I have been slowly working on my Indian Paintbrush artwork. Since the last time I showed you, I have painted the stems and added some blue flowers in the background.
Here it is after I painted the stems and leaves. I didn’t add any further color to the flowers themselves as I thought I might do. Once I was finished, I decided I should have left the bottom stems alone so they blended better into the background. I could add more paint on top but so far I have just left them as they are.
Here’s a closer view of the stems. Next up was to decide if I needed to add anything else. I decided to enhance the blue areas with some hand stitching. I found a hand dyed greyed down blue that was multi valued.
So I used fly stitch and the thread was a thin cotton slightly bigger than one strand of floss. It’s actually hard to see in this photo but you can click on the photo to enlarge it.
Here’s a closer view of the blue stitching. So what’s next? I’m not sure. I have been looking at the piece now for several weeks hanging up in my studio. Does it need more? If so what? I still haven’t decided. What do you think?
On another note, I finally saw the Northern Lights here in Kalispell, Montana. I never realized that you need to look through the camera’s lense to actually see the lights very well. Paula took the photo above and I took the one below. Do you see the constellation?
Autumn has arrived. Time for celebrating harvests, and gathering the fruits of the hedgerow. There are many apples, plums, damsons, bullace, greengages, and pear trees all laden with fruit, a little dexterity is needed to get a tasty snack, or to collect for pies, crumbles and jams. Many a blackberry has been collected and eaten, or frozen, made into jam, or used to make a tasty liqueur by soaking in vodka, or whiskey along with a little sugar, and left to mature in readiness for adding to a glass or two of bubbly at Christmas. Yum. Not the whiskey obviously! Not forgetting the profusion of hazelnuts, walnuts and glorious conkers, and sweet chestnuts that are such a treat to find.
Each year from early August, I go searching for some hop vines that may have escaped from cultivation, and moved into the hedgerow at some point. I am not sure if there is an actual wild hop though. From mid August to early September I am on the lookout for the tell tale leaf shape and colour, and lime green shade of the hop flower, as the vine clambers over nearby trees and shrubs, and hoping that I can remember the spot that I collected them from the previous year.
So, for the third corner of my blanket I have decided to needle felt an impression of a small portion of the hop vine that I collected early September.
I love finding these vines. I use the dried hops along with some lavender to make little pillows to slip inside a larger pillow to encourage a restful sleep. I also hang a hop vine in my kitchen, such a lovely decorative addition, and I change it each year.
Hop growing is plentiful in Herefordshire where I live, and also in Kent, but alas they are not as widely grown as in years gone by – but I am hoping that I am mistaken in this belief. It is lovely driving along and spotting a field with the hops stretching up the tall poles and wires. I’m not sure where else in the UK they are grown other than already mentioned, but with so many craft beer makers in this country the growing of hops is unlikely to die out any time soon.
I have needle felted my hops and used some yarn to illustrate the vine. A photo shows the size of the vine I am using. I have removed all the leaves – as I usually do – but some are present for size.
I have machine stitched over the ‘hops’ to secure, and also added stitching to the vine. The hop flowers are a lovely shade of green, with a touch of yellow when fresh, and gradually the colour fades as the flowers dry.
I have stitched the leaves using my machine too, and I have left them bare, so to speak. I was planning on adding some colour to the leaves, but I think they look better without.
Does your crafting mojo wane and wax like the phases of the moon? Mine does. I have a fairly narrow set of interests but it’s up to the Gods of Craft when I work on one of them.
After my knitting took a back seat for a few weeks, I started feeling the need to get the needles and yarn out and create something cute and tiny. I didn’t feel ready to tackle a bit knitting project, my brain was asking for a quick reward. Enter a frog and a toad!
If you are familiar with India Rose Crawford on Instagram, you’ll know her cute frogs poised in adorable miniature cosy scenes. If you’ve never heard of her, I highly encourage you to have a look, her attention to detail is fantastic.
I bought a knitting kit featuring India Rose’s frog pattern (jumper included) and when the time was right I begun working on it. My first attempt didn’t quite go to plan, as I mistakenly placed the eyes on his bottom… poor thing ended up looking much more like an axolotl than a frog.
A real axolotl. Photo by National Geographic
My “frog” with eyes on his bum, poor thing…
The knitting gods were mocking me but I persisted! A couple of days later I had a new cute amphibian with a wired armature.
