Books, Bills and Worms

Will we ever have rain again? I am so tired of watering the garden and it is like dust again very soon after. However it has been great to have the dry weather while doing the kitchen. A large fridge-freezer arrived today and we just took it for granted that it could wait outside until this afternoon when the floor is (hopefully) finished. I don't know about being laid back about the kitchen JP - laid out might be closer. We are on the last lap and the wwsil is doing a great job of putting it all together - in spite of the apparent puzzlement.


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Just the carcases so far, so the pretty bit is yet to come. I have gone for a weird mixture of traditional oak and glitzy, shiny black and am now wondering if I was mad. I'll keep you posted.



We will probably have something watery somewhere in the garden, Heather. Smudge does like to watch the frogs. I shan't have fish - too upsetting, as the heron always gets them. We made fantastic compost at the last house but there is a severe lack of worms here so I had to order some on-line. The postman was horrified!

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I am working on my next book which is about using photos, photocopiers and imaging programs and by-passing the need for drawin. Not that I think we shouldn't draw (and there will be a lot of ideas for taking the techniques and boosting drawings) but some folks just don't. It will be called 'Your Cheating Art' and if it fails as a book it will at least have a chance in the country music charts.

The piece below comes from a photo of our mate Bill, much changed. Don't think he'd know himself in the pic below.

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I have printed it on fuzzy paper and started to stitch into it.

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Hope it will be one for the FOQ talk too, Gilby. It will be great to see you there and, if I don't recognise you, just shout.

Faces and Places

It's surprisingly hard work just getting 'normal' things done when you don't have a kitchen, plus the fact that I am very easily distracted these days. However I have to get down to some work as I have some new talks to put together and new work is needed. They will make their debut at the Festival of Quilts (NEC Birmingham) where we will have 'Face to Fabric' on August 12th and Art & Architecture on the13th. Last year, one of my talks was full very quickly and the other sold out on day one of the show so, if you're going to the show and would like a sit down, book early on http://www.twistedthread.com/pages/exhibitions/viewExhibition.aspx?id=31

I'm under Academy Workshops and Lectures. I'd love to see you. Here are some pics that I'll be talking about.

Below: Architecture of the Village - one of mine.

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This is one of my images which turned into an Ancient Face embroidery.

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Fabulous work from Jane Wild - the one below is a 'back of head' study but there is a face on the other side!
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Another of Jane's - suits the current atmosphere of romance since the wedding.

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I usually do some step-by-step photos in my talks so a new piece needs to be made. I'm getting excited about some ideas that have been buzzing the head for ages. We usually have mini movies in our talks, too - to demonstrate technique.

What else has been happening? Clive has moved a rockery - a bit like the labours of Hercules. he discovered an old pond underneath it.
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Buried in the pond where all kinds of things - like these dinky toys and a dog chew. It could lead to a series based on 'Those who came before us'.

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Smudge was no help but he enjoyed being a spectator from the summer house. he is auditioning for the pantomime - The Princess and the Pea - perched on top of all the chair cushions.

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Finally: this was spotted on the wall of the underpass at the end of the road that leads to the trailways (lots of cycling being done at the moment, my bike looks much too new and I'm trying to bash it up a bit).

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Do you think Banksy was here?

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Bags and Grow-bags

Aren’t these bags cute? Granddaughter Sophie and her friend Jennie had to make a stitched item for their Brownie badge so I was called in to help. We used blue felt for the background, ironed on Bondaweb and foil. Then came the Angelina – they were really hooked on that and I had trouble restraining them from an overdose of glitz. A piece of chiffon on top and we were set to stitch – machine, followed by running stitch (giving a good impression of tacking stitch).

They did it all themselves and I think they’ve done a great job, especially as we learned buttonhole stitch for the edges. Quite a hard stitch for nine year olds, with its loops and tension, but they soon got the hang of it.

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I was exhausted – especially with the needle threading. The cry kept going up, ‘I need more string’. I never did get them to say thread or yarn.

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Huge thanks again for all the info on Carpal Tunnel. I haven’t heard back from the doc yet but will call her next week. Funnily enough my friend Elli Woodfsord was having the tests done a week before me. I’m becoming convinced it’s down to the stitching – my hands are so much better since the loss of workroom forced me to hold back on the textiles. Thanks for the frozen peas tip, Wabbit.

