Print works

Months back I came across local printmaker Amy Chapman's work and loved it. I saw some again at the Ferrers Gallery last weekend. I really want one of these tree prints. I particularly like the mid-century feel to the colours and patterns used and the collage of papers used in to print onto. I've got a weakness for stylized trees, the more stylized the better really. 

I'm going to have one, really I am. Shame I don't actually have much wall space.

New Olympic sports

Laura attempts the Olympics sport of Cramming Giant cupcakes into a Tiny Car. She wins GOLD!

Ruth wins gold in Winding Wool onto Giant Polystyrene Balls at High Speed Late at Night the Day Before the Thing Opens.

And silver for Wrapping Lamp Posts in Gingham. 

Kate wins GOLD PLUS for having such fab ideas.

*I was helping out my mate Kate in decorating the Special Olympics Games Village last week.

wool!

One of my favourite things is browsing car boot sales. Sometimes I come away with nothing, usually I come away with something good and sometimes I come away with a gem. This was one of those gem moments.

I saw it on the floor, in a tangle of junk. I lunged. I grabbed. I tried to look nonchalant while I asked how much this "thing" was. Fingers crossed, hoping desperately that they didn't know how much a wool winder costs on ebay... They didn't know. I know. I have tried to buy one for under £10 many times and have failed. But they didn't know. And they thought 20 pence was a reasonable price for some old bit of junk from grandma's house. Whoooop! I scuttled away feeling very pleased.

Winding some Colinette Zanzibar here, not for a planned project, merely posing for the photo.
 



This is what is actually on the needles.
Luce by Norah Gaughan
Yarn by Babylonglegs
Unfinished by me

This one, Serpentine mitts

doesn't look so fancy but is a good knit so far, but I've not started the tricky bits yet so I may change my mind.

And I've got a new knitting bag on the go made from super scratchy dark brown tweedy organic wool. Really trad. I love it. I'm going to line it with pink silk. Why haven't I had a proper knitting bag before? It's a mystery.

New Liberty Fabrics

My favourites from the new range:

I can't find large images apart from the last which comes via the lovely Amitie.

Busy Bouquet

In fantasy sewing world, this one is a calf-length full circle skirt 

with turquoise, pink and brown chiffon false hems.

Phillipa

A wrap blouse with full bishop sleeves maybe?

Cranford

Smock dress with pink details around the neckline.

Finlay

Knee-length full skirt, perhaps with some kind of bobble hem 

detail for the hell of it. And a pocket full of marbles. 

Domino Maze

An apron, without a doubt. Lots of pockets. 

And cushions. And handbag lining. I really want this fabric now. 

Fairy Clock

Empire-line dress with full skirt.

Cool Coast

A skirt again, I think. Maybe in stripes with plain fabrics, so just a hint of 

seaside rather than full-on seaside all over yourself. But why not. Maybe a dress after all. 

So that concludes my fantasy sewing for this evening. 

Cheers!

I bought some new wine glasses with John Lewis vouchers. Should get some more vouchers in September so I can have a set of more than 2.

I've never bought expensive glasses before so I'm not sure I'll dare use them. But they are beautiful so I am happy with them just sitting on my shelf for now!

Slowing down

When things get stressful at work (as the last month or so has been), my way of slowing down, recharging and letting go is to get out into the countryside. I need to take a lesson from these swans. SLOW. Sunday, swan day, was my first full day off in 4 weeks. I really did go slow. Round the reservoir, taking it gently. It reminded me of last January when I was recuperating from nasty flu and had been in bed 3 weeks. I walked slowly round the reservoir. This time I was just shattered. 

Above is a little escape I managed, somewhere near Belper in Derbyshire on my rounds of collecting objects-going to Ikea- back home late one Friday night.
Dragonfly by the reservoir.

A re-booting stomp up a hill last weekend. I managed to clear my head, work through all the stuff that was troubling me and find some relaxation at the top. 

This Sunday will involve sleeping, knitting and walking. Perfect.

