Things[Hand Made]

Learning to make square knot bracelets.

2012-01-30T12:52:00.000Z

Two of the groups I am teaching at the moment are groups of young mums in local family centres.
We are working our way through a variety of crafts and the other week we made square knot bracelets or shambala bracelets.
I made one years ago at a workshop and then noticed last year that some of the major fashion retailers were producing similar bracelets and before you know it a workshop was developed.

We had a lovely time tie-ing and knotting and threading and beading.
I really enjoy leading this type of workshop where people learn to make something that they would have considered buying in a shop. I think it really helps people to see the value in making something for yourself and that you can create something beautiful easily.
Oh, beware. that sounds like I may start on my jolly old anti capitalist rant there so will stop myself before I get started and leave that for another day.
I bet you cant wait.

I could write a tutorial but many others have already done it better than I so I will point in in their direction.
A good one here using a thick cord.
This one uses pretty beads.
or this one uses the content of a tool box to good effect.
lots of tutorials on video tutorials as well if you prefer to watch how to do it.

Creative children

2012-01-24T13:24:00.002Z

Its great having creative children, they see a cake being made and want to help.

I was thinking subtle but pretty bunting made from pretty a papers.

maybe a lace flower?

a dusting of icing sugar?

He was thinking Lego ( always thinking Lego)

taa daaa.
It sort of works
oh yes and I didn't have any icing sugar.

A winter clear out

2012-01-17T13:08:00.003Z

I have spent much of the week clearing and sorting. I do not have a craft/sewing room of my own
Its not a sob story just a practical reality and I know its no different to many others
but j and I have a room we laughingly call The Study.
No, I am not sure why...we don't really sit in there and Study.
Mostly it's the room to put things out of children's way and somewhere to work at a computer if needed.
The room is plenty big enough but often ends up in a mess

January isn't really about starting anything new for me
I don't have the energy but it is a good time to take stock.
which is why I emptied ALL my craft books/supplies and general might be useful for something junk out and sorted it.
yes, there was a lot,
yes, it took a long time,
no, I didn't just give up half way through and walk off but I was very tempted.

Now I have a lovely neat room but piles of things that need to go elsewhere... freegle...charity shop...etc
In an attempt to get this last bit of the job done a little quicker I am going to list all the books here.
Maybe you could have a glance through and if you see something you fancy just email me and you can have it for the price of posting and packaging.

Constance Howard book of Stitches.

Glorafilla- The Venice Collection ( 25 Tapestry projects)

Arts and Crafts of South America by Lucy Davies and Mo Fini.

Living out loud by Keri Smith

Colour Perception by Tim Armstrong

Stroud International Textiles festival booklet 2009. (Profiles of Artists etc)

Art of the Stitch. Embroiderers Guild Exhibition Catalogue

Beyond the Round by Freda Robinson. A pamphlet about braiding

Goldwork. A small book on technique.

Fashions and Fashion plates 1800-1900 ( a small old book that has nice prints in it.)

Quilt Art 20 a exhibition catalogue.

Hardanger Embroidery by Sigrid Bright

The Embroiderers Workbook by Jan Messent

A Passion for Patchwork by Lise Bergene -- a project book.

You never know there might be something you fancy
...and then it can be junk at your house rather than mine....
No.. No, I meant it can be a useful book that you have always wanted!

2012-01-09T11:02:00.001Z

phhwe, phhwww
Blowing off the cobwebs in here.

Happy new year and all that.
hope the festive season bought joy and whatnot.

The teaching term has started so back to teaching with ArtLift.

Possibility of teaching two more courses at the end of the month combined with the general blueuughness of January AND a complete spring clean/tidy/sort out of all my art/craft/might be usable for something stuff means that the creativity is low at the moment.

I quite enjoy working out how to spell noises, phhwee, bluesuughness.
I sit here saying it over and over to try to get it right.
I am an awful speller but take a great deal of pleasure in spelling nonsense words just right.
Thats my creative act for today.

old traditions and making new things

2011-12-19T16:07:00.001Z

well, we were worried, we really were.
Each day we waited, wondering if there was a special date for it...
maybe another cut with the current state of economics?
but no, phew the tradition lasts another year with milk bottles having their special Christmas cap.

The year has been so mild that we still have roses flowering in our garden.
I think that grand Victorian house used to have rose from hot house.
Maybe we are not quite Downton abbey but its lovely to still be bringing in flowers.

An architectural building kit salvaged from a charity shop being turned into a snowy scene for the mantelpiece.
The kids have finished school and we are planning a week of gentle preparation.
well, apart from the manic finishing of christmas presents which is a tradition know that we all uphold.

Work avoidance

2011-12-12T13:50:00.000Z

It's so kind of you to ask....

How the essay is going.....

I know you didn't ask but in the run up to the Christmas season I know that my essay would be top of your list to ask about but we are all busy and I know you would have done if you had a moment.

Well, this is how the essay is going.

The stars are strung up

The Christmas cards are made

and the wreath made so long ago has been given a new lease of life with a spray of gold.

With all that done I can now get on with the essay.

hmm, now I look at that last photo I wonder of the wreath needs a little trim ... and a red something in the middle...
...and I am so close to finishing that quilting I was telling you about.

I am supposed to be....

2011-12-09T13:19:00.001Z

.......writing an essay for a PTLLS course I am just finishing but then I realised that I hadn't told you about the things I am making at the moment.
No, its not work avoidance at all, nope, not at all.

This is a quilt/throw I have been making, now onto the lovely big chunky quilting. I love big chunky quilting and I can pick it up and put it down depending on what I am doing. Its a good time filler.

No, not a time waster, its a time filler

I tidied up the junk room the other day and found half used lump of air drying clay.
I instantly abandoned tidying and rolled it out to cut out lots of stars.
That then meant that I needed some of that lovely strpiey string I keep seeing everywhere.
Its sitting waiting to be made into a garland for the festive season but I have to get on with my essay.

Joanna
Joanna

can you hear that?
you see, how is a girl supposed to write an essay when there is stripy string and stars calling you name!

a busy sort of day

2011-12-05T12:53:00.001Z

...... in which i get a life.
No that's a load of rubbish, I have a lovely life full of great friends and experiences but sometimes it nice to get out and feel a bit sophisticated in the big city.

I have been hatching this plan for a while. A couple of cheap train tickets and a day at great exhibitions.
Then i did not feel so well and it all seemed like such an effort. I would just have the books for Christmas but then a friend was going to London for a few days with family and there was room in the car for me. The universe was making sure I went.
...and the universe was right to send me I feel so much better for getting out and doing something different.
Here are the ramblings of a Hick from the sticks for the Power of Making exhibition at the V and A and the Grayson Perry exhibition, The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman at the British Museum
Arguably 2 of my favourite places in the whole world.

The Power of Making
The desire to make something to produce something, often with no other purpose than to explore and idea, to push the material further, to express yourself. I am one of those people and it has taken me a long time to be able to recognise and celebrate that..
I loved the list of words on signs. Hacked. Skilled. Refined. Meticulous.Ingenious. Curious. Extreme. Spectacular.Crafted. I want signs around my house esp CURIOUS. I love this word at the moment.
Wow, a machine embroidered sugical implant for the eye. the machine embroidery gives more for the surgeon to attach to the body. Prosthetic limbs that look superhuman. Yes, if you need a prosthetic limb then you should make it how you want it, not always to imitate. Thinking about new objects made in a different scale.
Taking the materials you have and exploring it further, pushing it more thinking about why does it have to be a certain way?
The narrowing of the gap between enthusiasm and ability to produce what you want to produce.
3D printers.....wow
Sugru. I want to play with some of this stuff.
After this exhibition I want to play with all sorts of stuff.

To the tube past a pop up shop for the Museum of British Folklore which was full of beautiful stained glass by Tamsin Abbot.

No I didn't resist it, I will post a picture soon.

On the tube, walk to the British Museum, past a beautiful shop full of papers and bookbinding materials. Yes, I resisted but it was a feat of superhuman nature to do so.

Into the British Museum. the Great court always takes my breath away.

The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman
Do not look for meaning here.
I could do with remembering that. having a tough couple of weeks and coming to the conclusion that thinking is much over rated.
Full of humour. The only reality is the one in our heads. our realities are different from someone else's.
A greats sense of humour. A clarity in his words that make you think.
Love tokens. Hard to tell which is a modern object and which from the museum.
A long a sympathetic hands on relationship with materials.Objects to treasure and that protect us. A pilgrimage to look at great art.
Symbolism.
AMAZING OBJECTS.
All made by someone.

A great day.
Full of ideas.
No time!

a lozzocking sort of day

2011-11-28T20:16:00.001Z

After a busy week it was nice to have a lazy day.
A week late, we made our Christmas pudding.

I have a memory of someone's blog last year describing the process of "elving" the process of children busily preparing things as surprises. Its started this weekend in our house. Peer into the distance in the picture and you can just see the 7 yr old sat at the little sewing machine busy elving, making drawstring bags as gifts for christmas.

It made for moments of contentment, making pudding with one while seeing another child busily organising himself. he is really quite good on the machine now and cuts, pins and sews the little bags all by himself.

We share a delight in being able to make things.

Actually the real reason I remember elving is because of where we live. Our part of the world and stretch of the river is known for elvering. Elvering is an old practice of catching small eels. An elver being a baby eel. They are considered a delicacy and elverers can demand a high price for their elvers. You have to have a licence to catch them hence signs along the river which will declale
"No unauthorised elvering"
is this making any sense?
Anyway I love the idea of elving by my children but I know the best sort of elving will be unauthorised.
yes,
ok,
just me that smiles at that joke.

My latest favourite thing-Amanda Anderson

2011-11-17T13:09:00.001Z

Last week I finally made it over to the Contemporary Craft Fair in Hereford.
Oh it was like being in heaven. Such beautiful things. All handmade.
No you're right I didn't resist.
There were 61 exhibitors
No, I didn't buy 61 things, but I could have done very easily.
I fell instantly in love with Amanda Anderson's quirky mosaics. The colours just sing and my bird is just beautiful.
I haven't yet decide where it is going to live so its on the mantel-place waiting, being admired daily by me.

More of Amanda here

Today I am raw from the difficulties in parenting.

2011-11-09T13:59:00.001Z

We seem to be over-run by little people at the moment.
I have come to a conclusion about my fairy as it seems she has many sisters alive and well so she will be redressed and added to the pile of things to sell.

However we are still surrounded by little people. Here is one about to borrow a cube of sugar.

We had a wonderful time at a local theatre watching the Japanese version of The Borrowers, Arriety.

It delighted us all, even the 11yr old who enjoyed the Japanese animation. There has been lots of talk of Borrowers taking things, or making things fall off shelves. I need to look out for a copy of it to read to the 7 year old at bedtime.

Actually the concept of small people borrowing/moving things would explain a lot!

I made this Arriety from a pattern the wonderful Felt Wee Folk by Sally Mayor.

Here she is just about to borrow a 2p. Actually as I made her dress I did wonder if this could be made in a big girls size.

What do you think?

