Carol's Corner

Festival of Quilts

2011-08-15T00:16:00.003+01:00

The quilt group I belong to, Upcott Valley Quilters got a Highly Commended for our group quilt!

My bit is on the far right and is wine bottles. It is double sided but was hung so that only one side could be seen. The blue fabric was hand dyed. Originally it was a quilting project, going back to its roots of using household objects as templates. I think the applique took over a bit on most of them. Mine is all hand quilted and the applique is minimal.

Dolton Horticultural Show

Yesterday I entered the Dolton Horticultural Show for the first time and got first for a dressed doll, a piece of patchwork, sweet peas and pansies. I was very pleased.

WILD WEST

2011-07-11T23:43:00.003+01:00

Return to the Wild

Large wheels turning

Engines pumping

Ponies pulling

Stones crushing

Tall chimneys pointing

Like fingers

Into the dark, dirty skies

Birds now singing

Bees are buzzing

Rabbits grazing

Buds are shooting

Tranquility

Harmony

Peace

As earth reclaims the wilderness

Which is truly hers once more

This is the piece I made for the Quilters Guild A.G.M. Wild West Challenge.

It was a photograph I took of a derelict tin mine, which I covered with black chiffon and stitched.

I wrote the poem to describe how it made me feel being there.

NUTHATCH

2011-07-07T18:16:00.000+01:00

This is another regular visitor at this time of year
I love the way it always eats upside down.

Colourful Visitor

2011-07-07T17:58:00.003+01:00

I have been trying to get a picture of this visiting woodpecker for ages. It visits most days but is very nervous.

Next concert

2011-03-26T15:25:00.002Z

I have just designed this poster for our next concert which is a fund raiser for the band. It should be a good night.

Christmas Concert Burrington

2010-11-25T15:50:00.001Z

About time I blogged!

2010-05-13T19:28:00.009+01:00

Hi all,
I got my first West Country Quilter magazine via email today and as it has my blogged listed I thought I had better do something. Firstly welcome to any quilters from Region 4 that may be taking a look.

Upcott Valley Quilters had a challenge. It is mentioned somewhere on here and I promised to keep you posted. We bought the fabric as a group when we all went to the Quilt festival. Basically the challenge was to cut a hole or holes in your fabric and give the bit that came out to the others and then fill the hole with something else. It was very scary!This challenge was set by Sarah. The quilt is fantastic,(I think). It will be going to Birmingham in August so if you are going to the festival look out for it. It will be in the group section. It was hung at West Point but it was almost impossible to take a picture. I could only get the edge. I will post a better picture when I get one.

Decisions- which bit to put where? It is 8 fat quarters and 4 of them were cut in half and worked as 2 pieces to create more interest.

The label is pinned to one of my two bits

New Work

2010-02-19T16:54:00.004Z

CLEMATIS
At long last I have plucked up the courage to get the wax out! I have not done any for over a year now other than my earrings. I had done an abstract using paper covered with crumpled tissue paper some time ago and just thought I would enhance it with some encaustic work and got carried away. I have also embedded some skeletal leaves. I will leave the wax out now and maybe do some more over the weekend. We have had snow again today so I think staying in is a good plan.

Little Helpers

2009-12-22T20:01:00.002Z

I volunteered to look after my grandchildren yesterday while there parents went shopping. They got a bit creative.

Christmas is Coming cont......

2009-12-21T10:45:00.003Z

Here are the table decorations

Christmas is Coming

2009-12-20T10:36:00.003Z

Well Christmas is coming a little too fast for me and I am running out of time. I have been quite productive in the last few days. I have made the door wreaths and table decorations, the cakes are marzipaned, did a bit of tidying putting the decoration boxes away. Nearly finished sending the Christmas cards and have managed to find spaces to hang the ones we have received. I have volunteered to look after Alfie and Sophie so that there parents can have a child free shop. Alfie loves sticking and gluing at the moment so we might have a creative day, (must save the toilet rolls) Today I need to make and finish two small quilts so I had better make a start!

Blogging

2009-11-27T17:18:00.002Z

I have been busy building a blog for The Two Rivers Wind Ensemble I thought it would be quite quick and easy! I looked on my dashboard and it said create another blog, so I thought great. BUT it kept putting me and my profile on the other blog. I got into all sorts of trouble. I got there in the end but I had to create another email address. Unfortunately I managed to delete half the info on my blog including my picture profile and my links. S just to let you know I will gradually try and put it all back. In the meantime I would be grateful if you would check out the other blog from time to time and let me know what you think and how I can improve it.

German Visitors (Posaunenchor)

2009-10-06T12:20:00.007+01:00

Exeter Cathedral

Umberleigh
The Posaunenchor band from Altenmedingen Germany

This week we have a German band visiting us. They have a very full programme with early mornings and late nights. We have two of them staying with us. Yesterday they played in Exeter
Cathedral at lunch time and a joint concert with The Albert Hall Swing Band in the evening at Umberleigh. I apologise for the quality of sound on the video.

This morning they have gone to Clovelly and are going to The Milky Way theme park this afternoon followed by a reception with the Mayor of Barnstaple this evening so another late night. I am going to get a Chinese take away. I don't do cooking at that time of night.

Little Visitor

2009-09-29T21:00:00.003+01:00

A couple of weeks ago this little hedgehog was in our back garden
during the day. It seamed happy enough. It wasn't a bit bothered
by us and even posed for the camera. After it had a sleep it woke
up and wandered away. I hope it was alright and that we see it
again.

I gave it some meat

Digging for worms

Time for a nap.

