Bah! Humbug!

well, not really.

I visited the Cathedral Christmas Market this morning – which seemed to be bigger than ever. There was no-one on the aquaplaning – er – skating rink, but the stalls were quite busy for a wet Monday morning. I could have spent a fortune – but I limited myself to a secret present which will not be revealed here – and this little lady. And although she is only about 10 cm high she has another 4 dollies inside her.

When I got home I decided it was time to wrap presents. Which I hate. Although we have quite a short Christmas present list, there are a few other important dates in December. Like birthdays [3] and anniversaries [1].

I am not a skillful wrapper-upper – unlike my brother, who wraps with mathematical precision in Extremely Good Taste. These days we send him and his wife goats – or midwives – or last year, a toilet. Which are, perhaps surprisingly, much easier to wrap, and simpler to post [they live in NYC]. [I have a sudden mental image of several goats coming down the steps from their brownstone and grazing in Washington Park …]

If you want to know what I’m wittering about, – Oxfam Unwrapped. Strongly recommended if you have people you don’t want to wrap presents for, or you've given up trying to find things in Extremely Good Taste, and got bored with sending things in Extremely Bad Taste to be annoying.

But I digress. Despite the shortness of my present list it took me all afternoon. I have invested in technology – a little cutter thing which looks like a bristleless toothbrush and some expensive sort-of-circles-of-Sellotape which I thought would be easier than wresting with a roll.

When the cutter works, it works well – I could cut almost straight lines quite quickly. But it was temperamental about the sort of paper it liked and when it didn’t like the paper it sulked and tore it.

And the sticky circles were transparent, on a transparent backing, so it was difficult to tell which side was which – or even if there was one there at all. I needed both hands to persuade the circle to separate from its backing, by which time the paper had unwrapped itself and I had to start again. But it was still easier than a roll of Sellotape.

So, a couple of hours and a couple of cups of tea later, all is done – apart from the letter to my brother and SIL to go in with the goats – except that this year it is ‘care for a vulnerable child’.

I did get my priorities right though – average number of presents per adult on my list – 1. Average number of presents per 2 year old on my list – 6. Spoilt rotten? Babybel? Never.

Here is some playing with paper I feel more confident about. Square Kandinsky circles from torn paper – and circular Kandinsky circles made from the insides of envelopes. The tutor was a bit lukewarm about that one, but I still like it.

I’ve torn myself away from the telly

to write a blog post - which for once has been quite hard work. We don’t usually watch a lot of TV but since the BBC is running an Alan Bennett retrospective, for once there is something good on.

I did manage to find time to finish this. Weird, isn’t it? Hope you like the tassel. It throws quite interesting shadows – I like work which throws interesting shadows. Unfortunately they are a bit difficult to photograph with flash … 

When I was thinking about a lining I considered some dark red velvet before opting for the hand-dye – but looking at these images the velvet would have been better – maybe?

It’s a bit wonky because  I couldn’t find anything the right size to roll it round while I laced it up. Champagne bottle was too small, drain pipe was too big - which gives you an idea of the sophisticated lives we live at Cheese Acres.

This sketchbook page is inspired by a picture by Kandinsky, which I think a lot of embroiderers find inspiring [and quilters, and for all I know knitters and crocheters as well]. On the page I cut the picture up, spread it apart, and filled in the gaps. This idea didn’t lead anywhere , but I did keep playing around with the original – more tomorrow.

And for today’s trick…

I made a mattress.

You may well be less impressed when I tell you that it’s only 18” by 12”, and it’s made of several layers of wadding in a cotton jersey cover. But I did make a [lumpy] pillow to go with it.

We scored a doll’s bed on Freecycle – it needs a new coat of paint, which Wensleydale has taken responsibility for, as he’s a much better painter than me – and some bedding. I already have a miniquilt I made when I was playing with the BSR when I first got my Bernina. I think that, with the mattress and pillow will be enough – and will probably spend most of the time off the bed anyway. I also picked up two baby dolls from a charity shop for £1 50 – so we feel quite green grandparents. Hope Babybel likes them.

Thanks to Penscombe for her nice comments – but this is a burst of creativity after a long blank period – and I’m retired, so I have all the time in the world. :-^)

Moving along with the C&G sketchbook – this was inspired by the Charles Rennie Mackintosh textile design on the left. [If you like that, go here and type in ‘textile’. Well, type in almost anything that takes your fancy, really, there are all sorts of goodies up there in Glasgow.]

My version in batik is slightly less elegant. Although I said yesterday that I liked unpredictable results, my results with hot wax and a tjanting are predictable – they'll be awful. No, I didn’t carefully paint the two triangles blue – I carefully cut them out which was much quicker.

Works in progress

Quite a lot really, after the long uninspired period earlier in the  year.

I posted  about the hand embroidery on net which I did earlier in the week – I have also been trying a bit of machine stitch. The net was layered with two thicknesses of that rather blah yellow sheer, which I cut away before FMEing.

