A bookish Tuesday trip.

My favourite craft centre, Walford Mill, has been running an exhibition of artists’ books – and it suddenly dawned on me that it finishes at the weekend.

So we took advantage of another lovely day, and drove down to Walford via our ‘avoiding the A31 in summer’ route across the New Forest. Longer, slower [unless there is a traffic jam on the A31, which is why we avoid it in summer] – but you get views like this when you stop for lunch. Not to mention the ponies.

For non-Brits - if you are saying to yourself ‘That doesn’t look much like a forest’ – the New Forest is neither new nor a forest. More information here if you want it.

But I digress. After a pleasant picnic we went on to Walford, where I bought an armful of books in their second hand book sale, and got inspired by the exhibition. At first, I was disappointed that they were all accordion books, but realised this is probably because they display well – and it was a learning experience to see how many variations of the form there were.

Both Wensleydale and I felt the show compared very well with the embroideries at Ramster, although these artists too, were mostly non-professionals. Perhaps it is the limitations of the structure, perhaps that it is a fairly specialised genre which attracts only loonies like me, but unlike Ramster I could have happily brought many of them home – if I could have afforded them…

It was also reassuring to see several examples using manipulated photographs of everyday things – street furniture or aluminium pie cases for example. I learned quite a lot about how to handle scale and positioning, and when - and when not – to add stitch. Altogether a useful and worthwhile trip – and the cafe lived up to expectations as usual.

A Tuesday trip

- the first for quite a long time.

We went to The Vyne, a National Trust property we visited once years ago, but despite the best of intentions never got to again. I think we were put off because to get there from here you have to drive round Basingstoke.

Now I am well aware that there are otherwise normal people who drive round – and even through – Basingstoke, on a regular basis – but they know where they are going, and which lane they should be in, and which exit of the 27 available at each roundabout is the one they want. But we don’t. So we end up in the wrong lane and in the wrong place and it’s scary.

But we took our courage in both hands and went – and we only went wrong twice.

But I digress.

We were motivated to visit by an exhibition of furniture by Mark Brazier Jones. Do not be misled by the first page of his website - this was not an exhibition of motor vehicles, but of furniture. Somewhat unusual furniture. Reading the list of his clients on that page may give you an inkling of what the furniture is like. [We were told the sparkly side tables were covered with Swarovski crystals. And I mean ‘covered’.]

I went expecting not to like it – after all, I’m someone who thinks good furniture design pretty well started and ended with the Bauhaus – but I was taken by some of the pieces. Like this one, which they have in the house in Barbie pink hide. [I always did have a weakness for tassels.]

I liked the lighting and the clocks too – unfortunately I can’t find any images on the website of my favourite ‘escaped from Brighton Pavilion’ standard lamps – if you can use such a mundane phrase about something covered in crystals. [When I say ‘like’ I don’t, of course, mean ‘would like to own’. Even if I could afford it.]

Wensleydale, on the other hand, was rather taken by this. No, not the mirror. I can’t think why. [You can find more images under the ‘Flashman’ link but don’t look unless you are feeling broadminded.]

We decided we needed to go back another time, when the furniture wasn’t there, so we could concentrate on the house.

And, as usual with NT properties, the gardens are lovely and there is a teashop with very good scones.

It was even worth driving round Basingstoke.

Another Tuesday trip – but -

for once, without Wensleydale.

I think I have mentioned that, for the degree, we have to do a presentation on an artist of our choice. And our group’s unanimous  choice was Alice Kettle.

Quite fortuitously, she has an exhibition on in Farnham, in collaboration with ceramicist Stephen Dixon. So of course we had to go. Very interesting work – recognisably Kettle, but different to the Discovery Centre piece that I am so familiar with. A bit smaller, to start with - especially the plates. If you, like me, are a Kettle groupie, it is well worth a visit. And the gallery is under threat as the result of funding cuts so they need as many visitors as they can get! The exhibition is free, but you can pick up a copy of the limited edition book about it, with personal stitches by Alice, for £7.99.

We also popped into an exhibition by the designer David Hillman – an opportunity for nostalgia if you remember the launch of the Sunday Times colour magazine [no, it hasn’t always existed] or that wonderful magazine Nova - [the original, not the short lived pale imitation].

