It's Over and on to the Next Project

Seeking Artemis finished Tuesday at 4pm, I think it's right to say it was a successful exhibition 500 visitors viewed our work and gave all the work very positive feed back. Work was sold, none of mine  I didn't expect  to sell,  my work is not commercial enough.  Textile work to hang on the wall not framed and behind glass seems to scare the buyer. Maybe they worry about how to keep it clean.

The venue was in a very busy area of London between two stations Euston and Kings Cross / St Pancras, this meant that quite a few visitors were passers by with suitcases. Some of the visitors were even more colourful than my work!

I thought I would give a description of my work and close up images for those that are interested if your already bored switch off now.........

My Work

For me it was the idea of strong women that inspired my work.  Many women throughout history and into the present day whose strength is seen in a supporting role much as the caryatids support the fabric of this church. Using modern and traditional quilting techniques I created a body of work to honour such women 

Caryatids above the entrance to the Crypt

The Sign on the corner of Duke Street and Euston Road

I used the shape of the arches in the crypt to shape the top of the quilt, I then stitched the quilt including the three figures which I then cut out and filled the holes with textiles that can be seen through and used the lights to show it off  (the images below don't show this as they were taken on another quilt). Names of inspirational women were stitched onto the quilt using the sewing machine and added texture to the quilt with hand stitching and painted bonda web. When the whole piece was complete I used metallic foils to catch the lights. I was pleased with the results but there are things that I would have done different, we live and learn!

Inspiration Quilt

 painted bonda web and hand stitching

Used to fill the figures

Used to fill the centre figure

hand stitching and machine stitched name 'Mary Shelley'

The shapes  removed from the inspiration quilt were attached to three smaller quilts. I used machine and hand stitching on the quilts and as well as the cotton fabric I'd dyed and used in all the work, I included small pieces of silk, just to give a bit of interest. Again when they were completed I used foils and mounted the quilts on artists canvas! I was happy with these  the one on the left doesn't photograph well it was colour on colour (better in the flesh). These three were called 'The Jugglers', the reason is like all women they have everything in the air and occasionally something crashes to the floor.

Stitching on the figure

Machine, Hand Stitching and Foil

The lightest fabric is silk

The three final pieces where framed they were shapes foiled and  hand quilted keeping it very simple.

Hand Quilting, Painted Bonda Web and Foil

Hope your not dozing off!

Onto the next project now.....

All Set Up

Yesterday we set up the Seeking Artemis exhibition at the Crypt Gallery, this gallery is in an great position on the Euston Road, London. The Crypt is an ideal venue for the work we are exhibiting take a look at the Seeking Artemis blog for images of all the artists or the public Facebook page here, but in the meantime below is an image of the largest piece of work I have in the exhibition. It is a quilt with three figure shapes removed and replaced with either scrim or a cord which is woven and stitched together, the wall can be seen through the shapes. It was very scary cutting such large holes in my work after spending so long stitching it all together. Tomorrow is the Private View, I just have to hope that I've ordered enough wine (that was my job), mind you I don't think anyone will want to get drunk and fall asleep in a corner, they could get locked in and who would want to spend a night in a crypt?

It's All About The Flowers

The garden looks really lovely now theres been a balanced amount of rain and sun. I'm not mentioning the  bits of the garden or plants that Betsy's pulled up or eaten. Is it weird we still have  Narcissus flowering? I'm sure that everything in the garden shouldn't  be flowering at the same time, it is so who am I to complain.

Wednesday at the City and Guilds class we did samples of fabric painting I was really pleased with the way the paint spread on the silk fabric. I found the silk tucked  in a draw in my work room, it must have been leftover from Rachel's college days.  Lots of possibilities for this fabric, I wish now I'd spent more time on the green background painting. The blue sample wasn't quite so good, needs some work done I think. I'm probably going to over print with a block I have, just need the time to play now.

