It's all go

Once again, not very much to show for the last week in tangible form.   However, we’ve been far from idle.    Last Monday and today, Liz and I were curating the SRGB photographic exhibition at Dobbies Garden Centre in Southport http://www.dobbies.com/find-a-garden-centre/southport/.    It is well worth a visit if you’re in the vicinity – approximately 200 photographic prints – the best of the 800 or so competition entries in the SRGB First Print Celebration – a national competition.   It was great to be able to actually look properly at the prints – previously we’d been so busy labelling, mounting and framing that we’d only had time to glance at each one.    The images are so varied, from stunning Creatures of the World, Environment, Human Race, As Shot (unmanipulated) to Step out of the Box (Creative).   It would be really hard to choose just one favourite – there really is something for everyone.   Next year, I think I’ll try to raise my game and enter some myself!

It was lovely and warm on Thursday, so  I spent all afternoon in the garden, , picking through some more alpaca fleece – I’ve actually finished the big bin bag full of black fleece - there’s a bag of brown and a bag of white to go (not to mention a couple of boxes from last year still in the loft!).   It’s a bit messy to card it inside so I’m hoping the weather will be warm and still for few weeks so that it can be done in the garden or we’ll have to do it in the garden shed.    

I did have time to make a needle felted leaf shaped brooch which I’m very pleased with and at last I've photographed the bow shaped one I made ages ago.     I’ve also  put together some cards using needle felted and wet-felted hearts and leaves.    When I think about it, I started a nuno scarf – it is wool squares on chiffon and I’m hoping to decorate it with embroidery or beads, or both, so I have actually achieved quite a lot in the time I've had.   

At the weekend, my husband and I went to visit our daughter in Holland so, as well as being away from Friday to Monday, I spent Tuesday trying to catch up with myself – it all takes time.  I’m looking forward to catching up with the other branch of the family - our eldest grandson will be home from College for the weekend so we’ll see him and we are also singing in a concert.   It’s all go!  



scarf - work in progress
 

 

This and that

Where did that week go?    Very little ‘crafty stuff’ achieved – I don’t really know where the time went.  Although, last Wednesday, we did spend the whole day with two very old friends from my husband’s university days.    We hadn’t seen them for a whole year so, understandably, there was lots to catch up on.   At the end of the day, we promised not to leave it as long before we meet up again – how many times have you said/heard that?

On Sunday, Liz and I went, for the first time, to sell our wares at Inglenook Farm on the Rainford Bypass.   There were lots of stalls selling everything from food to crafts and it was very well attended.    We met lots of interesting people and a couple of them asked for cards so that they could contact me to teach them how to make felt.   That will be a bit of a new departure – I have done it a couple of times before and found it great fun.

Monday was spent, with Liz, curating the SRGB Photography Exhibition at Dobbie’s Garden Centre, in Southport – although it was quiet, we met some very interesting people and it also gave us a chance to study the photos in detail.     With nearly 200 prints to see, it’s hardly surprising to find the odd one that you hadn’t spotted before.     

So, apart from some knitting, finishing off some bits and pieces, and sorting through a lot of photos to find something suitable to submit to some photo competitions, I have been most unproductive.   Must try harder!

 

Socialising

What have I been up to in the past week?   A lot of socialising and not too much work!   We did however, do a short stint blackberrying and then made them into jam - I had to scrounge some jars first though!.  

Wednesday was a lovely day, a couple of us met up with another old friend from City and Guilds days and had a lovely, long, gossipy lunch and I got home just in time to pick up my husband for a family barbecue.  Our eldest grandson would be leaving home to start a Sixth Form course at Chethams College of Music in Manchester so it was a little farewell to him with family and friends.      It was lovely to relax in the garden eating and drinking until well after the sun went down and we had to go inside.    

On Friday, Liz and I spent the whole day with Dianne Owen mounting and labelling the 200 or so successful prints for the SRGB Print First Print Celebration exhibition at Dobbies Garden Centre, Bentham Way, Southport, from 7^th – 21^st September.     Today, along with several other members of the group, we framed them up ready be hung before the opening on 7^th.   What a mammoth task!

 

background and painted bondaweb

 

bluebell wood

 At the weekend, I actually got time to ‘play’ so I made a picture of a bluebell wood using painted bondaweb and hand and machine embroidery - it's actually mounted and framed now.