Knitting an i-cord around wire isn’t easy, let me tell you. It’s fiddly work but the end result is super worth it. And yes, the background for the photo above is my pyjama bottoms – evening knitting works best in cosy loungewear.
The gods played tricks on me once again as I didn’t have enough yarn to finish the mini jumper, so I frogged it (if you’re not familiar, “frogging” refers to when you remove a project from the needles and undo the stitches, the resulting “rip-it” motion being similar to the word “ribbit.” Fitting for this post, no?) After adding some blue stripes this dapper gentleman was ready to stay cosy.
I seem to enjoy making things in pairs, as soon as I was done with the frog I decided it needed a friend and Toad was born. I even bought a tiny dungarees pattern for added whimsy. The front pocket was my own creation.
And there you have it, two quick dopamine-inducing knitting projects that eventually led me to a human-sized jumper a few days later. I’ll have to frog that project too, but that’s a subject for another day.
And, finally, here is an image of what India Rose Crawford does with her knitted frogs. Amazing, isn’t it?
Maybe I’ve inspired you to knit something tiny. If you do, let me know in the comments section. Thanks for reading.
In my last post, I showed you Mr. Mers’ new fishy northern pike spots (in silk!) and his son’s fancy new hair, eyes and jewellery. now let’s look at Mrs. Mer.
Mrs. Mer
I have been questing for the perfect Red for her Kohaku Butterfly Koi body. Koi-red comes in a range of red-nesses from an orange-red to a deep intense red and in various intensities of those reds. I had found a small project bag of reds in various fibre types and preparations. I had picked up a very promising red with silk top and locks to match but it had too much pink in nature light, I had another set that had too much yellowness to the red, making for more of an orange colour. The locks I found to go with it were fabulous and if I do a mermaid that is part goldfish it would be perfect.
Mrs. Mer perused my offerings and we both agreed on the deep red bat from Alpaca Tracks T(h)read Lightly and the lustrous long locks from Monica at Olive Sparrow. So dark red it is!
3.1 Alpaca tracks small bats of red wool
Odd I was sure I had a shot of Monika’s locks, let me look a bit more…oh I have a shot from the Olive Sparrow booth at the Almonte Fiberfest on Sept 7-8th. The bat and locks go together perfectly!!
3.2 The top row way to the left is right red Mer hair I was looking for. The are lots of different colours of locks in 2 lengths.
Ok, I have the colour of fibres I was looking for! Next where to put the fiber. Great more fun research!! (really, I do enjoy the quest. research is fun!!!)
After a lot of previous browsing about koi and butterfly koi, I decided on Kohaku (the white fish with red spots) if you are curious you can check out a brief overview here. https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/many-faces-kohaku/
After looking over the options of head and body patterns, and reading up on scale types, we decided that Yondan or Godan would likely be best. If you count the red hair as a spot she would be a Godan pattern but if the hair is not counted as a spot she has the Yondan pattern. Since go is 5 in Japaneses, I bet you can guess how many spots a Yondan koi has! (4)
3.3 this is a helpful chart showing Kohaku (red and white Koi)
I found the batt of “Canadian Wool” was an interesting springy, crimpy wool, not coarse but not as soft as merino or even corriedale. It is not a long staple and it needle felted wonderfully. I think it was the T38-333 I was using to add the red wool. (if you were curious about the needle used)
When I had started to block in the fishy parts of Mrs. Mer, Ann suggested it looked like the fish was eating her. I kept that in mind as I started to work on the spots making sure the red spot at her waist/hips were integrated with both her human and fish parts. Thinking of non-fishy parts I finally got around to adding her ears.
The long locks were the perfect colour and a lovely long wavy length. I found a small hair clip so she could wear her hair partly up.
3.4 Side view of Mrs Mer admiring her new hair in a side view.
3.5 Mrs. Mer Back view
3.6 close up of Mrs. Mer admiring her new hair
I sent Ann a picture to get her suggestions.
Ann said, “Needs Eyebrows.”
Hummmm, ok, I can do that.
3.7 close up showing new eyebrows and her new necklace
I think both Mrs. Mer and Ann should like that! Did you notice her shell necklace? Those are very tiny stone beads (one strand of Red Agate, 2mm)
I got new project bags so Mr and Mrs Mer would not get over excited and mess up their hair! (I will have to consider a non-see-through project bag if I find them cuddling again!!!) I added Shark-boy and the Mer pets, Sharkette and Miss Manta, to another project bag. I printed out a copy of their entrance forms, for each of them, ready for pick up for the Almonte show.