And we also visited the art shop for some retail therapy – much to the consternation of the students, who were a bit thrown by this invasion of middle-aged women talking to the saleswoman [who was a quilter] about textiles …

Have to go back for the Bernard Leach exhibition, though.

Another Tuesday trip!

The excitement may be more than I can bear.

I’d heard about the opening of the new premises of the National Needlework Archive, which used to be in Southampton but is now in Newbury, so we thought we’d take a look. [So great is my antipathy to driving in Southampton that I would far rather go to Newbury.]

So we pottered up there  – and arrived in the middle of a power cut. However there was enough light to see by, so we had a good look round. The exhibition space is not enormous – the building was previously the chapel for Greenham Airforce base – but there were some interesting textiles, old and new, and a couple of sewing machines as well.

There is a wonderful irony in an exhibition of ‘women’s work’ in a  place that was once famous for its efforts to keep women out. And, like their suffragette predecessors, those women used textiles  to publicise their cause.

On the way home we popped into Whitchurch Silk Mill again. If you Gift Aid your entrance fee, you get free entry for a year, which is quite a bargain. Wensleydale always enjoys the technology, and their little exhibitions are usually interesting – at the moment there is one about scagliola, and another about wooden printing blocks. [I’m sure you know that silk is used in making scagliola. And of course you know what scagliola is, like I do – now.]

Sorry to go AWOL …

but things have been a bit busy around here, so not much creative has been happening, apart from a commission.

I don’t usually take commissions – I haven’t got the bottle to charge a realistic price, and I don’t like the pressure of working in a less slapdash manner than I usually do, to a deadline – but this was different. The commission is for a shopping bag for Babybel, so when she helps her mummy and daddy with the shopping she has a Babybel sized bag instead of a mummy and daddy sized one. [Sounds like a new version of ‘The Three Bears’.]

So I started a doggy bag- it’s not quite finished and it’s really a doggy and teddy bag, because I didn’t have enough dog fabric.

It is based on this pattern, except that it is smaller, I didn’t have the same fabric, and it will be an across-the-body bag. I have included the crayon pocket, as I thought that would make it dual purpose as Babybel loves to draw.

Not sure what to charge, but I think some kisses and cuddles might be about right …

We did manage a Tuesday trip today, to the Hillier Gardens again. I like the gardens in the winter, because you can see the underlying shapes of the plants so well at this time of year.  Very inspirational.

 

I also took charge of this – a kind gift from an internet acquaintance. In case you haven’t an inkling, it’s an Inkle loom [sorry] – so now I have another learning opportunity coming up. No, I don’t need another textile activity – but I thought I could use some of my redundant knitting yarns on it. Of course I don’t know what I’ll do with the bits of weaving when they are woven – that’s Plan B.

Last time I posted I asked if anyone could guess what I had printed this with. No-ne risked a guess – which means either that I stumped you – or that there is no-one out there …

 

 

The answer is - half a small onion.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re off on a college trip tomorrow – if it doesn’t snow. [It has snowed every Tuesday night this year.] We are going to this – so if you are in Southampton Art Gallery tomorrow and see a bunch of noisy students – that’ll be us. Hodgkin is one of my favourite artists, so I'm looking forward to it.

Another Tuesday trip.

This time to Salisbury. I had noticed that there was an exhibition by Peter Eugene Ball in the Cathedral and as W. is never reluctant to visit Salisbury Cathedral, off we went.

We started off, as usual, with lunch at Salisbury Arts Centre. - good cafe with rather a nice Art Gallery attached. The current exhibition  is ‘Birdland: An Artist’s Imaginary Aviary’ – which could have been naff – but wasn’t. I particularly liked Mahali O’Hare’s deceptively simple canvases with almost stencil-like birds – there's one on the link – but Lizzie Sykes’ video installation of a magpie was fascinating to watch.

Then we wandered over to the Cathedral for the exhibition by Ball.  He uses driftwood or other pieces of weathered timber with bronze and other metals.

There were some secular pieces but although I’m not a Christian I preferred the religious ones – like a cross between medieval reliquaries and the Benin bronzes. The pieces looked completely at home in the setting of the Morning Chapel of the Cathedral, especially those set in the wall niches,

and the Madonna and Child in front of the altar. [I took lots of photos but the ones on his website are much better quality.]