2009-09-17T20:44:00.005+01:00

WATCH THIS SPACE

Upcott Valley have just started their latest challenge. Should be interesting! The challenge is to cut holes in our fabric give the cut out bits to the other participants and then fill the hole up using fabrics from their cut out bits. should be interesting.

I have been quite productive this week, building up my ear ring stocks, tidying my work space and cutting the holes in my challenge fabric. I thought it was time I blogged.

I am busy with the bands I am in. One playing at a dance on Saturday and the other busy preparing for a concert a week tomorrow which I am looking forward to.

The German band are coming to stay in October and have a packed week. They are playing in Exeter Cathedral on the Monday and The Eden Project on the Wednesday. They have another two concerts. They will be so tired when they go home. I know I was when I came back from Germany.

Festival of Quilts

2009-08-23T17:28:00.008+01:00

Well I am back home from the festival and thought it was about time I did some blogging. Val Sarah Vinnie and I went up to Birmingham early on Wednesday, all a bit excited about being invited to exhibit at the festival. We were guided to the unloading area which was not too far from the stand and unloaded. The building was a hive of activity with sack trucks, crates packaging everywhere. We came very well equipped with two hammers and at least three spirit levels. Vinnie and Sarah started drilling, hammering and drawing lines with the aid of the spirit levels, while Val and I stuck Velcro squares on the backs of the write ups and smaller calendar pieces. Sarah and Vinnie had to keep dashing away to try and move their cars to the car park but never managed as they were boxed in. Luckily we were able to just get out at the end of the day. The space looked tiny when we arrived but as soon as we started hanging our work it seamed to grow. We were all pleased with how it looked.
Thursday arrived and we got there in good time. Everything was neat and tidy (there must have been an awful lot of hoovering during the night) The quilts looked fantastic. The judging had been done. Vinnie had got the bronze award in the Contemporary class. We had a hard job keeping her under control after that. We were so proud of her, she's a little star.
I met so many people that I knew and saw a few as they walked by. For those of you that have not been it is a huge event and believe me it is quite easy to walk round and round one area and completely miss other areas without even knowing it till you get home and read the catalogue. I was there for three days and did not see it all. On Thursday I know there were 10,000 people there. I have not heard the numbers for the other days but they felt busier.
We had a lot of really nice comments and it was also nice to see so many people from other countries. We met people from Holland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, America, Canada, New Zealand and I noticed quite a few from Ireland too and I know at least one Welsh person was there even if I didn't see her!
I am very tired now. I think it is all catching up with me. I will put some pictures up of our exhibition so that you can have a little insight into what it was like.

Feeling Much Better

2009-06-24T19:36:00.005+01:00

Well I thought it was time that I blogged. I am feeling sooooo much better. I am really enjoying this weather. Yesterday we went out for a drive round the North Devon coast. It was not quite as warm and sunny there but it didn't rain. Today was shopping day so it is all catching up with me now.
Last weekend we went out for the day to try and find somewhere to go mackerel fishing. We ended up in Ilfracombe. As we drove to the car park on the quey i noticed several people were dressed up. I new immediately that it must have been Victorian week. As we parked the car I wondered why the harbour wall was edged with people looking out to sea. They were waiting for the Waverley(a paddle steamer) to come in. It was already two hours late. I thought I would join the on lookers. When it got into the harbour I was surprised at how big she was. It was lovely to see all the elegantly clad passengers board the Waverly while the buskers played old time music.

The Waverley

This morning before 7, I heard a bang on the window. I thought that sounds like a bird. About 15 minutes later my husband got up and opened the kitchen blind and saw the woodpecker at the bottom of the tree trying to climb up. When I got up it was still on the tree trunk. I kept an eye on it in case there were any cats around. I managed to take a picture which proved there must have been something not quite right. usually the slightest hint of a camera it is gone. It stayed there for about 45 minutes and then flew away I did see it high up in a willow tree a bit later so it seamed fully recovered.

I have been tidying the garden and re potting the plants, sweeping the steps. Soon I hope to do some sewing.

GETTING THERE

2009-06-05T11:46:00.003+01:00

Well now we are well into June. Hasn't the weather been kind to us. Thankyou firstly for all your kind comments and thoughts. I hope I am on the mend now. The plaster is due to be removed on Monday which will be nice as it is like wearing glove. I did have to go to the physio yesterday as I had twisted my knee and couldn't walk at the weekend but that is much better and she has given me a stick (which I can't really use because of my plaster)
Last night I went to the Contemporary Craft Fair. It was a lovely evening. At the last minute. I contacted Genie and arranged to meet her in the park. We had never met in person, but spend quite a lot of time blogging, flickering and facebooking. We both went into the fair and spent the next couple of hours looking around for inspiration. We find a nice stand selling sketch books and artist materials at a very good price so had to stock up bit. We then both enjoyed a sit down with a very refreshing freshly squeezed orange juice. While chatting we discovered that our husbands might actually already know each other too as they both belong to the same fishing clubs. It is such a small world. We had taken the dog back to Genie's house and while there I was able to view some of the catalogue killing results. We also swapped ATC's.
I was quite nervous about going out in case I damaged anything else. Well although I was tired I am still in one piece.
Hopefully before too long I will be able to make something at the moment I can just about manage to make a sandwich!

UPDATE

2009-05-10T08:52:00.002+01:00

After being ill again for a few weeks, I felt well enough to go out on Friday. I found it very tiring but glad to be out in the fresh air. That evening I thought I would be helpful and put the rubbish out for the dustmen which I did but unfortunately I did it head first out of the front door. I now have a broken wrist and the other is a bit sore. So once again I wont be doing much blogging. I had so many plans.

