dancing-girl's studio

Knits That Fit

2011-11-24T10:48:00.001Z

Yes, it's been eons since I posted. Well, you know how it is - life gets in the way, and it certainly has been doing lately. Anyway, whilst I was elsewhere, I have been getting very interested in knitting sweaters for myself and, more to the point, knitting sweaters for myself that actually fit! *gasp* Now you may think that this is no big deal, right? You just follow the pattern and you end up with a garment that fits you, yes? I mean, it's knitting, it'll stretch.

Well, no, in fact. If you aren't a standard size it often becomes necessary to make quite a lot of alterations to patterns as written so that you end up with a pleasing result. And lets face it, if you've spent 3 months knitting an aran sweater, as I just have, you want to be able to wear it and enjoy it afterwards. Fortunately I discovered a Ravelry group run by the wonderful Julie, aka Knitting At Large, which is dedicated to helping those of us with ample figures make knitwear that fits. Julie's blog is a mine of information and entertainment on this subject and she has just started a new feature to showcase lovely knits on plus size women. I'm delighted and honoured to report that the inaugural edition features not only Laurie's beautiful Eadon cardigan but my own Skara Brae sweater! Both these patterns are in the Ravelry database and, as I've said before, if you aren't a member then you really should be!

Taking My Own Advice

2011-06-28T08:56:00.004+01:00

A journal spread on the theme of encouragement. I'm sure I'm not the only one who looks at photos of themselves as a child and wonders whatever happened to that carefree, all-singing, all-dancing creature. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of what we're about.

Got Scarves?

2011-06-13T17:46:00.001+01:00

So, my plan is to have lots of pretty scarves to disguise the fact that I tend to wear the same outfits all the damn time and, as an added bonus, use up some of my yarn stash which seems to consist almost exclusively of single skeins of fingering weight wool.

These three are ones I've made lately from patterns I found online - honestly, whatever you want to knit, it's out there somewhere! God bless the interwebs! They were all easy to follow yet produce beautiful looking scarves.

Clockwise from top left we have: Tesla which is in a colourway I hand dyed a few weeks ago and just fell in love with; Helix which is in a gorgeous Wollmeise yarn I've had for some time and Foreigh Correspondent which is in another of my own hand dyes in a colourway called Elephant Island.

More Journalling Fun

2011-06-03T12:28:00.001+01:00

Another journal spread using some of my favourite colours and techniques but combined in ways I haven't necessarily done before. It's very freeing just to play with materials and see what happens without there needing to be 'art' at the end of it!

Somewhere, Beyond The Sea

2011-05-27T12:14:00.005+01:00

Not quite golden sands but I do love Bobby Darin so I thought I'd pair him up with Morecambe Bay! It was strange weather the day I took these photos with sudden fog banks racing across the water but on a clear day (cue for another song) you can see the beautiful hills and fells of the Lake District quite distinctly all around the sweep of the bay.

Just Playing

2011-05-15T11:33:00.000+01:00

I recently joined Effy Wild's network on Ning and it has given me a bit of a kick start to keep up more with my journalling. It's a great group and whether you're a total novice or have been doing arty/crafty things for years you'll get a warm welcome and lots of encouragement (and who doesn't appreciate that?). One of the weekly journal prompts was all about patterning and this was my response to it. Lots of fun was had making this I can tell you!

Red Lands

2011-03-20T10:29:00.005Z

Another 6-inch canvas today from the group I showed you in the previous post. This one got worked and reworked as I went through the hating-how-it's-going stage which always happens before it turns a corner and starts to look like something.

It's available here, along with a few more views of it.

SOLD

Tiree

2011-03-11T18:37:00.000Z

Neither of my parents ever went to sea but I grew up with the Shipping Forecast on the radio. Dad in particular always listened carefully to it so I would listen too. And I was transported to a mysterious world of places I had never heard of: Viking, Forth, Tyne, Dogger, North Utsire, South Utsire, the list rolled through my childhood like a mantra and I am still listening to this day and trying to capture that magic in paint and ink.

Tiree is an island in the Hebrides, away off the coast of Scotland.

This piece was created with oil pastels, a medium with similar properties to oil paint, on heavy paper.

Little Landscapes WIP

2011-03-07T11:48:00.001Z

One of my favourite supports to work on is a chunky, small canvas. When I recently got a whole box full of six inch square ones I decided to prep a few in one go as I always find it easier to work on something which has had the 'newness' taken out of it. So I got out the modelling and texture mediums and applied some of those, followed by some almost random patches of colour.

I can thoroughly recommend this approach if you either have that 'blank page' discomfort or perhaps simply don't yet know what you want to paint. The canvas which ended up being The Inlet started out as the green and white one you can see in the other pics. I had a vague idea of the landscape I wanted to paint but it evolved as I was working on it into something different and, I feel, better.

Often the hardest job when creating something is just getting out of my own way and letting it happen.

Grannies Galore!

2011-03-03T10:28:00.005Z

Just a quick update so you can see what I've been working on lately. Apparently London Fashion Week was granny square-tastic in its Autumn/Winter 2011 collections! See this article in British Sellers on Etsy for a view of it and expect to see them appearing much more on the high street soon.

I've loved this traditional crochet pattern for years and have mixed feelings about the fashion world 'discovering' it. Whilst it's great that something which is often thought of as old fashioned and not relevant is now being seen in a new light and garnering new fans, it's also sad to think that in a matter of months it'll possibly be dismissed as 'so over'. However, hopefully in the meantime lots of new converts to the granny square, and handcrafted work in general, will have been acquired on a more permanent basis. I do hope so!

Pincushions and blanket shown above are available here

Another Red House

2011-02-19T10:09:00.000Z

I used to dream about living in a red house when I was a little girl. Sometimes it was in the forest and sometimes it was on the seashore but wherever it was there was always a feeling of magic about it and adventures would surely follow.

Behind The Scenes At The Museum

2011-02-02T17:05:00.003Z

I spent today with the Textile Champions of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery. These volunteers meet once a month to assist with the conservation of the museum's sizable textile collection and today we were helping to clean and make new storage for a wonderful collection of mainly Victorian needlework samplers.

These were previously kept in large cartons separated with acid free tissue and the goal was to create a 'wallet' for each individual sampler so that they would not only be protected but also more accessible for anyone who wants to study them. We had a little production line going with each sampler being carefully cleaned and dusted then measured and its details recorded on card backing cut to fit. This was then put into a custom made plastic envelope before being returned to storage.

It was such a thrill to be able to see and examine in detail these wonderful pieces of embroidery, some by children as young as six years old. The amount of painstaking work that had gone into them was astonishing, especially considering that they would often have been stitched by candle light and must have taken so many hours to complete. Most have verses from the Bible or Christian homilies with domestic or natural scenes, although I did see one tiny piece which appeared to be commemorating the Crimean War.

If you want to see more detail, just click on the pictures above.

Inking It Up

2011-01-30T13:51:00.002Z

A couple of new ink drawings to show you. I like to work directly onto paper with the pen these days. When I first started using ink I would always draw varying degrees of detail in first with pencil as I didn't quite have the confidence to just go for it. After a while though I found that I relished the spontaneity of diving straight in much more and enjoyed the challenge of 'mistakes' and how to incorporate them into the whole piece.

The top piece, Spring Tune, also has a wash of pale rose watercolour over it. You can find both of them, and more views, here.

Ghost World

2011-01-22T16:10:00.004Z

Once again I had the park to myself. This time the fog and hoar frost and a bone-chilling cold seemed to have deterred everyone from setting foot in the place. This always amazes me as it's a huge park, well two actually: Miller and Avenham, which are joined seamlessly together. So Sam and I spent a happy hour wandering around this enchanted ghost world as if it were our own private estate!

The Sea, The Sea

2010-12-14T16:49:00.001Z

I am having repair work on the house at the moment. The improvements are wonderful but I'm not getting much in the way of arty things done. It advances the Master Plan one step closer though so I'm rolling with it. The MP, in case you haven't guessed, involves me and the sea - but more of that later.

I have a wee Folksy exclusive to show you. These cards are all one of a kind and I don't have them available for sale anywhere else. They're all original collages and make unique note or greetings cards. Or you could pop them in a frame and put them on the wall!