Today I am really enjoying arranging felt flowers and brooches in a printers tray to display at an Art Lift Class tomorrow.

a Christmas quandary

2011-11-07T14:22:00.002Z

Here lies a little angel, not an ordinary angel but a very special one. My parents celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year and have booked an amazing river cruise though Europe to celebrate. As with many amazing trips like that it comes with an "amazing " price tag. They are doing what they can to raise money for the trip which includes a craft sale in the next couple of weeks.
Now enter the angel.

I am not sure what order to tell this tale.

Maybe I will start like this.

We always had the same angel atop of our Christmas tree. She was the epitome of a fairy to me and childhood tales told of how she came alive to tell Santa how good you had been. Each year I coveted her, each year she was the thing I wanted to play with.

I was a little girl who believed in fairies at the bottom of the garden. She was perfect. As I grew older she became a very important aprt of our family Christmas tradition. When I left home and had my first Christmas away I found a small doll and dressed my own fairy.

My mum still uses the same fairy on her tree though her dress and wings have changed. A couple of years ago Mum asked me to redress the fairy and I used scraps from my wedding dress and old lace to give her a dress worthy of a fairy. It is a small and worthless plastic doll bought so many years ago from Woolworths which is treasured beyond measure between my mum and I. For some people dressing the tree is a statement of style and for us its is about the continuity through our lives.

A couple of weeks ago mum asked me to redress an old fairy a friend had given to her to sell on the craft table. They don't take long to do and its the sort of little fiddly job I enjoy. She handed me the box and as I opened it I had a moment of complete confusion.

There in the box is exactly the same fairy, in her old dress from Woolworths. It is not our family fairy but one exactly the same. It was so odd to see a replica of something so unique and individual to my family. Of course there were many of these dolls made but I had never seen another.

....so now I have a quandary. Do I redress this doll and send her off into the world? Do I swap her for my own fairy, who I am quite fond of and has been with us for nearly 20 years now? I know that my childhood one will come to me one day.

What a silly quandary to have!

Today I have really enjoyed making sloe gin.

Community quilt making

2011-11-04T12:26:00.000Z

I am sitting in the sun sewing squares together from the local theatre open day. I was employed to lead make a quilt that was the creative making table at the open day. I took lots of different fabrics, paints, wool, sequins, glitter, bead etc and asked people to decorate a square with a petal to be sewn into a quilt.
It was a fantastic day with lots of people participating . Its rather lovely to sit here in the sun, sewing it together remembering the fun people had making their square.
....and when I mean fun , I mean they embraced the glitter glue as though it was the answer to their dreams. I have never seen so much glitter glue used buy so many adults.
Some of it took days to dry.

I keep meaning to say thanks for all the comments on our new tv. I keep subltly angling it so that it does not quite look so big from where I sit. J hasn't noticed yet!
One comment was left by Dixie Nichols who writes a blog about the amazing buttons her father made. I heard about these ages ago on Woman's Hour.
I suspect I may not be the only person around here who would love to look at buttons. Go on you know you want too!

sorting buttons

2011-10-31T10:26:00.000Z

I cant tell you the pleasure I get from seeing my daughter playing with buttons on the weighing scales.

Yippee, the camera and the computer have made it up and are talking again.

A new TV

2011-10-19T13:10:00.000+01:00

Ok so the pictures don't reflect the title but the camera has fallen out with the computer and they are not talking to each other at the moment. Have a pretty picture of something just so you know I do some embroidery occasionally.
yes, you have seen them before but they quite fit in with the autumn.

Anyway, a new TV. We didn't need a new tv but we have one. A great big tv that seems to take up huge amount of space. J tells me that this is not really a big tv and there are many more much bigger but it seems big to me.
When I met J he had a large TV, now this was over 20 years ago so not big by todays standards but big for the time. Despite having a large TV and masses of technical bits and pieces I gave him the benefit of the doubt and the relaitionsip continued. Up until last week that 20 year old TV was still the only one we had.
I like that, I was used to it. When it breaks, we will get a new TV.
That was what we said.
I must have missed the murmurings of discontent that have been rumbling on. The 11 year old had suggested we have a new TV but no major campaign.

Last week we got a new TV.
I understand entirely why we have one.
It has the I Player, can stream films , its a flat screen, it uses less energy, it was a good offer, ........
many good reasons

BUT..... why does it have to be so big?.........

Now please don't misunderstand I sit and watch tv most evenings. I enjoy it. I usually sit there with some hand stitching and happily watch 2 hours each evening. I feel in enriches our lives. I would not live without a tv in the same way I would not live without going to the theatre.
My kids aren't too obsessed with tv. The 11 year old will often wander upstairs to read rather than Antiques Roadshow.
I know, such exciting TV is on in our house!
The younger two watch it occasionally. Its not that they are not allowed to watch it but they just are not in the habit of turning it on to watch something.
Saturday and sunday mornings for an hour or so, a few DVDs but apart from that they take little interest.
I am fully aware that I am talking about this moment and that could change at any time.

It does not dominate our lives and I am pleased with that.
Which brings me back round to WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE SO BIG?
It is 32inches across.
Is it just me?

Ok..... don't answer that

recycling carpet samples.

2011-10-14T17:16:00.001+01:00

Do you like my new hall rug? I needed something just inside the door to catch all the dirt but be big enough for all 5 of us to get into the house, but low enough to open a door over and cheap enough to not be too precious about it............its hard to find something that fits all these criteria!

I would like to say it was me but it was my mum that found a bargain pile of carpet samples at a car boot sale.
I laced together the bound edges. It took about 2 hours.

and voila.... a new hall rug for less than £2

I have shown it to you now as it will be rarely be this clean again

Thanks for the kind thoughts over the 11 year olds teeth. He chipped one and broke about a third off the other front tooth. It doesn't look like he has damaged the nerves so we all have our fingers crossed that it can be resolved by capping the teeth.

3 cheers for the NHS.

How to excavate a dinsaur

2011-10-10T21:03:00.002+01:00

We decided, the 7 year old and I, that if we mixed up some plaster of paris, added some shells/fossils that he could recreate Planet Dinosaur File

so it turns out that you get a really hard plater which it was almost impossible to chip away, breaking the hammer eventually......

and it turns out that this was actually quite a good activity to do as it kept the 7 year old busy while his mother is phoning round trying to get emergency dental treatment for an 11 year old that has come off his bike and chipped BOTH his front adult teeth.

........and breathe.........

and the other place...

2011-09-26T11:12:00.001+01:00

to tell you about on holiday was the Indian Sculpture park we went to.
Which was amazing. Mad but amazing.
I love the textures of carved stone, the variations in grey.

We wandered

we laughed

we danced

we considered

we just were

and we all felt very good.

Avoca -weaving a hug

2011-09-22T11:30:00.001+01:00

I nearly forgot to tell you...
We did go on holiday this year. We went to Ireland and stayed in a cottage about an hour south of Dublin.
We had a lovely 2 weeks messing around on beaches, visiting amazing museums and remembering how much we enjoy each others company.
We love our holidays. We have never flown with the kids but will take a ferry anywhere so we have been to France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark and Spain.
J fancies Iceland next year....hmmmmm

Anyway, Ireland was amazing. We WILL be going back. I am not quite sure why we haven't been before.

No, no its ok this is not really just a trip down memory lane for me....you will not be forced so see photos of me in a swimsuit......uuugrh....no but you do need to know about this place though!

Quick look at the next photo... see, yarn, that feels better doesn' it

We went to Avoca. A beautiful little village that was used as the template for Ballykissangel. Its now well know as the home of the Avoca chain.

If you haven't heard of the Avoca chain then follow the link and loose yourself in beautiful things.

We visited the weaving shed where it all started. Its is still producing blankets there though obviously the they source from lots of other places as well.

The weaving shed were full of beautiful colours and interesting machinery. Its quite on the tourist trail so there are coach parties coming all the time. Its very well known for its home made food as well.
Yes, I have bought the cookery book

Piles of wonderful blankets and throws.
I could have spent a lot more money than I did.

Lots of irresistible photos.

.......and of course a purchase. This is my new snuggle on the sofa blanket. it was so hard to choose a colour so I chose one with all of them on.

Felt Matryoshka pattern

2011-09-19T12:46:00.000+01:00

Well, my patchwork life continues...
my week resembles a patchwork quilt with no one thing occupying my work...
a little bit of work here, a little bit of work there...
I am planning some craft sessions in a family centre one of which will be to make little felt badges, brooches and corsages.
Over the weekend I have been cutting and snipping felt to make some samples/design for people to have a go at.
Nothing new but just little projects to get people sewing and making things.
There is something so satisfying about working with felt. It produces a little object of just the right sort of weight.

I came up with this little matryoshka doll. there is something really satisfying about the simplicity of a matryoshka doll.

These are the pieces I used if you fancied having a go. It would make a nice little brooch for a denim jacket or a motif for the front of a needle case.

I am wondering about stringing them up as a sort of Christmas garland but I am not telling you which christmas that will be!

Print out the picture and use it as a template for cutting your felt.

Craft magazines.

2011-09-16T14:57:00.000+01:00

I am not big craft magazines. Book yes... I can justify those easily

but magazines hmmm never really been that kid of girl.

I cant quite justify them when they seem a temporary thing.

An indulgence and I think I would rather spend my indulging money on something else. I need a decent amount to read, not just look at the pretty pictures.

There see to be a lot of craft magazines around at the moment, catching in the rise in interest. Being a blog reader I think I get enough ideas/inspiration form that and so don't need to search out magazines.

That being said I do like to have a nose through a copy of a new magazine if I find it.

I promise I am not one of those who stands in WHSmiths reading them. I will put my hand in my pocket and buy one.

I have a subscription to Embroidery magazine. Its more onto the art side of the craft and is not a project magazine. I read it from cover to cover and its suits me well. It reminds me that its important to keep making things that make people.

I took out a short subscription to Mollie Makes.

It was very good value and I was just being nosey

It is a beautifully produced, stylish magazine but the craft is a little on the simple side for me. I just don't need to read an article on a picnic that would requires so much preparation that it would never live up to your expectations Now I know they are not really suggesting you go on such a picnic, its all about styles and trends but I think it annoyed me a bit too much I do not want to dress my kids up for a picnic .

If one of them chooses to wear a bow tie...

and I do have one of those types of child...

then it would make great pictures but picnics are about relaxing, playing, beautiful family moments will happen naturally, I dont need a pinny on to make it happen

I agree, I have entirely missed the point of the article. Its all about a style.

Hey ho its juts not for me.

I love finding magazines while on holiday and I have a group of friends who know to look out for them for me. This summer has bought a couple of issues of Marie Clare idees and a copy of Hand/eye magazine. Both of which are very good.

I know, I know, I have just moaned about the over styling of an article and then I coo over Marie Clare idees.

But I do need some new pot holders and if they could just look as pretty as these........

Anyone got a guide to french crochet terms they can lend me?

Love does not consist.......

2011-09-14T12:03:00.000+01:00

Love does not consist in gazing at each other
but in looking outward together in the same direction.
Words

On a totally different note... how cool is this?

last days of the holidays.... quick make something!