One Little Gem

2009-04-24T14:58:00.003+01:00

Inca Inspiration
Well so much for my new beginnings. Almost as soon as I said it I was struck down. I was ill for a week! I had just started this piece but have only managed to finnish it today. I have made it for the Little Gem tombola.
It was inspired by Inca art originally but has wandered of a bit. The copper mushrooms represent the blades of sacrificial knives. I hope it gives the feeling of the Incas. I must now put away the sewing machine and get out the wax. Craft fair season is rapidly approaching and with sickness etc. I am getting behind.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T13:08:00.004+01:00

Happy Easter to you all. It makes such a change for us to have sunny weather. Usually the mere mention of a bank holiday is enough to make those rain clouds move in.
I have felt like I have been living in limbo for most of this year, with the illness and death of my father. I now hope I am ready to move forward. New beginnings, renewed energy and I hope more productivity.
Here is a picture of some encaustic eggs I made a couple of years ago. With all the house moving of the last two years I have not had them out on display. Thank you all for continuing to visit my blog. I do hope soon I will have something more interesting to post.

Goodbye Dad

2009-03-30T15:46:00.003+01:00

18/8/1925 - 27/3/2009

Rest in peace

Region 4 Banner

2009-03-14T23:09:00.004Z

Coast

Each region of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isle was asked to make a banner to hang in St Anthony's Hall, York. Upcott valley Quilters volunteered and today it was handed over to the regional coordinator. The brief was to make a two sided banner that reflected our region. Region 4 includes Dorset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We went round in circles to start with because we had so much choice. We decided that the one thing they had in common was they all have sea/coast and also the land/countryside was important. To simplify it further we split into two groups This worked well I worked on the coastal side. We started by thinking of the elements. Surfing is very popular in our region especially Cornwall. The ammonite represents the Jurassic coastline which stretches from Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in Dorset to near Exmouth in Devon. Bishops Rock Lighthouse which is of the Isles of Scilly was chosen to represent the many lighthouses that protect our rugged coastline. Finally the Mayflower sailing into the distant flying the flags of Dorset, Devon and Cornwall.

Country

This side was worked by the other half of the group. The cow is a Devon Red or Ruby and the sheep is a local breed. Eden was an easy choice it is also built in a disused quarry. Quarries can be found all over the region Portland Stone and Bere caves are two examples. Derelict tin mines are a common site in Cornwall. Finally we could not leave out the Cerne Abbas Giant, a very well known feature of Dorset.
I apologise for the quality of the pictures( and the spelling) please feel free to ask me anything about them.

More Snow

2009-03-05T15:31:00.003Z

I was working in my workroom last night and thought it was raining until I looked at my skylight and saw it was covered in snow. When I looked outside it was snowing really heavily and there was about two inches of snow on the car. It was still snowing at midnight when I went to bed. I didn't sleep too well because I new I had to go to the hairdressers today, so at three I got up to have a look and I have never seen such big snowflakes about the size of a 50 pence. I think the snow would be between four and six inches deep but the sun is really strong today so it is melting quite quickly. I got to the hairdressers OK although the snow was deeper in places on the way. I apologise to the visitors here from abroad, it is just so unusual for us to get snow and when we do everything comes to a standstill. Here are a few pictures I took from the kitchen this morning.

Upcott Valley Quilters Challenge 2009

2009-03-04T17:54:00.006Z

Another year gone and another challenge completed. For the last two years Upcott Valley have had a fabric challenge. Each member that went to the Festival of Quilts last year chose a fat quarter of fabric. They looked at them and chose one. A fat quarter was then bought for each member. The size was chosen and this year it was going to be made in landscape format. The fabric has stripes in different colours so we decided we could each choose one of the other colours to work with. I chose purple. One other fabric was also added a pale aqua blue. The embellishments and stitching could be in any of the colours from the challenge fabric. They will be on display at the quilt show being held at Westpoint Exeter Devon this weekend.

Heart Swap

2009-02-12T12:15:00.007Z

I had a lovely surprise today when the postman came. I received my heart from swap partner Jan.
The picture on the Textile Challenge site really did not do it any justice. It is so much more delicate than I expected it to be. Although I new it was going to be a little bag because of what I had read I was not expecting it to be filled with little goodies. I thought I would post some pictures of it close up so you can see the detail. Thanks Jan it has made my day.

Colour Contrast Challenge ATC

2009-02-08T15:37:00.004Z

I took part in a colour contrast challenge. We were paired up and each pair had to make an ATC to swap using only two colours which we were given. Our colour was Burnt umber and Teal. I did not have any fabrics in those colours so decided to use fabric paint. I had done dome paper castings of a leaf tile which was exactly the same size as an ATC so I chose that. Once painted I sealed it with matt medium and then free machine quilted onto felt. I hand stitched the backing on and then glued the tiny beads to it.

15 minute ATC Challenge and More Snow

2009-02-06T10:13:00.004Z

I was challenged by Marie on Textile Challenges group to not read the instructions until I had 15 minutes to spare. The challenge was to go straight to the work area. pick up five items I could find around me and make an ATC (Artist Trading Card ) in 15 minutes. Well I failed mainly because I had been sketching and reading so didn't have much around, only a bag of scraps left from another challenge which I will write about soon. I started of quite well but then the bobbin thread ran out typically. I then started to bind the edge and realised I had not put the backing fabric on. Eventually I did Finnish in 20 minutes which was about what everyone else did. There is going to be a weekly mystery challenge each week in February. I will keep you posted.

