Thinking time

It is Sunday again and I really wanted to compose another post, but it has been an odd week. I guess it is spring in the air, the ending of one season and the beginning of the next, although I am sure winter has not finished with us yet.  So why has it been a strange week?  Firstly it has been a time of finishing.  I have completed my Daffodil book. Although I know many of you have seen pictures of it before, here it is finished.

front

back

inside

details

I am also coming to the end of my third Art Journal.

I have been looking through the pages, seeing how far I have come on my creative journey.  My March calendar page is in my new journal - I will share that later.  

Staring a new journal has got me thinking about where will I go next on my creative journey. I am looking forward to my second Machine Embroidery Workshop on Tuesday and a am realising the potential of working with textiles. I am torn between continuing to flit between one new idea and the next and consolidating what I do.  I have been thinking about taking another OCA course, this time on textiles. But is is very expensive if you are not 100% sure the course is what you want .  I do want to be able to take my ideas to more depth.  To this ends I have ordered a couple of books and I have been trawling the internet so I might write myself a 'creative syllabus'. It is something I did  for my pupils when I was teaching. I just need to identify some goals for myself - easier said than done!  And of course I shall have to have the will power to see it through.  In a few weeks, the urge will probably have passed, which is where committing quite a few hundreds of pounds on a course acts as a real incentive! There is nothing offered at local colleges except the usual foundation courses, which would be lovely in different circumstances.  I need something I can keep control of.  If anyone has any ideas or can refer me to helpful books/websites I would be grateful. 

Meanwhile here is a page in my 'Honesty' book, which I have decided to fill myself.

I made a 'parchment sandwich' to look like a translucent honesty seed head which I stuck between a hole cut in a couple of pages.  It needs a bit more work on the page, but I think you get the idea.

This week I also went to see Matthew Bourne's ballet Cinderella at Milton Keynes with a friend. 

It was stunning, so if you have tickets, you are in for a treat.

Have a good week, and 'see' you soon!

Jill

Another week, another project!

This week I have been mainly machine stitching. On Tuesday I went to the first session of my Machine Embroidery for Beginners with Marian Murphy at Art Van Go. Although I have picked some basic ideas from books and video clips it was brilliant to have a whole day with an expert. We played around with different tensions and threads and just practised free machining.  We then went through a couple of design processes. Marian's design book was an inspiration in itself and made me want to be more disciplined in developing ideas.   But knowing what a butterfly brain I am,  I don't hold much hope!  However the practice gave me the confidence to infil the petals and background on my daffodil book with machine embroidery.

I want to embellish it a bit more with some more hand stitching and beads as I want it to be quite 'rich'. I also prepared the inner pages today, tearing them to shape and leaving them stewing in a lovely Brusho mix of yellows and green. Unwrapping the pages is a treat and a surprise - I will try to remember to photograph them, but as it is a messy process the camera is usually well out of the way.

At the workshop Marian flipped through my 'doodle/ideas' sketchbook I had taken with me and spotted this doodle and said it was the sort of thing that could be translated into stitching so I thought I woudl have a go.

I traced off the face onto tissue to transfer the outline and then just tried to use the needle like a pen.

I was pleased with the result and could see its potential. I just need to apply these ideas instead of going off on another tangent. Here are some details.

I chose a few favourite areas and created a collage

I was pleased with the colours - I just had to work with what I had got, but feel there is potential for development.  There is a couple of weeks between the workshop sessions, so plenty of time to work up a few ideas.

Meanwhile here are some waxed papers I was working on. I may have a go at a couple more boxes/pencil pots!

On the homefront I have managed to wear my new shoe inserts all day and walk to the corner shop for the paper. It just feels like a hard ball of cotton wool in my shoe instead of a pebble, so things are improving ( I have given my feet the day off today) and Marvin the cat continues to live with his diabetes with no immediate problems.  Mr T is cataloguing his entire CD collection (He has hundreds/thousands) which is keeping him quiet. A walk round the garden in the grey dampness this morning revealed a few buds on the verge of bursting, so a bit of sunshine this week would really be good.