Sterling Stuff! News For UK Shoppers

2010-11-24T10:13:00.002Z

I know that many folk in the UK prefer to be able to shop online at stores where they can see the price of goods and pay in pounds sterling and not have to deal with conversions to and from other currencies. Indeed, why not? It's undoubtedly more convenient to have transactions in your own currency and, to that end, I have two pieces of exciting news!

First, I have recently opened a store on Folksy which is a wonderful site for handmade goods. All the sellers on it are UK based (although you don't have to be in the UK to shop there!) and there are loads of great items to be had. Just the thing if you need some last minute gifts - and speedy delivery - in the run up to Christmas!

Second, for all those who have been put off to some degree from shopping on Etsy because all the prices and payments are in dollars, well not any more! Etsy is now supporting multiple currencies, in keeping with its international clientèle. So when you visit either of my shops, and those of many other UK sellers too, you will see sterling prices and be able to make your payments in pounds, no conversions to deal with at all!

Cool, huh?

Practical Magic

2010-11-15T18:10:00.001Z

Autumn has slipped into winter and I am slowly making adjustments to my different, solitary life. I say it's different but in truth I have always been a fairly solitary creature, although that was often by choice and not circumstance, as is the case now. I'm not sure there is any virtue in this except, perhaps, that without it I may never have become as interested in the natural world as I did from an early age. The drawback, as may be predicted of course, is that when you are solitary you cannot share the magic of a moment with anyone other than, possibly, your dog.

Until quite recently I used to wonder why my mother had drawers and drawers full of photographs that she took on her old box Brownie. Often mundane images recording days at the beach, flowers in the garden or even the pattern of the new wallpaper in the kitchen. But then it occurred to me that we shared certain traits. One was a very patchy linear memory making it difficult to recall the sequence of things as they happened and another was the desire to be able to look back, confident that we had actually done this or seen that at that particular moment and not merely imagined or dreamt it.

And so I find increasingly I am carrying my camera with me as an aide-memoir to record those things which I wish to recall.

Waxwings photo © Paul Gale

I did not have it yesterday however when I had a magical and completely unexpected encounter with 30 - 40 Waxwings in the nearby small park where Sam and I often walk. They are not winter visitors to this area usually, preferring the east coast and Scotland in general, yet here they were, trilling away and stripping the berries from the Rowan trees. There are blessings everywhere if we are able to see them.

Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

2010-10-02T11:36:00.001+01:00

Southport is well known here for its lack of sea which is rather unfair. The coast shelves very gently and the water goes out a long way at low tide leaving a beautiful, somewhat barren landscape of open sand merging into treacherous mud flats. On stormy, blustery days in autumn, when most of the tourists have gone, it becomes a lonely, haunting space; the preserve of black-headed gulls and the occasional heron. When the cloud lifts you can see Blackpool and the tower across the bay to your right and, if you're lucky, the mountains of North Wales off in the far distance to your left.

These are a few pics I took this week from the pier whilst dodging the rain.

When Life Throws You Lemons .... Make Cupcakes!

2010-09-21T11:31:00.001+01:00

Well, dear readers, my protracted absence has been due to the aforementioned lemons. Things have changed mighty quick for me and turned my life upside down, which is both terrifying and oddly exhilarating. I am now officially off the map, in totally uncharted territory, but I realised something the other day.

I suspect that a great many of us have a secret fear. You know, those ingrained beliefs that if 'X' happened you'd never get over it/survive/be happy again. They aren't the sort of monsters we usually talk about or even acknowledge to ourselves, except in times of deep misery, but they're always there, somewhere, in the back of our minds. Sometimes they can be useful, making us try harder at things and urging us not to give up, but mostly they just lurk around providing us with random moments of happiness-squashing terror. So a few days ago I was walking home after having to deal with a fresh set of obstacles in the path of my new life when it suddenly struck me that the two things which had been my own personal life-long fears had happened to me. And the sky hadn't fallen. This was a very important discovery. Not only had I survived, but I no longer had to worry about these twin monsters and give them space in my frankly overcrowded brain.

I'm hoping this is just the first of a whole lot of perception altering revelations but even if it isn't I'm incredibly grateful for this particular one!

Autumn Already?

2010-08-27T15:34:00.001+01:00

There's something very screwy going on with the weather. My calendar says mid-August but the temperature is hovering around the sixty degree mark and so far this week we have had gales and torrential rain. It's looking like summer is a washout here so I picked up my knitting the other day and made these ever so Gothic cuffs in this Autumn's hot colour, olive green.

And when you come home, what could be nicer than snuggling up with your hot chocolate under this crocheted throw? I keep a selection of blankets and lap quilts permanently draped over the back of my sofa because not only are they really useful for those times when you need a little extra warmth but they look darn good too!

Festival Of Quilts

2010-08-25T11:08:00.000+01:00

Spent Saturday at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham with Thea. So inspiring and exhausting! Just thought you might like to see a few of the pieces which caught my eye.

I'm afraid I can't tell you who created a lot of these as you have to buy a catalogue to find out and I chose to spend my £6 on some fabric instead.

I do love Alicia Merrett's work and especially this aerial quilt - a passion of mine as you probably know!

There was so much beautiful work there and now I'm itching to start making quilts again. If only I had more energy and a few more hours in the day I might get half the projects I dream up actually realised!

Creative Colour Challenge #2

2010-08-14T16:51:00.000+01:00

This week's Creative Colour Challenge is Red and this is my submission. It's painted with my lovely Holbein Irodori watercolours in Antique Red plus some inks. See what everybody's come up with here.

Creative Colour Challenge

2010-08-07T13:58:00.002+01:00

This week I'm all about monotypes. I was digging through my printmaking supplies a few days ago and this prompted me to pull a few new prints. I enjoy monotypes because they offer immediate gratification along with a faint air of unpredictability. Unlike woodcuts or linotypes you only get one print from a mono because the smooth plate is inked and then drawn or otherwise marked into before pressing. The ink and design is more or less exhausted by that one pull although it's sometimes possible to get a second faint 'ghost' from the same plate.

Anyhoo I just signed up for Louise Gale's Creative Colour Challenge where each week we have a new colour to explore. This week's theme is yellow. It's a really fun way to try something new as I don't normally work in tones of just one colour. We are allowed to use black and white in addition but it's still a good stretch to create something. This piece uses Cadmium yellow, Hansa Yellow, Naples Yellow and Nickel Azo Gold and it's a mixture of monotype, block printing and a good thick trowel full of acrylic paint.

If you fancy a go yourself I think there's still time to sign up - just go to the link I posted above. And if you want to see what everyone has produced this week take a peek at the Flickr group. Can't wait to see what we're doing next week!

Chuff Chuff, Busy Busy, Work Work, Bang Bang

2010-07-23T13:13:00.002+01:00

And for anyone who doesn't remember that old Penguin biscuit ad today's title will make absolutely no sense whatsoever, so, moving on...

I am very busy at the moment, hence the lack of blog love lately. Sorry. This is the kind of stuff I'm up to though. A new cushion cover - I adore the colours in this one - and a print of the painting I showed a couple of weeks ago which I finally got round to finishing. As a friend commented on Facebook: redheads and silver birches, my favourite things.

This week has been spent creating more greetings cards and notecards for PAD and I think I'm going to do some for my Etsy shop too. Better get back to it then!

Someday My Prints Will Come

2010-07-09T12:31:00.001+01:00

I am very excited to announce that I am at last ready to start selling prints of my paintings in my Etsy shop! Although I got my spiffy six-colour Epson printer quite some time ago expressly for this purpose I'd kept putting it off because I wanted to find the right paper, by which I mean something which will convey the look and detail of the original piece. Well I finally have; some lovely watercolour paper which reproduces the images with great fidelity and has a pleasing, lightly textured surface.

So, I am now busy printing and stocking (in between getting my daily Tour de France fix of course.) I'm also still deciding which work to reproduce so if you would like to see a particular piece of mine as a print that isn't currently available as such please let me know, I'd really appreciate your input!

A Little Perspective

2010-06-30T16:22:00.001+01:00

I wanted to share a little trick with you today, something which, if you haven't already tried it, may well surprise you with its usefulness.