Item #2 Ice Dragon
I had asked Glenn what else I should send, and he suggested either the Ice Dragon or chickadee I had made for him. I went with Ice Dragon since I would need the chickadee for a workshop in December.
4.1 Ice Dragon, ¾ view
4.2 Ice Dragon, Back view
4.3 Ice Dragon, which I had made for Glenn ¾ view from the back
Item #3 Maureen’s Vacation
My third submission is Maureen’s Vacation which you saw earlier too. If you would like to get more information on this one look back to Summer 2024.
I chose it because it shows one of the guild members enjoying spinning outdoors. it seemed to make sense to include it in a show about the guild and its members!
5 Landscape of Maureen’s vacation
I packed everything up, Glenn lugged it all out to the car, and off we went to the guild social on Monday. Ann got to check out the Mers and their new hair and spots!
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6.1-6.3 Ann Inspects the Mer’s at the studio
6.4 some of the items ready to go to the Almonte Textile Museum
There were quite a few pieces ready to go to the Almonte show, waiting on the table for pickup. The organizing team will get them after the social. I am sure we will let you know when the show is up and ready for viewing!
Now on to moose bags again! I have one more partly 3D moose bag underway and am starting a more 2D version of the picture too. I will keep you updated on these as they progress (I hope you are not getting bored with variations on a moose!!) (I am trying to inspire more Moose augmentation!!)
Until the next time we chat, Have fun and keep felting!
A couple of Sundays ago I had a Slipper Workshop. I had 4 ladies that had not felted before. There were no crazy toes in this group.
As usual, I was too busy talking to take all the pictures I should. So we start with everyone finishing the wool layout for their slippers. I have them do both sides dry, and then put them together. 2 were doing a reg slipper and 2 the ear template. You can see them on the front 2 tables.
After they had everything together and wet they added some embellishments.
Then there was rubbing(no picture). I am definitely too busy talking during that, to help distract them so it doesn’t seem so long. And then rolling, Usually by this time I have them all chatting.
Then it’s time to cut them open and see how they look. The faces say these don’t look right, it’s never going to work, and they will never shrink enough to fit. We change how they are folded
And then …..Oh no, not more rolling
once they have mostly shrunk it’s time to make them fit, just the way they want them to. Some like them a little big, some like them to fit like a glove. the glove people have to do some fulling on their own personal slipper blocks, better known as their feet.
I managed to make a short video of one of the ladies fulling her slippers on her feet. Not only that, I uploaded it to YouTube and managed to embed it here. Thank you Leonor for the help on that front. At least I think it was Leonor, I can’t find the email anymore. Edit: It turns out it was Terry that helped me, Sorry Terry. Thank you for the help.
And lastly, 2 ladies shared their finished slippers.
Everyone seemed to have a great time and be happy with their slippers, You can’t ask for better than that.
The final challenge of this year is to make something in the style of, or inspired by, Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) who was a British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver.
The Tate Gallery wrote of his paintings as being ‘off-kilter with modernist sensibility and clarity’.
(All images shown are in the public domain).
Wiltshire Landscape (1937)
Tea at Furlongs (1939)
Interior at Furlongs (1939)
Train Going over a Bridge at Night (1935)
Beachy Head (1939)
Windmill (1934)
There are many images on the internet of Eric Ravilious’ work so please explore this talented and interesting artist, and perhaps find the inspiration to make your challenge piece.
Dennis and I are the “proud” owners of a new trailer. So I have been working on putting all the trailer stuff back into the new storage areas. There is minimal kitchen type storage in this new trailer so I have had to rearrange where things belong. We have a set of BBQ tools that stay with the trailer and they are pretty big and bulky. So I needed a storage solution that will work for the under floor storage areas. (The small white door under the front window in the photo above is such a storage area.) It gets kind of dirty under there so I needed something to keep the tools in one place and clean. Here is a photo of one that is much fancier but you can see what I mean.
This is the type of project where I don’t want to spend any money and I know that there must be something in my stash that will work. I thought it would be quilted to give it some strength so I needed larger pieces of fabric and some batting. I found this printed cotton fabric and I had enough for the 30″ x 30″ size I needed. But no quilt batting. I did have some black felt so I thought I could use that for the cushioning instead of batting. I am not a quilter or a seamstress so I was heading into a bit of unfamiliar territory but how hard could it be?