Having watched the weather forecast a few times yesterday and last night it all pointed to the fact that we would not get snow in our area, it was going to be on East Devon and Dorset, so I was surprised to hear a faint noise coming from the skylight above my head. When I looked up it was white so I took a look outside to see big snow flakes coming down. I thought oh we are on the edge it will pass. We went to bed and the Devon radio carried on after 1 o clock I think to keep in touch with the cars stuck on the roads waiting for the snow ploughs to clear the road. They were being told it could take 6 hours. When I got up this morning to put the rubbish out it was still snowing. There was nobody out, no car tracks in the road only foot prints from the birds. The dustcart was not going to get hear so I didn't bother putting out the rubbish. The children and adults are out building snowmen now and while I was having my breakfast somebody came past on skis! I think I am going to spend the day in my workroom today.

Snow in Devon

2009-02-04T00:02:00.005Z

Sun setting tonight (Tues)

View from the kitchen tonight

Front garden Monday night

From the kitchen when it started snowing on Monday

Just had to put up some snowy pictures. It is so rare to have snow that I had to take some pictures. These are taken of the front garden mostly from inside the kitchen.

Heart swap

2009-01-30T12:11:00.004Z

Heart front

Heart back with tatted motiff

Hanging with charms

Full veiw of the front

As part of the Textile Challenge group I decided to take part in the heart swap. I was partnered with Jan so this is her heart. I had recently bought some fabrics from Jennifer Trollope which she buys from couture houses. The project needed to be quick so I went for using luxurious fabrics rather than fancy sewing techniques. The back of the heart is silk with a piece of tatting stitched on which has a small piece of shear fabric behind and a stone in the centre. The front was a golden fabric which is covered with a net which has hanging sequins attached. This net was about 6 inches wide with a bound edge on each side which I did not want to loose, so I eased the edging into the heart shape and cut or pleated the surplus away. I then added a matching ribbon and hung various charms and beads from it. I have also put some lavender inside it.

Samples

2009-01-18T15:43:00.005Z

I have not blogged for a while. I have been busy tidying and picking up endless piles of leaves.
I got Maggie Grey's book" Textile Translations" for Christmas so have been trying out the making the basic fabric exercise out. I did not have all the correct ingredients so had to improvise a bit. I have not done any stitching on them as yet, I need to work my way up to that. I am frightened of spoiling them.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T12:15:00.002Z

Well another year gone!

I have been taking part in an arch challenge for the last twelve months so thought you would like to see a picture of eleven of them. (I still have one to come).
Christmas went well. I think I am the only person not to have had a cold but there is still time.
We went to one of the local pubs on New Years Eve. It was really nice and friendly. I think we are going to like living here.
Yesterday friends came over for dinner I did a mini Christmas dinner which was less hectic than the first one as there were no children. It was very relaxed. Now tho I am still trying to clear up and have been washing up a bit at a time but it was worth it. I am just of to do the dinner. More washing up!

Sunset

2008-12-17T16:02:00.004Z

Well the decorations and lights are up and the cakes are iced, the cards are posted and most of the shopping is done. I can now collect my thoughts together before and relax a bit before the family arrive on Christmas Eve.
When I was coming home earlier in the week I stopped in a lay by to take some pictures of the sun setting.

Christmas Tree

2008-12-08T23:39:00.003Z

Christmas for us last year didn't really happen. All our things were packed as we were between houses including all the Christmas decorations. We put up the cards, watched TV and hoped things would get back to normal as quickly as possible. We had hoped to move before Christmas but we didn't move till March.
This year has been different and I could not wait to get the decorations up. In the past I have always gone for traditional Christmas colours but the lounge really does not lend itself to traditionl so it is purple, silver and white. Our dining room is very traditional and tomorrow I am going to buy a small Christmas tree to go in there.
The tree is of the ground as Sophie is now crawling and into everything!

Christmas Robin

2008-12-05T19:44:00.004Z

This is my first encaustic picture for nearly a year so I thought I would share it with and wish you all A Very Merry Christmas

Arch for Carol T

2008-11-30T16:26:00.009Z

This is one of my Encaustic pictures which I used a print of for Carol's arch

Close up showing the free machined arch with its bells

This is my final arch. I know it is still November but I wanted to get it done and sent of before the chaos of Christmas. I started of by thinking I would do something seasonal so I used one of my own paintings as a starting point. Having read the brief I started of on the Gothic route but think I must have been distracted by Tiggy's blog of her trip to India because the arch started to go very Indian. I did a bit of free machine embroidery which had tassles, just right for little bells. Carol likes metal so I made a metal frame for the picture which left a space, just right for a bit of shisha work I thought, so I dug out my instuctions which I had from doing a workshop with Tig years ago. I embellished the background. Red and blue chiffon onto blue felt. I added a little copper Angelina behind the free machined arch. I then hand stitched beads around the edge and finally added a few Swarkovsci crystals to give it a sparkle.

Arch for Cathy

2008-11-23T14:48:00.009Z

This is the arch I made for Cathy. November is a time of remeberance here in England. The majority of people can be seen wearing poppies bought from the British Legion to help them raise much needed funds. The money enables them to help servicemen, ex servicemen and their families in anyway they can. I decided as Cathy had floral on her list that I would do poppies for her. I used various sheer fabrics layered up onto a felt backing. The centres of the poppies were done on the embellisher. I decided to leave the edges free.

The Birthday

2008-10-25T15:38:00.004+01:00

Alfie after the cake!

Not to sure about the candles

Showing sister Sophie his motor bike.

A quick play before opening the next present.

Here are some pictures I took on Alfie's birthday. It wasn't easy to take pictures as he was moving around busy opening his presents.
He is having another party today with some of his little friends.