A long time ago, when I first began to make quilts, I discovered that it was nigh on impossible to get a good view of how work on my design wall looked. My studio, although spacious by some standards, is still a small room in a small house and I found that I couldn't get enough physical distance between me and the quilt to tell if the colour placement was balanced or if any areas needed obvious correction. Then one day I found one of those little spyhole devices - you know, the ones you put in your front door so you can see who's there - and I realised that by looking through it at my wall I could miraculously see the whole quilt as if from a good distance away!

Nowadays I use my digital camera for the same purpose and not only for textile work but also for collage and paintings. Maybe you've had experience of staring so long at something you're working on that you can no longer 'see' it? Well, I find it very worthwhile to stop and take a few pictures at such moments so that I can look at them on the computer and get my sense of 'distance' back. Often this will be enough to decide what needs doing next or to isolate things which I feel aren't working. It can also show me that sometimes a painting I've been fussing with is actually finished.

So, here is a canvas I'm working on at the moment. It's not quite there yet but I thought you might enjoy seeing the process.

Where I'm Up To

2010-06-25T12:15:00.002+01:00

I haven't posted any new work for a while, have I? All the studio rearranging has meant I got behind with everything so I'll try and do a bit of catching up this week in between my yearly Wimbledon fix - did anyone see the Mahut-Isner match? Just... wow!

Here's a couple of crochet pieces hot off the hook. This beach/market bag is super useful if you're trying to avoid plastic these days, which I know I am. The cushion cover is a contemporary take on that retro classic, the granny square, and looks great in pretty much any style of home. More details and views here.

That's all for now, Centre Court is calling...

Studio Makeover The Upcycling Way - Part the Second

2010-06-12T17:59:00.005+01:00

Here it is, finished at last! I can't tell you what a relief it is to have my studio finally sorted and also how much I love it, and the wonderful Vincent for finding the materials and creating it for me. If you want to makeover your work space for practically nothing it can be done. Almost everything in here was repurposed from other parts of the house - like the old G-Plan sideboard for instance, or the sewing table which came originally from my mother's house and was languishing under our stairs. Most of the wood for the shelving came from a local yard which salvages old timber and sells it on for a charitable trust. The black kitchen counter top was rescued from a skip, as was the wood for the battens holding up the shelf ends.

My room has gone from hideous, cluttered mess with virtually zero organisation to being somewhere I can't wait to get into each day and, as a fantastic bonus, I unearthed all sorts of treasures I didn't know I had whilst sorting and organising everything. I even 'discovered' this old cabinet which came from Ikea about 20 years ago and gave it a makeover too! It'll be perfect for storing sewing related bits and bobs.

I ♥ my studio!

Being Here

2010-05-28T16:44:00.003+01:00

I admire my dog. He has many fine qualities, not the least of which is his ability to live entirely in the moment. Faster than you can click your fingers he will go from being deeply asleep to bouncing off the walls when you mention the word 'walkies'. He always exhibits total absorption in the here and now, whatever may be happening. All dogs do this naturally, indeed so do all animals, with one exception. Yes, us, of course.

I want to be more like my dog, but it takes a a lot of practice.

A Little More Inspiration

2010-05-21T10:26:00.005+01:00

Come to the edge, He said.
They said, We are afraid.
Come to the edge, He said.
They came. He pushed them... and they flew.

Guillaume Apollinaire

Ode to Joy

2010-05-11T12:14:00.005+01:00

One of the things I most often write or say when someone comments on a piece of my work is how much fun it was to create. It's true, I love to paint, sew, knit, collage, make books and it is fun, a lot of fun! It's often also difficult and frustrating work if I'm honest, but I rarely if ever mention that, maybe because the two things seem on the face of it pretty contradictory and therefore hard to believe. The reality of work for a great many of us is that it's something we do 'out there' whilst dreaming of the weekend, summer holidays, retirement. We are very fortunate - I am very fortunate - when we can do something we love as our work because that can change everything!

It can also, however, be a source of conflicts too; ones which lead us to feel awkward and needing to justify or dismiss our creativity in a time-equals-money obsessed world. Whether you work full time as an artist/artisan or squeeze your precious creative space from the remains of the day it may be hard to keep the faith that what you have to offer is valuable and unique. So, the other day I came across an article by Quinn McDonald which touches on this very subject. What she wrote struck an extremely strong chord with me, so much so that I wanted to share it here with you.

'We don't think our work has value in the "real world". We don't allow ourselves to think that art is "real work". When someone congratulates us, we are quick to point to the fact that we were having fun, as if that diminished our effort or talent. Interestingly enough, when history judges a culture, it doesn't do it on how fast business turned around jobs, but on art, music, inventions and other creative work.' *

I need to be reminded of this occasionally. It won't stop me telling people how much I enjoy what I do but it might help me remember that joy is a vital part of life and that far from diminishing my work it is a condition to be welcomed and cherished for us all.

* What Makes You a Professional Artist? by Quinn McDonald, published in Somerset Studio March/April 2008

Inspiration Friday

2010-05-07T14:16:00.001+01:00

I don't know what I'd do without my books. They provide so much inspiration and hours of delight, not to mention all the new things I have learned from them! Whilst going through my studio I've uncovered one or two treasures which had inadvertently got hidden away so I thought this was a good opportunity to share some of my favourite titles with you and ask you to share some of yours with me.

In the top picture is the very first quilt book I ever bought and if you've never done any quilting but would like to try it this is a really good book to start with. The quilts have enough interest without being too complex and yes, most of them can be made in just a couple of days. Artists' Journals and Paper, Metal & Stitch are both books I would never be without, wildly inspirational and great reference works for all manner of techniques. Colour is a brilliant read which tracks Victoria Finlay's travels in search of the fascinating history and origins of the colours and pigments we know today.

In the second photo you can see two more of my favourite go-to volumes for pure inspiration in design, texture, colour and form and The Artist's Way which I bought quite a few years ago on a friend's recommendation but have never got round to reading. Think I might do so finally!

So, just a few titles from my shelves, but what are your favourite books, the ones you love to look at and go back to again and again? Do tell me, I'd love to know!

*****

Bibliography:

Quick and Easy Projects for the Weekend Quilter by Rosemary Wilkinson

Artists' Journals & Sketchbooks by Lynne Perrella

Paper, Metal & Stitch by Maggie Grey and Jane Wild

Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox by Victoria Finlay

The Artists' Way by Julia Cameron

Kimono: Vanishing Tradition by Cheryl Imperatore

Art Forms From The Ocean by Ernst Haeckel

Studio Life and Facebook

2010-04-28T11:09:00.006+01:00

I am still soldiering on with the reorganisation of my studio despite now being hampered with a frozen shoulder. Did I mention how fed up I am with all my physical wonkiness lately?

Anyway, as you can see, there is some small semblance of order being imposed as I now have my old G-Plan sideboard up there (still impressed with how V managed to manoeuvre this monster up our very steep and narrow dog-legged staircase!) and so more storage space.

I have not, however, managed to get any work done in all the chaos and am missing my paints and bits of paper very much. What I have done though is finally set up a Dancing-Girl page on Facebook. This will have updates on my work, general studio stuff, special offers and anything else I can think of which would be of interest. So if you'd like to, I'd be honoured to have you join me over there - just follow the link and click the 'Like' button!

Thank You, BBC!

2010-04-24T17:14:00.002+01:00

I don't usually try to grow veggies in my garden because it's so tiny that finding somewhere suitable to plant things can be difficult. I used to have an allotment some years ago which produced loads of lovely food but for various reasons I had to give it up, and veg growing along with it. However, inspired by the BBC's Dig In, I thought I'd have another go this year, albeit on a small scale.

They're very kindly giving away free packets of seed, as you can see in the photo, so I applied for some and today, it being the warmest one we've had so far, I was outside inhaling the scent of my daffodils and sowing French beans, courgettes, basil, carrots and cut-and-come-again salad greens. I made some newspaper pots and filled them with our homemade compost, of which we have an abundant supply. This is V's baby really. He tends and turns the heap to produce the most wonderful dark loam which is like the best three course meal for the plants and fine enough to use for potting up and seed sowing. Wonderful!

Now all I have to do is wait for germination and dream of the succulent organic goodies to come!