 

 

 

 

 

Of course there are a lot of sculptures outside the Cathedral as well, like this one

 

 

 

 

 

and this rather worried looking gentleman who we were told was a fairly recent arrival.

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out of the Close afterwards I spotted some rather exuberant flowers.  I hadn’t realised before that petunias are scented – well, I think it was the petunias, there were quite a lot of other things there as well.

 

 

 

And when we got back to the car park I couldn’t resist this little fellow, masquerading as a fire hydrant.

You wait ages for a textile exhibition …

and then three come along together.

So as they were geographically quite close to each other we decided to visit all of them in one day, especially as it has been a beautiful warm, sunny day, and we had a pleasant drive through the New forest to get there.

The nearest was this one at Forest Arts in New Milton. And it was stunning, especially when you consider the probable age of the students involved  [16-19] and the fact that some of them may not have studied textiles formally before last September.

The accompanying leaflet gave the students’ own comments on their work - they had been encouraged to think about the meaning and symbolism of their work, which didn't happen on our C&G course. I only wish it had. It was also good to see the work of their teachers exhibited as well, - Lorna Rebecca Miller,   Kate Reynolds and Sasha Hicklin – who are clearly good and inspirational teachers.

We went on to Highcliffe castle, where we had lunch sitting outside in the sunshine before going into the castle to see the exhibition by ‘Quattro’ – Linda Gleave, Linda Robinson, Dawn Thorne and Liz Heywood. And in Googling them i have realised that, as i suspected, i have seen their work before – at the 2007 Knitting and Stitching show where they exhibited as part of Studio 21 along with my Contemporary Textiles tutor, Susan Chapman. 

The Quattro exhibition was as inspiring as the Forest Arts one – 4 different artists working in very different ways and all fascinating. I liked it so much I bought a piece - ‘Gale’ by Linda Gleave, a wonderfully atmospheric piece, mostly paint with minimal machine stitching.

The third exhibition was by the New Forest Guild of Weavers, spinners and Dyers at the Red House Museum in Christchurch. In my view it couldn’t compete with the two other exhibitions – it is very small, the contents were much less to my taste, and not being a weaver or spinner I couldn’t appreciate the finer points of the work. But the museum has some interesting exhibitions [the display of wedding dresses is worth a look] and you can buy coffee from a machine. We sat in the sunshine to drink it and then walked round the pleasant gardens, with views of Christchurch Priory, before coming home.

 

Today’s purple picture also comes from the museum gardens  - I’m not sure what the flower is, but isn’t the veining beautiful?

We live such exciting lives ...

we have had both a Tuesday trip and a Wednesday wander this week.

Last night we went to the Watermill Theatre again, with Mr and Mrs Cheddar, to see 'The Merchant of Venice'. I 'did' the MoV at school and a few decades have elapsed since then, so although I remembered the gist of the plot, the finer points had vanished from my memory. And some of the points made in this production were not those emphasised at a girls grammar school in the 60s ...

It is a very dramatic, gorious [no, that isn't a typo] production with some excellent performances, and as always with this company, excellent music and a set that made brilliant use of a very small space. Well worth seeing.

As we had to be in Winchester this morning we took the opportunity to visit a ceramics exhibition by Ashley Howard in the Cathedral.

It was described as an exhibition of ceramic 'fonts', inspired by architectural features including medieval tiles. So of course I had to go!

I was expecting something tall, highly glazed and quite elaborate.

Not something like this.

You may recognise some of these patterns!

There are about a dozen of these pieces, roughly a metre across, sitting on the tiles which inspired them. As the catalogue points out, we don't expect to find ceramics on the floor!

Howard discusses the interplay of oriental influences on his work and the Western architectural tradition, and that certainly came over to us in his work. Some, like the one above, had marks that could almost be oriental script - others, like that below, looked almost as if they could have been unearthed by archaeologists.

I liked Howard's quote from EH Gombrich: 'Usually we walk through life without paying much attention to the infinite variety of patterns and decorative motifs which we encounter all around us ...'. Howard continues 'For me, the form is fundamental, and the embellishment of form and surface is an exciting and intriguing area of contemporary craft practice.' Couldn't agree more!

My yellow today picture is something much more transient and fragile - a primula, as close up as the camera would let me get.