Giant knitting

Work has finally calmed down enough for me to resume knit-club duties - weekly knitting and gossip being essential to keeping body and soul together. This week the whole lot of us got happily hijacked into giant knitting in aid of Kate. The amazing Kate is a theatre designer who, having just finished working on my exhibition is now busy making all manner of giant things for the Special Olympics Games Village. Which opens on Saturday....

 

It seems Kate can only make giant things. I spent last night making king-size bunting and this evening, along with the other knitters, making giant knitted scarves! I have yet to see the giant cupcakes but am sure they are good! Having employed Kate and shared the nightmare of installing the exhibition, I'm taking a few hours out this week to volunteer for her and help get the Olympics Village up and looking fabulous. And I'm enjoying NOT being in charge of this one!!

Here's Kate making the giant denim jacket around the door to the exhibition last weekend. It really is impressive! The exhibition looks amazing and I am so pleased we took the plunge and employed her rather than stick to a standard exhibition design. 

I'll fish out some photos of the exhibition soon, it really does look good - now I can step back from it a little, I can really appreciate it properly!

Sew Eco

In the midst of the day job, I finally finished the last remaining bits of Sew Eco, which will be published by A&C Black in July 2010. Hurrah!

The pleasure of finishing a book seems to be enough to make me want to start another one. Foolish perhaps. Fortunately, I have projects in a couple of upcoming books including a one for Lark Books and one for Chronicle Books - all still under wraps until later this year. And one of these days I have to finish a bag project for a magazine - that's going on my list right now!

It's so good to be thinking about sewing again, alongside the day job.

Summer at last

It may be pouring with rain, but for me summer starts here. The exhibition I've been project managing opened on Friday night and Saturday was taken up with special opening events. And today, finally, for the first time in four weeks, I have a day off. It's been a hard-going few weeks but at last the exhibition is open and I have a little bit more time and space to catch up with myself. 

There really hasn't been a lot else going on, and if there has I've forgotten it in the last fortnight of very very long days and stress. However,  I bought a lot of yarn at the Ravelry Day way back in early June, mostly from my friend Babylonglegs. 

The varigated yarn is well on it's way to being a Luce. The three skeins of wonderful sock yarn are as yet un-assigned. Could be several pairs of socks or could be a shawl. Or something else entirely. An hour or so hunting around Ravelry for something fun to make is on my list.

I've had a couple of trips to the car boot sale for 80s stuff for my exhibition, but in between the tat, I have managed to pick up a few pretty things.

I think it's a pastry cutter?

I like the idea of a gingham giraffe. I like the idea of making soft toys generally. Will do one of these days.

And now I should get moving and see if there is anything resembling sunshine outside.

Ceramics and chickens

photo from Katrin Moye

A few weeks ago (actually the same weekend as the open houses) I went to an open studio in Nottingham (on the way back from elsewhere; rushing as always). Turns out it was part of a much bigger open studio weekend which I must explore more next year.

I met Katrin Moye at Origin a few years ago so went along to be supportive, to get a birthday gift and also to make myself jealous of her pretty studio. I had birthday present success - and then had to buy just a few other things to keep it company, including a cup for me and two cups destined to be more gifts later in the year. And some earrings just because they were lovely and earrings don't take up any space, do they?  Have only got as far as photographing the earrings, not the ceramics. Earrings by Helen Shere.

Katrin has also designed a bag for Clothkits. I do SO love the new Clothkits. I wish I had time to make them all. I admired an original Clothkits dress in the local vintage shop the other day. The shape wouldn't have worked on me and would need so much re-shaping I decided not to add it to my pile (heap) of 'lovely clothes that need some work'. Though it's tempting to go back for it.... hmmm.

Illustrations

A few weeks ago I went to some artists open houses in Leicester and fell in love with the work of one of the local artists, Katarzyna Klein. 

More images here and here. I like the collage pieces best.  

New plan for my stressful week - write a simple blog post everyday as part of my wind-down routine and get myself back into writing everyday. Maybe...

Some time in the future

Dear Blog,  

You remember the good old days? When I was a textile designer not a project manager? When I was a (reasonably) regular blogger, not a completely-vanished blogger? 

Well, the time has almost come when I get just a little more chance to be that textile designer and blogger. Just another couple of weeks. 

Hang in there me, I'm coming back.