Reasons To Be Cheerful

2010-04-19T15:13:00.001+01:00

I have spent the last week being a very sick bunny and as a consequence need cheering up. So today, as I am feeling slightly more together, I started painting some sheets of watercolour paper just with random splashes of colour because I have a few half-formed ideas about a project I want to try. And also because colour has a wonderful ability to lift my spirits.

The daffs in the garden continue to bloom which inspired me (before I was laid low) to go out and photograph some of the neighbourhood cherry trees. For one glorious week or so at this time of year they are stunningly beautiful, laden with delicate white and pale pink flowers, making walking around the streets beneath them quite magical!

Small Miracles

2010-04-06T15:47:00.000+01:00

I have been looking out my kitchen window every day for about a week now, waiting for this beauty to open. Last October I planted a large pot up with a mixed bag of scented narcissus bulbs and today the first one came into full bloom. After such a long and, for us in this neck of the woods, hard winter this little bit of sunshine is more than welcome; it feels like a miracle.

Wax On, Wax Off

2010-03-28T16:22:00.007+01:00

Three new encaustics which you can find in my Etsy store. I kind of like them all grouped together like this so I'm thinking I might do sets of six or nine which I could mount on mat board as a single piece. What do you think, good idea or no?

Gratitude

2010-03-24T17:07:00.005Z

Today I had to go have some minor medical treatment and, as always, this gives me the glums because it's part of the ageing process that stuff stops working properly and I rail against it. But I am also grateful for many things which are coming with age, not least that I now have more time to spend on things which feed my soul and that I seem to notice life's details more and marvel at their simplicity and complexity both.

Being forced to slow down is not necessarily a bad thing.

Thought For The Day

2010-03-12T11:36:00.001Z

Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering. ~ Winnie the Pooh

Thanks to Kitty for reminding me of this great Pooh quote!

The Joy Of Eggs

2010-03-09T15:56:00.004Z

We discovered these at the supermarket the other day. I was totally entranced by the colours of the eggs which are extremely difficult to photograph as they are such subtle and soft shades of pinky buff, blue and green. Hope you get the idea from the picture though, and an Old Cotswold Legbar sounds like a truly magnificent animal to me!

Ghosts of Naples

2010-03-06T17:16:00.000Z

Here's a little something I started ages ago and have only just got around to finishing. There was something entirely different there before the ethereal young lady and I wasn't at all happy so I put it away. But then she came to the rescue and now I think it's one of my favourite pieces. That's how it goes sometimes.

What To Create When You Don't Know What To Create

2010-03-02T16:03:00.006Z

I have a real problem doing nothing. When I'm supposed to be sitting having a conversation or watching a movie on TV I find my hands and brain fidgeting relentlessly. OK, OK I know talking and watching movies aren't doing nothing but I think you get where I'm going with this. The truth is, it's very hard not to be fiddling with something creative, and then there are those times when I'm so overwhelmed by all the things I want to make that I end up doing none of them because I just can't make a choice!

Well, I thought I'd share my answer to all this. In truth it's something I've been doing for years but only recently realised the function it serves and how useful it actually is. I have a box full of vials of beads, snippets of yarn, cloth and felt, buttons and other little decorative doo-dads which lives next to my chair most of the time. When I don't know what to make or need something to distract me, out it comes and I start sewing and embellishing. Most of these things only take a short while to put together and are then stored in my 'elements' drawer ready to be used in a collage or textile piece. Some of them, like the machined and beaded cords, I make when I fancy using the sewing machine but don't have a specific project on the go and others, like the lino printed fabrics, I do when I happen across a particular tool or accessory.

All these things are serendipitous and, by themselves, almost inconsequential. But throw a large handful down in front of you and you have the beginnings of a piece of art or a beautiful bit of home decor. Try it for yourself; I guarantee you'll be surprised and delighted what you end up with.

Illumination

2010-02-27T11:17:00.000Z

I have owned a large set of Karisma coloured pencils for several years now but hardly ever used them. Somehow, whenever I tried to work with them I felt really dissatisfied with the results, but every so often I dig the box out again and have another go.

This time I had something of an epiphany when I discovered that at least part of my problem has been that I just hadn't found the right paper to apply them to. I've tried a lot of different papers, including Bristol board which is often recommended for coloured pencil, and never liked the way the colour went on or the blending capabilities I had with it. For this drawing I used my favourite block of Arches hot pressed watercolour paper and, bingo!, I was much more at peace with my materials.

It was one of those lightbulb moments and it reminded me that sometimes I really do have to just keep on keeping on, even when it might seem fruitless, because you never know what might happen next.

Everything Old Is New Again

2010-02-19T11:26:00.001Z

One of the things I love about making assemblage art is that it allows me to indulge a childlike delight in found and discarded objects. I am often truly amazed at the things people throw out in skips and just dump in the back alleys. Frequently I see perfectly good sofas, dining room furniture, bookcases - oh the list goes on and on. Obviously these have been discarded for something newer and 'shinier' and clearly it's none of my business how people choose to spend their money. And yet...

I am of a generation which, brought up by parents who had lived through the austerity of war and post-war years, had impressed upon us the value of taking care of possessions, of making do and mending, and of the beauty of well-worn and cherished objects. I still feel that way and live by those principles as much as possible. In current times it seems to me to be an even wiser course of action and has taken on the added incentive of stepping more lightly on the earth.

Anyway, when V brought home these pieces of a junked dolls' house I immediately started seeing all sorts of possibilities in them. The two little doors slide back and forth and would make a great way to reveal some treasure within, and there are windows for framing other finds or perhaps some collage. Can't wait to have a go!

Gong xi fa cai!

2010-02-14T14:53:00.003Z

Today is the Lunar New Year of the Tiger so Happy New Year to all! Here's my treasured lucky cat waving in celebration.

Neighbourhood Photos

2010-02-10T17:21:00.015Z

Wandering around with my camera again. Top pic is looking out over the valley at sunset and the bottom one is the beautiful spire of St Walburge's church, built by the man who invented the Hansom Cab no less!

Spring Cleaning

2010-02-08T14:49:00.010Z

Well alright, it's a little early for Spring, but I thought a bit of redecorating and remodelling was in order so I spruced up the blog a bit. Haven't quite finished yet but I hope you approve - feedback is most welcome!

One of the main reasons for doing it was that I wanted to be able to add in some larger images and so needed to stretch the page a bit. So, now we are (hopefully) in wide-o-vsion!

Encaustic Love

2010-02-02T11:57:00.002Z

It's been a busy week, lots of new encaustics and I'm so in love with making them! Have had to slow down a bit the last couple of days though thanks to a stinky cold which is wiping me out. So many ideas buzzing round my head and not enough energy to do them. Soon, soon.

Doll Face

2010-01-26T11:48:00.000Z

A bit of whimsy today; two ACEOs I made from odds and ends I had lying around on my desk plus beeswax to hold them all together. I adore these little doll faces I got from Kris a while back. Art cards are both fun and challenging to make as you have such a small space to work on but they are perfect for experimenting with and for showing off small treasures.

Kid in a Sweetie Shop

2010-01-22T16:32:00.008Z

Yes that's how I feel today 'cos I've just had a delivery of some art supplies! These lovely cradled boards are just perfect for some encaustic work and I also got a couple of goat hair brushes for the wax which should be better than the house painting brush I use currently.

Can't wait to get started!

Burn, Baby, Burn

2010-01-19T15:36:00.002Z

One of my resolutions for this year is to get back into encaustic painting, something which I love doing but haven't really touched for about eighteen months now. Encaustic simply means 'burnt in'. When applied to art it refers to painting with hot melted wax as a medium. Additives are often mixed in to change the colour and hardness of the medium but at its simplest, as here, it can be done with natural beeswax which looks and smells wonderful and imparts a subtle golden glow to the work.

These two small pieces are on birch panels and are comprised of a number of layers of collaged papers and hot wax. The layers are built up gradually and fused together to produce paintings with lots of depth and subtle effects which show up far better 'in the flesh' than they do in photographs!

Darling Valentine

2010-01-14T15:01:00.001Z

I don't very often design things for particular occasions or holidays but I had this idea for a couple of cute Valentine's cards and just had to draw them. One for her and one for him!