Cake for Alfie

2008-10-21T12:24:00.006+01:00

Bob the Builder
It is my grandson Alfie's second birthday tomorrow,so I thought I would attempt to make him a cake. I am not a cake maker as you can see but I do like a challenge. I made two Victoria sponges which I filled with jam and butter cream. The face is one of them. The second cake I cut each piece in half and sandwiched three of them to make the hat. The last bit was used for the ears nose and the bit on the hat. I bought ready coloured icing but there was barely enough. which made it a bit tricky. I would have liked it to have been thicker. As you will see from the picture it did pull into holes in places which I did my best to repair. I built bits of structure to the face with icing for the ears lips and cheeks. The icing is not stuck to the cake very well. I did not have any brown icing for the hair so he had to make do with black His nose is a bit mucky and his skin is a bit pale. I am satisfied that I did my best with the equipment I had and I am confident that it will taste fine. After all it is the thought that counts.

Alfie enjoying the pond and wet

Arch for Gillian

2008-10-19T10:41:00.004+01:00

I have just completed my October arch for Gillian. She likes seahorses, leaves and anything Egyptian. I decided to do the sea horse. Although I can draw sea horses I had a stencil which had come free in a magazine years ago and have not done a lot of stencilling. I stencilled onto felt and add some puff paint to give it a bit of texture. The background is layered chiffon. The edge is painted Vilene to look like rocks(although I have added so much stuff you can hardly see them now)I stitched over the sea horse and background, then attacked it a bit with the soldering iron. I loosely added some chiffon as sea weed. I then got out the glue gun and did some foiling. Finished!

The next day as I was getting it ready to post, I decided on second thoughts it was not finished. It needed something else. It was lifeless. It was a bit flat so I tackled the for ground by adding the shells. While looking for the shells I found the leaves and then the bits of painted Tyvek. I now feel it is finished and will again get it ready to post

Arch for Hannah

2008-10-11T23:52:00.003+01:00

I have just finished the arch for Hannah. I worked it on the embellisher using felt, wool and chiffon. It is worked from the front and the back. The candle is a print of one of my encaustic pictures. I have done some stamping and added some foil. The problem I find with the embellisher is that the work grows. I embellished it onto silk this time thinking it would hold its shape but it didn't make any difference. Originally the stone arch was bigger but it had to be trimmed down to fit the template. I enjoy using the embellisher and don't break so many needles now (since I found out how much they cost.
My work space is getting more organised and I feel much more comfortable with it. Ever since we moved in I have been moving things around to make the space more workable. I make cards and jewellery for a living and need to be able to get at all the components easily. I think I am nearly there now.

Attic finds continued

2008-10-02T21:05:00.003+01:00

Attic Finds

2008-09-29T16:15:00.003+01:00

Yesterday my son went into the attic to remove some suitcases and boxes that were up there behind the water tank. We are hoping to have some insulation put up there sometime, so new it would have to come out. We did not know who it belonged to or what it was. There were two suitcases one was full of rubbish - empty chocolate boxes bits of tinsel. It had made a nice nest for the mice which had lived up there. When I opened the next one it looked more interesting. A collection of items which were probably used in pantomimes but the items had a lot of work in them and looked very old and interesting. There were several jig saws and an Alfa Romeo car which my grandson Alfie decided he was keeping. It was still in its original box. Then there was an old carrier bag which looked like the contents of a drawer. It had pens and pennies,smelling salts all sorts of rubbish then I opened a little box and out came the beautiful watch. I also found a ring and some chains. I was really enjoying this now. Another box was full of dress patterns from possibly the 40's and 50's and yet another box full of fabric but it was all nylon and crimpline.
I did not recognise the name of the person who owned all this but we are the third family to live here since them. They are sadly no longer around. Next time my son comes over I might send him up there again to see what else he finds.

Cornwall

2008-09-13T12:18:00.004+01:00

Tin mine

View through an arch at the derelict tin mine

The remains of lunch

View through the resturant window

A posing seagull

Well we are back from our creative travels. The weather was on the whole kind most of the time. Sarah's converted dairy is fantastic and I can thoroughly recommend it. There are some pictures here
On the first day we visited a couple of local churches, a tin mine and a tropical garden centre then the other three walked up a Tor/hill to admire the view. I stayed in the car as I have a dodgy knee. They tell me that you can see both coast lines from there. We then spent the afternoon working on various projects. In the evening we prepared some screens and fabric with flour.
The next day we spent in St Ives visiting the shops, the Barbara Hepworth Gallery and The Tate Gallery. We even managed to have lunch outside overlooking the beach. In the evening after our meal we did a bit of felt making, some sketch book work and some printing using the previously prepared screen.
On the final day we stayed in and did projects including photoshop, sketckbooks, fabric transfer crayons and paint and embellishing on the Pfaff embellisher. We rounded the trip of by going out for a lovely meal in St Ives. It was absolutely pouring down but thanks to Sarah's daughter Helen we were dropped of and collected from the door.
I was not as productive as the others because I was in constant pain. I will post some pictures of the work I did when I have taken pictures of it. Until then here are some pictures that I had taken

Family History

2008-08-27T20:21:00.003+01:00

For some time now I have been interested in my family history. I started wanting to know what made me, me. Why was I good at doing things with my hands and not my brain! My parents were both craft teachers so that was a good reason for me being like I am but what about them. The computer has made searching records a fantastic hobby but it is rather addictive. The more you find the more you want to find. The tree can become huge. I have over 1000 on mine now. I am finding things like - on my paternal side I come from a dynasty of Quaker clog makers. That's a very hands on occupation. I am from the North of England my mothers side from Lancashire and Scotland, my fathers side Yorkshire. Some of the information I thought I knew, which had been handed down I could not follow up. It looked like the history of two great men had been combined. The one I am related to owned a mill and a coal mine and was a Mayor. The other founded a children's home and is related to Queen Victoria's physician. All this information I have found on the Internet but it is two people born in the same year with the same name. Most of my ancestors worked in the mills. On my maternal side cotton on my paternal side wool. The jobs I have seen are calico printers, weavers, cotton doffer,cotton drawer,cotton spinner, cotton winder and a salesman of turkey red cotton. there are also a few farmers, stone masons and joiners.I have now traced some branches right back to the early 1500's
I have posted a picture of a needle point made by my Great Great grandmother Lucy Cockshutt in 1855 when she was 16. It is quite large about 3ft by 4ft, so there was also a love of sewing.
The other picture is of Mary Collins born 13 June 1830 and died 5 Feb 1904. She was my other maternal Great Great Grandmother.