So I put two pieces of printed fabric with print sides together and added a piece of felt to one side. I was going to do this “pillow case” style so that I didn’t have to bind the edges or do anything else too complex. I was given a new to me Bernina sewing machine (Thanks Christina) as my trusty Pfaff died and could not be repaired. (Insert some swearing here.) The Bernina has a walking foot which I have never used before. But I thought this would be the project for it as it is supposed to keep the layers from shifting as I sewed it together. I am sure that I should have basted this all together but I just pinned the layers together. Then I stitched around the edges leaving one area not stitched so I could turn the entire thing right side out.
Here it is after stitching.
Then I took the pinking shears and trimmer around the seam edges so there would be less bulk at the edges.
Here it is after turning it right side out. You can see the area of the seam that was left open on the right hand side. Suddenly I realized that I needed something to keep the roll tied up after the tools were inside. I was hoping to find some elastic to use but I had none. So instead I decided to make straps with the same brown and black fabric.
I tore off some strips of fabric, pinned them together lengthwise and then stitched them together. Once I have turned them right side out, I decided that they were too wide. So I folded them in half lengthwise, ironed them and then stitched some more to make the straps more narrow and also sturdier.
Here is the piece that has been folded up from the bottom to make the pockets for the BBQ tools. They seem like they will fit nicely.
Then it was time to attach the straps and sew up the remaining hole in the “pillow case”. The next step was to “quilt” the three layers together. Back to the walking foot on the Bernina. I got two lines of quilting done, I’m just doing straight lines, nothing fancy and I was out of time. These projects that seem like they should take an afternoon always seem to take longer than I think. I will have to show you the rest of the project in a future post.
Registration for Helene’s Hanging Felted Spiral online class opens today. Click here to register. This is a great class to learn about creating a complex sculpture from felt. The results are fantastic and you can see other students work here. I hope you will join Helene for this October session of Hanging Felted Spiral.
Every year on August Bank Holiday, our two villages (they are historically combined – one has the castle and the other the church!) have a show in the larger ‘castle’ village. It is a popular event locally, drawing in folk from the wider surrounding area. The event encompasses fun activities on the village green such as dancing, music and children’s sports etc. Then there is the fiercely competitive village produce show (including art) – thankfully, we haven’t as yet, had any Agatha Christie adventures needing Miss Marple or the services of the Murder Mystery Club! All of this is combined with the very active local history group presenting their annual research and finally (the subject of this post) our textile group’s display of our year’s work.
Both the history and textile displays are set up in out-building workshops that belong to our patient, long suffering, textile ‘leader’. Each year she packs up her entire stock to provide shelves and tables for our pieces. I am in awe of her efforts as there is no way I could do likewise….firstly I have too much in my various stashes, secondly I’d have no where to transfer it and lastly if I did move it….I’d never find anything again. I’m sure I can see so many of you nodding to this….😂 All that said, it could potentially provide me with an annual clean-up and the finding of hidden long lost treasures!!! 😜
The display all set up in our ‘leader’s’ textile workshop. I’m envious of her space!
Our textile group membership (35 members) is small by comparison to many other groups, but our ‘leader’ organises a varied programme of about 8 workshops each year to include all aspects of textile artwork, which we enjoy, with get-togethers, to keep our fingers and minds busy. Sadly we can’t all get on each workshop….I think we’d be too much for even the strongest tutor to take on! Thus far, there haven’t been any pistols at dawn….but we have an exciting, particularly for me, programme coming up….need I start cleaning the gun barrel???!!!
Among our members we have the usual mix of – extremely talented, pin-point perfect, very diverse, quietly challenging and the beautifully colourful. Over the years we have grown used to each other and can often spot a particular member’s work at 50 paces.
Our 23-24 programme for display included –
Nature inspired fabric collage – Suzette Smart
Paint and stitch landscapes – Fran Brammer
Batik – Rachel Forrest
Dyeing – Sarah Lowe
Make a mouse – Kathryn Ashcroft
3d landscape wrap – Emily Notman
Eco dyeing and batik – Jane Charles
Material possibilities – Shelley Rhodes
There is so much to see by investigating all the intricate details.
As a collective we each submit (those who want to) at least 3 finished works to create the display of our activities throughout the year. We ask for a nominal 50p, or donation, entrance from visitors which combined with other activities during the year raises significant funds (usually several hundred pounds) for that year’s chosen charity.