I recently opened a store on Zazzle where my artwork will, eventually, be on lots of different things like T-shirts, mugs and bags but to start with I've designed a few greetings and postcards with some of my favourite paintings and drawings, including these Valentines, on them. These are all exclusive to Zazzle and make really easy, good quality little gifts or collectables - just click the link above to see them.

Catherine and Chloe

2010-01-11T15:00:00.003Z

We have been having some fiercely cold and icy weather here, so much so that I have had to abandon the studio because it's just to darn freezing in there. Ah, the joys of not having central heating! So instead I've been focusing on knitwear which can be done in the comfort of a room equipped with a log burning stove.

These are my first pieces of the new year and I'm really happy with them: the Chloe scarflette with a removable flower pin and the Catherine shawl which I knitted with my own hand dyed yarn. You can find them here on Etsy.

Kokeshi Mini-Me

2010-01-05T15:36:00.003Z

If you've not already noticed, I have quite a few obsessions and one of the top ones is for all things Japanese. So when my lovely girl got me this kokeshi for Christmas I was all kinds of thrilled!

She chose it because of its name - dancing girl - so of course I was bound to love it, but just take a look at the whole package. The doll has her own little inflatable carrier for protection and even the box she was in is beautifully designed and printed. And that is one of the reasons why I adore Japanese design whether classical or kawaii. There is so much thought put into every aspect of presentation, making unwrapping a gift as much a real treat as the gift itself. Bliss!

A Little Night Music

2009-12-28T11:42:00.002Z

An antidote to all that post Christmas Sale shopping stress, just sit and watch. Such a sweet animation and his voice reminds me a lot of Nick Drake.

Greetings

2009-12-24T17:15:00.000Z

No big post today. I just want to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and I hope that you have a holiday filled with love, light and laughter. Enjoy!

Snowbound

2009-12-22T11:53:00.003Z

The last time we had snow like this was around 12 years ago. I know it probably doesn't look much by some people's standards but for us it's a real event. Being fairly near the coast and in a comparatively sheltered area it's far more usual to see grey skies and rain here so when it started coming down I had to find my walking boots. Unfortunately, as I haven't worn them since the last heavy snow I discovered that they no longer fit me!

Weird, huh? Well, one of the lesser-known 'joys' of getting older is that your feet start to spread and in consequence I now take a full size larger shoe than I did about fifteen years back, hence too-tight boots. So, yes, ridiculous as it seems, I have no suitable footwear and am effectively snowed in!

Today's lovely photographs come from Vincent (slightly edited by me).

The Snow Queen - Work In Progress

2009-12-19T12:34:00.001Z

I haven't drawn any faces for quite a while but at this time of year I always start thinking about my favourite winter tale, the Snow Queen, and get the urge to do some illustration for it. I've drawn and painted her a few times over the years and she looks different each time. Here I was thinking of her beguiling aspect and tried to give her large, hypnotic eyes and a very serene face.

At the minute she doesn't look very regal but I intend to add colour and some other elements to the page, although I think she's already visited my studio and turned it into the Ice Palace so that could be an interesting experience!

A Small, Good Thing

2009-12-13T10:03:00.009Z

Well, several actually. Moments from my day: the paperbark birch in my garden; daffodils in a pot braving the frost; the blessings of a wood burning stove; Sam in his favourite spot. Very cold and wintry here, keep warm everyone.

Forty Years On

2009-12-10T16:44:00.010Z

A new mixed media piece which was inspired by my memories of the first moon landing, the 40th anniversary of which was this July. How time has flown.

I was watching the very wonderful Alan Bennett the other night on TV. He was talking about the writing process and 'being a writer' and how one is only a writer when one is actually writing. Research, all the hours spent in contemplation and creation, are just postponing the actual act of writing. Having published a book merely shows that you were a writer, once, not that you are one now.

He was, of course, being ironic but also touching on something that most creative people either feel themselves at some time or other or have foisted upon them by those who would like them to get a 'proper' job and stop mucking about. My own feeling is that people who choose not to develop a creative path as a writer or artist which, by its very nature is most usually a solitary affair, do not understand - maybe do not care to - that not everything is achieved by being outwardly busy amongst lots of other busy people. And if you are engaged in creative endeavours it's also not uncommon to feel that the muse might, at a moment's notice, pack his or her bags and leave, never to be heard from again.

It's hardly a new notion but one which, from time to time, bears restating I think.

Neighbourhood Watch

2009-12-05T11:12:00.003Z

I've been meaning to photograph these houses for ages, before they're claimed by the wrecking ball. They are the last remnants of several streets which were demolished some years ago to make way for a new road network and stand like a forgotten island in a sea of concrete, tarmac and railway sidings.

How To: Let It Snow Gift Tags

2009-12-03T15:59:00.002Z

I woke up the other morning with an idea for some cute and sparkly Christmas gift tags and, having tried it out, I was really pleased with the results so thought I'd share the process in case you'd like to try it out for yourself. Most of the things you need you will likely have already but if not make substitutions, or pay a visit to the art & craft shop - it's the perfect excuse!

Materials

lightweight card or similar in contrasting colours - I used Murano pastel paper for the tags in the picture

rubber stamps/printing blocks

embossing ink pad

embossing powder in platinum and gold

crafter's heat gun

assorted small craft punches and hole punches - I used my Japanese screw punch and a small flower punch

soft thread for ties

Photo Mount spray or PVA glue

ruler and rotary cutter or scissors

Begin by cutting out tags 2.75"x1.75" (7cmx4.5cm) from the cardstock. I prefer a rotary cutter and mat for this step as it's quicker but use scissors if you don't have one. Ink up your stamp(s) with the embossing pad and stamp the tags making sure to leave some unstamped areas on each tag. Sprinkle with embossing powder and tap gently onto a sheet of paper to remove the excess - this can be returned to the jar for re-use later. With the heat gun, melt the embossed images.

Note: take great care with the heat gun if you're not used to them, they get extremely hot so don't get your fingers, or anything else, in front of the business end and always work on something like a tile which will not get damaged by the heat.

Once your embossing has cooled begin to punch into the blank areas you left on each tag. Aim for a random looking but pleasing design and leave room at the top of the tags to punch a central hole for the thread tie. Next, try some of the contrasting coloured card behind your punched tag, keep auditioning until you find one that really makes the whole thing 'pop'. Using your adhesive, stick the tags to the backing card - you may find it easier to stick them onto an uncut piece of card and them trim round them afterwards. Finally, punch holes near the centre top of your tags and thread some soft string or yarn through and tie in a knot.

And there you have it, original and very pretty tags to give your giftwrapping some real sparkle! Please let me know what you think, and if you make some for yourself I'd love to see!

Between the Projects and the Rock Island Line

2009-11-24T12:02:00.004Z

Normally, when I do architectural pieces I work from photographs, typically ones I or Vincent have taken. This is a preliminary sketch for a painting I'm planning which is based on another photographer's work.

One of my favourite Flickr discoveries has been the prolific and wonderful Curtis Locke whose photostream Find A City To Live In is a daily must-see. He takes pictures of the built environment with an eye for the overlooked and neglected which is truly remarkable and he was kind enough to give me permission to make a painting from one of his photos.

This building is a central detail from that photo which I have been drawing to familiarise myself with it before I begin work on the canvas. I don't actually know what its function is, and I don't want to. The interesting thing about it for me is the enigmatic nature of this and the other structures in the shot, half-glimpsed among the weeds and chain link fences.

Go check out Curtis's photos while I go and do some work.

The View From Here

2009-11-16T15:47:00.005Z

Another rare day of that wonderful de Chirico type light meant I had to go out and shoot a few pictures round the neighbourhood.

Queen Of Everything

2009-11-07T13:35:00.005Z

I am being neglectful of my everyday drawing and blogging, I know, but I have had some sort of bug for the last few days which has made me feel completely washed out. Anyway, last night I slept for eleven hours and today I feel much improved. Might even get a bit of work done!

I am still having a ball making these fabric covered books and I have so much quilting cotton that I could probably keep making them until I'm 90. This one features some Klimt-inspired designs which have metallic gold accents and they look very sumptuous paired with large florals and yellows. The title just seemed appropriate somehow. It's currently available in my shop.