2011-09-02T09:37:00.000+01:00

We needed another making day to soothe my end of school holiday wobbles.
Having the usual dilemmas about putting golden feet back into socks and school shoes.....yes it is a metaphor!

It is now traditional to paint last years P.E t shirts.

The 11 year old painted this pineapple(?) On the reverse the t shirt says " I am a pineapple"

What else would it say?! No, I don't get it either but then I am not an 11 year old boy.

Wire models waiting to be covered in mod roc.

a quick magnetic fishing game with the 5 year old.

and of course a new pair of spectacles for little bear.

Beryl Dean...... some real embroidery and some chocolate spread.

2011-08-29T20:24:00.000+01:00

Stumbled across some embroidery by Beryl Dean today as we were out on a walk with the kids. It is at Allsaints Church in the Forest of Dean. It has been photographed through a glass cabinet but still looks glorious. It was great to get really up close to it as one peiec is in use as the pulpit cloth.

Beryl Dean was an important ecclesiastical embroider and author and finding it today was a bit like stumbling across a Picasso at a little provincial museum!

The glass and the camera distorted the colours so I have included all the photos here so take an average of the colour to work it out.

We had just finished a walk and wandered into the church as we often do. I did a whole chunk of A level history on the Reformation and studied quite a bit about church architecture. The 5 year old is also fascinated by stained glass.

It was just so amazing to see.

........and finally I was dragged away from all this wonderfulness because the 7 year old picked up some cob nuts on the walk. I suggested if he gathered enough he could make some Nutella.

He is already obsessed by the stuff and so we had to dash off to Morrison's to buy hazelnuts so he could make some.

I was quite impressed with the finished product which has more texture than the shop bought stuff and a slightly smokier depth of flavour from the roasting of the hazelnuts.
Guess what everyone will get fro Christmas form the 7 year old?!.....

The summer holidays

2011-08-26T10:20:00.000+01:00

OK so you don't normally come here to see picture of my washing up!
I am sure you look down at your own often enough.
I know I do
No, we don't have a dish washer
As with many of you we are wandering through the summer holidays and whether you are enjoying having the kids around or counting the days left to school I am sure the thoughts of chores or jobs for kids to do has crossed your mind.
I know you don't come here for child care advice. I do not feel in any way qualified to give child rearing advice.
I do not live in a huge house,
I do not have a large family.
The chores aren't endless but I would prefer not to be doing any.
Wouldn't we all.
The question is..... how to share them out.
I don't wish my kids holidays to be entirely taken up with chores but then not do I wish mine to be. I want them to see that we work as a team.
It was with a heavy influence from Brownie Camp that I devised this scheme and we have been running it for a year now during school holidays and it seems to work quite well.
Its goes like this.
I have 3 kids so there are 3 roles each day.
Housekeeper, waiter, chef.
A chart is drawn up with each child allocated a new roles each day on a 3 day rotation.
The Housekeeper has to help me with collecting up laundry, loading the machine, hanging washing out, folding laundry and if needed then to vacuum the floors downstairs.
The Waiter has to help lay the table, carry food to the table, clear plates away, sort out drinks and help with washing/drying of dishes.
The Chef has to help plan/cook food.

If I gave them the choice they would all be "chefs"

Each role is helping me. The task are not done on their own and depending on the age of the child there is a little more to do or a little less. I know that when I know when I need help there will be someone to come and help me. I also hope that they are leaning a little about cooking and housework at the same time.
so that's how it works for us.
Please don't think that I have 3 spritely little pixies who dash in to help at every opportunity. I imaging there is as much moaning as anyone else gets but I can point the chart and they know that tomorrow they will be something else and someone else will have to help with the drying up!

Postmans knock

2011-08-24T19:30:00.000+01:00

The final card in the postman's knock swap from Jo at Fiddlesnips

It's been a great challenge and it great to look back through the cards.
a sort of meta collection, a collection of cards about collecting.

An open window

2011-08-17T14:00:00.000+01:00

I have always loved leaning out of windows.

Harvest

2011-08-15T08:00:00.001+01:00

My 7 year old wishes to be a farmer.

He cant understand why we cant have chickens but as I have said before I am an urban girl down to my veg box delivery and my painted toenails.

I know very little about gardening and growing but he is very keen and we are learning together.

Each year we have grown a little more and done a little better

This year we have planted in tubs courgettes, tomatoes, peas, blueberries and runner beans. Just a few plants of each to watch and try to work out how to help them grow. We also have a small bed with a established plum tree with gooseberry, blackcurrnats, redcurrnats and raspberries. We only out those in this year so our harvest is one raspberry ( apart from the plums)

Hanging from the plum tree is a bird feeder. When the birds feed grain falls into the soil below. We weed most of it out but we left some and it has grown. He has enjoyed watching the corn grow and last week when we saw the tractors harvesting we decided it was time to harvest ours.

Think more nail scissors than combine harvester.

We pulled the corn from the stalk and left it to dry out in the sun. I found a little flat basket which meant we could shake the basket and some of the husk would fly off in the wind. I think this is called winnowing.

This moved some of the husk but we had to remove most by hand

Here is our corn

Here he is trying to grind the corn after it has been dried.
Remember the Little Red hen? Who will help me grind the corn? not I said the Fox.

The corn ground with a pestle and mortar.

The whole project produced about a teaspoon of coarsely ground flour which we included in the next loaf.
Its been a fun little project that happened without planning.
Fingers crossed that no one cracks a tooth on a piece of dried wheat otherwise I will be introducing the children to the stage of basic dentistry.

A book that's a box or a box that's a book?

2011-08-12T05:59:00.000+01:00

My first attempt at a book box after receiving mine from Lesley

The book was "Ten Boys who lived on the road from long ago to now"
Slightly odd title.
Did the boys live on the road from long ago till now or are they stories form long ago to now. The author Jane Andrews does not specify and the book was falling to bits but I guess I will have to read it to find out!

I took out the pages, built a frame with mount board, lined it with old maps and a collage for the facing page.

I also made a lid for one compartment.

Here it is filled with odds and end lying around the house.

The Cupcake challenge.

2011-08-10T10:20:00.000+01:00

Last minute entry form me for Ruths Cupcake challenge
The cake for July had to be based on a summer pudding.
The 11 year old baked some cakes in muffin dishes so they were a bit bigger. We scooped out the middle and put in summer pudding fruits mixture, the decided to top it with ice cream and the sauce from the fruit.
Yes I agree, its not really a cupcake once you need a spoon to eat it but the decision to use ice cream was unanimous.

It was absolutely yummy
The cloth underneath it? how kind of you to ask.
Well its the rather lovely apron Ruth sent me last month as my Pimms cake was drawn out as a winner.
and yes, it is true. The only way my baking could win anything is by someone not actually eating it!

If you want to get ahead......

2011-08-09T10:20:00.000+01:00

get a hat.
A hat made at a millinery workshop where I worked as an assistant helping people.

Warning... a rambling self indulgent post that may not have a point!

When I was younger I love to make things, anything. Just had to make something.
I had to make a thing, not just draw a picture but to phyisically put something togehter. I never really considered that I woul use these talents as an adult My family were a creative supportive family and I dint relaly know people who made things for a living so it was never reallly something I considered.

When I was 14 a new teacher came to my school. She was a textiles teacher and suddenly a whole new world opened up for me. here was away of making things. My parents arranged for me to have extra lessons with this teacher and I felt in love with costume of all types. I particularly enjoyed making hats and quickly had a large hat collection.She let me make the costumes for a school play and showed me that it was possible to make anythting. I started to think about a career in theatre design.
Untill I got to A levels.
Then it got harder. Life was not alwasy straight forward and I lost sight of how I could be paid to make things.I started to see "making things" as a childish thing to be hidden away.
I was given some careers advice. To become a teacher.
It was not bad advice and for a long time I had though that it had been suggested to me as reasonable but maybe a bit lazy advice. These days I realise that the careers teacher saw something in me that would make a good teacher that I did not know about myself.
I became a teacher. Its a great job to do and full of creativity. I loved it.
It takes up a lot of time and energy and I tended to make things from kits and not design them myself.
I lost confidence.
Then I had the opportunity to travel and soon afterwards started the journey of motherhood which has bought me to here. A time in my life when I can indulge in making all sorts of things. It has taken a long time to build up my confidence again. Blogging/the internet has allowed me to "meet" so many creative people who are driven to make things just like me.
I now have my part time job which allows me to meet all sorts of talented creative people like the Milliner who led the work shop this rambling post started with. My journey is a round about one to get to where I am and when i meet someone who has taken a more direct route I am a little envious but the more I meet and chat to the more I find it has nothing to do with the training but everything to just getting out there and making things.

No I agree, I am not sure what the point of this post is either but I felt it needed to be said!

Postmans knock

2011-08-08T10:04:00.003+01:00

Another couple of cards in the Postmans knock challenge, this one is a collection of butterflies and collection words.

It came from Sue Brown

A clever idea here on alternative collections from jane.

I always did have a soft spot for Pat!

A unicorn costume

2011-08-05T08:24:00.001+01:00

Gathering materials

Making a pattern and cutting

Stitching

Marvelling at the way the threads split.

Trying it on an 11 year old to see if it works

Finding it impossible to take any decent photos

Anticipating the joy on the soon to be 5 year olds face when she sees she has a

unicorn costume for her birthday.

Making a willow umberella

2011-08-03T10:20:00.003+01:00

As it is the summer holidays my making things has to work around making tghings with the kids.

I will often have a "bright" idea to make something with the kids and its great to get some of them ticked off as we move through the holidays.

Some ideas are "brighter"than others!

I am currnetly intriged by scuplting with willow.

When I mean sculpting I do mean it in a very loose general way, more making shapes.

The 4 year old is making a decorating a butterfly I made for her, the 11 year oild is making akite by himself. The 7 year old and I decide we can make an umbrella.

Hmmm who's bright idea was that.

Here follows the process.

I do hope you are not expecting beautiful pictures of rosy cheek kids having a wonderful time.

Make an 8 spoked star taped together at the top.

Ask kids to stop using willow as swords and to put it back in the cloth to stay damp.

Make a hoop using 3/4 lengths of willow and lots, LOTS of masking tape.

Start to put the spokes into the hoop. Quite helpful to have a 7 year old holding as you try to do this.

Calmly explain to the 7 year old that he cannot just walk off to get a drink at this point.

Keep going until all spokes are in the hoop.

Add a central handle with even more masking tape.

Using watered down PVA glue start to put glue onto the spokes. Lay pieces of tissue paper over.

Decide that the garden was a good idea for so much PVA glue sloshing about but not such a good idea for tissue paper.

Wrestle the tissue paper onto the frame

Try not to yell at 7 year old that its best if I do this in piece and that his bedroom would be a good place to wait.

Make sure you fold the pieces over the edge hoop.

Decide that its is almost working and throwing the whole PVAy wet tissuue papey mess into the bin in a fit of tantrum would just set a bad example to the kids.

Taaa Daaaaa.

Now all we have to do is decorate it.
Tomorrow

after a good nights sleep

and a Pimms.