I was going to write that I was too lazy to frame it or add a stabiliser before machining – but I have come to the conclusion that my subconscious is telling me that I actually like distortion and accidental effects – hence my liking for splotchy hand dyeing, felting, and other processes that aren’t completely controllable. [So – not laziness at all.]

I shall do a bit more to this – reveal some more areas of net for free machining, or, like the triangular shape at the bottom, remove one layer of the sheer. Or even remove all three layers.

I have also been drawing [!] but can’t get a decent photograph, so can’t show you my efforts. That’s my story and I'm sticking to it …

I also blogged earlier about a piece I made in Contemporary Textiles - tissue paper over a photocopy.

It now looks like this. The soluble-crayoned Vilene ironed on to the back, then cut and folded into a book, holes cut in it, and some of the cut outs stuck down in different places.

It will get some stitch when I’ve finished this – another piece from CT. [Believe it or not, those photos were taken a few seconds apart with the same camera on the same carpet.]

This is the front and back of what started as a panel but is currently seeing itself as a vessel – although I'm not sure how I’m going to persuade it to stay in shape …

Can you see a ‘things with holes in them’ theme developing here? The book wasn’t going to have holes, honest, until I folded it and realised you couldn’t really see the backing.

And here’s one I made earlier, without holes. Yet. A touch of the Art Deco here. This was pootling around, thinking of ideas for the minor metal embroidery piece, before I went back to Klimt. mostly recycled foil and magazine pages, apart from the postcard of ‘Metropolis’ which seemed to suit the theme.

 

The rain went away!

Although there is more forecast for tomorrow. And Saturday. And Sunday.

So let’s talk about something more cheerful. You may have heard about the hoard of Saxon treasure found a few months ago in the English Midlands. [No, it’s not mine – it’s not that cheerful.]

More pictures here.

I won’t try to explain English law about ‘Treasure Trove’ – chiefly because I don’t understand it myself – but ‘The Crown’ have taken possession of the treasure, and recompensed the finder and the owner of the land. The treasure is currently in the British Museum, but two museums in the Midlands are trying to raise the money to buy it from the Crown, so it can be displayed where it came from.

If, like me, you think this is a good cause, you can go to the British Museum website and for the princely sum of £4.99, including postage, become the proud owner of a lovely little book about the treasure – and contribute £1 to the appeal fund in the process. If, like me and Anna, you like spirals, you probably like Celticky-Saxony interlacing as well.  This book has brilliant photographs of examples of that, and lots of other patterns and shapes as well, just perfect to inspire your embroidery.  So you can look at lovely things, get inspiration, and help a good cause at the same time!

Commercial over.

Today’s sketchbook photo is of the end product of all that Klimtian design work – my ‘major’ and ‘minor’ gold work pieces for C&G. [And a few more spirals.] [And another bollard.]

The one on the right is the minor one – less embroidery and it is slightly smaller. You may also be able to tell that the tutor was fairly relaxed about what constitutes ‘gold work’ – no gold was mined for the production of these cushions.

Rain, rain go away …

come again next year if you absolutely must.

According to the Met Office, last month was the wettest November in the UK since 1951.

Today we had a thunder storm – and its still chucking it down.

We could be swimming for it by Christmas.

Joking apart - I have every sympathy for all those who are much more seriously affected by the dreadful weather than we are – or are ever likely to be, living on top of a chalk hill. I cannot imagine anything worse than having your house filled with a mixture of drains and rain water.

Today was degree and I’m knackered. A morning being introduced to the mysteries of Photoshop, being told to get aforementioned program and a Mac [already had the mac – see the beginning of this post].

Afternoon being introduced to the mysteries of the Turner Prize, being asked to discuss who’s going to win and where British art is headed. To which the general answer was ‘Dunno’.

And then given a group activity which I decided to type up to give the rest of my group a copy. Big mistake.

1. the computer wasn’t talking to the printer and the combined forces of me, the teacher [ex IBM] and the Centre Head couldn’t persuade it to.
2. OK – I'll a-mail it to the others. No, the computer wasn’t going to let me e-mail it to anyone. Nor could anyone else persuade it to.

So my intelligent colleague took a photo of the screen and is going to email it to us.

Here’s another Klimtish page from my C&G sketchbook. Can you tell I like spirals? The spots were inspired by the background to the woman, whose name escapes me, although she reminds me of Gina McKee…

Some days

I wake up late, go to Sainsbury’s, but still manage to achieve quite a lot. Like yesterday.

Other days I wake up early, have no commitments – and look back at the end of the day and think – what have I achieved? Like today.

OK, I’ve taken some texture photographs for college tomorrow, torn my net embroidery in the process of removing it from the bits of fabric I added to put it in an embroidery hoop, and made a mind map of a piece of homework -  which is so big I can’t read the print out – but real achievement? Not a lot. [I think I can repair the net to some extent – and it is ‘only a sample’.]

So, to remind myself of more positive achievements – here are two pages from my C&G sketchbook which did lead on to something I’m quite proud of. More of that later.