I've also just started reading What do I do when I want to do everything? by Barbara Sher. I was attracted to it when I saw it on the library shelf as I am one of those people who wants to do everything and frequently ends up doing nothing because I just can't choose. Well, Ms Sher promises some insights and ways of dealing with this so I thought I'd give it a go. I'll let you know more when I've read further.

Mr Tumnus's Lamp

2009-11-02T16:19:00.002Z

Okay, today's drawing is of one of the entrances to Miller Park. As you enter under the bridge there is a very large old tree and next to it a Victorian lamp post which always reminds me of the one in Narnia where the children first meet Mr Tumnus.

Geese In The Orchard

2009-11-01T11:53:00.008Z

No drawings for a couple of days as I've been busy working on some new books for my shop. I'm loving making these as it gives me a chance to play with my not inconsiderable stash of gorgeous quilting fabric! In fact I'm going to make another one similar to the topmost book to keep for myself as I think it would be just the job for writing my favourite recipes in.

St Mary's Penwortham

2009-10-29T17:06:00.002Z

On the other side of the river the land slopes steeply upward and was once the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle. There is now a parish church there, parts of which date back to the 14th and 15th centuries, and very attractive it is too.

Some photos and info here if you like snooping round old churches.

The Ginnel

2009-10-28T15:24:00.007Z

We live in a terraced (row) house which dates back to 1875. There are a number of streets all pretty much identical but with subtle variations in the architectural details of the houses. They were originally built for the dock and mill workers; we are very close to the river here and it was once a thriving port as well as an area teeming with cotton production.

If I sit on my bed and look out of the window this is what I see. This is the back of two terraces on the next road over between which runs a ginnel, or back alley, and it's today's daily drawing. Let me know if you've got one to share!

Daily Drawing - Come And Play!

2009-10-27T12:18:00.005Z

Sometimes it seems like life is conspiring to get in the way of what I want to be doing. Right now I'm trying to get lots more books made for my Etsy shop and other goodies for PAD but 'stuff' keeps happening which makes me have to down tools and deal with it.

In the midst of chaos, I feel like I need something with order to it. For a while now I've been thinking about focusing more on regular drawing practice, both as a meditative, relaxing thing and as a practical discipline. So, I am challenging myself to do some drawing each day in my sketchbook and post it here. The results may not always be pretty but I'm hoping they'll be worthwhile!

What would be really great would be if you'd like to join in and share your own daily drawings. Maybe you already do this, in which case please feel free to leave a comment and link so I can see what you're doing! If you've never really done much drawing before then why not give it a go? No fancy-schmancy materials needed, just a biro or a pencil, some paper and a little bit of time. It would be really good to have you involved for inspiration and companionship on this journey. What do you say?

Stormy Weather

2009-10-25T11:01:00.007Z

Yesterday was one of those autumn days where the weather can't make its mind up. There are some glorious colours in the foliage and the light was filtering through storm clouds which gave way to bright sunlight occasionally, so I took the camera when I went out with Sam for his afternoon walk and photographed the neighbourhood.

Seeing Red

2009-10-21T18:45:00.004+01:00

I only realised today that I seem to be a bit obssessed with red lately, or more precisely those lovely autumnal shades of raspberry, plum and blackberry. Everything I've made over the last week or two has been red, just look!

A World Of Their Own

2009-10-19T16:45:00.004+01:00

Vincent came back from the supermarket the other day with a couple of pots of house leeks, which I absolutely love. They grow in the most dry and inhospitable places, even on the roofs of houses, hence the name. Their Latin name, sempervivum, also gives a strong hint towards their tenaciousness, meaning as it does ever-living.

My tiny garden has become rather swamped by black bamboo this year. Slow growing, they said at the garden centre. Yeah, right. It runs like Usain Bolt and has grown to about 10 feet tall in the past eighteen months. V has broken all my gardening tools trying to dig it up and reduce it to a more manageable sized clump. Anyway, I need tough plants for my garden as it gets very hot in there in summer, which brings us back to the house leeks. These and herbs are what I plan to concentrate on growing next year, along with some tomatoes perhaps. In the meantime there's a lot of clearing up to do, so I'd better get back to it!

Studio Makeover The Upcycling Way

2009-10-11T18:15:00.008+01:00

Regular readers will know that I have been in the process of rearranging my studio workspace for, oh, months now. So to prove that I am actually making a little headway with it I wanted to share this very useful - and cheap - idea that Vincent came up with.

He found a whole load of pine slats, of the type which are used in wooden beds to support the mattress, thrown out with someone's rubbish. They were earmarked for burning in the stove but, after hearing me gripe about adequate storage for all my art supplies, he thought again. Each slat is about 5ft long by 6" wide, making them a great length for above my big work table and just the right width for storing pots of brushes, glues, gels and all those other things which I want to have within easy reach when I'm working. He also attached a row of wooden clothes pegs along one shelf which come in very handy for holding stencils, drying painted card and paper or just hanging odds and ends from. And there you have it, space for all the necessities as well as room for favourite displays!

Pride of place goes to, as always, my beautiful Japanese Neko or lucky cat who was a gift from Thea a few years ago and never fails to make me smile with his happy face! Click on the picture if you'd like to have a closer look at what else is there.

Paying It Forward - Part Deux

2009-10-10T17:15:00.005+01:00

You may recall I mentioned Amy's awesome Pay It Forward Art Project a little while ago. Well, the box duly arrived here and I had a lot of fun rifling through its contents, not to mention choosing what I was going to keep!

So the top picture above shows my new goodies which include some beautiful prints and original art from Amy as well as a range of supplies, my favourite of which is the lovely bird fabric by, I think, Alexander Henry. The second picture shows the items I put into the box before sending it off back across the ocean to Andi.

Patience, My Love, For Spring Will Surely Come

2009-10-05T10:44:00.003+01:00

I haven't painted anything in a while. Often, ideas for work will come to me in that borderland between waking and sleep; unfortunately, the next day I frequently can't remember them, which is why I really should keep a notebook by the bed.

This watercolour started life with a bird who spoke to me, everything else followed from there. When do you get your best ideas? I'd love to know.

Sing A Rainbow

2009-09-27T17:51:00.002+01:00

I admit to having a real weakness for colour-change yarns. I mean those yarns such as Noro which are dyed with a long colour run so that the changes are very gradual and often unrepeated. Apart from anything else they are really interesting to knit with as you never quite know how the finished piece will turn out.

Well we finally have a wonderful new fabric and yarn store in the city centre which is big and full of ways to spend your money! They don't sell Noro but I found this lovely Sirdar yarn which does kind of the same thing and immediately set about making these fingerless gloves. Once I'd made those I decided to start a crochet throw and that's what I'm working on currently. No pics yet but I'll post some soon!

Pay It Forward

2009-09-17T10:29:00.004+01:00

What a busy week. Been dyeing wool, making books, knitting and filling custom orders so feel like my head is spinning rather! I just wanted to mention my dear friend Amy's Pay It Forward Art Project though. It's such a cool idea, go read about it and consider joining in! I have.

More New Camera Love

2009-09-06T15:39:00.004+01:00

Took this late yesterday afternoon with my new Lumix. Needless to say the lighting was poor, a mixture of deep shadows with a few stray shafts of sunlight thrown in and I took the picture without the aid of a tripod. I have burned the background out as it contained the distracting clutter which lives on top of my work table and played around with the colours just a little for effect but otherwise this pic is pretty much straight out of the camera. I really am impressed with how well it handles low light and the lack of camera shake, and all this was on the default auto settings too - often not the best choice with a lot of cameras given the situation.

Anyway, there's a selection of my hand carved stamps along with three little African wood blocks which I picked up a few years ago. Today's been yarn dyeing, and over-dyeing, day and I'm pooped now. Time for another cup of coffee methinks!

Things I Almost Need

2009-09-01T16:32:00.009+01:00

My sisters in Studio33 (see below, right) and I often joke about trips to the art or book shop where we will inevitably find, and come home with, a host of supplies which we 'almost need' and therefore just have to buy!