  Whatever you are doing I hope the sun shines for you, have a good week.

Jill

A week in retirement

Dear friends, when I realised it was a week since I last wrote a post I wondered where all the time went so I thought I would share my week with you - well the highlights and the low lights at least.

Monday

I had my appointment at the orthopedic department to collect my new orthotics for my shoes.  I have a Mortons neuroma in my foot which is an enlarging of the nerve between the third and fourth toe.  As I have fallen arches it was thought orthotics would help take the pressure off the neuroma and prevent one forming in my other foot.  I am looking forward to being able to spend a day on my feet without pain.  However the new orthotics have a raised area which is agony ( as bad as the neuroma).  The doctor assured me that I will get used to them! But in the meantime this is what they feel like! 

When I asked if it was possible to order another set so I didn't have to keep changing them from shoe to shoe, I was told they cost £200-£300 a pair, so I had better persevere. I am wearing them an hour extra a day - just round the house to begin with!

Tuesday

A hairdressers appointment at 1.00 meant the morning was spent on domestic bits and pieces, but whilst I was in town I went to the local camera shop where a very helpful gentleman printed up a couple of my photographs on the A3 printer.  My friend got me some frames from IKEA so I spent a while deciding how and what I was going to frame up for the forthcoming exhibition at the Luton Hoo Walled Garden. 

Wednesday

A good chunk of the day was spent at Nutty Knitters, my chat and knit group, although not everyone knits.  Several of the ladies belong to the Artists Network Bedfordshire and the group includes spinners, felters, milliners and jewellery makers, so we always have plenty to talk about in Maxine's lovely farmhouse kitchen - and someone has usually baked cake of some sort - something I never do.

Meanwhile at home we were having our downstairs cloakroom - well as there is no room for cloaks, loo - refurbished.  I do hope the old one does not have to stay out behind the bins for too long!

Thursday

Thursday can easily represented by this photograph of my desk! But some creative inspiration was creeping into my day and I started playing around with some daffodil ideas.  In the garden I saw a bumblebee so spring is definitely in the air.

Friday

We usually hit the supermarket on a Friday. I came home with a bunch of daffs and put them by my desk.

 

which really started the ideas flowing for ....

... another stitched book.

Saturday

So here is what I did on Saturday.

 Please click on the pictures for some details.

Sunday

What did I do on Sunday? Well, I took all these photographs and wrote this post.  Not a bad life, even if my feet are killing me!

I hope you have a great week, and see you soon,

Jill





Did you know...

...that tulips keep on growing taller after they are picked?

Which is why it is best to put them up to their necks in a vase...

so as they grow taller, they won't droop.

I found that out from a friend who trained as a florist, but of course you may know that already ...

...in which case I hope you just enjoy this group of photos from my archives.

I seem to be very busy so I'll keep this brief,   hope you have a good week,

Jill

Just 'do' ...

I have tried to be more active this month - not a New Year resolution as such, but when you reach a certain age you realize how important your physical well-being is and I have never been a lover of exercise.  I have some physio exercises for my back and I am getting custom made orthotics for my fallen arches, so I wonder where February will see me!  Marvin, the cat, is doing well after my panic on his diagnosis of diabetes.  He drinks a couple of pints of water a day, but he has a good appetite and doesn't appear to have lost any more weight. 

Thank you to all who ask after him.

My February pages are rather simple at the moment.  Wax resist plus washes of red and yellow for the background and green squares with a bit of white gesso stencilled on.  I was influenced by a bit of 50's fabric for the colour scheme.  I am sure the pages will  liven up by the end of the month. I do hope that those of you who have joined in are enjoying the challenge.  Kate has organized a link on her blog - I have yet to suss that one out.