  I also managed to finish a couple of fabric book covers.   On Monday, keeping up my efforts to use up some of the fabric scraps I collect (hoard), I painted some quilted fabric which I hope to use to make needle cases.   The fabric was left over from the ‘Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’ I made for one of our granddaughters for Christmas 2011.  

August Bank Holiday

Picture mounted on canvas

I don’t seem to have done an awful lot this week, except  finish off some bits and pieces.    I suppose that in itself is an awful lot!   I’ve made a collection of  gift tags and  finished and mounted one felt picture and the remaining two are finished and ready to be mounted/framed.

On Wednesday, I met up with a couple of  old friends  who were on City and Guilds Courses with me.   It was lovely to catch up and hear what they’re up to – we are hoping to get together again in September when Friday Felters starts again. 

 

Saturday saw us at Calidad Events Art and Craft Market  in Lark Lane, and speaking of larks, we had to be up really early to get there and get parked before the roads were closed in preparation  for a big music festival in Sefton Park.    The usual happy crowd of crafters  were there and, after not having a fair last month, it was great to see them again.   It was generally quieter  than we’d hoped for,   probably because the weather was so lovely that everyone headed  for the park and the music, but it was still worthwhile and, as usual, the organisation was faultless.

Another early morning on Sunday – we needed to get set up at the Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk, before the Motorfest started.    It was a beautiful day and the town was crowded with people who came to see all the interesting vintage and veteran cars and bikes.   The Chapel Gallery  was full of lovely arts and crafts and vintage items.   It really is a great  venue and the unfailingly cheerful staff make great efforts  to ensure it’s  an enjoyable occasion .   We were upstairs and had the pleasure of being entertained for a large part of the day by the voice of  Francesca Georgeson who ‘s programme was really varied – in fact, it was all Liz and I could do to stop ourselves dancing.   There were quite a few people who left the cars and the bustle and came in to see us – several friends popped in as well as family so it was a great day.    The lady for whom I had made the mask came and collected it - she chose the one in the bottom picture.   Now we’re looking forward to 29^th and 30^th November, when the Chapel Gallery have their Christmas Fair.  Oh dear, I mentioned Christmas!

one of the lovely hydrangeas in my garden

After a long sleep in, this morning, I spent the afternoon sitting in the garden preparing some more alpaca fleece for carding.   It was lovely in the garden topping up my tan and being  fed coffee.    

Southport Flower Show

Southport Flower Show Another busy week with quite a lot to fit in. The patchwork quilt (single bed size) was completed and looks very nice – I hope someone will like it enough to buy it.



Winning entry

On Thursday, we went to Southport Flower Show where I was presented with an award by Professor Stefan Buczacki. I won first place in the Plant Portrait Section of the Stefan Buczacki Photography Competition. I also had two prints commended – another Plant Portrait and one in the Garden Wildlife Section. It was lovely to see the excellent entries displayed in the Grand Floral Marquee and I was very proud to be one of the winners. On Friday, Liz and I and our husbands actually went to the Flower Show again for the whole day – we go every year and take a picnic. It was a beautiful day this year and it was great to be able to eat sitting on the
 grass rather than huddling under the cover of the bowling pavilion!
Thank goodness we didn’t choose to go on Saturday, the weather was atrocious.

On Monday, the weather was lovely again and we went blackberrying locally. There were plenty of them ripe and we actually got about 6lbs so that meant that I had to make jam – lovely. I think we’ll probably go again next week but I’ll need to beg, borrow or steal some jars before then. Meanwhile I’m still putting photos on my boards on pinterest http://pinterest.com/jillledwidge and I’m still pressing on with the felt pictures and two more are nearing completion.

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, I have made a really bright, summery tote bag – it’s lined with pretty pink gingham and has a pink button closure on the flap – I think it’s rather fun. Finally, I have spent time weeding today – ugh! When I was completely exhausted, I treated myself to a long sit in the sun – I didn’t sit idly though, I picked over some more alpaca fleece ready to card it when I get the chance. Actually, it’s quite therapeutic – very relaxing (the warm sunshine helped!)



There’s a busy weekend ahead – Saturday at Lark Lane with Calidad Events https://www.facebook.com/CalidadEventsArtandCraftFairs and then, on Sunday, at the Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk, where they’re running a Craft and Vintage Fair to coincide with the Ormskirk Motorfest http://www.ormskirkmotorfest.com/. It would be lovely if some of our friends dropped in to either venue to see us.