Why are so many spring flowers yellow? Are spring flowers in other geographical areas also often yellow? Does any one know?

A Tuesday trip ...

means no new stamp today.

We went to Salisbury, to visit the exhibition by Wessex Textile Artists in the museum. Quite small - but worth a visit. Of course the first things I saw when I walked in were four embroidered medieval tiles ...

The next gallery has an exhibition of costume and other textiles, including a beautiful stump work mirror [ and I can usually contain my enthusiasm for stump work ...]

Then, after coffee and cake in the cafe [there's a surprise] we strolled across to the Cathedral. We haven't been inside it for years and I had forgotten just how beautiful it is. [Despite a shortage of tiles.] And someone was playing the organ, which made it perfect, despite being such a gloomy day.

Most of my photographs were a disaster as flash didn't work for long shots and the gloom meant long exposure times, which meant camera shake - but I could use flash for the wealth of embroideries.

This is a collage of some kneelers in one of the side chapels. More lovely mythical animals.

An altar cloth and kneeler in another side chapel. I love the circle - and the dragon.

The cloth below is, if I remember correctly, 16th century Spanish or Italian - but I may well be wrong.

A more modern cloth - does anyone know if this is the work of the Sarum Group? This is St Lawrence's Chapel, hence the grid and the fire. And I like the modern cross.

I looked in the book shop for something about the embroideries, but couldn't find one, which was disappointing. Winchester has a little booklet which was helpful for C&G.

I must apologise because my camera seems to be taking mega photos again - must have pressed the wrong thing at the wrong time. Again. Last time Cheese Minor fixed it for me, but unfortunately I can't remember what he did - just hope he can ...

Tuesday trip

For the first time for ages our weekly outing has actually been on a Tuesday. We went down to Gosport to the Gosport Gallery. It must be about 15 years since I last went to Gosport and on the way down I remembered why, when I was working in the area, I used to dread having to go there. I'm sure it's a great place - it is getting in and out that's the nightmare...

However it was well worth fighting our way through the traffic. We went to Kurt Jackson's exhibition, 'The Solent Project', although I must confess I hadn't heard of Jackson before we were shown some of his work at the first Contemporary Textiles Workshop.

The Solent Project comprises seascapes of - you guessed it - the Solent. For non-Brits, the Solent is the stretch of water between the south coast of England and the Isle of Wight which is the island at the bottom of a map of England. It is one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, and Wensleydale used to look out of his office window at it, lucky thing.

Jackson's paintings are beautiful, especially the moonscapes, which are breathtaking. However my favourite was 'Waders, flint, mud, light, geese' which gives you an idea of his evocative titles - and probably a fair idea of the painting. With the emphasis on mud. Jackson writes the titles on the paintings which somehow adds to the atmosphere.

As we drove home the sun was setting and there was a beautiful sky which reminded me of the paintings.

His work reminded me of Barbara Lee Smith who exhibited at the Knitting and Stitching show a few years ago.

I didn't realise until I started writing this that Jackson also does assemblages. Now I have a collection of driftwood and bits of fishing net but I couldn't make it look like this in a million years.

Unfortunately we couldn't afford even a little painting [I do have a tiny Lee-Smith!] but I did buy the catalogue and I've ordered another book so at least I can drool and dream of winning the lottery. Suppose I would have to do it first ...

No Tuesday trip this week

After last week's gadding about we are having a quiet week to regain our strength before a spot of child minding next week.

I did go on one of the ‘Embroidery Now’/RSN course in Winchester at the weekend – ‘Goldwork Lettering’ with Flo Collingwood. It was a lovely day, both in content and in weather – for the first time since I started going to these nearly a year ago we could actually sit in the garden to have our lunch.

This is my effort – I am not to happy with the lazy daisies so they will have to come out, but I think I may actual finish this one!

I have also been playing with my new book – having made a black & white book, this is a black and white vessel book – still working on the Tamsin van Essen theme. So far it is mostly paper but I do have lots of ideas for stitch. The book will not lie flat, even with the help of a ruler, which is why some of these photos are even odder than usual.

I think I blogged about this fabric very early on in my blogging career. It was printed with bubble wrap. I think it needs more stitch but I haven't decided what.

