Daughter Quilts! ..... yeeehah!

My daughter, Issbel aged 10 has a house art competition next week. She has been inspired to make an art quilt. (proud, proud, pleased Mummy). the theme is "Water" so she has done a marinescape.

she seems to have commandeered my Bernina. Help....she needs her own. Maybe in another ten years?

Spring Has Sprung

Glorious.
My garden.

Cornish Sea Birds Series

Today I worked on these oyster catchers as part of my Cornish Sea Bird series constructed of momigami style papers, printed paper, calico, machine and hand stitch.
They are not quite complete but here are the others which have also progressed:

I have enjoyed the combination of machine and hand stitch because I can take them around in a little ice cream tub and work on them as I go.

My husband has had a sudden illness, which was very serious and frightening. He is recovering now but the last three weeks have been very intense and worrying - plus the effort of "continuing as normal" for the children has taken it's toll.
We are now out of the woods and it was time today to also venture into the garden to see what gifts the Spring has brought whilst my back was turned.
I always love these forget-me-nots ... you never know from one year to the next where they will turn up.

I also find the way some plants hold on to water droplets whose surface tension create magnifying balls like little fortune telling globes:

Spring flowers and a quilt can make my heart sing. Wonderful isn't it just how restorative a simple thing can be:

Stitchin' a Puffin

Recently I have started to work on a series of Cornish seabirds as a homage to the place where I am called to spend time whenever I can.
The first piece can be seen here .
The second is nearly complete:

Machine and hand stitch on paper and fabric

I'm not sure what Smartie thinks I'm up to but he likes to sleep near these birds to keep his beady (sleepy) eye on them!

Shibori, sketching and carving.

Today some preparation for an indigo dyeing day in July. A little shibori work with friends.

 the beginning of a lot of stitch

 Sharon on the smocking machine

 Beads held with elastic bands

Janet's wonderful conglomeration!

All was definitely aided by copious chocolate cup cakes by Pat - chief baker.

A very soporific afternoon.

Plenty more stitching to go before the big day in the summer.

 I picked this from my garden this week. Does anyone know what it is please?
 I planted it some years ago but this spring it has put on a stunning display - maybe because of the mild winter. The flowers are small but lily like. I don't think it is a lily though.

A chance to sketch. Only by drawing does one REALLY observe properly, without distraction.

Also I have done some long overdue lino carving. I've been meaning to for ages. I was a bit ambitious with the over-all size of this as it took hours to cut and my hand was tingling and aching throughout. At last it's finished though. I shall take some rubbings of it and then use it to print, but for now I just like the block as it is. I hope to post some good results soon. The design I took from a steel bench in the garden...again, only now have I REALLY observed this.

It's really just a question of stopping to LOOK isn't it?

Uttoxeter where the money 'fell' out of my purse! But you only live once.

Yesterday I volunteered as a member of Wolverhampton Embroiderers' Guild to be a steward at the Quilt and Embroidery show at Uttoxeter. It was very rewarding listening to people's comments and having time to look at the work in detail. I was stationed amongst the embroidery pieces upstairs and there was an excellent standard of work and a huge variety of styles to intrigue.
So after two hours of that I was released from duty and by then of course my shopping glands were operating at full steam!
I had a bit of a splurge I'm ashamed to say (to husband later on my return) or excited to say (real feelings).
I bought two lovely pieces of Indian embroidery made in Rajastan I think but bought by the trader in Gujarat.
One was those characteristic reds and shisha mirrors and the other was much paler in restful blues. I adore them even though they are not totally had embroidered. Some parts are missing a few mirrors etc but that doesn't worry me. They look loved and used.
They are hand pieced and embellished and one wonders how long these pieces will be available for given the 'globalisation' of India at the moment.
I prefer textiles on the walls to wallpaper - I like the way I can move them from room to room by hanging them from the picture rail.

Anyway it was a lovely day meeting old friends and new - it was particularly good to hook up with Maggi Birchenough, whose blog 'To Dream To Stitch' and work I've loved for a good while. This is it with on-liners - they could be anywhere in the world and we find a common interest. It is only now that I realise she lives just 30 miles from me!

Cornish Cream

A break from art and stitch, but always gathering....



- The inside of a cuttlefish shell worn by the sea looking like contours on a map.



- creatures energising themselves in the Spring warmth.



The kids doing what they oughta.



Little Dotty.



Dirty Dawg Mungo



My gal



Number One and Only Son



Fading camellias.



Sweet dreams.

HAPPY EASTER ALL MY FRIENDS

Stitch on Paper Explored.

Working today with Cas Holmes as guide and inspiration at Bilston Craft Gallery was a transformatory experience. I have been moving in this direction recently -a mode of patched, upcycled, repurposed paper and fabric - and this was a wonderful consolidation day.

I am enthralled by the use of paper made into cloth by the Momigami technique from Japan, where the paper is scrunched time and time again and "fed" with oil. It becomes almost like chamois leather in softness. I could then hand and machine stitch into it with ease. I believe the Japanese layer this and make a certain style of clothing from it. Paper was once made from rag and pulp and we are turning it back to cloth again this way.

The above image uses only three papers - a waxed batik type paper, a magazine page and a photocopy of some ancient Japanese brown manuscript. There is a little cream lace too. I am going to work on this further and create another piece from the off-cuts from this one.

Cas Holmes has written a wonderful book:

Many of these techniques are covered in here.

Below are some images from others in the group:

Thank you Cas - you inspired all of us!