Wednesday 29 March 2017

The beads are still going on...19-25 March

Week 12 - 2017

no.78

no.79

no.80

no.81

no.82

no.83

no.84

Apologies for the silence!

Lots of things going on around here. But I also developed a very bad throat and now real silence because I no voice!
Not that it should hinder me from posting, but by the time I have slogged my way through the rest of the day I am very weary and don't seem to be able to rub 2 thoughts together!

Anyway, delayed bead project coming up. All the photos were taken, but that is where it stopped!

I am making a chocolate cake for A Certain Young Man's birthday. So, back to work.

Besides the money we gave him, I gave him a lemon tree and his dad a carving knife and a book about whittling. My dad taught him a little when he lived over there, but now he wants to do more.

Saturday 25 March 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow - 11


My mother-in-law gave this coaster to me 'as you collect cows'. Now it is a good memory of her. She liked to buy quirky things for people.

Why Karaoke Cows? I don't know. But then again, why not?

Sunday 19 March 2017

The beads are still going on...12-18 March

Week 11 - 2017

no.71

no.72

no.73

no.74

no.75

no.76

no.77

Saturday 18 March 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow - 10
This one makes me laugh!

Does anyone use egg cups anymore?

********************
This week I have been taking it easy. I hurt one of my ribs and I wanted to be better for teaching workshops next week. As it is, only one workshop is running. but also my rib is better. So, it has been worth the rest.

Monday 13 March 2017

More from the exhibition

A few more photos now that I have had time to sort them. I am going to have to retake a few that were too fuzzy to show.



we made collections of gowns that worked together.
 - silks and lace

 red velvet

 the rust piece above, made in 2007, worked well with the 2 new pieces that also make a statement about global issues.


you should have seen the efforts to make a suitable display for a 10 year old! The one on the right had lacing that could open enough to get it over the shoulders of the dummy. But though it was a thin model, it is quite busty and tall for a young Tudor. The other 'dummy' is made up of a child soft manikin piggyback on the shoulders of a half child model!


and we hung the coats for the ensembles from the rafters open so the scene in the inside back could be seen, as well as the back of the coat. But I need to get a better photo of the other side.

Sunday 12 March 2017

The beads are still going on...5-11 March

Week 10 - 2017

no.64

no.65

no.66

no.67

no.68

no.69

no.70

Saturday 11 March 2017

The exhibition is up!

What I have been doing the past few days...
Sorting out gowns, taking them to Henley and then getting them all dressed and in position!
and then going up again and hanging textile art

So, I am tired, but it looks good. I can't believe I got all of that into one wardrobe!

Thank you so much to the Thoughtful Man for helping with the second day. The previous day was far too long to do the next day on my own! Sarah from Lady Sew and Sew did help; finding dummies for gowns and working out displays.

I am also doing some workshops on the 21st and 22nd of March. I am looking forward to it!
I hope to get a few more photos up next week.

Something on Saturday

Cow 9

Another fridge magnet - kinda country. no big deal
but she comes under humorous because her magnet is unbalanced
and she usually looks like this...

She is currently standing on a Viking's head instead of standing on her own.

Tuesday 7 March 2017

The other bead project - 3

This is how the marks made of beads have progressed on the dress.
Week 10

I have also taken the dress off the dummy and stitched up the darts and so on that I had draped. Still marked with pins in the photo. I need the dummy for display at my exhibition at Lady Sew and Sew in Henley.

Monday 6 March 2017

More depth of meaning

And after giving an upgrade to the willow tree, I have also been adding more to the 'Tears' dress.
I used marks like this for a piece about refugees and am using them for the other daily bead project. And when thinking about how to give more visually to this dress, I felt it would add more meaning for the viewer. Yes, it has the net, but now these marks give more of a captivity meaning when viewed.

I am making the marks with a soldering iron. Okay, probably would look about the same with a felt tip marker, but using the soldering iron means they are rough looking, more individualistic.
But the marks, like ticking off the days, were not an easy thing to do because I had stitched down some of the netting at certain points!
So, I filled in some gaps with just burn marks.

and then the whole of the back is burn marks. The main purpose of the marks is to take away the whiteness of the underlying fabric - The rust marks here are a lot clearer than on other rust pieces I have done, but they don't cover as much of the surface.

Now to untangle the netting at the bottom again.

Sunday 5 March 2017

The beads are still going on...26-28 Feb 1-4 March

Week 9 - 2017

no.57

no.58

no.59

Beads for February


March -
Back to the grey fabric - this month with red beads.

no.60

no.61

no.62

no.63

Saturday 4 March 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow - 8


Scottish cow

A favourite because my husband is Scottish.

Friday 3 March 2017

Willow bark

And so the willow bark has its added texture.
It isn't overly obvious, as in shouting about itself, but it really gives a lot more life to the look than the flat brown did.