The Next Day...........

The 11 year olds kite... ( the white shape above the letters in his room.)

The 4 years olds buuterfly.

A super quick picture.

2011-08-01T10:20:00.000+01:00

There is something very satisfyingly staright forward about sewing a Hello Kitty picture.
Why am I sewing this?
Did I mention I have a 4 year old girl who is 5 very soon?

Poppies

2011-07-29T12:16:00.001+01:00

A morning spent painting poppies.

Sue Spargo and Madeline Millington inspired quilt.

2011-07-27T11:19:00.001+01:00

Some images from the first panels of the new quilt.
It is my own design inspired by Sue Spargo designs and Madeline Millingtons fabrics.
This first one seems to be made by scattering lots of tiny bits of felt over the floor thus meaning you have to vacuum every day. You are not meant to do that but it is what happens when cutting out lots of tiny leaves.

This panel is of our house.

No, it isn't finished.

Yes, it does need ironing

No, we don't actaully live in a sideways house....how cool would that be?

I just can't seem to turn the picture.

Inspired by Sue Spargo and Madeline Millington.

2011-07-25T10:20:00.001+01:00

I know this may seem hard to believe to other textile/quiltery people but I have a really hard time buying fabric. I very rarely but any especially from quilting shows or shops. I go with good intentions of letting myself but some fabric but as soon as I get there I am overwhelmed at the choice and end up buying very little. I must buy fabric from somewhere as my box is overflowing but if I make a conscious decision to buy fabric I usually end up with none. I have to have a project in my head that I buy for. I don't tend to make random fabric purchase. I tend to recycle a lot of fabric. One place I can never resist is at the stall of Madeline Millington.

Whenever I see her stall at a show I love the colours and textures of her work. Her stall looks so bright and cheerful. She works with felted wool but her felt has a great texture to it. It has a woven base and comes in the most wonderful colours that I as I pass her stand I have a bag of scraps in my hand before I have even thought about it. Its a generous bag of scarps that can be used in all sorts of things. I always useful and always to be bought when I see it.

Although I may have a problem in buying fabric I do not have the same issue with books. While I was at quilts UK, not buying fabric I tried really hard to not buy books but it just doesn't work in the same way. I spotted a bright and cheerful book called Contemporary Folk by Sue Spargo. She is an american quilter that I had not heard. She uses lots of colourful fabrics to create folk inspired quilts including felts, tweeds and velvets. They seem to full of life and texture. She uses lots of hand stitching to add more texture and before I knew it I had bought the book.

Isn't it funny how that happens!

It was only on the way back to the car that I realised that in one hand I had a book that used lots of felt offcuts and in the other hand I had a bag of felt offcuts. Suddenly my random purchases seemed utterly justified.

Well I can usually justify them in some way.

One of the projects is this sewing roll with pockets for scissors and I had started mine before the evening was out.

A couple of nights later I started on my next quilt.

Teachers gifts

2011-07-22T10:20:00.000+01:00

End of term is racing towards us.

We have done sports day, leavers service now just leavers bbq and end of term assemblies to go.

My eldest is leaving primary school to move onto secondary.

I am in complete denial about it.

He has been at the school for 7 years and to my knowledge this is the first year where I have got the teachers gifts ready before the last week of term.

Each child wrote the teachers name/message in water soluble pen. It depended on the child as to how much of it they actually embroidered. I finished them off as little bags with some chocolate inside.

3 Children X several teachers each + ( music teachers) = one of the reasons I did not have 4 kids!

A quilt show

2011-07-20T10:20:00.000+01:00

I belong to a local quilting group which is filled with inspirational women who make all sorts of things. Once every 2 years they fill a hall with quilted wonderfulness. Its amazing to see them all these amazing things arrive out of bags. When it is planned everyone says they haven't had chance to make much.

This table and display are filled with charity quilts. Quilts that have been made a Linus quilts, hospice quilts, quilts for children from Chernobyl etc. Sometimes we each make a block which someone sews up to make a quilt. Sometimes they are a single persons project.

I love these events which brings out the shining talents hidden by women who just go about their lives in quite an ordinary way

I looked around the room and thought wow. Someone asked me if I felt intimidated, being a relative newcomer to the world of quilting.

Nope, not intimidated but just wondering if this is what they have done then what on earth have I been doing with all my time?!

Just some photos to contemplate

2011-07-18T11:18:00.000+01:00

Postmans knock

2011-07-11T20:01:00.000+01:00

My latest postcard in the swap. The postcard I received from the talented Lesley

So its not quite a postcard as you can see but it is the regulation 6 x 4 inches. It started off life once as a book called A Needle and thread"

Lesly has turned it into a box, with great illustations inside based on sewing bits and bobs

The base has 4 dinky little cotton reels glued in.

and then just to be the cherry on the cake, there is a red needle case with a collection of needles and needle papers in.

It arrived and completely took my breath away. From the size and the feel of the book, to the illustrations, to the needle case I feel its a wonderful piece of work. Thanks you Lesley
Postman's Knock has been an amazing swap to be involved with. Each card i receive has so much talent and inspiration in it. I feel utterly out of my depth with this group but not in a bad way. Each time I send a card I panic that the quality is not good enough. Of course when it arrives it is well received. Creative women are good at looking and seeing more in art and objects, and besides, its a gift or a swap, we are all to polite to say otherwise! Each time I receive a card I am in awe of what has arrived and the thought and detail that goes into it. It sounds awful to panic each time I send a card but it does me good. I need to feel out of my depth, it is what pushes me on to do more. I have a tenacious ( some may say stubborn) character and when faced with my own doubts about my abilities I find that others work inspires me to keep trying to improve.
Each time it makes me want to make more, do more, create more. I may have whinge about being no good but usually I find that I dislike the feel of the negative energy and I try to turn it into a positive energy to do more.
Which explains why I have been copying Lesleys box and trying to make my own!

ojo de dios by Jay Mohler

2011-07-01T14:56:00.000+01:00

No, I am not going to pronounce it.

They are the woven constructions over 2 or more crossed sticks.

They are also called Gods Eyes and come from a mexican religion.

I have to admit that I have never had any wish to make one. I knew nothing about them apart from seeing them as a childrens art activity. They are not difficult and they have never really appealed until yesterday.

What made the difference yesterday? I hear you ask.... you didn't? well I will tell you anyway.

I checked my email in the morning and flicked through the daily one from Craftzine.

Do you get it? its a great dose of eye candy each day and you find out about all sorts of projects and ideas. If I cant do my sweep of blogs then this is a good way to keep me thinking about new ideas. I didn't have much time as I had 2 of the 3 kids home yesterday.

There, in the list were the ojo de dios made by Jay Mohler.

You know when you look at something and it takes your breath away.

Well, his 8 and 12 sided ojo de dios did that for me.

They are a riot of colour and shape. Just glorious.

Go and have a look and here and on flickr here.

Please

Pretty please.

I had found the perfect project to allow me to sit and make something with the kids while they made the same thing.

We now have a lot of 4 sided ones as the 7 year old took to it enthusiastically. The 4 year old tried but enjoyed just winding wool round sticks. The 11 year is away on a residential with school.

Being the type to dive in before reading instructions I had to restart a couple of times.
I didn't have the proper sticks but I don't usually let anything like that stop me,
I used some willow from another idea and set forth with yarns. Then I undid it, used a different wool. Started again and used some tapestry wool.
A bit fluffy but I persisted and got an 8 spoke one to start working. Here are simple instructions for children. Jay has instructions on his site and a video here
If you watch the video you will know how to pronounce it

I love the stripes and the spaces in between. I will get some dowel and have a go following the proper instructions

.....on giving hand made things.

2011-06-29T10:28:00.000+01:00

The photos are not of anything special, just a couple of jam jar lanterns that I made for a friend.

Girls drinks night in the garden and I felt I wanted to take a little something, not anything to keep, but a little something.

It set me thinking.

Why do I make things for people?

I enjoy doing it, of that there is no doubt. That's why I am here after all

better warn you now, i am not quite sure where all this is going!

Last week saw me making bunnies for babies and a raffle prize, a needle case/pincushion for a birthday, some lavender bags and jam jar lanterns all to be given away.

I can't describe how wonderful it is to make something. It make me happy that I can see opportunities to make things from scraps and oddments.

To be honest the results are almost irrelevant, I want to make a lovely thing but really it is to keep me busy, make me happy.

So how does it feel to receive the results of what is essentially someones therapy?!

I don't get given many handmade things.

A few people do and I love to receive them but its often with half an eye to how I would make it myself. That is not meant to sound ungrateful. I am always trying to work out how something is made and when I have worked it out I want to try it.

It makes me wonder what people really think of the things that I make for them.

I like to think they see them as something that I have made just for them, something I have thought and pondered over, something that cannot be bought and something that has given me pleasure to make for them.

I think that maybe sometimes they turn the item over in her hand and wonder if I will ever be not so tight with money to actually spend some on them.

I think that maybe sometimes they turn the item over and think she is not quite so good as she thinks she is.

I think that maybe I shouldn't be thinking about it quite so deeply and just get on enjoying making things.

I really love handmade things, if someone tells me it is handmade then they have already got me. If it has been handmade by them then its a done deal.

I am pretty wise to "handmade in india" but that is another post altogether.

I have a friend who loves handmade things but she does not make things. I know that she loves to receive my things and treasures them. She gets the same buzz from knowing who made it and that it has come from their hands, their ideas, their creativity.

But I also have friends who would not be bothered either way whether something is made or bought. I still give them hand made things but I wonder what they think.

Can I twist it round to another way?

If someone gave me a gift voucher to a high street shop I don't normally use I am thankful for the gift but I would wonder what I was going to do with it.

So am I saying that friends like my stuff because I have taken the time to make it?

It wouldn't matter what it was? or the quality I produced?

The trouble is that anyone reading this likes handmade things ( or really bored/avoiding work) and so you are all the wrong people to ask.

Never mind, it was just a set of rambling thoughts.

I'll just go and make something else.

Postmans knock

2011-06-27T18:41:00.000+01:00

Another great card, this time from Jane

the caption reads

"Collecting is an act of self definition"

hmmmmm, like that a lot.

The card is 3d and the horse is cleverly pivoted to rock. Jane wishes she could collect rocking horses.

...so if collecting is an act of self definition Jane is a stylish but playful item, much adored that increases in value and that would make me a pile of odds and ends to be often found in a charity shop!

A hammer-head bunny and an opportunity

2011-06-24T10:37:00.000+01:00

oh dear,
oh dear.
It's like this.... when a friend of mine has a baby I always like to make something for them. I like to think they appreciate a little hand made something
but...... mostly my friends have finished having babies so it has been a while.
Then suddenly I have an excuse to pull out the sleepy bunny pattern again.
Yippee for babies.
I have to make the most of other peoples babies, I would have loved to carry on having babies myself but J said it was not a lifestyle choice I could make!

Here is Harvey bunny, a boy bunny looking dapper in his stripes but unfortunately he seems to be a hammer head bunny, a long necked hammer head bunny.
Go on have another look.