A Wave

I found a post in my drafts that I started writing on 10th April, I got side tracked..... it's so out of date there's no point in putting it up.  I must show the chocolate cake and apple crumble  I made and took to James and Becky's at Easter, Rachel made cornflake cakes.

That's all so long ago now and since I blogged about my list it grew and grew and.....then lots got crossed off! Phew!

Most days Betsy and I walk with a group of dogs and their owners of course, occasionally we go and feed the geese, ducks and swans. One of the ladies we walk with is Mary, everyone calls her the 'dog whisperer', the dogs all love her, maybe because she has a huge bag of treats with her every day!!! It's a lovely place to walk especially now the weather has improved and the ground isn't like a bog.

There were nine dogs walking this day!

During the Bank holiday Dave and I sorted out our wardrobes and have six bags of clothes waiting to go to the charity shop. I'm not sure if we were both hoarding or we were just being lazy, I had three black tailored suits leftovers from when I worked in a Ladies Clothes shop and smart was the order of the day. Had I been harbouring thoughts of returning to that sort of work, NO! But one thing I did decide to part with is this Aran Jumper, I knitted it about 30 years ago, I haven't worn it for years but have kept it because I still love it. Rachel is going to give it a new home, it's really baggy on her but I sold it to her as  RETRO it will be cosy on those winter nights when she wants to snuggle up. SOLD! And I have lots of space to fill with new clothes....... And I have an irresistible urge to knit something now.

Finally all my work for the Seeking Artemis Exhibition is finished and on Tuesday these will be -

Just a snippet

Another Snippet

hanging here or -

here.......

and there will be some of these. It is a really interesting space, there will be more images once the Exhibition is hung.

Meanwhile I've been working like a mad woman to catch up on my City and Guild work, lots of samples finished and two design folders almost completed. I'm using this photo as my inspiration for my first project, I took this photo a few years ago on the beach at Bamburgh, Northumberland. I've decided to do a table runner and I may even do some place mats to go with it later if I have enough fabric (and time) I need to get some samples ready to show when I go to class next Wednesday, Janice was happy with the design I've come up with, a relief.

At the weekend it seemed as though summer had arrived sitting in the garden eating dinner having BBQ's but today it's all changed. Hope it's Summer where ever you are.

Easter

Easter is proving to be a quiet one for us, just pottering about, Dave is boarding the loft, something that he has been planning on doing for a while, at last he's found the time. It was bright but cold this morning we have even had a little bit of snow! Thankfully it was after we had been for a long walk with Betsy, she had  a run about with one of her friends a Toy Manchester Terrier called Rambo,  an odd name I think for such a little dog. They both chased about the field until Rambo needed to leave we then put Betsy on her lead and headed to  Berwick Ponds. There was lots of bird activity today the swans were very active chasing off the geese I managed to get a couple of action shots. Swans certainly look scary when they open their wings fully I was so glad that Betsy was on her lead and the swan didn't come onto the bank where we were standing.

Swan

Swan

Ducks

Betsy

It was then time for home, Betsy fell asleep after her exhausting walk and after lunch I made and decorated chocolate cake as a contribution to tomorrows lunch. Then it was back to the stitching.......

Betsy and Dizzie on Youtube

Betsy had fun this morning with her friends Dizzie and Monty. Dizzie decided he didn't like her wearing a coat so he took it off her.  click here  to see the fun! I'm sorry I didn't get to film the whole game, but glad she wasn't wearing her posh coat from Jackie  see here.

I'm trying out Graze boxes you can too! If you want to try you can get a free box by clicking here if you do hope you enjoy!

TO DO

Recently I have found my life to be a  TO DO LIST which gradually I'm ticking off, I think that's why I'm not motivated to blog at the moment. We bloggers know that it's not a thing that can be done in just a few minutes, we think about what we want to write. Then we write and probably if your like me edit and then write a bit more and edit again. It is then onto adding images, I'm not happy if my posts don't have at least one image (hopefully more), they have to be edited and with luck they appear in the right place, if not it can take an age to get them positioned in the right place. Oh! there is spell check, and why does blog spell check want to change 'bloggers' to loggers and 'blog'  to bog, log or blag ????