Arch from Pam

2008-08-26T19:30:00.002+01:00

This was the arch that I received from Pam.It is part of the Textile challenge Groups on going challenge The photo doesn't really do it justice. It looks like all the lights are on in the windows of the castle. It is all very neatly done too.

August Arch for Judy

2008-08-25T14:39:00.002+01:00

I can't believe that this year is going so quickly and how long ago since I last blogged!
I have just finished this arch for Judy. I had made most of it by the first week in August. I thought I was doing really well but then suffered mental block. It is when you know what you would like to do but just can't think how to do it. I made the back that made me feel like I was progressing even if I wasn't. The ideas gradually trickled back and I hope Judy will like it.
I made it on my Pfaff embellisher. The first problem was keeping the shape. I had to trim a lot of so apologise for the lack of walls. Judy said she liked trees, leaves, oceans, ancients relics, castle and doorways. So, I did a window, well it is nearly like a door! The background is the ocean (and land which would have trees and leaves) The window is in castle which used to be an ancient relic before it was extensively modernised. In the for ground on the window sill is a vase of flowers( and leaves) and a shell a souvenir I brought back from Cape Cod.

2008-07-30T17:03:00.005+01:00

I have not been very productive lately. I have done some gardening and tidying and been out and about so I thought I would post some inspirational pictures for you while I think about what to do next. My head is full of ideas I just need to get a few of them on paper. These are a couple of pictures taken at Lee Bay in North Devon

Challenges

2008-07-10T23:13:00.004+01:00

This was the ATC which I received from Zoe. It was part of a hand stitched lottery challenge in the Textile Challenge Group. Her challenge stitch was cross stitch

July Arch for Kate
The base is black felt. I embellished a layer of velvet and then a layer of chiffon. I put the heat gun on it for a while. The picture is of my grandmother or my Aunty Nell. They were identical twins. The picture is framed with embossed metal. I have added tea dyed paper, shells,a skeletal leaf, a lace motif and gemstone. Finally I added some foil.

Lapstock 2008

2008-06-29T14:42:00.005+01:00

This week has been busy. Not much time (not any) time for sewing. I have had rehearsals in the evenings and during the day making cards and ear rings to build up my stock.
It was Lapstock Music Festival yesterday and the weather was really kind. Th atmosphere was fantastic with around 20 bands playing from 11 to 11. The music was a good cross section and the audience covered several generations. It was so nice to see families all enjoying being together. These are a few pictures of the day.

Darmoor Quilt

2008-06-21T10:36:00.009+01:00

The original encaustic picture used for the design on the quilt

This is a quilt made by Upcott Valley Quilters. We wanted to reflect the colours and textures of Dartmoor. It was hung at the Festival of Quilts here in England in 2006 but didn't win any prizes. We each did small samples of colour and texture which in the end we cut up and pieced to make the Moor. The towns are Stannery Towns, these were towns where the weighing, stamping and distributing of tin went on. The symbol in the corner is of the three rabbits/hares which is the symbol of the Tinners Guild in Devon and Cornwall. There are more pictures of the symbols found in Devon on this site look for hares in the index. http://www.legendarydartmoor.co.uk

Hand Stiched ATC

2008-06-10T10:23:00.002+01:00

I have just finished a hand stitched A.T.C. for the Textile Challenge group. My challenge was to use Chevron stitch which as I am not an embroiderer I had never heard of. I managed to fined a picture with in instructions and this is the result. For the background I had some half made samples which I chopped up and painted with fabric paint. The Chevron was done in variegated man made thread. As it was a hand stitched challenge I blanket stitched around the edge.

Arch for Arlee

2008-06-03T20:59:00.007+01:00

Close up of detail

This is a better colour likeness

I am really getting ahead now. This is my June arch, made and already sent. I bought an embellisher at Christmas and thought I would use it on this arch. I embellished bits of thread and fabric to felt until I thought I had the right look. (It took a while) I then added some paper which had been heated with the hot air gun the paper was then foiled. The leaves were cur out of sheet metal and free machines on to the felt. I added the metal charm ladybirds. Copper paint was used to paint the foil,ladybirds. The edging was thread waste which I ordered from India. It was difficult to photograph.

Arch for Pam

2008-05-31T08:12:00.006+01:00

Arch next to original picture

This is the arch I have just finished for Pam. She is interested in architecture and ancient relics. I chose the work of Antoni Gaudi as my inspiration. ( Although not strictly ancient) The Cathedral in Barcelona (The Segrada Familia) was started over 100 years ago and is still being built.
I started with a photo bonded to fabric and covered with sheer fabric. I then free machined it to felt and finished by highlighting with gold paint.