Oh dear, well the baby won't notice and I did have fun making him but I think its a good job she is such a good friend and will forgive me.

An idea? I could wrap a ;long thin scarf around to make him uber fashionable,

hmm, cant knit

OK ribbon?

No that doesn't quite work either

Like I said, I am glad she is a good friend!

An opportunity?
As many of you know, last year I was selected by Craft Guerilla to exhibit at the Knitting and Stitching show.
Amazing experience, met lots of people etc etc
Some people asked about how they could have the chance
Well here it is.........
Craft Guerilla are looking for more for this year
Visit their website to see how to apply.

You never know until you try.
I never knew I could make a hammer-head bunny until I tried. I had thought I would put the pattern up as a tutorial but I think the market for hammer-head bunnys is quite small.

Fathers day

2011-06-22T09:31:00.000+01:00

It's one of the reasons the internet can be so great,

the way you can see other peoples ideas and take them onto the next stage

so this isn't a revolution or a way to change your life

but it is taking a pattern and turning it into a lavender bag.....

little steps.......but they make me happy.

Japanese fabric

2011-06-20T14:55:00.000+01:00

Some lovely fabric bought for me in Japan.

I wont bore you with lots of photos of each piece.
That would just look like showing off
Which is exactly what I am doing.

But I will leave you with a picture of this lovely tape.
The hardest part will be using it.

All bought from Tomato

Sue Brown

2011-06-17T13:45:00.001+01:00

Sue Brown is lovely and very talented.

I wasn't sure how to start this post so I thought I would say exactly what I wanted.

Sue Brown is an artist/printmaker, whom I have met through the postman's knock challenge. She also had her studio open during Cheltenham Open Studios and I had the chance to get over and see her lovely home, her wonderful shed and her fascinating work.

She is currently doing a MA in a variety of print techniques whose name escapes me now.
Her work often uses bird imagery but she is one of those people who is able to turn her hand to many things.
Part of her work at the moment uses enamelling.

She has been happily enamelling cutlery, as you do, and producing wonderful little items. I couldn't resist this spoon.

It hits on so many levels, words, crafting an items, spoons.
What is not to love?

Birthday bagdes

2011-06-15T13:25:00.000+01:00

I think that I must have mentioned a gazillion times that I do not give my kids birthday cards, I usually make a small picture or cuddly that they keep. I realise that I forgot to tell you that I also make them a birthday badge.
I think birthdays should always have a sense of occasion and a badge can help with that.
You cant have a birthday without a badge. Even big people can have a badge.
Here is my collection of badges. I don't make a new one each time, I wait until a respectful time after the birthday and then I reclaim the badge for the next child coming through the system. I have a great fondness for having things that all 3 kids have used.
They are sooo simple to make with some scraps of felt and a safety pin on the back, occasionally a few sequins.

This is the card for the newly 7year old.
Lets face it, all 7 year olds are a bit of a monkey and this one is no exception.

It is hand stitched in a loose stem stitch that gave it a lovely hairy quality. The image cam from here

Postmans knock (and cake)

2011-06-13T13:24:00.000+01:00

The next card arrived in the Postman's Knock challenge from Gina.

Buttons have been popular within my title of collecting. However she does win the prize for best envelope.

I read at the weekend that if all the lego in the world was shared out then we would each have 70 pieces.

I am starting to wonder the same with buttons but I am not prepared to organise it just to find out.

Another challenge I have been taking part in is Ruth's Cupcake challenge.

Each month she will give us a list of ingredients to use in a recipe. Here is my entry this month. It did taste particularly good,

even if I do say so myself!

Come Home

2011-06-10T20:48:00.001+01:00

J has just returned from a work trip to Japan.
None of the trauma of last time, thankfully.

Not quite as many gifts as last time either! One of my gifts this time was a magazine. I had asked him to look out for Come Home magazine.
I am not quite sure where I got the name from but I had an idea that it was a craft/home style magazine.
He found one this time and I have been quite excited to flick through it.

Of course it is entirely in Japanese so i have no idea what it is about but it does have lots of great pictures, styled in a very Japanese way (well, they are to me).
Pictures like this one above of a set of shelves, if only I had only one, box, a bottle and a small jug to store, this would be how I would do it!

The pages are generally room layouts, showing a very simple, homely style.
Lots of naturals, woods, baskets etc.
Pretty, attractive clutter so they must not have any of the plastic tat we have in our homes (!)
No T.V either!

If I had corner shelves like this then I am sure I would only put the 8 things you can see on them. Life would be so much easier with less stuff.
Actually I think the Japanese do tend to have less stuff as many live in such small spaces. The trouble is that we know that house magazines give an idea of the décor but not really the reality and I am trying to judge how true all this is.

I love this idea of shelves in front of a window. A good way to display pretty glasses and hide dirty windows.

Just in case you like some of these ideas the magazine has some instructions for you.
It all seems very simple and straightforward.
In fact I am not quite sure what is stopping me......

I really, really like this idea of a little basket for cutlery to take to the table.
It might stop the 4 year old from dropping it each day.
In fact she might even enjoy carrying a little basket and not moan quite so much about her daily job of laying the table.
Its a machine sewn coilwork basket in such pretty colours.

(Big sigh) My wardrobe could look so pretty if only I had 4 white dresses and 4 white shirts to store.

Then I could live this simple lifestyle, getting my pretty white shirt splattered as I cook!
it would all be so charming and sophisticated. Actually lets just have a closer look at the shelves,
ah yes my sophisticated life would definitely have SPAM on the shelves.

I have just re-read this post through and in places I do sound a bit sarcastic but its not meant to be really. Its a great magazine I just have this approach to all lifestyle/decor magazines.
Maybe it's just I seem to be having tremendous trouble with my lifestyle.

Forest School

2011-06-06T20:38:00.000+01:00

I think you may know already that although we are an urban family we love to be outdoors. My kids are horrible little things if they have been cooped up indoors and not had their fresh air and I have been known to kick them outdoors in all weathers declaring it to be "break-time" just as it is at school and making them go out.
Although they love the outdoors they sometimes forget it as an option when they are surrounded by lego, DS etc.

We have lots of favourite outdoor places and one thing guaranteed to get all leaping of the sofa is a day when Forest School is on.
We live on a modern estate and the children play around parks, small patches of grass and hedges along paths. Its a bit further to wilder spaces and so we try to take them out to them when we can.

I discovered that there was a local forest school and its been very popular ever since. It is held in a tiny scarp of woodland and it makes me both happy to be able to take them and sad that it is still a scrappy little piece of land. It get well used and abused with trees for climbing, mud, bushes and paths. There are logs, ropes and tarpaulins left about for the kids to play with how they wish. they are supervised but in a relaxed way. they are allowed to make weapons from sticks ( which I know sounds horrific if it is not your child thing but its seems to be a process at least one of my boys needs to go through, I cringe whenever I see it.) as long as they abide by a kindness rule.
Its not quite up to the level of Lord of the Flies but it definitely has a feel of Peter pans Lost boys!

They help build a fire and cook sausages for hot dogs over it for their lunch. Adults are welcome to stay and I did when they were smaller but all now feel confident in the space.

Some sessions are specifically for older children and have a more formal set up with skills being taught. My 11year old went to one over the half term. It was based on knife skills.
It is scary how quickly my 11 year old can move when he is told he can go and try out knife skills.

The sessions are well run with a good child/adult ratio. The knifes are specific to the tasks the try.
He was very proud to tell me that he was the only one not to need a plaster!

These pictures are the things that he made. Its being kept as a collection for all to admire as anyone walks in the house.

Have you worked them out yet?

The top 2 are a fire stick, the feathered bark helps the fire to catch quicker, he thinks it make a good palm tree.

The second 2 are of rope/twine made from nettles.

You have to agree, that's quite cool, rope made from nettles!

The next 2 are of a flower.

Then this item?
well, think about it.
You have an 11 year old, a stick and a knife... what is he going to make?

of course, a sharp stick!

Cheltenham Open Studios.

2011-06-03T20:28:00.000+01:00

Cheltenham Open Studios

Hanging these things always take longer than you think...

I am taking part with The Art Depot at

All Saints Church

Cheltenham

GL52 2HA

Now I am off for a glass of wine and the evening sun.

Postmans knock

2011-06-01T17:20:00.000+01:00

Another wonderful card from The Postmans Knock Swap. This time from Cathy

I find this constant supply of inspiration both inspiring and intimidating.

Blankets

2011-05-30T17:20:00.000+01:00

Tutorial for the I Spy blanket here

I love blankets, I really do.

On this wet bank holiday weekend I have been thinking about blankets.

I realised as I finished this simple one for the 4 year old over the weekend that I have a lot of blankets around the house. This one is a very simple one made from a charm pack from the quilt show. Its brushed cotton which is lovely and soft. I backed it with an old piece of blanket that picks up the green colour.

She was so excited to have her own blanket. It is spread out in her room while she is setting up a tea party.

Each child has their own over the end of the bed in case they need it at night.

I live in a modern centrally heated house, its very unlikely they will be cold at night but I am a mum so I need to have a blanket at the end of their bed just in case.

This one lives on the sofa for telly watching, used earlier to watch Clash of the Titans.

I have an 11 year old boy. If he finds Clash of the Titans is on, he will be watching it.

It is handwoven and was bought on a holiday to Pembrokeshire about 10 years ago

You have seen this one, a new quilt for our bed.

This is the one that used to be on our bed, a thick hand woven blanket form a holiday to Portugal.

My first attempt at crochet, hangs over the back of a wooden bench to make it a bit more comfortable.

Don't look too closely, I haven't sewn the ends in yet

The 6, (soon to be 7 year olds) Hungry Caterpillar Quilt with panels drawn by him and embroidered by me.

Yes, all the beds are unmade, they will remain unmade until someone climbs in.
I did say it was a bank holiday.
Consider it art.

The 11 year olds blanket with flags on from countries he has been to on holiday.
There are others around but these were the most obvious ones as I walked around the house.
I know there is a Peruvian blanket that we use in winter, so so warm.
One that came from my mum that we had when I was little
A handwoven blanket from India that my MIL used at her boarding school.
A white whole cloth quilt I found in a junk shop for £17

I just love blankets, I think I see them as mobile hugs. A way to nurture.
If I cant be there to snuggle and wrap them up in my arms then at least it will be a blanket that I have made or love that will do it. Its important to me and I am proud that I can make them for everyone.
They may not be very sophisticated or made very well but they are made with love.

Its quite a harmless addiction really.
Remember this post when in 50 years time you hear of Social Services helping an old lady who lives in a house entirely made of blankets.

47 minutes and 7 seconds

2011-05-25T21:21:00.000+01:00

...so I thought that as I had said the quilts at the show weren't quite to my taste I had better show you mine. i realised that I had never shown you the Paula Ozier fabric with the Yoshiko Jinzenji inspiration quilt.
I saw these at the Festival of Quilts 2 years ago and I finally finished it about a month ago.