Anyway back to my 'To Do List'

1. Get up to date with City and Guilds Samples and design work- Getting There.
2. Finish work for Seeking Artemis Exhibition - Another three months should do it. - NO GOOD               ONLY 7 WEEKS BEFORE HANGING !!!!!! HELP
3. Pay for holiday in May - Done can't wait...... (hooray some sunshine at last)
4. Book holiday for later in year and decide where to go - Done booked a week in Southern Ireland***.

The list doesn't actually look so bad now I've written it down, I must have left a few things off!!!

A few things that have been done over the last few weeks. Dave and I went to see 'Les Miserables' the show not the film, we both really enjoyed it. I have the feeling that it's a show that's a bit like Marmite some people have said they loved it whilst others hated it, well I don't like Marmite but I loved the show.

Shaftesbury Avenue, London

While we were in London we  took the opportunity to visit the V&A and then the Brunei Gallery at SOAS to see the exhibition of World Eco Fibre and Textile Art (WEFT)  it was one of the best exhibitions I've ever seen. As we had hours to kill we wandered around the Piccadilly area, had dinner and strolled around China Town always a good place for people watching!

China Town, London

I've continued with the cooking of curries, baking bread and trying out different recipes every week. Last Friday the result wasn't quite so good when I managed to slice through my thumb,  it meant a trip to the emergency room, for over an hour it wouldn't stop bleeding! That evening we had take away fish and chips instead of the Mac and Cheese I'd planned. (How did my hands get so old?) No nasty comments to that question PLEASE.

I've changed my shopping habits too instead of having ALL the groceries delivered by Ocado, I've started going to a Butchers, Green Grocer and Fishmonger. I'm staying with Ocado for the time being  it's convenient, but will probably start shopping at the local Waitrose. Going from shop to shop is not as easy as doing the shopping sitting in the living room on the laptop and browsing, but I fancy a change. It has nothing to do with the recent Horse Meat in food situation, I very rarely buy ready meals and Waitrose has not been involved, (I think) but never the less I feel that the smaller individual shops should be used. I can't say local shops where I live since a large T***o opened the two butchers the bakers and the greengrocers have all closed.  I will travel a little way to do the shopping but I'm going to give it a try!

I've  joined a group of people who walk their dogs every morning in the local park/woods/ponds. Betsy is really enjoying it,  until we started meeting this group  I'd not let her off her lead. When I was on my own I worried that she wouldn't come back, so far it's been ok and she comes back when I call her. I think the fact that I have a pocket full of cheese helps. She is having a great time running around with  various sizes of dogs they range from a very tiny Yorkshire Terrier to a Long Coated German Shepherd and a Pointer and of course her best friend another Miniature Schnauzer Dizzie. It has been really muddy and all the dogs enjoy running through the flooded areas she comes home caked in mud and so do I, she then spends a lot of the day sleeping, but very very happy. It's a shame that I can't meet them every morning but sometimes life gets in the way and Betsy and I cant spend two hours running through the park and have a speed walk around the streets, but at least if we meet up with them three times in the week it's good and my walking boots are proving they were well worth their money. Next winter I'll buy some wellies but my boots are warm and I get to wear my hand knitted socks.

Dizzie wearing his coat, Betsy au natural, well she didn't
 want to get her posh coat muddy!

I'm still taking part in the photo challenge I posted about it in my previous post. I do put some of the images on Face book. It is a challenge too, I don't find it easy to keep to the list every day so I don't think I'll carry on into next month but at least I tried.....

*** We had planned to spend a Holiday this year on the West Coast of USA this year travelling up to Canada from San Francisco then to Seattle and finally Vancouver Island stopping along the way. The plan was to spend a few days on Vancouver island so we could visit the gallery where the Material girls and Articulation  will be exhibiting their Bridging Waters work. However we cant spend as much time away as we hoped and so plans have changed.
Be back soon.....