Heather – had a giggle about ‘could have been worse’ when Smudge peed in the builder’s sand! You are so right.

When they get the cloning business sorted out I’ll let you know Jude. The temporary kitchen is not really big enough for us both to work in but the current regime of ready meals is working well.

We have had a couple of rather pathetic Brit-style bbbqs, Diane. I refuse to wash those rack things so we have disposable ones. Bet that causes a ‘wash your mouth out with soap and water’ reaction in Oz?

We have not been able to go out together for two weeks so not much chance of a meal out either. The reason is this.

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Two large holes in the kitchen where a door and window should be. Philly wanted to fit the windows to the holes rather than the other way round and they took a week or so to be made. So we couldn’t leave the place unguarded. We pushed a heavy chest against the hall door on the other side and, thankfully, no rape or pillage took place.

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Now we have them and it is great. Here's my new door with a lovely view of the garden, instead of the boring drive.

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Even got the dishwasher going again. I really find it quite fun doing the catering in the workroom but washing up was a pain.

The tyranny of the greenhouse

I was so pleased to find we had a green house here: ordered loads of plug plants and sat back smugly. Then they all came at once, then they sent free extra plants, then it got too hot in the greenhouse. All the potting on has ruled my life for weeks. I've exhausted all my pots and I'm on growbags

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It’s got to go. Anyway it is in the way of this lovely tree-filled view and no way is it a thing of beauty.
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Never mind - the vine is growing well in the unusual April heat. Dear little grapes showing.

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Must go now – plants to water, don’t you know!

Life Without a Kitchen

I wrote this blog yesterday evening and have spent ages trying to format this post. It just keeps ignoring all carriage returns. So apologies, folks and I've now resorted to lots of spots. Thanks for the sympathy and comments on the hand problem. Liniecat – thanks that’s very encouraging and ta to Stephanie for the exercises. I have ordered the power ball, Sarah. Sorry about your wrist Diana – hope it’s OK now. ...................................................................

I had a little giggle about Wabbit’s towel – I’d probably get tangled up and strangle myself, but you have got me thinking about how I sleep. I’m much better in a chair with my feet up – perhaps I’ll take to sleeping in the sitting room. The hands seem better since I stopped using the keyboard so much, so perhaps it’s not the stitching.

Many thanks to everyone who entered the debate on e-books. I think the time has not yet come, as I’ve been reading another Rebecca Stott (she’s great) and her books always have little pics and etchings in them. It has, as you say Rachel, driven me nuts - making the page big enough to see, and then small to read the text. ....

I think the way to go with Machine Embroidery Workbook is to put it on CD or on the web. The basic techniques could be printed out with lots more colour on accompanying pdf downloads. Could also have a Yahoo group. A bit like distance learning but not quite so individual. Might think about that. ..... .

My kitchen is in bits so the workroom has become the kitchen. Am I bovvered? No. Here is a snapshot of our house, taken a few minutes ago. Trev the builder is reinforcing a wall before he knocks the chimney breast down.

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Clive is cooking the dinner in a tabletop cooker, with veg cooking on the litlle electric hob and new potatoes in the microwave. What a treasure he is!

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Smudge is in the 'kitchen' courtyard wondering if anyone will ever fill his bowl.

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Where am I? . Am I helping? . Am I working? . Am I stitching? .

Not likely – I’ve got a new bike and it’s huge fun. Just heard that I sold a piece of work at Ramster so I don’t even feel guilty about buying it.

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I'll have to get off my bike now, as Smudge has peed in Trevor’s builder's sand and he is not happy! Knew it was too good to last!

Ouch!

I’ve had a bit of a dodgy week – felt really under the weather and had scary symptoms like waking up five or six times in the night with numb hands, or pins and needles. A quick look on the web convinced me that I had something really nasty and life-threatening so I high-tailed it to the docs to be diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel syndrome.

Not very nice but greatly preferable to some of the things I thought I had. So I have to have some tests and possibly injections to begin with. It was something of a relief really. I think it might subside on its own if I lay off the hand stitching for a while, as it has been quite intense.