It's on out bed and I love, love, love it. I would have shown you earlier but that requires me taking a photo and to do that requires more than 2 minutes spare a day, the quilt to be on a made bed, not to be covered in clothes waiting to go away.
Quilts are mighty difficult things to photograph and it was only a couple of moments ago when I remembered most people put them over the washing line.
Well its too late now!
Its the photos I find difficult when it come to the writing I just tend to bash out the first thoughts that come into my head.
Oh you noticed that did you.

I like quilts that have chance to let your eyes rest, a piece of plain something that breaks up the pattern.
To me, its more important than the pattern.

The title of the post?
Did I make you wonder?
did I
go on
ask me?
well as you asked. I took up running 2 years ago as a way to fight the ever expanding backside. I belong to a sociable women's running group and I run once a week with them and once a week with a friend.
it took me about a year of running to get to the point where I didn't hate it Now I just about tolerate it as an excuse to be able to eat what I want. At the weekend I took part in a local fun run/race. I expected to do the 5 mile race in under an hour, I hoped to be about 55 minutes.
I still cant believe I ran it in 47 minutes and 7 seconds, yes, 47 minutes and 7 seconds, less than 10 minute miles.
To be honest, I have only just stopped wearing the medal round my neck
Not bad for a wobbly bottomed nearly 40 something!

Malvern Quilt UK show.

2011-05-20T11:07:00.000+01:00

Some eye candy to feed the soul at the Quilts UK show.

I am sorry but I dont know who made them as I didnt get a catalogue. I just enjoyed wandering and took pictures of the ones that took my breath away.

This was such a riot of colour and beautifully made.

This one was made with en ethnic ikat pattern cloth. Such a bold way to use it but with the squares at the centre to let the eye rest, it worked beautifully.

I haven't been up to the Malvern show for a couple of years, which is silly really as it is so close.
I have been to the Festival of quilts with Angie and although I enjoy making quilts, seeing quilts, there are only so many I need to see a year.
The quilts on display are all part of a competition. Like the Festival of quilts it is judged by high quality quilt makes. You know that they will be fine examples of the craft but I find that mostly they are not to my taste. Some of these quilts have taken years to make and every decision has been laboured over. It sort of shows. there is little spontaneity or surprise to them and I think that's one of the things that I like to see. It is not a criticism more a matter of personal taste.
I enjoyed my morning wandering the quilts and of course I bought a book/fabric etc.
Well, it would be rude not to.

Lesson ideas based on aboriginal art

2011-05-18T20:52:00.000+01:00

I know, such a catchy title but I thought I had better warn you early on!

This is not the sort of post I normally write.

Many years ago, in a galaxy far away I used to be a teacher.

I sort of ended up there. I used to think it was because of lazy careers advice but it didnt bother me too much as its a great job to do and it turned out that I was quite good at it.

Maybe that careers teacher saw something in me that I didn't.

Anyway my kids primary school holds an arts week each year, I say week it actually 3 days.

During Arts week the teachers take a theme and provide a variety of arts activities. The children in moved into groups across ages and they move around the school doing 3 different teachers activities a day.

My eldest is in yr 6 (oldest class in the school) and I have helped with arts weeks for a few years now. It can be great fun but sometimes it can seem like they are doing a lot of colouring rather than a decent art activity.

This year I offered to be in a class and lead my own activity. The teacher who was planning Aboriginal art as a theme jumped at the chance and knows me well enough to let me get on with it.

By shear coincidence I am currently reading Songlines by Bruce Chatwin. An exploration of aboriginal culture.

On with the lesson ideas.

I started with rock art. After a short presentation of ideas we used finger tips to build up pictures of animals and symbols on pebbles. The kids loved this. Something concrete that they had made. Something to take home.

Very important. We all love to make something we can keep and take home, don't we?

Using earthy colour but it would have been even cooler if we had made our own paint.

Then I ha a more challenging activity. Having read the book Songlime I have understood some of the aboriginal art to be a symbolic map of journeys of the ancestors so we made symbolic maps of the children's life journey through school.

We started with a plan of the school. Then laid some tracing paper over the top.

The children marked with a symbol (collection of dots which classrooms they had worked in. You can just see the map underneath.

Then they continued around the "pathway" with concentric lines of dots.

This was continued until the page was full. On the whole the children could see how they had made a symbolic picture of their time at school. It all looked cool on the drying rack. Hard for anyone else to interpret apart from the children but a real sense of understanding the process.

...........and then in the way that teachers do, the class teacher asked me to rustle up an standing figure for a model of Uluru that another group made.
Oh bliss, playing with wire and modroc!

Postmans knock

2011-05-16T21:26:00.000+01:00

The next card arrived. Two days early but I still didn't open it till the Sunday.
Oh, all right I had a peek but too much tissue paper.
We are in the middle of decorating the kids bedrooms, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it.
I love the way swaps get so beautifully wrapped up, its not why I swap but I love the way the things are wrapped in tissue, tied with a lovely bit of string/thread. I am not too good at the wrapping but I am making an effort to try harder.

Here is a great card from Chrissie.
My card flew off to Lesley and is here

In praise of trees (again)

2011-05-15T14:53:00.000+01:00

Well I did try,
I really did and I have comments to prove it but blogger went odd and lost the post so here is a rough approximation of is again.

Have finished reading Wildwood by Roger Deakin. very good but I am not reviewing it here. Much better to go to Amazon but I would recommend it if your are a lover of trees.

Decided to do a piece on trees, the walnut tree and thought about what could show a walnut tree without doing a picture of a walnut tree.

I have worked hard but it doesn't feel quite right. Not sure why.
I liked the reverse, the sort of fuzzy moth.

In fact I like all the smudginess of the back.

I decided it needed and edge but I am still not convinced.

Any ideas?

Book review. "Make it Wild" by Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield.

2011-05-05T14:30:00.000+01:00

I had this book for my birthday
hmmmm that seems a while ago....
between the good weather, school and bank holidays it all seems a long time ago.
Anyway, a book review. Don't do these very often but I want to tell you about this one.
Picture the scene on the birthday
A respectable pile of pressies and 3 children desperate to "help" you open them.
This book was one of the first.

Now before the applause starts for j for finding books like this he is wise enough to know that mostly my presents come from an Amazon list and hints. Occasionally he find a treasure and I appreciate the effort he puts into buying things so he can have a little applause but not too much in case it goes to his head. Stop now
Back to the books. its written by... actually now I flick through the book I cant find a biography but I seem to remember they organise workshops for Natural England but maybe I made that bit up!
I seem to have had a lot of american books recently so its nice to "hear" an English voice.
Essentially this books is a series of activities to go out and in all seasons in the "wild".

We, 3 kids and myself , flicked through it politely, which very quickly turned into pawing, as children wanted to see the pictures.

Now that last time a book had this reaction it was the Argos catalogue.
Ok so I exaggerate but that would give you an idea of how excited they got.

I have always loved making things out doors and often take a penknife and string in the bottom of my bag for impromptu raft building if we come across an stream.( miniature raft building)
This book was full of ideas. Some we have tried, some we want to try. Face and body painting with mud seemed to get the most votes.

Its a book to look through and build up a bank of ideas. Some need preparation and others can be quite spontaneous.
I particularly loved the chapter on snow and ice.
hmmm
wrong season.
We went for a walk in a local patch of woods we have recently discoverer and the 11 year old dove off into the undergrowth. Closely followed by the 4 year old and the soon to be 7 year old.
This is normal. We spend a lot of time hauling our children out of the undergrowth.
The 11 year old appeared with a 3 metre long piece of ivy, trailing it on the ground with the other 2 trying to catch the tail.
Much hilarity.
Quick talk on not taking living things from the woods.
11 year old promptly wound it into an ivy wreath.
I promptly claimed it for the easter table centre.
Now it sits above a mirror with an old weather vane we once found.

A couple of footnotes
The Easter table centre usually consist of a few branches of blossom onto which we hang some wooden eggs. This year has been so warm the few branches were covered in leaves and it looked my like a small bush.

My penknife was given to me by an ex boyfriend who had had it for his 18 birthday. he gave to to me as a token of his love and affection. It has his initials on it. I always feel guilty that I never returned it so If GHD is reading this it is well used and I will happily return it.
I really don't think its likely that GHD is reading this
Do you?!

I (heart) Flamborough Head

2011-05-02T10:51:00.003+01:00

Postmans knock 3

2011-05-01T20:25:00.000+01:00

This weeks card came from Jane Housham.
You think she could of made an effort ;-)

oh alright then you turn over the postcard to find a book, a wonderful little book of her own collections.

It feels like she had a great time writing the blurb and putting together this book.
Isn't it funny how you can feel like someone had good fun with something...you can almost hear the little sniggers and chortles as you read it!

I am not going to type in the whole lot but its worth the read if you can see it.

On each of the pages you get picture of her eclectic and interesting collections.

its a life affirming book that remind me that its not just me that has piles of bizarre things.
However I am almost becoming paralysed with fear in this swap and each one is so creative and individual I think I may go and hide under a stone in the garden, well i say stone but its a pile of stones with holes in that I picked up off the beach...... but at least now I know that its not just me that does it.

The card I sent....... I will put a link when it is posted by its owner.
It spent a week in a puddle of water. It was meant too.

Postmans Knock.

2011-04-18T12:47:00.000+01:00

I returned form a weeks hols with the kids to this great bit of post. its part of the Postman's Knock group but you probably guessed that from the title! It came from Penny
The larger text reads
"Millicent liked nothing better than an afternoon sorting her button collection"
I think that sounds like an excellent plan!
the smaller text is a dictionary page with a definition of collecting.

She also included a sheet from a book that list collective nouns. Lots of ideas on there.

Penny used an old postcard so the back is written by someone else. I can't read the date but the stamp is Edward VII. It reads.
"Lord H thinks he left waders at West Hill, if so would you kindly send the thinnest ones and the pair of canvas shoes here (to) 5 basket doesn't matter. Hope you mums cold doesn't..... "
( then it becomes too hard to read.)

Fab. Another card to inspire.
My card on the theme of coast went to Jane but I am not sure it has arrived yet. ironic really that I had to send a card on the theme of coast while I was at the coast! Quite normal for me to forget to take her address so it was posted from dear old Twinkelberry on Saturday when we returned.

postmans knock

2011-04-08T10:26:00.000+01:00

A bit late in posting this.
I am part of a swap group called Postmans Knock. There are 12 of us in the group. we each have a theme and over the next few months will send a postcard to the next person on the list on the theme they have selected. My theme is Collecting/collection.
Yes, I know that you know that I like collecting things but just in case there is someone that doesn't know!
This is the fantastic card that arrived from Jill on Saturday.
A small postcard with "A tiny collection of 15 precious things"
Perfect.
If all the cards are like this then I will be constantly picking myself back up off the carpet ,as ever, in awe of the things that others make.
The card I sent is here.

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me.

2011-04-06T11:42:00.000+01:00

Its my birthday! Can you tell?

oh yes, I remember I dropped a heavy hint here.

Well Gill and Sue took up the challenge and they both blew me away with their talent and generosity.