For all of you who kindly comment on my journal pages, here is another one.  I have been having a paisley moment or two, I find this sort of thing quite mindless and when I am not feeling inspired to be creative I can just start with a glorified doodle.  I may add to it over several days. The internet is a wonderful font of fact, and as I have a mind like a sieve, writing down what I find out is a must.  I just sarted by writing in some paisley shapes and the patterns grew.  You may also notice from the top of the  page that I have joined the Artist Network Bedfordshire. My friend has invited me to join her in the open studio event in June so we have had to do some planning - but more about that much nearer the time.

Here is a page from my little watercolour moleskine.  I did think I would try and draw something from my garden in it every month, but I started it about 18 months ago and it has some big gaps. Perhaps I will do better this year.  Here I drew winter flowering heather, which is a bit tardy this year as it often starts to open before the new year and Christmas box which has the most heavenly sweet scent, if somewhat insignificant flowers.  I have managed to cut this back hard every summer and keep it small enough to stay by my back door. If you long some winter perfume I hightly recommend it.

Well that is January wrapped up, spring is really waiting in the wings. The sun has shone today, the birds singing and it is five o'clock and the sky is still pink! That's progress

Home again

I've had a great break on the Isle of Wight.  My father has a retirement flat in West Cowes and is a sprightly 88. I stay with him as he has a spare room, whereas my sister's bungalow is filled with a couple of teenage nephews! She lives a mile or so along the coast at Gurnard. I spent Wednesday at my sisters and I am sure you can guess we spent most  all of the day talking. We did manage to walk down to the sea front and have short walk on the beach, it was rather chilly. Here's my sister, Janet.

It was wonderful to fill my lungs with sea air and hear the waves breaking on the beach. The island faces the mainland across the Solent so crashing breakers are not so likely on this sheltered shore, but for those of you who miss the sea too, here's a watery shot...

... and a view along the beach in the other direction.

The only good thing to be said was the cloud covered sky did have a bit of variation in tones of grey rather than the uniform milky grey that we have been experiencing lately.

Janet showed me a few copies of her magazine "Selvedge" which is beautiful publication for anyone interested in textiles, art and design,  but what she wanted to share with me was an article about an exhibition at The Foundling Museum called Threads of Feeling.  I will give you a brief outline of the story behind the exhibition, but you should really look at the web sites.   

In 1739 the Foundling Hospital was founded by the philanthropic Thomas Coram to care for abandoned babies.  When mothers brought their babies to the hospital a meticulous register was kept of each child taken in.  However no record of the mothers' names was kept, so to identify the child in the unlikely event of the mother returning to reclaim her child, a token was taken from the mother.  This was  often a piece of fabric cut from the child's or the mother.s clothing. These registers have been meticulously preserved and now form an exhibition at the museum.  The Thomas Coram Foundation is still a leading children's charity.

Flowered all over with cards’. Cotton or linen printed with a playing card pattern © Coram

Not only are these tokens a heart rending record of the tragic separation of mothers and their babies they also form the most extensive collection of examples of 18th century fabrics. Do follow the links, but have a few tissues on hand.  The exhibition is open until March, so may be I will get it together to visit.

Meanwhile back at the Isle of Wight, the weather changed and the cloud broke up Wednesday evening and I was able to get this shot from Janet's front garden  before the light went - then it was really chilly.

Back home to Mr T and Marvin I was pleased to find one of my 'Scribble Boxes' had sold.   

Have a great weekend,

Jill

Sunday

Just a short post today - where does the time go?

First, here is a page from my journal recording how I made my 'Scribble Boxes' which are now on sale in my Etsy shop.     Here is another one I have made, along with the ones you have already seen, forgive me for blatant advertising.

Something in the air

Although we are still in the middle of winter, somehow we have turned the corner towards spring, the bulbs I planted in the autumn are showing through and the birds are tuning up their songs

My winter flowering iris is always a cheerful sight.

(iris unguicularis)

and Marvin is doing fine ... he is eating well and drinking a lot, which of course a symptom of his diabetes, but otherwise is showing no symptoms.  I am hoping to go to visit my family on the Isle of Wight for a couple of days this week, leaving Marv in charge of Mr T, fingers crossed for some fine weather.

Have a good week.

Jill