Tables set up selling haberdashery items and fabrics is another way we raise funds for charity.
Fabric, wire and wax – definitely a less painful use for hot wax!
These photos shown here are just a glimpse into our collection of work. Sadly, I am unable to show all the displayed work, or the exquisite detail in, and wonderful colour of, so many of the pieces.
Workshops vary to suit all tastes, some are more prescriptive, others allow more creative freedom.
Surely nobody could resist these sophisticated mice if they were to run around.
Our annual Mission Impossible – your challenge should you wish to accept it!
This year we had to choose a geometric shape and use it in a different way in separate individual, paper or fabric, 3” squares. To be presented in any format – book, hanging, tags etc.
’Material Possibilities’ – allowed us all to have fun with paint, pens, paper, cardboard, fabric, scratching, punching, burning, tearing, stitch, and so much more.
An alternative way to create landscapes in textiles.
Yours truly’s contribution to this year’s display – definitely not a sophisticated mouse.I was asked if the cheese was also real like the grapes! (the photo doesn’t do justice to the colours). Believe me, I did have to beg a few extra bottles, honest – sadly they were empty!
You could say my preferred colour palette has come to the fore this year.
As I reuse frames where possible and have a friendly framer who will cut the mounts for me, I accepted the 2024 challenge but instead of 3″ squares I used 3cm squares, with circles (centre) – all to fit my intended re-sprayed deep frame. Well, I did mention our membership included the ‘quietly challenging’ – I always listen and always follow newly learned skills….i simply adjust it in a way that both engages and makes me happy with my end piece!
I also produced 2 very different fabric/paper pieces for the Material Possibilities – on the right it is more in line with Shelley Rhodes our tutor whilst on the left I took inspiration from textile artist Helen Terry.
Finally, I’m sneaking these in.
In my last post, I received several requests to show which order my triptych pieces were displayed on the shelf (the walls and frames are white despite the photo!). I don’t have much space, so they share a shelf with other work. Ideally, given more wall room, I would put each in a much larger frame with a wide border around….to do this now, I would definitely need sky hooks!
My hope in showing our 2024 textile display is to encourage anyone thinking about joining a textile group to do so. If you don’t have one, then perhaps set one up. There is so much to be gained – shared experiences, learning new skills, feedback on ideas, new ways of looking at things, having fun with permission to experiment, and so much more….but….most importantly….fellowship.
I’m working on some floral type pieces that I want to incorporate stems into. There are lots of choices out there to make cords or plain old stitched stems, but Sue Spargo started selling a tool called a Mini Cordsmith that makes I-cords. I’ve made I-cords using knitting needles before but this little tool intrigued me. Would it be easier than using knitting needles which I find kind of fiddly to work with?? I had to see for myself so I sent off for one.
When it arrived, I was excited to try it out. I had a hard time figuring out how to use it at first but once I got the hang of it, I was off to the races, sort of…
Here is my first attempt. Look at all those humps and bumps and poor tension! Yikes! Well…no stem is perfect in nature anyway, right?
Once I got the hang of looping the yarn more consistently around the tines, I tried out several different yarns and threads that I had in my stash.
You can make round I-cord or flat I-cord based off how you place the thread or yarn around the tines. After trying several of my yarns and threads, I felt that the Mini Cordsmith was a bit limiting in the yarn size that it would accommodate.
Shiny yarns made into round I-cord and flat I-cord:
Shiny metallic thread:
Sock yarn (I’ve got LOTS of sock yarn)
Then I saw Sue Spargo had an Original Cordsmith that was bigger!!! I had to buy that one as well because I was having trouble using yarn larger than sock yarn with the Mini. I also had to make a trip to a local yarn shop to see if I could find some yarns that might make interesting I- cords. Always a fun thing to do, right??
There are videos on this link showing how to use the tool.
I think the Mini will work great for stems on smaller pieces and the Original may produce some interesting larger I-cord pieces that can be incorporated into mixed media pieces. I am thinking I can also machine zig zag over some of them and add another layer of threads or yarn to give them more texture and color. More exploration needs to be done in that arena!
This yarn was used with the Original Cordsmith. It looks like it would make great stems using it straight from the ball although it is quite soft and fluffy and may be hard to stitch to cloth without losing some of its structure. I was surprised how lovely it worked up into the round I-cord shape and I really like the variegation flowing through it. The flat I-cord could work for the stems on some larger flowers. Merino wool. Yummy stuff.