Gill made me the most beautiful crochet scarf. its made of colourful granny squares in the softest wool. A single line of granny squares with a border of teal.
Perfect.
I don't care how warm the spring is I WILL be wearing my new scarf.

Sue makes alsorts of things but I spotted her beads and pleaded for some.

She gave me a riot of colour.

Each bead was wrapped in a twist of tissue paper and as we all opened them we each found a treasure.

Just look at these.

All shapes and sizes.

All sorts of colours

even a little cake bead

I will stop showing off now.

oh maybe just one more.

I agree, I have been a bit spoilt.

mothers day

2011-04-04T11:24:00.000+01:00

My gift for my mum this year was a small cloth for a side table she has. It is one of those years when I needed to say thank you by sitting and doing something that was going to take time and in the style she would enjoy.

It took me longer to embroider than I though and was finished late Saturday night. It was nice to do something so traditional for a change.

My mothers day gift was to the Guildhall in Gloucester to see Kate Nash
Brilliant, an evening with a talented passionate woman.
One of those night to remember to keep making/creating whatever happens.

Today I.....

2011-04-03T10:49:00.000+01:00

made little lavender birds. I made them ready for those days when you arrive at school and a friend smiles at you in a funny way and its only half way home when you remember that its their birthday. they didnt want to say anything and they wonder if you forgot. Its not that they expect something but they just thought someone might remember.

This way I have some little lavender birds ready to hand them in a little parcel with a smile of " I did remember... see!"

The (not quite so) daily bread.

2011-04-01T10:21:00.001+01:00

I am an urban girl.

I live in a modern house on a modern estate. we have a garden you can stride across in less than 10 steps.

My kids play out on the street.

You can tell when someone moves house round here because you see the Sky van arrive to sort out the TV.

I am an urban girl down to my painted toenails and my veg box delivery.

Please don't think that as you look at these photos that I hanker after chickens and my own little small holding.

I don't

I do want to live a more sustainable life and I want to eat real food.

When we moved into this house 8 or 9 years ago I had room to have a bread machine. It was a good choice. We have used the machine almost daily. It produces a good tasty granary loaf. If I was a bit more organised I would be able to remember to buy a good loaf but I am not. Having a bread machine means I am able to put on a loaf and know that I will have something to make the sandwiches for lunch.

Friends tease me that I make my own bread but I don't, I fill the machine and it does it for me. I am an urban girl. However I started to feel I ought to know how to make bread. The River Cottage bread book arrived at Christmas and I took it as a hint to get on and learn the process. Well, I read it, and I learnt a lot. I mostly leanrt that I could put all the ingredients into my machine, put it on pizza dough setting and it did all the hard work for me.

I take it out when it beeps, rise it, knock it back and shape it, then a quick rise, into the oven and now my bread looks homemade.

The recipe in the book makes a 12 rolls and a small loaf, which is handy as I only have one loaf tin.

Enough bread to last us 2 days.

Its our not quite daily bread

is there a word for every 2 days?

Art Lift

2011-03-30T09:33:00.000+01:00

Isn't that the most glorious burst of colour?

Since January I have been teaching a small group though the Art Lift Scheme. This is a trial scheme run in Gloucestershire within the NHS. Its is a series of visual and performance arts workshops that people can be reffered to through their GP or health professonal. The workshops are fee and subtiltled " Art to lift the soul"
The idea is to help people through long term illness to rediscover a bit more to life. It provides a social outlet and a chance to try new things in a secure environemnt. My workshops have used textiles with a stitched collage technique. We started with a theme of the sun and worked our way through painting, applique, beads, folis, sequins until we were left with a riot of colour.

Gifts from tokyo ( part 3)

2011-03-28T09:42:00.000+01:00

Screen printed images from a door curtain.

I really like the stylised images of the household objects.
Its shows subtle differences in reality and how we see things.

Fish or pineapple?

The whole door curtain.

Gifts from Tokyo (part 2)

2011-03-24T09:42:00.000Z

Sashiko. A cushion sized piece of hand sewn sashiko.

The patterns change as the stitching moves over the piece.

This is probably my favourite piece sewn on the softest cotton.

A table centre with spring motifs.

Screen printed. I like the simplicity of the spring motifs and the intensity of the blue.

Here you can see how the motifs are arranged.

A belt, maybe an Obi .
( traditional dressing in Japan has strict rules for garments of which I know very little so this may not be an obi.)

One side is woven designs of peonies and festival drums.

The other side is a glorious print.

Today I....

2011-03-23T13:00:00.002Z

flung open the windows and cleaned.
Its been too long!

Gifts from Japan.

2011-03-23T10:04:00.000Z

A bell from a Shinto Shring

A leaf made from Cherry Bark

A ringing bowl. The ball is used to chime the bowl.

A box made from many pieces of wood. So beautiful to hold.

........and breathe

2011-03-15T11:56:00.000Z

It been a tough couple of days.
It probably didn't feel like a long radio silence from me. I know the 87 ( wow, 87) of you weren't waiting all weekend for another exciting post from me.
I have had the computer on since friday morning but couldn't type anything.
I wanted to, but had the whole issue of how much of life to share on a blog.

You may or may not remember that last week I wasn't able to post any new photos as my camera was in Japan.
( oh no, you thought not more place name dropping......)

well J was in Tokyo last week and working when the earthquake occured.
I had only 15 minutes between hearing it on the news and not hearing from him but it sent me into complete blind panic. My phone has dodgy coverage at the best of times but what felt like ages later a text drifted in from somehwere from him saying he was OK.
I couldnt get through to him but oh so calmly and so wonderfully my 10 year old suggested we turn on the computer and check emails. I was still trying to see clearly when the 10 year old had logged me in and acceseed my account and calling me to say there was a message that he was safe. We switched on the tv and saw what was happening. I switched off very quickly as I didn't want them to think he was by the coast.
My husband is a techie so of course I should of known he would email!
Friday was then a strange day getting over the shock, sorting out flights to re-arrange, asnwering phones etc. Saturday morning it all hit me and I so nearly wanted to post but couldn't untill he was back.
I guess it's back to the whole question of why do I blog.
He arrived home safely on sunday and we spent monday talking it through. He had deliberatly not watched the news so I caught him up on what I had seen.
My experince is nothing compared to his and his is nothing compared to so many.
Sending my thought and wishes out to all
Donate if you can.

A brithday swap

2011-03-09T21:05:00.000Z

Woohoo, one month till my birthday. I love love love birthdays. Mostly I get spoilt and do exactly what I want for the day. The whole year older thing doesn't generally bother me though it might next year......

Even though I get spoilt for gifts I thought I would see if I could just squeeze out a few more. These pictures show some bits and pieces left over from Harrogate.

I wondered if any of you fancied doing a swap.

I wondered if i offered some of my work whether you might offer some of yours, then I could open them on my birthday.

I wondered if I put together a little parcel of a purse, a lavender bag, a project pack and a couple of cards whehter you might be interested.

With all this wondering you might ponder whether I get any work done.

Maybe you would?

Leave a comment/email with some some suggestions of goodies that are up for swaps or a link to a shop and I can have all the fun of picking with none of the scary paypal invoice.

I have no idea why the pictures seem to have thrown themselves around the screen but I will follow the advice above and remain calm.

Of course if all 83 of you only wander by for my sparkling wit and not my work I could be having a very quiet birthday.......

why do I blog?

2011-03-07T21:47:00.000Z

I have had a couple of tags recently, thank you Ruth, thank you Sada.
Sometimes tags have "conditions" attached
( its ok, I am not about to reveal my inner-most peculiarities and dislikes)
These do, to be passed onto a small blog, less than 300 followers. Its nice to be tagged, to be thought of by someone else but I am never quite sure about them. These was a phase a while back of lots of tags and it became hard to pas them on. Its been a while since a tag has come along and its made me think about blogging a bit.
I will try to do not too much soul searching as I write this but be warned.
My first thoughts were that I didn't really think of myself as a small blog. Its not that I am offended that someone else tinks its small its just that I currently have 83 followers. that's huge to me...83 people who are interested in what I say!
I read/flick through a lot of blogs so I know that you 83 are not all hanging on every word, waiting for each post but still 83 of you want to know enough to follow my blog.
Lovely that it is to have 83 of you reading, I sort of write it thinking that its just you, me and the dog reading this ( I say dog, but its just a manner of speech, I don't even have a dog!)
A couple of my real world friends and some of my family know I write a blog but they don't really read it. They get to hear about it all anyway.
I don't sell through my blog,
I don't had ad's or sponsors to make money
so why do I blog?
I enjoy putting down my ideas, I love to record what I am making, I like to see how my ideas develop.
I have written this blog since September 09, 326 posts over 3 and 1/2 years (crikey, where did that go?)
My style has changed, my writing has changed, my interests have changed, the only thing that hasn't changed is the blog header!
I see it all as a journey.
I don't think I am unusual in lacking confidence in my creativity and artistic ability but the opportunities that have come about through the Internet and my blog have pushed me forward and made me think more about what I do/don't want to do. I now feel I can nearly say I am craft designer. Or even artist.
When I started all this I was a mum who liked making things.
.....so do I blog for praise? for the self congratulatory atmosphere that can soemtimes cover these things, well maybe the answer is yes.
I do enjoy the comments but I also truly believe that if you didn't like what you saw you would move on and look at other things. The democracy of the Internet, if was all a big pile of poo you wouldn't hang around.
I write it to record the process, to make it real, to keep me making things.

So to my 83 followers I say a big thank you and don't leave now, I could have a serious crisis of confidence, stick around embroidery will return to normal soon.
( my camera is currently in Japan so its hard to show you what i am doing!)
Anyway time to pass these awards on
Monica at Red 2 White whose felting work constantly blows me away.
My good friend Angie at Letters form an artsy mum.
and Tara at Aquamarine whose writing always remind me to just keep making things.

There now, that wasn't too much soul searching now was it.
You can come out from behind the sofa, I dont think I was too scary!
Hello.. hello..... oh I see, I am talking to myself now.
Fair enough.

An historic day ( for me)

2011-03-04T17:29:00.000Z

J and I had a day out yesterday so I took lots of photos.

I thought I might share them.

Look at the lichen

Its was everywhere and just incredible

80 different types at the last count......oh sorry, I know what you are thinking, lichen is all very well and quite interesting but its not what this blog is normally about, its normally things to make, objects, pattern, colour, lichen is all very well and some people go weak at the knees for it but you didn't think it was my sort of thing did you?
OK I will show you something handmade

There, carved by hand........... no, you still don't get it? its is all handmade really, why don't I show you a less close up shot?

OK, so does that help, no, too far away? OK back closer again...

How's that? get it yet? can you see the keep out signs? the little rope cordon? no

THAT'S BECAUSE WE ARE INSIDE IT.

Yesterday J and I went on a guided tour of the monuments around Stonehenge finishing with entrance into the circle itself. ....and even if I say it myself... wow... it was sooooo cool to walk up to them past the little signs and the security guards.
Its bigger than I thought. I have tried to write about how it all felt but I have found it hard.
(and without trying to name drop again as you all ignored the comment about Mongolia, it felt a lot like Machu Picchu!)