Well I did just that today, although in truth I really did need some of these things. I get large sheets of Murano pastel paper to make my notebook covers because, after lots of experimenting, I discovered that they are the ideal weight, they come in lots of gorgeous colours and they have a really nice texture. They are also a pain to store as I don't have a plan chest or anything similar to keep them flat in. If anyone has any top ideas for storing A2 sheets of paper in pristine condition on the cheap please share, I'd love to hear them!

Anyway, whilst at the art shop I also bought a bunch of card and envelopes to make some more greetings cards for PAD and some foamcore board for.... well see, here's where we get to the almost needed stuff. I got it just because I thought it might come in useful. Ditto the watercolour palette and the acrylic ink and dip pen. And the thing is, as anyone who creates will know, there is inspiration to be got simply from having nice, new materials laid out before you. I can honestly say that I've never come home with art supplies and later regretted buying them. They are always used sooner or later and they're a heck of a lot cheaper than a pair of Jimmy Choos!

The All-Seeing Eye

2009-08-29T11:15:00.008+01:00

Last week my trusty Canon camera decided it had had enough and started to do all manner of bizarre things with the photos I was trying to take, adding its own Photoshop-alike effects without my say-so! Oddly the video capture still works but nothing else. So, time for a new piece of kit, and here it is.

I've only had it a couple of days but I'm pretty impressed with this little Lumix. I tend to do a lot of indoor photography and, as I don't have anything in the way of special lights etc, I rely on my camera to make up the shortfall a lot of the time. Well this one seems to handle less than perfect lighting conditions admirably with no fringing and good detail, and the auto focus is pin sharp. So far, so good!

All this means I have finally been able to get pictures of my new yarn batch for listing. Hurray!

How To: Create Your own Printing Blocks

2009-08-19T09:43:00.005+01:00

Today I thought I would share the process of creating some of my block printed book covers - it's quite straightforward and a lot of fun to make your own printing blocks or stamps and you can use them for all sorts of applications.

What you need:

Block for cutting:

I like Speedy Stamp for quick results because it's very easy to carve with the minimum of tools, but you could also try wood blocks or lino if you feel a bit more adventurous!

A cutting mat or stack of newspapers to protect your work surface.

Lino Cutter:

these can be picked up quite cheaply from art supply shops and the one I have has several interchangeable blades, although I mainly use the finest one as most of my blocks are quite small.

Stanley Knife or other craft knife for trimming the finished block.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I begin with a preliminary sketch or photograph of my design. For the block shown here I simplified a design I had previously drawn in my sketchbook.

I like to draw my design straight onto the block in pen or pencil, but you could trace it if you prefer. You may find it helpful to fill in any areas you don't want to cut out - remember, anything you carve out will appear as a void in your finished print. Once I'm happy with the outline it's time to start cutting.

Take care, as ever, with your sharp cutting tools and start off just taking little nibbles out of the block until you get used to how much pressure you need to exert and feel comfortable holding the lino cutter. It's helpful to stop frequently and angle the block towards the light so you can see how the carving is progressing. Once you have finished cutting, trim all around the edges very carefully with your craft knife. It's important that you don't undercut the block, ie the base should be slightly wider than the top edge to allow for even pressure when printing.

As you can see I took a bit too much off the bottom point of the flower when trimming it up. Don't worry, one little area like that won't affect the block's usability at all!

At this point you want to try your block out so go ahead and ink it up for a test print. You will probably find that you've missed a bit somewhere when carving, or that some element needs a bit more work, or that there are unwanted high spots on the block. Just go back into it with your cutter and carry on until you're happy with the design, then start making your own giftwrap, cards, book covers etc with your spiffy new hand carved stamp!

Samphire Tower - WIP

2009-08-12T11:31:00.005+01:00

I've had a hankering to draw this for ages but I only got round to starting the other day. The tower is a real structure on the south coast of England at Samphire Hoe. It's the creation of artist Jony Easterby whose work often combines architectural structures with sound installations. I saw an image of it a couple of years ago and was immediately grabbed by it.

And The Winner Was

2009-08-10T10:02:00.002+01:00

Just thought I'd share the results of my Saturday baking. Fruit scones, long a favourite in our house, and Custard Moments which are basically Melting Moments with some of the flour replaced by custard powder for a lovely golden, buttery tasting biscuit. These go very well with a bowl of vanilla ice cream by the way.

One Step Beyond

2009-08-08T11:00:00.009+01:00

One of the most bizarre things about being in the handmade business is having to start planning for Christmas while you're sitting in the garden enjoying the roses and soaking up a bit of sun. Yet that's what I'm doing at the moment. Forward planning is the theme for August round here because, well, handmade takes time to create.

And so I have lots of new things in the pipeline, beginning with these beautifully soft and cozy crochet scarves which I'm having a lot of fun with.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Today is also baking day! Yesterday I unearthed my Kenwood Chef from storage - don't ask where, but it was coated in far too much dust and grunge - and spent a good hour thoroughly stripping and cleaning the whole thing.

This trusty beast has been with me for about 30 years and, although I haven't used it for a very long time, it was my most prized kitchen tool back in the days when I baked all my own bread, pastries and cakes. So restoring it to its former glory was like welcoming back a much loved friend that you've lost touch with and thought you might never see again! Now, what to make first?

What To Do, What To Do?

2009-08-02T16:56:00.006+01:00

Do you ever have those patches in life when you're just dying to do something but you don't know what it is? Does that even make any sense? Well anyway, that's how I've been feeling for the past week or so. I keep starting, or thinking about starting, things and then abandoning them. Restless, can't seem to find what it is that's calling me. I hope it hurries up and gets here!

In the meantime, here's a couple of new notebooks, both with prints of my original drawings.

Afghan - Finished!

2009-07-30T16:47:00.003+01:00

Finished this last night and I'm really pleased with it considering it's my first ever attempt at crocheting something. After years of knitting it's lovely to try something different and I was surprised at how quickly it worked up - I doubt I'd have been able to finish a knit throw in the time this took. And I'm already planning my next project!

New Tricks

2009-07-21T12:25:00.004+01:00

When I was a child I used to watch my mother crochet and be completely spellbound by it. She would make scrap blankets and afghans from odds and ends of yarn. They were a riot of colour and appealed to me in the same way that, in later years, scrap quilts would. There is something deeply satisfying about getting the most out of one's resources and, having been brought up by parents who lived through WW2 and its attendant austerity, I suppose I've inherited that mindset.

I never learnt to crochet though. I could knit many intricate stitches but put a crochet hook in my hand and I was lost. Until now. Last week I came across these wonderful video tutorials which have finally taught me the basics and how to make an afghan - in progress in the picture above. Beth is a clear and talented instructor, so if you've ever thought you'd like to learn a new craft I heartily recommend her excellent 'classes'.

The Uninvited Guest

2009-07-17T15:43:00.004+01:00

As I was sitting at the computer the other day I became aware of a regular tapping sound coming from the kitchen. It would go on for a few seconds then stop, only to resume again. Eventually I decided to go and check it out and this is what I found. A very young blue tit was perched on the window frame pecking away at the glass as if he wanted to come in. Every so often he would stop pecking and flutter his wings, then go back to pecking again.

This went on for the best part of an hour until eventually he gave up and flew away. But the day after he was back again and this time he had a young friend with him. The friend wasn't so impressed with this routine. He watched the peck-flutter-repeat business for a few minutes then left, but our original visitor carried on for some time until I frightened him away unloading the dishwasher. What was he doing? We could only conclude he was reacting to the reflection of himself or the trees behind him but it gave me a great chance to get up close to a bird that is normally quite skittish and observe just how beautiful and subtle were its markings and colours. Small miracles.

Washed Out

2009-07-15T12:49:00.003+01:00

What are these, you ask? Why they're washcloths, or you could use them as dishcloths if you'd rather. I have been knitting loads of them this last week and it all started with Vincent proclaiming his lack of a face flannel and desire for same.

I've never liked those commercial terry towelling flannels because they tend to end up mouldy and/or slimy, which isn't the greatest bath time experience. So I thought, well how hard can it be to knit one? And that's what I did; just found some nice stitch patterns and improvised. If you fancy having a go yourself I used DK cotton and a size 3.5 circular needle - they aren't knit in the round, I just use circulars for everything as I find them much more comfortable to work with.