April arch for Mags

2008-05-28T18:18:00.003+01:00

This is the arch I made for Mags. Her chosen theme is Egyptian. I used sheer fabrics on felt which has paper and paint added. The picture is a limestone relief of King Amenophis IV carved about 1370 BC It is now housed in the Berlin museum. King Amenophis was a heretic. For him only one God was supreme, Aton,whom he worshipped and whom he had represented in the shape of the sun. He called himself Akhnaton, after his god, and moved his court out of reach of the priests of the other gods, to a place now called El-Amarna. (Extracted from the Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich)

Kindred Spirits of the Textile World

2008-05-26T10:16:00.003+01:00

This was a recent write up in the North Devon Journal, about me and the Kindred Spirit Exhibition. Written by Anne Tattersall.

Arch for Patsy

2008-05-24T10:17:00.007+01:00

This is the Arch I made for Patsy.
The picture is my grandmother Amy.
Patsy is also interested in family
The picture is paper and the fabrics
are tea dyed.

Rosemoor

2008-05-03T18:46:00.006+01:00

I have been stewarding all day so thought I would have a go at making a video which I will try to upload. Its a bit short! This is the sales table showing postcards and Val's dolls (except the green one on her own, she is mine). also the calendar which features our work. Well I think I need more practice.

Rosemoor

2008-05-01T21:19:00.003+01:00

Archangel Gabriel

Well -today was the the day we set up the exhibition! All went to plan (more or less) and its looking good. We just have some final touches to add tomorrow ready for the opening. I only took one picture today which is of the A5 sample wall. I will post some more pictures as I take them for those of you who can't visit personally. My theme is The Four Elements all of which have a gaurdian angel. Here is a picture of Gabriel and the head of Archangel Michael.

2008-04-17T17:24:00.007+01:00

Three blackbirds in a nest

Garden

2008-04-17T17:24:00.005+01:00

Lovely sunny day but the wind is a bit cold. I ventured out into the garden of our new house to hang out some washing. In the hedge along the back of the garden my husband discovered these little treasures. They are about 6ft of the ground. The mother is not a bit bothered about us watching.

Grandchild No 2

2008-04-09T18:58:00.004+01:00

Grandchild number 2 arrived safely in the early hours of Sunday morning, so have been a bit pre occupied this week. Sophie Ella May weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces.

Arch for Lyn

2008-03-08T22:48:00.004Z

This is my arch for Feb made for Lyn. It is a bit late and I still have to post it to her.

The Move

2008-02-27T23:18:00.003Z

Well we have done it. We are moved in and back on line. We are both really tired but glad it is all over. We have had the plumber in to sort out the waterworks and yesterday we had a new aeriel fitted. We had about 5 aeriel sockets and each one had its own aeriel so you can imagine what the loft was like. I am trying to decide where to put everything in my workroom. At the moment most of it is on the floor. I am looking forward to life getting back on track. Tomorrow the new plaster work has to be sanded and then I have to paint the walls so that we can move out of the dining room which needs to be painted by Monday as the new furniture arrives. Maybe I will be able to start sewing again on Tuesday.

GOOD NEWS

2008-02-22T22:21:00.005Z

Just had to let you know that we are moving tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!! At long last

A Quick Note

2008-02-17T21:42:00.005Z

Just a quick line to say that I am in the middle of moving house at long last! I am also struggling to get ready for the exhibition at Rosemoor in May. It is on from May 3rd to 11th May details from http://www.rhs.org.uk/rosemoor. I will not have much time for blogging in the next few weeks

Work for Rosemoor

2008-01-21T09:03:00.000Z

I thought I would post a couple of bits from one of my Rosemoor panels. Apart from the stitched details they were worked on my embellisher which I bought just before Christmas. So far I have broken 12 needles. I have a Pfaff embellisher and found a good tip on Maggie Grey's site about using Babylock needles instead as they are stronger. When I can afford it I will get some and have a go.
The pieces are worked on felt. The wings are Angelina sandwhiched between the felt and a layer of organza. I then add strips of frayed organza and embellished from the back. The hair of Gabriel is done using wool tops with some sari waste added.

Arch Challenge

2008-01-12T23:57:00.000Z

I have just finished my arch for Alis. My sewing machine was having a bad day (typical) We now have a provisional date of the 25th Jan for completion of the house. We went to have another look last Thursday to refresh our memories. I needed to get a head start on things as I have quite a few commitments at the moment and don't want to get behind.

Fun Christmas Cards

2007-12-21T21:55:00.000Z

I have not been able to do any encaustic work so I played around with some cards I had made earler.They are encaustic on fabric which I have seasonally embellished.

Postcard swap continued

2007-12-21T16:01:00.000Z

I received this postcard from Zoe.
The background was created by stitching small squares of blue fabric together with gold thread. It has been over laid with a seasonal ribbon and the snow man motif to finish off. Finally it has a couple of very pretty buttons attached.

Postcard Swap

2007-12-09T14:07:00.000Z

I have just posted this postcard for a seasonal challenge on the textile challenge site. The centre was done using tumble dryer sheets. I layered them up with Angelina stitched together and then slit the liners between the stitching to reveal the Angelina. I did the stitching in different directions. I cut it into strips and then turned one up the otherway. This makes the light catch the Angelina more.

EMBELLISHER

2007-12-05T20:39:00.000Z

Yesterday I bought a Pfaff Smart 350p embellisher and just had to have a little play. I was just trying out different fabric types. I managed to break a needle and then another but that was because I had not put it in properly. I am quite busy this week so am not getting the chance to play properly. Maybe Saturday I will be able to get creative.

Postcards

2007-11-25T18:26:00.000Z

I have been busy sorting out my scraps, ironing them and using them to make postcards. I found this quite satisfying and theraputic. I hate throwing anything away! Here is a small sample. Enjoy.