These tools are also very portable.
I hope to show you how I used some of my I-cords on a future project!
I thought I would use this post to give you a flavour of the shows and exhibitions that have been happening in my area over the past couple of months.
Last year I was contacted by a guy called Chris who is the lead volunteer at Dogdyke Pumping Station near Tattershall. This is the site of an original, external condensing beam-engine built by Bradley and Craven of Wakefield. It is the only surviving engine by this builder and is possibly the oldest steam-driven scoop wheel land drainage pumping set in the country that is still in steam and in its original position.
Chris and his team organise fund raising events for the site and had the idea of putting on a mini fibre festival. Having found me online and discovered I was only down the road he wondered if I would be interested in attending and asked if I knew of one or two others who might like to come along and, if so, what could they demonstrate? Knowing how enthusiastic the South Lincs Spinners and Weavers are to support this type of event I was confident I could get more than just one or two of our members to turn up! They didn’t let me down and neither did the weather. We had a lovely afternoon with a steady flow of visitors to chat to while we were nallbinding, knitting, spinning, wet felting, needle felting and weaving.
It’s such a nice venue and the volunteers are so friendly, everyone who demonstrated last year was keen to come back in 2024. So a year on, and plenty of plugging on social media, this August we managed to smash their visitor records!! I did feel for the ladies in the kitchen who were rushed off their feet, apparently it was the first time they’d run out of milk and cake on an open day and had to send out for more refreshments!
The Lincolnshire Textiles Exhibition “Water” was also in August, held in the Cathedral Chapter House. It’s a very difficult space for displaying textile work and personally not one I would choose to use. The lighting appears better in the photos than it actually was and hanging your work from ancient walls isn’t easy. Having said all that, the team involved with putting the work up did a very good job considering the limitations they were working with and we got a wonderful response from our visitors. I do feel we would have had more visitors if it hadn’t been for the fact that the public can’t access the exhibition without paying the £12 admission fee to the Cathedral. What a lot of folk don’t realise is that £12 allows you access to the Cathedral for a whole year, and includes the floor tours. Personally I think that’s really good value, and the money goes to conserving this fabulous building, so I will now buy my pass every year.
The main group piece was designed as a whirlpool consisting of about forty individual pieces of work. It was lit by revolving coloured bulbs making quite a dramatic sight as you entered the hall. These are just a few of the pieces on display…..
Last weekend the South Lincs Spinners, Weavers & Dyers held their biennial Fibre Festival in Osbournby Church. I think we have 70+ members with interests spanning all manner of fibre crafts. In the church we had demonstrations of a wide variety of looms (please don’t ask me to name them😱) as well as knitting, nalbinding, crochet, broomstick crochet, wet felting, needle felting, indigo dyeing and spinning, again using different styles of wheel. The main theme this year was scarves and shawls which were strung between the pillars, draped on pews and wrapped around mannequins.
The Felt area showcased work by five members, including wet felting and needle felting, some for sale, some for show.
There was work by three Wet Felters – Karen Stewart, Ann Strong and myselfThe four Needle Felters were Leah Laird, Sally Newman, Joan Maplethorpe and myself.Sally modelling the beret I made for the show.
I was busy chatting most of the time and didn’t think to take many photos. Thankfully we had a photographer called Dean who kept popping up around the Church so most of these are his images…..
Leah demonstrating needle feltingLiz demonstrating weaving with sari yarnScarves and shawls draped around the churchA stunning coat!Cal was weaving landscapes on to a hoopSpinning, knitting and weavingTamari Balls are a popular makeRoz was outside demonstrating indigo dyeingKay Abelard beautiful Dorset button broochesHunni’s statement necklacesFarmer Joe with his dad and younger brotherBett Gresham doing broomstick crochet
Our local TV celebrity, Farmer Joe, also joined us with his Dad, younger brother and some of his sheep. This young boy was diagnosed with autism, dyslexia, memory problems and severe anxiety at the age of seven. He has gone on to be one of the most driven characters, and one of the nicest young people you could wish to meet! Joe’s story is told in this article from LincolnshireLive and it is well worth a read!
