Seasons Greetings.

A small tapestry made in the 'Little Looms' workshop.

Best wishes for the festive season and wishing you all the best of possible times in 2017.

Creative Endeavours

A small section of my desk, in fact my sewing machine table, currently filled with lots of beach finds and my current interest in weaving. I am taking the on line 'Weaving on Small Looms' course with Rebecca Mezoff. I just fell for the small hokett loom without even knowing there were such  things as dents and wpi.. If you know nothing about tapestry weaving I can assure you it is much more difficult than it looks; if you have experience you will already know that there is a great deal to learn. I have put a link in the side bar to the course and I would highly recommend reading Rebecca's blog, about her current hiking experiences in an area of petrified forest. She is using her weaving as a kind of sketchbook, noting the colours and rock formations.

This is a small weaving I made before I knew the difference between weaving and tapestry. I included some razor shells from Knoll Beach in Dorset.

This is a print I made from dried seaweed found along the strand line in Swanage. I dried the seaweed, printed it onto washi paper and then scanned the print onto the computer.

Here is my first small tapestry,perhaps, like ones own naughty child, only I will love it, but I do. It was hard work.

I have a couple of books recommendations for you. I bought 'The essential Guide to Beach combing and the Strand line' after attending a talk by the authors Steve Trewhella and Julie Hatcher, who are both based in Dorset. If you spend any time by the beach this is a fascinating read.
I would love to walk along the Thames in London and search for treasure, but until I get the opportunity this is a way to enjoy the experience without the mud, 'London in fragments' A Mudlarks's Treasures by Ted Sandling; an excellent book to dip into just before you drop off to sleep or any time really.

L'Artishe Gallery

This is an exhibition of a range of work linked by the theme of 'natural forms' which will be shown at L'Artishe Gallery,71 High Street,  Swanage,Dorset over the next two month. I spend a good deal of time in Swanage now and have three of my needle felted pieces on the Change theme in the exhibition. We will not be there until the end of November so I shall miss the opening event. I hope you will support the gallery if you are lucky enough to be anywhere near the area.

South Lea Meadow, Cliddesden

Here is a sad tale I wanted to share.
Now the proposed site for 40 new houses. This field in a conservation area and for a long time a perpetual theme.

 A lino cut.

Paste paper added to fabric.

Pulled thread free machining.

Mono print.

Free machine embroidery.

Collograph printed with a pasta machine.

Will it soon be just a memory? Definitely a case of please 'not in my backyard'.

October

The year is passing very quickly, I started tidying my craft room this time last year but due to my wrist fracture did not get very far. I have started again now and needless to say the more I tidy and look through things the worse the mess gets. I have, with some heart ache over hours spent, thrown out most of my City and Guilds notes, my Access sketchbooks and much else, but I am at the moment hanging on to most of the samples. Although two assessment pieces have gone. I heard the other day that someone was told after Art School to throw out all the work he had done; that is not altogether a bad idea, although when I look at some of my samples I marvel at the patience I had at the time.

These are a few of the samples:

I have continued dipping into Skill Share workshops and this is a small piece of weaving with sea glass added.

September

Coming up to autumn now, I am looking forward to going down to Dorset again soon, starting in September and then, hopefully, regularly through the Autumn/Winter months. Not least because I followed a class on Creative bug which is gives clear instructions for crochet over stones.

 This helped to revise my very rusty crochet knowledge, but unfortunately I have no stones of the right sort of size so I need to get back to beach combing. I dug through my limited collection of hooks, mostly inherited, and my not so limited store of thread to come up with the basics, but no stones!

I have followed some more lettering workshops, watercolour (Silly Faces) and recently one on cross hatching.

I made a couple of ‘jewellery’ pieces having bought and tried out some epoxy glue to fix small pieces of beach glass to shards.

Thank you for catching up with my 'doings'.

August

Firstly a short book review:

‘I Can Make’ My Own Accessories, this is a book aimed at encouraging young people to start crafting/sewing; it is aimed at ages from 7 plus. For some parents it may be a great holiday project and for grandparents may prove an interesting way to start sharing ones interest in stitch. No expensive fabric or equipment is necessary.  My stitching began when a friend’s mother used to put out a scrap bag of fabric and encourage us at seven to play tailors.

I particularly like the way it is presented with pretty colours but also a nice chunky cardboard cover. At the end of the book some useful basic sewing tips are included; I know from experience that one should not take for granted that even a teenager knows how to thread a needle.

Once the basic projects are completed there is encouragement to go on and use the techniques which have been learned to design unique accessories.

The book which is published by Thames and Hudson will be published on 11th August 2016.

I have a couple of new jewellery pieces to show you:

I have continued with a little painting mostly at a weekly club and also
some Skill Share classes. I am now an Instagram addict and don't know how I managed without my daily fix. I would like to be able to emulate  some  of
the modern calligraphy examples I follow, especially combined with watercolour
backgrounds, but I can't say I have cracked that skill yet!

Skill Share class add texture in watercolour'Pearly King and his Dog':

Paint a silly Face mainly with watercolour and then app'ed on the ipad:

I had a go at transferring photos onto sea glass, could be OK with more practice:

So that's what I have been up to. Lets see what August brings.