OK - black, white and gold. I can't draw - but I can doodle. Sort of. Although it looks like fabric it is hand made paper [bought, not made by me].










This is straight, really, honest. The pages of the book were not strong enough to cut big holes in so I decided to stick two pages together. And then I decided to put cellophane between them. Printed cellophane from Nid-noi.

This in inlaid felt, which looked a bit bare until I added the beads. It has a companion, black on white, which I scorched while pressing it. I was going to bin it but then I thought that van Essen's pots are not perfect, which is part of their message - and their appeal. So it has gone in the book - but not on the blog!












OK. Black, white, gold and red. Cut from a magazine photo.

And some late breaking news - just discovered on the V&A website:

design your own textile. Have fun.

Tuesday trip - and another pincushion, definitely the last, - probably

Our trip today was to the Queen Elizabeth Country Park, near Petersfield, for a textile exhibition by the group Odyssey:

http://www.odysseytextileart.co.uk/

Last year we went to their exhibition 'Layers of Meaning: from sketchbook to stitch' at Farnham Maltings and found it very exciting. A large space meant they could show some large and innovative pieces and - joy of joys - you could see and handle their sketchbooks!

Unfortunately I found the latest exhibition rather disappointing. The exhibition was in the cafe: although this had some advantages - you could enjoy the work and coffee and lemon drizzle cake at the same time - they were outweighed by the disadvantages. There was no room for big pieces, no sketchbooks, and you couldn't get up close and personal because there was always someone sitting under the piece you really wanted to look at.

The topic was 'Threading through Nature'. I have been to exhibitions inspired by nature before - and also found then a bit underwhelming. There were some interesting pieces - a series of green men [I am very fond of green men!] and some tiny hand made books, no more than 2 or 3 inches square, filled with drawings, photos and stitch. Unfortunately I neglected to write down the names of the artists, and of course I've forgotten them.

We also managed to get a walk in the park in the one dryish period, found a nice toddlers' playground for future use, and then retreated to the car for a picnic in the rain.

Since coming home I have completed another pincushion, and, inspired by the exhibition, started another book, of which more tomorrow. Maybe.

This is the pincushion. I realised while I was making the last one that if I used minidiscs [thanks. A. - thought of you in the park] I could make a wrist pincushion - so I did. The unattractive white bit is the elastic. I think this one will really have pins in it. i have no plans for any more - although I do have a lot of CDs left ...

Tuesday trip - 2 days late

Unfortunately I can't think of a travel related term beginning with ‘th’…

Today we kept a long standing promise to ourselves and went back to ‘Art in the Garden’ at the Hillier Gardens. [I can recommend the carrot cake in the cafe.]

We still haven’t seen all of it – and part way through my camera decided that the memory card was full, so I didn’t manage to photograph everything.

Here are some examples - you may spot a theme developing...




This one is for the co-grandparents [hereinafter known as Mr and Mrs Cheddar], proud owners of Ronaldo the Wonderdog. [I think I may have spelled that wrong, and it should probably be Ronalda anyway, but I am sure someone will correct me if necessary.]

And this is for Ronaldo. They - and another sheep, a pig, a goat a goose and a cat - were all made of chicken wire by Mandy Flynn.

These are by Darren Greenhow. The lizard is made from bicycle chains, and his others all incorporated recycled engineering bits. Including the fish on a [real] bicycle which we came across after the camera packed up.

Not sure who made the rooster but I think the colours on his head are wonderful.

I find a lot of animal sculptures twee but I liked these.

While we are on the subject of art – our paper on Saturday published a two page spread of a self portrait by Tom Deininger, which led me to Google him.

http://www.tomdeiningerart.com/

There is some ‘adult content’, if that is a concern for you.

If you look at the thumbnails it may seem fairly conventional – but look closer … There are ideas for embroiderers there, I think – for example the seascapes made of denim, but also the supermodels, some which look as if they were beaded.

It reminds me of the work of John Dahlsen:

http://www.johndahlsen.com/index.html

some also made from junk, and also quite inspirational for embroiderers, I think. My wall hanging for part one of C&G was inspired by a Dahlsen piece but it drifted …

It was a good day until ...

We realised the washing machine was b******d.

