Wednesday 6 May 2009

More Catalogues

I had a good laugh at your dog, Wabbit. Not sure if I've told you this story but, when I was a kid, we had an elderly aunt who used to crochet little bowls - stiffened with sugar water to make them stay bowl shaped - she'd have loved water soluble film. We also had a dog with a sweet tooth so we were always finding soggy, sucked bits of flat crochet around the house.

I don't know how or why the tree was decorated with coins. It was on a National Trust reserve called Airy Force (or something) - near Penrith. The Force (local name for waterfall) was actually more of a trickle but it provided endless opportunuities for us to ask each other if the force was with us.....

The garden spray table does actually look quite good, due to the asymetric flagstone, which looks quite Japanese.

Glad you didn't mind the catalogue pics appearing, Jen. The killers are going great guns - more below from Gill B. This one even has a design theme - it is based on an old church. I'm very impressed.

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The ones below are waiting to be decorated by Gill. They look pretty good as they are.

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I had an unexpected bonus of some extra pages in the Stitches, Straps and Layers book so I had a lovely play with paper beads and weaving. In the end I didn't use this piece (detail below) but I so enjoyed doing it.

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One of the new panels I made for the book is an icon panel with a frame made from decorated straps. I enjoyed doing this so much that I have decided to use my last catalogue as an icon frame. Hope to do this soon and also finish the coloured one. Just need an extra month or two to fit it all in.

9 comments:

Heather said...

Love the sucked crocheted bowl tale - a new way of distressing? The tree decorated with coins could have stemmed from pagan customs of making offerings to the gods for good luck, cures for illness, etc., rather like the 'cloutie' wells where bits of cloth are tied to trees around a 'sacred' well or spring. Gill's catalogues are great and I must get on with mine. Your decorated woven straps are gorgeous - I am looking forward to the book so much. How I agree with the last sentence of your post. I'm sure that time has also been devalued and that there are fewer minutes to each hour now!!

Julie said...

There is also a tree with coins in the bark at Belvoir Castle in Lincolnshire. It's in the Duchess's Spring Garden.

Genie said...

Gills catalogues look good. love the soggy crochet tale,and looking forward to new book,think we all need an extra week at least in a month.

Digitalgran said...

Glad to see you are having trips down Memory Lane too Maggie. You ask where the week has gone to? Where do the months go to? I still haven't found time to do anything with my beautifully killed catalogue I'm ashames to say. I loved that coin tree.

gilby said...

Hi Maggie,
What a thrill to see my work on your blog. A great honour.
Gill. B.

Viv Estill said...

We've seen that coin tree too!
From what I remember there was more than one water fall - some more impressive than others!

jan b. said...

I thoroughly enjoy seeing the Killed Catalogs as they progress. I put one in my leaf compost pile about a month ago and look forward to trying my own hand at one. The bead/weaving piece you posted is absolutely gorgeous. Thank you for sharing it with us.

jan in ohio, usa

Becky Mairi Farrell said...

The catalogues are all looking fabulous, I think I must start digging a hole in my garden! Can you tell me what sort of texture they have - is it soft, pliable, solid, do the pages mesh together? Or is it best to just bury, wait and see? I am always looking for new kinds of texture.

I am so looking forward to seeing your icon too. What sort of straps are you using?

Whenever I come to your blog I wish more than ever that I was a textile artist. I love the art I do, but I love yours too and wish I could reach out and touch it.

Norma Soulet (AZArtist) said...

Hi Maggie,

First of all, I love all your work!
This is the frist time I am visiting your blog and love everything on it. :)
I was introduced to your Killing of Catalogs by two other friends.
So this week, I was working on one and today I am finishing my art piece. I would love you to see it.

Thanks for the inspiration and I already have another one drying out. :)