swap goodies, an exhibition and a meeting...

On Friday myself and Ms Bester met with the lovely Katy from imagingermonkey and her son, ginge ( obviously that's not his real name). We visited the Skin and Bones exhibition at Somerset House where I was delighted to bask in Katy's reflected glory....the woman was only wandering around the show with one of the exhibition items on her back...I tried to persaude her to hop up on the plinth and be done with it but strange as it may seem she managed to resist. The show was great. Lots of very sculptural fashion pieces juxtaposed with interesting architectural models, designs and photographs. I was most interested in the clothes: think Junya Watanbe, Yohji Yamamoto et al etc along with Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood from closer to home. Well worth a visit, if only to see Mc Queen's amazing appliqued skirt with leather bodice - I almost wept. Don't go expecting pretty floral prints and a fashion trends to follow for this season, this is serious stuff, imprevious to such paltry concerns...

We then retired to Gabriel's Wharf for some lunch and swapping of our sewn goods.

Katy produced a beautiful Astronoughty for Ms. Reva's fifth birthday in a couple of weeks time



and a great bag for all the child's bits'n'bobs...

how cool is that, it's even got a tag with her name on...she is going to love it!

and for me a really lovely little tea coaster...

Katy has obviously been paying attention to my interminable ramblings on the subject of that fine beverage. Ms Reva set up the following shot, to showcase both the lovely new coaster and my favourite vintage teacup as well as the teapot she helped me paint when she was two years old.

See that blob inside the lid? That's Reva Girl's thumbprint...

Thanks so much Katy - you are a star!

I mentioned to Katy previously that I was thinking of making an owl and pussycat mini-quilt, she said it was her favourite piece of nonsense verse and I didn't need any further encouragement...


here's the back:

difficult to see much with all that Michael Miller stripe going on but as I was making the quilt I reflected on the fact that I actually sometimes like the backs of such things more than the fronts. After I had done the appliqued front with the owl and cat on I just loved the wrong side with the stitched outline (before I added the striped backing). It reminded me that when at art school most of my drawings focussed on negative spaces rather than positive, there appears to be something about what is absent rather than present that attracts me...hmm, may need to give this a little more reflection...

other swap news:

sneaky peek of my actual Lucy Locket mini-quilt swap for Marie


I really hope she likes it...

and a finished Functional Felt Swap pincushion and needle-roll soon to be off to a surprise recipient

These are made from a thrifted felted scarf (the blue) and cashmere sweater (the pages in the needleroll) along with some really pretty vintage trims that were in my stash. I really want to keep them for myself as I need one of each (well, I actually do have a needle book but the cashmere pages in this one are just gorgeous so I want it!). The pincushion was inpired by this tutorial right here...I didn't follow the tutorial right to the letter (far too lazy for that) but the end result is pretty much the same.

next up - the doll swap...am nervous about this one I must say, never having made a doll before...wish me luck...no, more than that send me inspiration...

sneaky peek...and some more swaps...

here is a sneaky peek at my applique quilt top WIP...


it's based on Ms Reva's "Firework Dog" masterpiece and features a bit of machine applique, some hand applique and my new (old) love, embroidery



I treated myself to this and this and am finding the doodle stitching one really useful so far. I'm not sure it would be much use if you were an accomplished stitcher but to a novice the clear and helpful instructions are invaluable...



watch this space...

meanwhile, there seem to be a lot of great swaps kicking off around the blog'o'craft'o'sphere at the moment...so far I've noticed

functional felting (still open for joining up)
doll making (ditto)
photography (closing date today)
mini quilts (too late I'm afraid)

I've signed up to them all apart from the doll one (having NO experience of doll making and being a tad overwhelmed by my to-do list right now)...I must get started on these swap projects, once I finish my vintage swap of course...

I am off again tomorrow, to France this time, to stay with some friends and hopefully teach one of them to knit...the knitting may all have to take place pre-lunch though, given the requirement to drink lots of delicious wine with every meal (it's the law there, as far as I know)...we wouldn't want any slipped stitches now would we? I will remember to pack my cable needle this time. I am also looking forward to some bracing walks on the beach and fine moules marinieres...mmmmmmmmmmm

listen to me say "stuff", a lot...

last week I got an email from a stranger called Marty Owings...on Saturday he called me up...talked to me for half an hour or so...then put this interview up on RadioFreeNation...

when I listened to the interview afterwards it was weird...there is so much that seems really obvious in my mind about what I do but it struck me on listening that of course none of this is obvious to anyone who doesn't inhabit my mind...(those lucky, lucky people!)

so, there is more to be said than "stuff" and Marty has been kind enough to invite me back in the summer...that'll give me the opportunity to ramble even more about things like recycling, reuse, redeployment as well as some things I've been thinking about how the blog'o'craft'o'sphere turns the virtual into the tangible and tactile through the whole swap-thing, I'll be able to talk about the kids artclub I set up and how wonderful it is to watch kids who thirst for the chance making art and maybe I'll even be lucky enough to be able to say something about some progress in my "escape the 9 to 5" mission...who knows...

I love that Marty is out there, looking at "stuff" and being so enthusiastic about it all...the world needs more people like that, being enthusiastic, giving encouragement and saying Nice Things...I'm a great believer in saying Nice Things...they mean a lot...

Check back over the next couple of days, I'm going to follow Marty's generous spirit and do me a little old giveaway...not sure what yet, but some of my "stuff"...my way of saying "thanks" to the craft'o'blog'o'sphere and all those people who pop in and say NT...

in the meantime, here is the drawing of the "Fireworks Dog" that Ms. Reva did which I'll be trying to translate into an appliqued quilt for a friend's imminent arrival...and oh what fun that should be...



look...there are houses in there too...how wonderful, I've been wanting to applique some houses since I saw this

[afterthought: just in case anyone from the day job is about...it was a bit lazy of me to say it is boring (please don't fire me, I have a mortgage and hungry children to feed you know)...a little tedious on occasion and not very creatively stimulating might have been a better way of putting it...]

some kind of lonely... a xmas tree...

well, as predicted, on Monday night I did sew my fingers together...but I also managed this little tree...


which is in fact a bag...


I had been planning to do lots of them for a little "craft'n'movie" shindig Ms. E Reva is having with some schoolfriends on Saturday (I thought it would be nice for each child to take their crafty bits'n'pieces home in one) but I am rapidly running out of time so I guess it'll have to stay lonely. I'll have to think of someone who might appreciate such a thing in the singular...

for completeness I feel I must show a rough of the forest it was once a part of...



this was the most fun I've had on a Monday night in a loooooong time!

Just a shame I started with my least favourite fabric combo as it was a bit of a trial run and I didn't want to waste one of my favs, you know how that is...

Maybe I will have to do another after all...