I used it yesterday but the washing came out pretty wet – which usually means the filter needs cleaning. Wensleydale nobly cleaned it out this morning and when we got back from the Tuesday trip I ran another load. And we realised that the drum was not rotating. Wensleydale has diagnosed a stripped bearing. So I have a load of washing which is dripping wet but not washed, dripping over the bath as I type,.

We have decided that as it was 15 years old we have had our money’s worth, I have consulted ‘Which’ [UK consumer advice magazine] and we will be off to John Lewis [UK department store] tomorrow. It would, of course, happen when we are still recovering financially from the holiday, and I have lots of post-visitor washing. But of all my appliances the washing machine is the one I could least do without – only Wensleydale is more crucial to my mental health, if only because he is more versatile.

On the plus side – we had a good Tuesday trip, managing to dodge the rain which only fell when we were inside. We had a picnic lunch at Highcliffe Castle – about which I have written before – and then went on to the Red House Museum in Christchurch to catch the last week of ‘Please Touch’:

http://www.cadarts.com/tactiletextiles.htm

It was really good to be able to touch the textiles for once, and I came away with some ideas for toys for Babybel when she is a little older, as well as lots of ideas for other pieces..

Then we had a walk in the garden. We have been to the Red House several times but never realised what a pleasant garden it has, much bigger than expected. One section leads on to another and each is slightly different. We managed to catch a sunny interlude in the usual UK summer weather [cold, wind and rain].

By the way. I must thank everyone for their kind comments on Babybel and on my books. I have made a fabric version but it is not quite finished as I suddenly thought about safety pins – you can tell I predate punk, can’t you? I have also started a little book of white - although some black has crept in as well.

I was particularly interested in Jackie’s comment that some parts of the paper book might be pieces in their own right – which raises all sorts of interesting questions about what is ‘an embroidery’, how much stitch do you have to put into it, and- crucially – how do you know it’s finished?

Increasingly I want my work to have some sort of meaning, even if it is only for me. The cloth book has become a ‘rag book’ in my mind – and ‘rag’ has interesting connotations. I am also always conscious of my family history – mostly Lancashire weavers as far back as I have gone. With the occasional widow taking up dressmaking. What for me is a pleasure was what, for them, kept bread on the table – and I want to reflect that too. Now all I have to do is put all those vague ideas together and come up with something to sew!

And on that philosophical note I shall go and watch telly.

Tuesday Trip

We don't usually go far for our trips out as neither of us likes driving - we did too much of it in our past lives. However we made an exception, having read about this:

http://www.comptonverney.org.uk/?page=exhibitions/thefabricofmyth.html

We felt we had to visit an art exhibition that showed signs of taking textiles seriously, although it took us a couple of hours to get there.

I think that if you visited expecting it to be an embroidery exhibition, you would be disappointed. It is an art exhibition about the association of textiles and myth, particularly Greek Myth, so there are textiles but also textile related images. Having said that - there is quite a lot of embroidery.

I felt that some of the associations were a bit tenuous, particularly in the later rooms,but I loved some of the juxtapositions of objects that resulted. For example the first room contained a 5th century AD Coptic tapestry of Ariadne, and a huge Louise Bourgeois sculpture of a curved needle. In the second room the exhibits ranged from a 4th century BC drinking vessel showing Circe and her loom, via a 16th century embroidery by Bess of Hardwick to a 21st century Alice Kettle piece.

It was interesting to see some of the work of Mary Queen of Scots, having written about her embroidery in my magnum opus. These were some of the slips from the Oxburgh hangings, which were much bigger than I expected.

The building is interesting, and the grounds beautiful [what we could see through the rain]. And the cafe does a great cream tea!

Our Wednesday Wander

[or a Tuesday trip a day late] was to Whitchurch Silk Mill. We have been there a couple of times before - it isn't too far away, Wensleydale is fascinated by the machinery, if you pay the gift aid rate you get free entry for a year, and it has a tea shop. The only drawback is all the beautiful silk things in the shop that I can't afford!

Here is the mill - as you can see it was a lovely day. You can just see one of the streams which run on either side and are full of ducks and the occasional trout.

There has been a watermill on the site since the 11th century, and there is till a water wheel in the wooden part of the building to the left. It is a working silk mill, although the machines are no longer driven by water power. You may never have heard of the mill but you have probably seen their fabrics in costume dramas on the telly, or reproduction fabrics in National Trust properties. Here are some samples, albeit a little faded, making an informal blind!

