'If you make happiness your goal, then you're not going to get to it… The goal should be an interesting life."

Dorothy Rowe

Tuesday 1 July 2008

I've been a bit quiet

because not much has been happening. No Tuesday trip as Wensleydale was governing – well – taking the principal, who is leaving, out to lunch!

I spent the morning piling this lot up in the hall ready for our exhibition. This is two years work for C&G. I think it’s all there. There were a couple of things I was going to ‘forget’ because I hate them – but I’ve been good and included them. Of course if there isn’t enough space – and there usually isn’t – they might come home again. The photograph was taken before I added the branch to hang my dingle dangles on. And the vase to put the wrapped samples in. [Half a dozen wands and a broomstick. I kid you not. Oh, and a miniature wizard made from a wrapped peg.]

Apart from trying to remember where I had put everything, I have been playing with my new toy. These are my first two efforts. Nothing special but they helped me explore the machine. The stitch regulator is magic. I tested it on the green pencil case using the worst thread I ever bought – an Indian metallic which looks lovely but shreds if you look at it. I successfully used it for FME without a single breakage. Of course my FME is still pretty crap – but less crap than it was. [The zigzag which is just visible is a set stitch, not FME]

I had a nasty experience this morning. I turned the machine on and it made a continuous noise – a sort of whirring whine = or whining whirr. I thought it was a warning sound. I looked in the manual – which is permanently out next to the machine. The only mention of a warning noise was a beep. Panic nearly set in – until I realised that the bobbin winder was switched on. [It works automatically, you don’t have to press the foot pedal.] I must have caught it as I moved the machine.

I had to have a cup of tea to recover. I wonder how many people contact their dealers to ask about the strange noise their machine is making?
I have enrolled on next years course. It is a 'Creative Textile Workshop' which will run two days a term. It is run jointly by Terrie Hitchcock, the new embroidery tutor, and Susan Chapman, the P&Q tutor whom I know because I took Creative Sketchbooks with her last year.
There is some homework for the holidays - start a sketchbook, go to some art exhibitions and choose two artists to study. I feel smug because I have already been to two of the exhibitions listed and I have tickets for a third. so I have chosen my artists. One is Howard Hodgkin, whose exhibition of prints we visited recently. I hesitated for about 5 seconds before choosing the other one. OK i made three pieces inspired by his work this year - but I'm sure I can find some inspiration for some more ...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You do such interesting things. I'm so envious. I look forward to seeing your stuff in the cmong year.