The Pictorial Diary

Popping in briefly to give you a quick update on how we are doing chez grey. It's going to have to be very quick as the results of the photo-shoot for the 'six artists' book are currently on their way over the ether and I want to get it off to the designer in the next couple of days. 

It takes quite a long time, first choosing and then dropping the photo numbers into their correct place in the text. When they are all in place, I make a list so that photographer Michael knows which ones to send. Then the text file and images wing their way to wonderful Liz Wiffen, our designer, in Australia. When it comes back, it looks like a book (in PDF form). Magic, but that's when the really hard work begins.

I am still reeling from going to London twice in three days. Driving up for the photos and then on the coach for the Knitting and Stitching Show. Lots of talk on Facebook about the calibre of the exhibitions - generally we thought they were rather sparse. You'll find it on my FB page - search on Maggie Grey. I thought the Graduate Showcase was very good this year. Did you see  Adeline Schwab, the French girl with the miniatures (not a good pic). She has promised us an article for Workshop on the Web.

I loved going with the daughter and the granddaughter. We had a great time - met so many people - but it was jam packed. Lots of knitting stuff this year, the GC was delighted.

Talking of Workshop on the Web, I have had to rush to get it all up together before starting the new d4daisy book work. Everyone raved about the quality of the workshops in the September issue but I think you are all going to love December too. Guess what? I've got Arlee Barr - been after her for a while and you are so going to love her workshop - this is a tiny taste.

I went to review the 62 Group exhibition in a wood in Somerset - the Pink Wood. Wasn't quite sure about it as I am not over keen on the Goldsworthy type stuff. However it was fantastic. The review section of WoW is free to everyone (www.workshopontheweb.com) so I will remind you all to look when the issue comes out. Jan Miller's haunting figure can be seen below. 

It was a lovely sunny day and we met Sian Martin and husband Roy for lunch. Here she is in her new wellies and below is one of her Pink Frames. These were quite fascinating, especially the hanging ones, as the landscape view moved as you changed position.










Some of the exhibits are to be left in the wood so it will be interesting to see what happens to them. I plan a return visit.









I have just noticed that my pics have come. I knew they would some day. Oh. perhaps that was my Prince. As well as the pics I have the following tasks before I can stop for the day:

Sort out my winter clothes. It was freezing this morning. What a muddle on my bed.

Give Smudge a worm tablet - he has been bringing in a lot of livestock lately. Sleeping now as he is on night shift this week.

I am so longing to get some of my own work done. Next week, after the book sorting, it should be possible, but I will have to clear up this first.

Before I can get to this.

Or use some of this (purchases from the K and S). Wish me luck.

Grabbing the Moment

It is still all go here, with the book, Workshop on the Web and travelling for talks. The talks are a welcome relief as I do love getting out and about. We went to Croydon on Saturday for an Embroiderers' Guild Regional AGM but there was the most horrendous motorway accident and we spent a lot of time just sitting. As we never seem to learn our lesson, we decided to go home the same way, thinking it would all be clear, but it was even worse - think they had to re-tarmac the road. Luckily we noticed it from the roundabout over the top (you can always tell a really bad snarl up as people are out of their cars, walking about and chatting). So, at one point, we found ourselves heading up the motorway in the opposite direction! Got home in the end but it was awful.

A good thing about getting work out for talks is that you find all kind of things: these masks have a base of Softsculpt (Formafoam) and were made in the days when we used to work with schools.

We based the workshop on 'Your favourite artist' and one of the girls made this Picasso version (above left). I worked a lot with the thick heatable foam. The top of the hat below was moulded over the lid of a decorative jar.

The felt covering was cooked in the oven to tan it. It was wool so it burned nicely. Wouldn't you know that was one of Val Campbell-Harding's ideas.

We did manage to dash out to the local National Trust House, Kingston Lacy. They have a fabulous vegetable gardens and keep pigs (used to plough up areas they wish to cultivate) and chickens. I do love the way that standing pig, below,  is ploughing a straight furrow, regardless of his sleeping colleague - the one he is standing on. I have a new camera but so far I have only got as far as point and click on Auto. Very pleased with the pig pics, though.

They have some animals just for fun, like the kuna kuna piggies. They have babies but they were indoors the day we went.

I am likely to be missing for the next few weeks but might pop up on Facebook now and again. This book business is like giving birth. Afterwards, there is just the joy and you forget the pain.