This time the added attraction was a small [8 items!] exhibition of 19th and 20th century ecclesiastical vestments from Salisbury Cathedral. Fascinating to see the contrast between the early examples and the most recent ones, including a blue cope by Jane Lemon and a chasuble by the Sarum group. Wensleydale asked me what the difference is between a cope and a chasuble, and I had to admit I didn't know. The exhibition is on until the end of August if you are interested.

When not wandering, I have completed Babybel's teddy book, and worked on my knot garden - which is currently looking a little odd. For non-embroiderers - those loops and ends are plush stitch which will be cut and trimmed back to make a carpet-like texture.

I have also resumed working on another triptych I started before we went away - so perhaps my uncreative spell is coming to an end. I had had my usual bout of feeling that it wasn't working and that, I think, was the cause. However looking at it again last night I decided it wasn't so bad - although today I have reservations again. Pictures later if I decide it is OK!

Tuesday trips - resumed

We got back to our routine yesterday with a visit to ‘Art in the Garden’ at the Hillier Gardens near Romsey. We had been to a small indoor art exhibition there before which had been – how can I put this? – a bit flowery for my taste. But it was a lovely day, so we decided to go. And thoroughly enjoyed it. The art was mostly stunning and mostly beautifully sited.

There were a lot of flowers of course, not all real. This is by ‘Iron Vein' [?].

The gardens are lovely, even if you are not interested in the art, but a bit pricey to get in. There is a good tea shop, which you can get to without going into the gardens.

I took a hundred photos, although we only managed to get half way round before our elderly joints suggested we came home. However the event is on until the autumn, so we will go back at least once to see the rest.

I won’t show you all the photos, but here are some highlights.

As there are occasional references to textiles in this blog, I have to include this one by Susan Bowman, Yes, it is a crochet skirt, set with plaster/polymer.


And a cast glass hat and mittens by Miyuki Kasahara.

These, by Robinson and Wainwright, were perfectly complemented by the wonderful tree they were hanging in.

But my favourites were these by ‘Loco Glass’

and this and her companion by Patricia Volk. I love her contemplative expression.

We couldn't quite afford to buy anything because we had spent up on Sunday, at the Sandown Quilt Show, when Wensleydale bought me my belated birthday present. [You may remember I had a big birthday this year.] The prezzy arrived yesterday.

I used to have a Bernina but the motherboard died and wasn't replaceable. My little Elna is great but I missed the additional bells and whistles of the old Bernie. Well – this one has even more bells and whistles, including the stitch regulator, and I think it is going to take some getting used to. All I managed to d last night was to put the tools away in the tool box, which was a more complex procedure than you might expect as the tool box is like a miniature wardrobe with a place for everything.

I had forgotten how heavy Berninas are – almost as heavy as my third machine – which I don’t think I have shown you before.

This one has no bells or whistles at all – it doesn’t even sew in reverse – but after 100 years + it is still working … which is unlikely to be true of either the Elna or the Bernina!

This week's Tuesday trip

was postponed until Wednesday, as Wensleydale had a meeting on Tuesday and our friends and co-grandparents R & S had suggested a trip to the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth today.

The Spinnaker Tower is one of those places which we had said we ought to visit but probably would never have got round to. When Wensleydale worked in Portsmouth he could see it from his office window and watch its progress as it was being built.

We enjoyed the trip – it was a lovely day and the '350 degree' views are as spectacular as we expected. Why did they leave out the remaining 10 degrees? I have my suspicions and if you know Portsmouth you may be able to guess which bits you can't see...

The brave ones amongst us walked over the ‘largest glass floor in Europe’ – and Wensleydale and I didn’t … This is the view down through the glass floor. Of course the few small children who were there walked over it quite happily!

The lift whisks you up to the first floor very quickly so you get no real idea of how high up you are – till you notice the seagulls flying below you and the ferries which, to coin a cliché, look like toys. These are the Fastcats to the Isle of Wight from 100m up:

And this is one at sea level.

The tower is probably of most interest to locals who know what they are looking at – but you do get views of HMS Victory, which is rather more famous than Wensleydale’s former place of employment - the curved building in the centre.