Back in the Church many of the items exhibited were for sale although a few were so precious to their creator(s) that they were labelled NFS. Amongst these were my Leafy Seadragon and Octopuses which I couldn’t bring myself to part with, Sallys Owl and Duck which were very popular, and Leah’s wonderful needle felted characters. All of these are needle felted and I suppose it’s the amount of time we had to put in to make them that prohibits us from wanting to sell them!
My Leafy SeadragonSallys DuckSallys OwlLeah’s characters
On my way home from Osbournby on the Friday I called in to the Hub in Sleaford (also known as the national centre for craft and design) to see their latest exhibitions. As well as exhibitions the Hub offers a programme of workshops, talks, classes, competitions, special events and performances for all people, ages and abilities. They also deliver creative activities in schools, community & care settings and online.
As you enter on the ground floor there is a cafe and a shop selling art materials as well as an area dedicated to unique hand made items. In one corner is a small gallery. The space is open plan so feels very light and airy with windows facing on to the river on one side and a grassy tree lined space on the other.
The small ground floor Gallery shines the spotlight on emerging and developing artists. All exhibiting makers are graduates or associate members of Design-Nation and have strong commitment to sustainable practice. Eighteen artists are featured so this is just a small representation of what caught my eye.
Joanne Lamb is an Irish artist based in London specialising in woven textiles, often incorporating basketry techniques to create her artworks.
Lindsay McDonagh works as a designer and maker based in Bristol, in the South West of England. She specialises in jewellery design, particularly necklaces, earrings and bracelets using a range of silversmithing and goldsmithing and techniques.
Kesinia Semirova is an embroidery artist based in Hove. She has “a particular interest in exploring heritage, aiming to preserve traditions while also seeking alternative contemporary interpretations of historical ideas.”
Suzy Agar’s delicate, embroidered textile work was my favourite of all the displays. She says she aims “to encourage an appreciation and a reconnection with our local environment and the creatures that inhabit it.” I loved the sense of movement she achieved with her pieces which appear to be stitched on to silk organza.
The staircase Window Collection currently displays “Feathered Friends” work by Paper artist Kaper (Kate Kelly) who creates sculptures from hand printed papers, depicting various species of birds among flowers and foliage. Kate has been sculpting with paper for 18 years and owls and songbirds remain her favourite subject, largely because of their expressive poses and delightful hairdos!
Feathered Friends by Kate Kelly
At the opposite end of the building, the River Stairwell features 3D paper sculpture by Kate Kato whose work documents different aspects of the natural world and explores how we connect with it. In “Outnumbered” Kate looks at the diversity of the insect kingdom. She uses discarded paper, wire and thread to recreate these creatures and their surroundings, celebrating the scale of their diversity and the vital role insects play in our ecosystem.
Outnumbered by Kate Kato
The main Gallery upstairs is currently showing “Paperwork” which brings together works from a group of craftspeople who also use paper as a primary medium or as an intrinsic part of their process. All of these artists have developed their practice through specialist craft training and education supported by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST). “The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) is a charity that transforms the careers of talented and aspiring makers by funding their training and education, creating pathways to excellence and strengthening the future of the UK’s craft sector.”
These were some of my favourite pieces but the stand out work for me was Momentous Insight. Based on tree rings it’s made up of concentric rings of crocheted paper thread (Shifu) and Japanese and Thai mulberry paper. I loved everything about this piece, its scale (very large!) the colour palette, the textures and the depth. The whole thing was mesmerising and really pulled you in.
Su Blackwell – The WaterfallSu Blackwell – UprootedFung & Bedford – Architectural ForestMandy Coppes-Martin – Momentous Insight
My next event will be the Big Textile Show at Leicester Racecourse at the end of October. This is my favourite show of the year so if you get the chance to visit I can highly recommend it. For those who can’t make it I’ll report back on that one next time.
3.1 Alpaca tracks small bats of red wool
3.2 The top row way to the left is right red Mer hair I was looking for. The are lots of different colours of locks in 2 lengths.
3.3 this is a helpful chart showing Kohaku (red and white Koi)
3.4 Side view of Mrs Mer admiring her new hair in a side view.
3.5 Mrs. Mer Back view
3.6 close up of Mrs. Mer admiring her new hair
3.7 close up showing new eyebrows and her new necklace
4.1 Ice Dragon, ¾ view
4.2 Ice Dragon, Back view
4.3 Ice Dragon, which I had made for Glenn ¾ view from the back
5 Landscape of Maureen’s vacation
6.4 some of the items ready to go to the Almonte Textile Museum
