Saturday 31 October 2015

'tis the season

A beautiful warm blue sky day so we are in and out of the 
garden, putting it to bed, so to speak.


the beech tree is tall and beautiful


not entirely sure what this little shrub is called
it's been in the garden for ages and this year
it is very red, which is just what it said on the 
now lost label


food for the birds
the holly trees are also loaded with berries
sign of a bad winter?  hope not

I had a mad idea yesterday - I joined Instagram.   Hours were spent trying to paste
the 'button' on my blog.  I gave up.   Today, as if by magic, there it is.     

Only a 'testing' photo right now, however, we are off to India at the end of
the week and I thought Instagram might be a fun way to record our trip.
Blogging on the go just takes up too much time, that is if you can get
a good connection to start with!

Wednesday 28 October 2015

October Happenings

My last Summer 2015 workshop 'Messy Day' also known as Chaos Printing.   I like the sound of that.    It is messy, but in a creative way!    Stamps were made from thin foam, potatoes and found objects.



evidence of potatoes and foam printing blocks


printed papers using a variety of tools 

it was a great day



I dyed up a special order for threads - a little different than usual

Earth tones



the colour palate



the threads

loved the results


meanwhile


fish are swimming
a little kantha stitching for quiet moments
see how the needle is bending nicely!

Wednesday 21 October 2015

about time I hear you say

What have I been doing - not blogging obviously.

My room is transformed from a mess to an oasis of calm.    No piles of things to do, 
or boxes containing 'stuff'   All is pared down to essentials.  It's a good place to be.

It calmed me down.  I took the slow road through August, no rush.
Reading, gardening, relaxing by the sea and a little stitching

summer flowers



there was an indigo workshop 
hot and humid, just perfect 




the vat at the end of the day



it was still going strong 


In September, the String of Elephants workshop and some birds too.


that was fun




Little kantha bags with the lovely ladies, and young
embroiderers of Frome Embroiderers' Guild

followed by Canford Needlework Festival
a fabulous day meeting old friends and new
(had to jump of the slow road that weekend)

on my birthday we discussed perhaps a week on a Greek Island or
a few days in Normandy, instead we went on a day trip to the 
Isle of Wight to visit Osborne House.  

We found the paintings of Rudolf Swoboda who, in1886 was
commissioned by the Queen to paint a series of portraits illustrating 
the nationalities of India.  They are stunning, painted on wood
panels measuring 30x20 cm.    In 2002 the National Gallery, London
exhibited the portraits, the only time they have left Osborne House.
I found a copy of the catalogue (An Indian Encounter) on Amazon,
 and so did Keith. 
 Snap!