For those of you who know little about Stonehenge its a very important prehistoric stone circle site in the UK. You are able to visit but only by walking around a specific walkway that does not take you into the circle. There are security guards and you are not allowed in due to erosion/prevent vandalism. You can apply to go in on at midsummer and midwinter. We went on a guided tour organised by English Heritage

Mind you, the March wind on Salisbury Plain was cold, very cold.

The only sun we saw was this.

Spring clean

2011-03-02T14:55:00.000Z

Do you remember my post about Sally Mavor and the wish for her book from Santa?
Well I ended up with 2.
Its a good book but I don't need 2 even though it is a good book.
Just wondered if anyone here would like to buy/swap it? I would only want £6 plus the post and packaging. or even a swap if you have a book that you don't want?
Its a good book with projects in, some to make characters and a couple of felt projects.

Any takers?

The Pitt Rivers Museum.

2011-02-28T20:53:00.000Z

It was Js birthday at the weekend and we made it over to Oxford for a bit of culture. The first attempt was made on Friday but between 2 over tired boys and a small girl with travel sickness it was aborted. A second attempt was made on Saturday with much more success. We live about an hour form Oxford and try to go a couple of times a year. The museums are amazing and help to make you feel a bit more like you have a life. They are big enough to go to lots of times but small enough that you don't get museum fatigue, you lnow that tired slow walking feel.

The kids like going, partly because of the Park and Ride bus.
( note to self, either take kids places more often or enjoy the fact that a bus is still very exciting.... "but mummy its a green bus and I have never been on a green bus before!")
and partly because they are starting to remember previous visits and things they want to see again.
J had chosen the Pitt Rivers as last time we had gone to the newly reopened Ashmolean.

If you have never been to the Pitt Rivers, then its quite an experience. Its is a large dark Victorian room full of glass cabinets. Its an ethnographic museum with cabinets that contain every kind of object grouped by object. For example a cabinet of string objects, a cabinet of writing materials, a cabinet of fire lighting techniques, grouped so that you can see how objects developed across cultures. Underneath the cabinets are drawers which you can open, each topped with glass so you can discover more. We found a dark cabinet full of African carvings that fascinated the kids and to see it properly you had to be down on your hands and knees with a torch. ( They provide torches at the desk.) You really do feel like you are discovering something that has been forgotten about for years.

We spent the morning wandering amongst the cultures from the huge totem pole to a the witch in a bottle.
J and I always enjoy seeing the model of the Buddhist Temple in Ulaan Batarr, Mongolia , as we had seen it in the museum mnay times but it still amazed us (and here I must warn you is a bit of bragging) when we actually went into the building in Mongola.
To get to the museum you have to walk through the Natural History museum which as this is Oxford is complete with dinosaurs, dodos and genuine white rabbit staring at his watch! The kids wanted to spend the afternoon in the Natural |History part so J wandered round with them while I spent some time sketching in the Pitt Rivers Muesum. I have challenged myself to try to draw something everyday and I am starting to really enjoy those moments drawing.
I still have a long way to go but I am starting to see improvements.
Oh andI know you will all be too polite to ask but the drawings are the totem pole and a Burmese carving.

Space is big

2011-02-23T14:43:00.000Z

Space is big.

"You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind- bogglingly big it is.
I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space. "

Well you would know how big it was if you were machining the milky way. I'll let you know how I get on.

Bonus points if you know where the quote is from!

Patterns

2011-02-21T18:57:00.000Z

Thanks for all your great suggestions on what to do with my "gap". I suspect I will have to unpick it as I wont be happy with it otherwise. I think I probably knew that as I typed it. I have very low standards when it comes to things like housework and ironoing but when it comes to embroideriy I can be very picky. Besides given the choice between hosuework and unpicking some work...........
Anyway, onward and upward as my old school motto was....
I love patterns on things, I love finding new patterns and I was reminded of these the other day when I was pottering around the house re arranging a few things having finally got some energy back after the winter grots.
The pictures are of 4 plates that are covered in the most glorious patterns.
Another of my collections.
I especially love patterns influenced by islamic geometry. When I was youngerI used to love drawing patterns out with compass and set sqaure, following a formula to create a pattern. I also love doodling patterns and colouring them in.
Anyway, not much more to say except enjoy the photos, esp now as they are now a lot cleaner than then when I took them off the wall.
Hark, is that the sound of spring cleaning calling? I am sure I have some embroidery I could be doing.

Spanish?

Pakistan

Turkish

North African.

oops.... mind the gap

2011-02-18T13:08:00.000Z

so, its supposed to say

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined

but look at the top left corner, I am not going to fit the rest of the quote in.

any suggestions....?

No, I am not going to unpick the rest of the quote!

The quote is Henry David Thoreau

14th

2011-02-14T11:02:00.000Z

dot to dot

2011-02-01T12:48:00.000Z

Enjoying a very complicated dot to dot puzzle.

Just had a lovely phone call from somebody wanting to use one of my quotes in one of her pieces of work. It was lovely to talk to her but all my quotes come from other people and if I miss saying who they come from then give me a nudge.

Speaking of which just listened (via Iplayer) to a piece about living in the moment and how when we live in the moment, it is to experience eternity with no measure of time.

Right then..... to live in the moment with my complicated dot to dot!

Craft podcasts

2011-01-26T20:53:00.000Z

I am not big on gadgets. I don't have a lap top, i pad, an i phone or even a fancy sewing machine.

I do have an ipod. Its an old one, it's came to me second hand

Its is high on my list of important sewing equipment.

I have used it to discover the world of podcasts. To me there is little better in life that sitting sewing with something warbling away in the background. I like music but I am not big on it. I love to listen to something to make me think.

My starting point is Radio 4. There is a lot I listen to on radio 4. I usually listen through the i player

Not to be missed is The News Quiz, The Now show, Clare in the Community, Broadcasting House, catching up on Womans Hour etc

If there is nothing there I fancy then I have found some interesting craft podcasts. I enjoy the Craft Sanity with Jennifer Ackerman Haywood. She has an informal interview style with all sorts of people from the crafting community though maybe only North Americans. It has more of the style of a Loose Women style conversation, relaxed and informal. You could almost find yourself joining in.

Another is Craftypod with Sister Diane. This one a bit more formal with some cool snippets of music which make me think she dresses rather like someone out of Mad Men. She cover topics around craft so more about how to run your business etc.

I also love the podcasts at Maiwa. These cover traditional techniques and crafts from around the world. they are often lectures so sometimes it can be a little hard to follow because you can't see the presentation slides but they are still really good to listen to.

I have also found some at Hello Craft but I haven't started listening to that yet.

so what do you listen to? what am I missing and need in my life?

I am hand quilting my bed size quilt, its going to take a while so I need plenty to keep me going.

I'm in the zone ( the placemat zone anyway)

2011-01-24T12:13:00.000Z

This weekend has been a machining weekend, funny how I can suddenly need to be machine sewing instead of hand sewing but you know me, mostly I don't care as long as I am making something.

Well this weekend I have mostly been machine sewing. Its started with the usual last minute rush to make bunting as 2 of the offspring were off to parties and bunting with the party childs name in is this year "must have" gift.

Well its what they are getting anyway.

Then the sewing moved to a quick gypsy skirt for the 4 year old for the party after a discussion of how difficult it is to bounce on bouncy castles with a party dress on.

I do see her point and a rummage through the fabric box bought enough to make a pretty gypsy skirt.

It turns out that word on the playground was wrong and it was a disco not a bouncy castle but the skirt passed the twirling test and all was well.

so then I am caught up in the whole "need for speed" thing and decided to make place mats.

I know I am not the only one for whom new year means new place mats and it had been on the to do list all week. there are other things that have been on the to do list for weeks but they didn't involve the machine so they still linger on the list. The rummage through the fabric box had bought up a pack I had bought from Oakshott fabric. They are local and I bought it cheaper at the sale in December. I luurve it when someone has matched up all the colours for me. I still consider myself a beginner in the colour class.

Then I proceeded to do that ridiculous thing of cutting the fabric up in order to sew it back together again.

I had Malkas book for christmas and was utterly inspired by the freedom in her piecing and the intense quilting she does.

.... so I cut and pieced and cut and pieced then quilted round and round and round, and finished just as the boys finished watching Star Wars ( first time for the 6 year old, 143rd time for the 10year old... or at least it feels like it.)

I chose a big reel of a reddy, browny colour and I love the way its hows on some colours but not on others. At first I didn't like the unevenness of some of my circles but by the time I had finished them I loved the wonkiness. More interesting.

I handstitched the binding with some bias binding. I have only recently found out that you do not use bias binding on all bindings. I was forever making my own bias strip with leftover cloth. Malka suggests ( see, that how much I like this book, we are on first name terms!) not squaring off the things you make and letting them be a bit wonky, then binding with bias to accommodate the uneven edges.

I a soooo pleased with these mats, I keep stroking them. I love the almost abstract composition contrasts with the circular quilting. Daft really when you think these are just the spare ones when the individual mats are in the wash.

I ran out of bias binding so here are the first 3 lined up. I cant wait to bind the others, then I will have 5 to stroke. I also love them in the centre of my table with a little vase of daffodils........

so we will have another quick picture of them.

OK I will stop going on about them now!

Quietly stitching

2011-01-20T14:46:00.001Z

I thought I had better do some embroidery following the lovely write up from Carina.

This is destined to become a purse and when its folded up the words make more sense.

Sitting quietly.

2011-01-18T14:17:00.000Z

Starting to feel pulled under by January so sitting here quietly basting my quilt catching up on radio on the iplayer. Thoughts gently drifting across my mind. I remembered all the lovely comments I have had over the last week and I wanted to say a proper THANK YOU. For all the sewing machine luurve that is out there and for thinking that making a bag from an old sleeve is cool. Or even if you didn't then for being polite!

I love catching up on Radio 4 programmes on the iplayer. good for keeping the braincells going. I have started to branch out into podcasts. Anyone got any suggestions?

Stocked up on bright colourful foods to lift the spirits. Its a lovely sunny day here too... that helps a lot.

A find of the best kind.

2011-01-14T14:12:00.000Z

Ok so I was looking for size 9 girls wellies in the charity shop while waiting for a dentist appointment,
when I spotted a red box with 50p on it.
Ha..haaa ... a typewriter.

I had been looking for a typewrite for the kids. I remembered playing on my mums when I was small.

I was right. The kids love it

The 10 year old sat down and filled a page with the ramblings of a 10 year old mind. Scary

The trouble is that just next to the typewriter was a small sewing machine. In its own box.

A working miniature sewing machine.

I tried to resist, I really did.

I do not need a miniature sewing machine.

I do not collect miniature sewing machines.

I do not have room for another sewing machine but it was no good.

It sat there like a lost puppy and I gave up.

I have justified it by saying the kids can learn on it but ha... who am I kidding, I love it!

It is a chain stitch machine and I am still working out how to thread it properly. I am hoping the good 'ole Internet will help me with that.

I know you are dying to know...

I didnt find wellies.

oh you dont mean that!

ok,

as it's just you and me

It cost £15

I know.