I’m doing three pieces for an exhibition at Ramster Gardens next month and they are big on silk paper and hand stitching. I’m only going to show you teasy bits as they form part of an article for the June issue of Workshop on the Web which is about translating designs into stitch. We have a wonderful article on sketchbooks from Anne Menary and some super stuff from Janet Crowther on generating ideas for stitch, so I thought a practical write-up on the transfer process would be good. My base is silk paper with water-soluble inserts. Plus lots of stitching.

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Having had the diagnosis, I reverted to machine embroidery for these alien birds which form the top of a panel. The inspiration is an imaginary planet with a cut-through section. Imagine it rotated 90deg left - for some reason, blogger keeps turnng this one round.

On another subject, I do hope that the cuts leave our libraries alone. Ours does fun things like this initiative. A mystery book hidden in an envelope. I’d never heard of Rebecca Stott but 'The Coral Thief' is a fabulous read and both Clive and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. Although we have a kindle for ebooks, I still use the libraries a lot. I love the fact that you can download a whole chapter free to see if you like a book. There’s never time in a shop to read enough and I have made very few mistakes since we’ve had the kindle. If I like a book, I sometimes order it from the library, although I’m building up an e-collection.

Do you think there would be a market for stitch books in e-format? Some years ago Val and I did a great book for the Guild (The Machine Embroiderers’ Workbook) – starting from scratch and building up. I got the rights back when they didn’t reprint so could publish it. It wasn’t in colour but a website could be used for that. The original book had blank pages for readers to put their samples in and we saw some wonderful books. Maybe that would be better online so the pages could be printed out and saved in a file. What does anyone think? Must go now and give the wrists a rest!

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Been there, Seen that, Had a Great Time

We've been to Cheshire to give a talk for the Guild. What a great branch - loads of members and lots of enthusiasm.
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Stopped off at a wonderful exhibition in Stafford - at the Shire Hall. Called 'Drawing with Thread', it's outstanding - do go if you possibly can. The pic above is by Cas Holmes.

The one below is by Morwenna Catt. I love her work and she's got some great new stuff in this exhibition.
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And Caroline Kirton whose teenage portraits are so humorous.
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Back to the branch - I was very taken with their banner.
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The tiny cameos of local life were lovely.

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I wrote this blog on the talks laptop and it wouldn't move the pics about. I've now managed to get home and on the other machine to put it all right.

Calligraphy and Clean Cats

Heather – was very impressed with your appearance on Facebook. I have to confess that I still don’t know what the heck it’s all about but I’ve got lots of new friends. I know that we have a giveaway on the Workshop on the Web page - a book of your choice plus a big bag of goodies. Fiona is in charge of the WoW page (thank goodness) but she allows me to pop up there now and then.

It is a lovely piece of art, Scooter. It’s by Debbie Kirby, a silk weaver based at Walford Mill and Liz Farqueharson, a calligrapher. Liz has worked her magic with letters in a big swoopy style, cut it into strips for Debbie to weave with silk. It looks very different from different angles, as you can see.
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Diane – I sympathise. It is very different to co-ordinate all the people needed for a building project. We are steeling ourselves for the kitchen, planned for June. My cousin has a fantastic eye for fixing up a room – she calls it ‘pratting about’. She moved my furniture after we moved in and it looked so much better. Yesterday she came for coffee with her husband – a civil engineer. They started looking at the kitchen and it raised pratting to an art form.

What we thought was an immovable lump of wall can be knocked down almost completely and, best of all, Trevor is going to do the knocking down and rebuilding. This gives us room for a breakfast bar overlooking the garden. We never would have thought of doing it that way. Now I’m really excited.

Happy to be your friend Jen – can understand that you need to take care. I worry sometimes that the grandchildren are too free with information on the web.

Gilby- thanks for that – my lanterns are now hung. The electrician thought the lights were great but I can’t help thinking that this view of the bathroom from the hall looks like industrial chic meets Moroccan brothel!

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They do look lovely and give a surprisingly good light. Found them on ebay.

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Have been making collagraphs for the online classes. I’ve used paper mostly, but have got into printing fabric now and found a way to make repeat prints that are wider than the pasta machine.

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Love the back, too.

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Bought a new shaggy rug to soften the bathroom floor – Smudge is busily destroying it. Although he has found the right place for a quick wash, he is moving so fast it’s caused motion blur.
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Must go and finish the lesson, back soon.