Not a good idea!

underwater after stitching added

underwater scene
 

I seem to have been quite productive this week – I’ve pressed on with a couple of the felt pictures I started at the Green Fayre and the ‘fishy’ one is finished ready for mounting.    

Also, when we were at the Green Fayre, someone bought a ‘one off’ bag with a strip patchwork picture on it.Her friend wanted one as well so I said I’d make a similar one. I’ve now finished the patchwork bit – it’s not identical, of course, but it’s similar – just got to make the bag now.



    



I've also made a felt mask, it is for a commission but, although it looks great, I’m not sure that the colour is what the customer wanted, so I’ll make another one and give her the choice between the two


I’ve done some cold water dyeing this week as well – the weather was warm and I like to do it in the garden  – I’m always frightened that I’ll dye the kitchen units if I do it inside.   I used two colours on various pieces of silk, scrim, muslin, cotton and polycotton - yellow and blue, so now I have a little stash of fabrics from yellow through to deep turquoise.  I also experimented with dyeing a small amount of fleece – it did work but, of course, the colours are much, much paler.

I had a sudden rush of blood to the head on Friday and decided to have a bit of a tidy up – it doesn’t happen often and now I know why.   I found several UFO’s (that’s unfinished objects) that had been tucked away for ages.  I vowed I wouldn’t put them back but that I’d finish them.   Not a good idea – because I realised that most were not finished because I hadn’t got the necessary ‘bits’ to finish them.   That  meant that I had to go to Abakhan on Saturday and buy all sorts of bits and pieces to complete them.   However, I’ve now finished two cushion covers and I’m on the way to finishing my first (and only) single bed quilt.   

I’ve only made small quilts before and didn’t realise that quilting a full size quilt is a bit of an undertaking – it’s heavy, bulky and like wrestling with a boa constrictor - I think I won but only by a whisker.  With a bit of luck, I’ll be able to bind it this week and have a photo for next time I post.   The other sundry items might take a bit longer to finish – there are lots of hexagonal patches which I made by hand so I haven’t quite decided what to do with them yet – they won’t end up as a full sized quilt, that’s for sure.

Recuperation

It took me best part of a couple of days to recover from the Summer Arts Market, by the time I’d reprinted cards, prints, updated the website and generally tidied up it was Wednesday.    I spent a lot of time looking for accommodation in Glasgow – we’re going up there for a couple of days with some friends in September.   As a fan of all things Mackintosh, I’ve always wanted to go up there – we’ve passed through but never stopped before.

On Friday, we dipped our toes into Pinterest – I’ve set up three boards so far with photographs http://pinterest.com/jillledwidge

On Saturday,  Liz and I went to a craft fair at ‘The Florrie’  (the Florence Institute for Boys) Florence hall which is an old building in Toxteth which has been sympathetically restored and is quite beautiful. 

Today, saw me dyeing the bag which I knitted with the yarn spun from the fleece I got when I bought my spinning wheel.   I had felted the bag in the washing machine previously but thought I might like it coloured rather than white.   There is an old microwave in the garden shed which I use for dyeing so, as it was a warm, fine afternoon I took the bag and a silk scarf out there.   Needless to say, as soon as I was outside the rain teemed down but I could shut the door and put the light on.    Although the door has a padlock, it also has 2 little catches on the outside to prevent it blowing in the wind.    As the door shut, it must have disturbed one of the catches and locked me in!    My husband knew I was busy so he wouldn’t have missed me until teatime and I hadn’t got my phone and nobody would hear me if I yelled all day.   If it had been the bottom catch, I could probably have kicked it off, but it was the top one and I couldn’t apply enough force to break it off.    Eventually, I found a weeding tool with a hooked blade which I could wangle through the tiny gap between door and frame and, with a little bit of manipulation and a few prayers, I managed to flick the catch off.   Add to that, the fact that I’m disappointed in the colour of the items and, all in all,  not a successful afternoon.

I’m hoping for a more successful evening reprinting cards and mounting some photos – I need to keep on top of everything to get ready for our next busy weekend 24^th/25^th August when we will be at Calidad Events Art and Craft Market and Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk, respectively .   If you’re visiting Ormskirk Motorfest  pop in and say ‘hello’.