Winter Arts Market

Since my last post, we’ve been to craft fairs at Lark Lane and Hale Village – both very well organised events with lots of lovely people and hand-made gifts on sale.    Both were successful as far as we were concerned and we look forward to going to both venues again.  

In fact, we’ll be at Calidad Events Craft and Gift Fair www.facebook.com/CalidadEventsArtandCraftFairs   at Lark Lane on Saturday, 13^th.   It will be our last fair before Christmas and we’re looking forward to it

.

Last Sunday, we went to the Palm House, in Sefton Park, to hear Maghull Wind Orchestra’s www.maghullwindorchestra.co.uk Christmas music.    What a great concert – free Sunday afternoon entertainment for a very large audience, it was standing room only.    The choice of programme was excellent – they go from strength to strength.

On Monday, we went into Manchester to meet our eldest grandson outside College and take him out for lunch.  One of the (many) perks of being retired is that you can spend time indulging your growing grandchildren.   It seems inconceivable that we can have a grandchild old enough to advise us on the best place to eat lunch in a strange city!   It was lovely to spend some time with him – he’ll be off to take up a place at a Conservatoire after his ‘A’ levels next year.

Another lunch out on Wednesday – am I becoming one of the ‘ladies who lunch’?  -  this time with some friends from our textile course days.   Good to catch up and swap news of what we’ve been up to in the many months since we last met up.

The rest of the week was spent getting organised for our craft event of the year – the Winter Arts Market at St. George’s Hall, Liverpool.   We feel very privileged to get a stall there – there is fierce competition.    We would have loved to have had two days there but were grateful to get one day – Saturday.   As usual, it was buzzing with excitement, choc full of amazing crafts and talented artists.   In some ways, it’s a bit like a re-union, we meet lots of people who we’ve met before on the ‘craft circuit’ and it’s great to be able to catch up with what they’re doing, admire each others' latest work, swap ideas, and generally encourage each other to keep going!  That’s all before the public come in, and then it’s consistently busy all day.   It’s so interesting to chat to people who visit the stall; some come back year after year, some are just browsing and some are there to buy.    I sold three ‘ruffle’ felt scarves, I assume they’ll be Christmas gifts for someone, and a textile picture which, I must admit, I was rather fond of – it’s a nice feeling that someone likes it enough to hang it on their wall.  I did, of course, sell lots of other things as well – a mixture of textiles and cards and, all in all, it was a very successful day.   It’s a really pleasant, well-run event and I can only hope that the organisers will have us back again next year.  

covered notebooks in handmade felt

Now, it’s fall back and regroup!   I’ve re-printed some photo cards and generally tidied up and I'm starting to prepare for  Saturday and the photography club’s monthly competition, next Monday.   No rest for the wicked.

small patchwork hanging

Marking Time

It seems we have been marking time for a little while and now the march is on to Christmas.    The annual fair at Ullet Road Presbyterian Church took place on 18^th and, as usual, we enjoyed being in their lovely building.   There seemed to be a lot of fairs on locally that day so there weren’t as many people abut  as usual but we still had a good time and sold quite a few photos as well as some other things. 

   

Of the  two felt pieces I showed in my last post, one has actually been made into two book covers.   Having stitched into the other one, I couldn’t bring myself to cut into it and it’s going to have to join the other piece which I can’t put the scissors to.    I’m now looking for two suitably sized canvases to attach them to.

I’ve been weaving a ‘shrug’  - for myself this time – I really love it – the colours work really well and it’s easy to wear – not as formal as a jacket, not as’ mumsy’ as a cardigan but lovely and warm and cosy.

I’m still continuing with the efforts at reducing my ‘stash’ and so I keep making patchwork squares ready to assemble into a quilt (or two) when I get time.     I’ve also made a very classy glasses case, a textured white felt book cover, a pretty evening purse 
and several brooches with fabrics/felt which I’ve had hanging about for some little while.

We had a lovely afternoon out last week when we went to Chethams College of Music to see our grandson conduct his own composition in their Composers’ Concert.   The concert was excellent, and we were very proud grandparents.  

  

At the last  felting group meeting I learned yet another technique.   This time we made ‘stones’ – I’ve made one of mine into a pincushion – the stone has been removed from inside and it has been stuffed with fleece.   I love it.   I’ve got another one to finish yet – watch this space.  

A couple of  weekends ago there was a Steam Punk weekend in Haworth and Liz and Bernie and I went along to have a look on Sunday.   It was a lovely day, bright but cold, and we spent most of the day walking round taking photos of all the amazing sights.   The costumes were so inventive and the people were all so good humoured and interesting.   Needless to say there were nearly as many photographers as Steam Punks.  We really enjoyed our day and indulged ourselves with  a bag of chips each  to warm us up.