, woodturner Emmet Kane and the Way We Wore, Irish fashion through the ages. 

Emmet Kane burr oak and gold leaf. 

Do you see how tiny these woman's boots are? And it's not so much the length as the width! 

Just slightly wider than my two fingers. We have at least grown as a species in girth if not other ways. These were also made with a gusset of some of the first ever elastic. 

After yesterday commenting that we could be in the dark ages, I found this quoted on the wall today. So fitting, the inhumanity of the machine.

Oh and the beautiful tapestry the curator was referring to in her choice for the exhibition is the one below.

See you tomorrow! 

Dublin 1

If the earlier post was my 1st of December then this is for the 2nd. 

At home the build is in the last few days and Andy is staying there to complete it. We, and the dogs, are out of his hair while there is wet paint about, no ceiling in the kitchen and Stu the electrician can have the power off to run all the tests and certify it. See why we didn't want to be home? 

We've come back to Dublin just to do nothing in particular really. The landing was a bit hairy in the wind but done beautifully by the pilot. 

Yesterday we went back to see the Book of Kells. It's still an amazing thing to view in reality. The two gospels they had open were quite text laden but were showing the wonderful quirky way they would correct mistakes with red crosses and animal pictures. No photos of course. I could take a few of the magnificent library though. 

After lunch we went to the National Museum. Always amazed at the preserved peat men. Very eerie. And of course their gold collection is staggering. 

I love some of the other artifices in the religious hall. 

I sometimes think it must be us who are living in the dark ages. 

The workmanship is phenomenal and all done without our 'modern' technologies. 

Can you see the locking devise on that torc? Amazing. Very much worth a visit if you're over here and the Natural History Museum next door too. 

Grey day here again but another museum calls. 

I'm Going to Make the Effort!

I've joined the 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge! It started on 1st December and I know it's the 3rd but I've only just found out about it and we are away!  The link is Here

I hope the link works as the iPad has a love hate relationship with Blogger.  If not I will change it when we are home.

Back soon!

I'm Just Winning the Battle! I Hope.

I recently posted on the Dorset Artists FB page 20 Things Only Highly Creative People Would Understand By Kevin Kaiser. 

This is number 8. They focus intensely.
Highly creative people tune the entire world out when they’re focused on work. They cannot multi-task effectively and it can take twenty minutes to re-focus after being interrupted, even if the interruption was only twenty seconds.

Now I'm not saying I'm highly creative, just creative, and I can actually multitask quite well.  Re focussing, however, is or has been, an absolute nightmare for me lately.  It seems every time I settle to a task in the studio I'm wanted for something else, a builder, a plumber, an electrician, can I just look this up, what do I think of that.  It has been the most infuriating time but, finally I think I'm winning. 

Last week I went out and about with my lovely friend Karren and she suggested we meet up now and then with the view to purely share what we had done in the previous week/month/quarter/whatever. I cannot tell you how much that has spurred me on!  Thank you Karren!! 

There are several little exhibitions coming up that I think I would like to try and enter and we have also just had the call for entry to the 2016 Dorset Art Weeks so there is plenty to be getting on with.  

I felt (scuse the pun) the need to play on the embellisher this week.  The three pieces below I made with the thought of one of the exhibitions coming up which has the limit of each piece being 100mm x 100mm.  

There has since been another opportunity come up which I may enter a couple of them into as well.  We shall see.  I'm in the middle of preparing the frames at the moment.  

I also did this piece today. 

The base is an old woolen blanket I've felted overlaid with carded Finnsheep wool I bought at Ally Pally and some merino tops, silk, bamboo and a few other bits.  Nice to stitch into.  

The biggest reason for the delay in creative things as hinted above, is the finishing of the rebuild.  We now have a fabulous bedroom. 

Willow is on the window seat, her favorite place. She and Ellie actually have their beds in the corner under the Velux though! 

The en suite is nearly there.

And today we have a new airing cupboard! Not as exciting as the bathroom but still a very important place! 

Just the family bathroom to finish and a list as long as your arm to do in the new year.  It's been a long nine months and we are going to definitely stop for a bit over Christmas before tackling other jobs and, as mentioned, there is the Art Weeks to prepare for.  

All in all a busy time that seems to not have a lot to show for it! 

I hope you've all been creative, have a great weekend. 

A Use for Those Fabrics

Busy, busy couple of weeks!  But I have managed to put some of the eco dyed and rusted fabrics to use.

I knew I wanted to do another doll or two but something completely different to my usual.  I put out all my doll part patterns, Jan Horrox, Patti Culea etc and a few of my own modified ones and did a mix and match.  

I had been looking at using some ordinary cotton I had tea dyed some time ago but the bag of eco rusty bits kept catching my eye! I really enjoyed sewing in a much lighter weight fabric too. 

Rather than clothe them and hide all the marks that were dyed into the cloth I oversewed some patterns and added a bit of lace and beading. 

The hair is ramie (above) and from a ball of wool I've had for some time with a long staple (below)

I'm fairly pleased with them as experimental but there are still a few tweaks I'd like to do to the pattern parts and definitely the faces.  I liked the mix and match of the fabrics, and that it is using them up, and that they're not actually clothed. 

Talking of a state of undress we have our top off last week!!! Huge celebrations!

We have daylight, air and even a bit of warmth and we can light the fires!! Bliss. A fair bit of the scaffold has come down and is now around another part of the house while they sort that roof out but it's so nice to see out even if it's through the remnants of poles! 

Not a bad view from the bedroom.

And with the windows open... The new View From Our Hill. 

I did take the heading photo some time ago from the scaffolding but it's just as good from the bedroom. 

This past week we've had a lot of painting done and the wardrobes and bedroom furniture fitted.  The house is starting to stay cleaner longer between! The carpets are in on Thursday and the bed surround and divans arrive next week.  I doubt we will be able to move in then but it certainly isn't far off.  

I had a consultant appointment on Saturday and he wasn't very happy with my blood levels especially iron.  He's upped my dosage and if it hasn't improved in three months I'm back in the hospital for a total dose infusion of iron. Lots of greens and red meat on the menu then!! I will hopefully have enough energy to take me around Ally Pally this year though.  So looking forward to that. 

We had a lovely visit on Sunday from someone who is growing up very fast!  

I hope you all have a great week.