Cast on 35 or so stitches which will give you a cloth approximately 7" wide and use whatever stitch pattern you like. I used a mix of knit and purl because that gives a nice knubbly surface for washing with, but if you'd rather have a smooth cloth just do stocking stitch with a garter or moss stitch edging so that the finished cloth lies flat and doesn't roll in on itself, then knit until your cloth is square, or rectangular if you prefer. Cast off and there you are, one luxurious washcloth to pamper your skin.

Of course, if you don't feel like making your own you can get mine here. More will be added in the next day or two.

Nature Walk

2009-07-09T16:23:00.004+01:00

I always love it when I can find new and creative ways to use existing pieces of work. For this journal the inspiration came from a bunch of collage tags I made last year. I enlarged one and printed it out then backed it with kraft paper and added a metal washer and string ties to make an unusual cover. I'm really pleased with how it came out and can just imagine sitting on a windswept beach jotting down ideas and observations along with a sketch or two in it!

Allons-y!

2009-07-05T09:19:00.003+01:00

Yes, time for my yearly obsession with men on bikes, the Tour de France began yesterday in Monaco and continues today to Brignoles. I spent some very happy holidays in the South of France so it's lovely to see the area again. One of the delights of Le Tour is watching the countryside and the towns go by as the cameras ride along with the cyclists at a pace which, although pretty nippy, doesn't stop you enjoying the scenery.

That and all the lycra of course.

Small, But Perfectly Formed!

2009-06-29T11:18:00.005+01:00

Just a quick post today because we have a heatwave here and my studio is like a sauna. However I am trying to get more books made for PAD so I've been sitting at my desk with a fan positioned carefully so as not to blow all my papers around the room!

Anyway, these little babies are my latest creation and I think they're really cute, measuring just 2.25"x2.5". The set of three has copies of vintage matchbox labels on the covers and the other two have original drawings of my little houses on them. On Etsy now, I'll also be doing some for PAD (if I don't melt first!)

Down In The Hole

2009-06-23T12:42:00.012+01:00

The studio purge continues. It's slow work as I don't think I'd truly realised the amount of stuff I had lying around just waiting to be dealt with. So I clear a bit then work a bit. Yesterday I made these aceos because I unearthed my watercolours and of course had to use them right away! Oh I do love colour. The sunset one was inspired by the Iron Men that stretch along the shore at Formby. As they rust and are colonised by barnacles they become more and more beautiful in my eyes. There is something profoundly moving about decaying structures and landscapes, or perhaps that's just me.

Meanwhile, in other news, the third season of The Wire has just started on BBC2. So that's my late night viewing taken care of for the foreseeable future.

Where Is My Mind?

2009-06-05T08:26:00.006+01:00

I am being a baaad art girl at the moment, not much new work being worked on, no indeed. Too many distractions, too little time (and energy, thanks to my insomnia stepping up a gear). I have got a couple of cute notebooks done - see above - inspired by the 27 Houses I showed you the other week. My favourite Murano paper for covers and hand drawn row of houses, so each one is original and different. The lime one was in an Etsy treasury which was on the entrance page of the site and it (the book) got 300 hits in the space of about an hour! Wow!

But I was talking about distractions, before I got, er, distracted. You will have heard me bleating on about the state of my studio for some time now. Well, I decided the other day that the only solution is to completely rearrange everything: workspaces, storage etc. (I just know I'm going to regret this). Anyway, Vincent very helpfully put up a row of narrow shelves to store all my miscellaneous pots of stuff and paints so that was what really got me started. With much huffing and puffing I managed to move the huge work table that we share into a better position against the wall so now there's much more space.

The plan is to have a separate small table for cutting - paper, fabric for quilts and so on - and a desk where I can have my sewing machine set up permanently, which will leave the big table for painting, collage and book binding. Of course there is a TON of stuff to sort through and find proper storage space for before that stage is reached, but it will be so much more accessible and pleasurable to use once I'm done - well that's what I keep telling myself anyway. Wish me luck!

In Search Of Lost Type

2009-05-26T14:47:00.011+01:00

I am the happiest of campers today, having just taken delivery of these beauties. If you've never seen such things before, they are type cases for storing the lead fonts used in typesetting. Of course nowadays most 'typesetting' is done on the computer making the print shop and its equipment obsolete. But way back in the day I learned how to do it the old fashioned way with a pair of tweezers, painstakingly picking out the individual letters and the spaces between the words and arranging them in a galley, back to front, so that when run through the press there would magically appear a page of (hopefully) coherent text.

Unpacking these drawers was a real blast from the past and brought memories of the college printshop flooding back. Each drawer traditionally held a single font with all the extra characters necessary for compositing. They were stored in great racks with the drawers of capital letters above and the drawers of small ones below - the origin of the terms lower and upper case - and when filled with lead type were incredibly heavy, hence their sturdy construction.

Well I don't have ambitions to set up my own printworks but I did think these would make wonderful bases for some assemblage art so that's what I plan to do, although first they need a thorough clean as there's many years of accumulated dust inside them. I'll post more updates as the project progresses!

27 Houses, Or An Exercise In Patience

2009-05-22T14:47:00.009+01:00

And so, dear reader, I have been absent for some time, partly due to more health issues and partly because, put simply, I was tired of talking (or writing in this case). I'm sure pretty much everyone has phases when they just can't be bothered to some extent and I suspect that the way this manifests itself will depend largely on your own personality. I am naturally inclined to be a cat who walks by herself and consequently my solution is to do even more of that and for more protracted periods of time. It usually helps, and sooner or later I resurface ready for whatever's next.

Anyway, I have spent the last few days with a high fever of semi-hallucinatory proportions which turned out to be related to a tooth infection and is currently being nuked by some heavy duty antibiotics. It has been both frustrating - dizzy, weak and devoid of energy - and curiously soothing in a way that I haven't experienced fully since being confined to bed as a sick child.

Patience is not often one of my strengths but I have had to exercise it a good deal lately. All the 'must dos' and the inner promptings to get on with life have had to shut up for a while as I make my recovery. I practice looking at clouds and listening to the house martins screaming as they swoop after bugs outside my window. I doodle 27 houses in my sketchbook, comforted by the familiar repetition of the shapes and the movements of my pen on the paper. And I feel better than I have in a long while knowing that I'm right where I need to be and that, in truth, I always have been.

Hand Dyes Finished

2009-04-07T15:13:00.003+01:00

Here's what those skeins I showed you the other day look like when I've finished with them!
More pictures in the listings.

Sneak Peek

2009-04-04T14:47:00.005+01:00

Yesterday was a good day to dye. I got a new batch of superwash merino yarn delivered and the weather was beautifully calm and sunny so I got out the alembics and retorts and started the alchemy.

I love the dyeing process. Acid dyes are easy to work with and produce such beautiful vibrant colours. The fact that some of them don't develop their full strength until set and others change their appearance during the process just adds to the magic for me. Every time I open up the steamer and unwrap the finished skeins is a moment of anticipation and excitement as I never know precisely what I'm going to get.

It's quite a long process from start to finish and the actual dyeing is only a part of it. Once the dye is applied the skeins are steamed then left until they cool completely. Then I rinse them in cold water many times to extract any excess dye that might be left. After that they are hung on a drying pole outside, if the weather is good, or on my indoor rack if it isn't. Drying can take anywhere from 1 - 3 days depending on the conditions. When they're completely dry the final step is to re-skein them, which involves winding into a ball and then winding the ball into a skein again. This shows off the colour mixture better, neatens them up and allows me to check for any flaws, knots etc.

The yarn you see in the photo is all dry now and will be in my Etsy shop just as soon as I can get it rewound and photographed!

Blythe Spirit

2009-03-23T15:30:00.004Z

Lucille is all ready for a new spring wardrobe so I made a few clothes for her and then was enjoying fiddling with tiny bits of fabric so much that I made a few more which I put up in my other Etsy shop.

I am noticing the passage of the years though. I now find it much harder to thread a needle or to work on dark fabric; these old eyes aren't what they were. The black and white dress was a particular challenge as it's thin, silky fabric made me decide to hand sew it rather than risk my machine chewing it up. But that black was not easy I tell ya! Still I like the super cute result so it was worth it.