Upcott Valley Challenge

2007-11-19T07:56:00.000Z

Upcott Valley members decided to have a fabric challenge. While at the Festival of Quilts they each looked for a fat quater. That evening they voted on their favourite and the next day bought enough for each person to have a fat quater(red), along with a contrasting fabric (lime green)
While packing and sorting my paperwork before we moved house recently, I found the excercises I had done on a workshop with Sandra Meech. "Taking a line for a walk" would be the perfect technique for this fabric.

First I made a full size drawing 18"x22" A template was made for each shape from freezer paper. The challenge fabric was laid on the wadding as a border contrasting fabric shapes were cut using the templates and added. It was all stitched to the wadding. The line was made from twisted black fabric which was zigzagged. This was stitched over the shapes using the drawing as a guide. I quilted over all the shapes, added the backing and quilted more. It all took me a lot longer than I had hoped.

Watch this space

2007-11-04T16:38:00.001Z

I am working on the designs for the exhibition next May at Rosemoor. This is a picture of Arch Angel Gabriel, who is looking very pretty at the moment. Gabriel can be male or female but I think maybe not quite so pretty, only time will tell.

I am back!

2007-10-13T17:32:00.000+01:00

Hi,
I have moved and have just got my computer up and running so am trying to get some kind of normality back in my life. I hope to be posting again soon. Here is a picture of the cows passing my work room window to kep you going while I get inspired!!

Moving

2007-09-10T20:03:00.000+01:00

I am moving on Wednesday so may be missing for a while. We have to get the phone connected and get back on broadband. While all this house moving is going on I am also taking part in the open studio exhibitions which are running throughout the whole of Devon in September. I took some pictures but most of them were blurred. I was very greatful to Val for helping me set up and I am very impressed with the work she created as a result of her visit. Unfortunatley I have had problems again when trying to comment but I expect you will read this. so once again a big thankyou and hope you had a good day on Saturday. The turn out for the exhibition was very poor perhaps it will pick up next weekend.
The move is only a short tem one but the house is very quiet and rural the only passers by will be cows. I can't wait and you must come for a cup of tea Val.
I will sign of now and I hope to be more productive textile wise when i get settled.

2007-08-30T11:50:00.000+01:00

I was busy working in my room when there was this huge noise. I rushed to the window to investigate and found a helicopter at the bottom of the garden! We live out in the sticks and if you need to get to the hospital quickly the only way is by air ambulance. It was all very exciting for us but I hope the person they took away will be alright.

2007-08-26T12:11:00.000+01:00

As they have featured Inches in the latest Quilting Arts Mag. I thought I would post my small collection. It is very quiet on the net at the moment. I guess you are all enjoying the sun ( in England) I prefer to stay in and admire it from the window and then go out when it is cooler.

TEXTILES

2007-08-22T17:01:00.000+01:00

My First Art Doll
I have just redone my first doll. She was not properly stuffed and was very floppy. I have also wired her head. She is made from calico which I have painted. Her hair is sheeps wool. She has pipe cleaners in her hands and arms which means they can be bent into different positions. Her hands are a bit untidy and one day I may re do them too. Her dress is made from cheese cloth which I have stiched Tyvek, beads and sequins. Her head dress was free machine embroidery with felt leaves. Her shoes are also made of felt which have been covered in various odds and ends including Angelina and a bit of netting from a lemon bag. Her wings are made from two layers of organza which have been machined together.

Music

2007-07-29T12:27:00.001+01:00

Our village decided that it would like to have a music festival which we did in June.Despite the weather it was very successful. Some musicians got together to form a band especially for this event. As we practiced in the kitchen we became "The Eclectic Kitchen Band" which developed into"Within Exceptable Limits" We have an unsual mix of instruments. I play Clarinet, Native American flute and two types of drum. It went down very well so we hope to continue. Although it is quite sad that two members are moving to France we have two new members a fiddler and a guitarist/singer/songwriter. Other members play Flute/Native American Flute/drum, Mandola/bass guitar/drum. The picture is not very clear but it would apear that everyone was so busy enjoying themselves not taking pictures,however the whole event was filmed by Exeter University.

Digital Art

2007-07-26T16:32:00.001+01:00

Digitally Manipulated
I am preparing work for
an exhibition to be held in
a mill in September. The
other participants are
audio visual artist. Their
work is going to be based
on the surroundings of the
mill. I decided to take
photographs of the mill as
my starting point.

The Original Picture

Photography

2007-07-14T21:53:00.000+01:00

Red Sky at Night
Shepherds Delight

I have just taken these
pictures in the garden.
There has been a bell
ringing competition for
the last 4 hours. Its nice
when it stops!!

Textiles

2007-07-11T17:41:00.001+01:00

This is the last of my calendar pieces,
again I had to scan it. They are all 12"
square,so there is a bit missing from
this one and the last one. I drew the
design on white cotton and then painted
with expandable paint. The background
was painted with various fabric paints
from my Sherrill Kahn Travel Painting
Studio. I then outlined the details with
machine stitching. There is also a bit of
glitter sprinkled on.

Textiles

2007-07-10T12:20:00.001+01:00

THE GREEN MAN
This is the second of my calendar
pieces. I had to put it through the
scanner as I was having problems
taking a picture. I painted the
Green man on calico, then layered
it with chiffon, stitched it and burnt
it with the soldering iron.

Textiles

2007-07-09T15:53:00.000+01:00

The Wild Swans
Four friends known collectivley as Kindred Spirit are preparing for an exhibition at RHS Rosemoor next year.We are each producing three works for the calendar. The Wild Swans is the first of mine.