Creativity – or insanity?

I started off reasonably sanely – I went to the quilting demonstration day at the Discovery Centre. wandered round, admired people’s work, had a bit of a gossip. then went upstairs and had a look at the quilt exhibition, at long last.

It’s good. I am not fanatically interested in old quilts, but there are some interesting ones to look at, including the Jane Austen coverlet, not in a glass case for once. Can you imagine the insurance cost of that?

And the quilted clothing is amusing. I want some pink, heeled, quilted, fur trimmed ‘boudoir boots’ please, so if anyone has a pair lying around, size 6?  - and I think Wensleydale needs a crazy quilted smoking cap – not that he smokes, but it would help to keep his head warm these cold nights.

Of course what I really really want is one of the modern quilts at the far end of the room. Dorothy Caldwell, Pauline Burbidge, Diana Harrison - one by any of them would do, I'm not fussy. Better still, one of each.

Even if you are not a quilter, if you have any interest in textile art these have to be seen. You have  a week.

So that was the morning.

 

After lunch I decided to play with some fabric and paint, inspired by this,

 

 

 

 

which led on to this.

 

 

 

I thought I had some nice bright orange and yellow sheers – but apparently not, so I had to make do with something much drabber – and I didn’t have a lot of those.

I decided to use the manipulated rollers I made when I was experimenting with ideas from Margaret Peot’s ‘Make Your Mark’. [Must get back to that.]

This time I remembered not to get too much paint on the rollers – the mad bit was doing it in a new pair of trousers. You can guess the rest.

Then I painted some kebab sticks black.

And then, in a fit of insanity, I made this. 

No, it’s not a jellyfish.

Inspired by a passing mention in Ruth Lee’s ‘Contemporary Knitting’, and because my last order from Artesaver came packed with metres of the stuff, I decided to try knitting some bubble wrap. I got round the problem of joining it by starting each row with a new piece – hence all the tentacles. I know you can also cut round in ever-decreasing rectangles but I didn't have the patience for that.

I love the texture.

 

 

 

 

No sketchbook tonight because I’ve run out of photos and I need to take some more. Do I have the courage to show you the beginnings of the degree sketchbook? Not sure!