More Phases of the Moon

Once the handstitching was done on this oneit seemed quicker to do the next by machine, and use smaller "moons"Here they are in progress in my weekend studio, watched over by the Poor Man's Orchid that Margaret gave me ... a friendly presence.

Embroidery on water soluble fabric

On the way to a meeting in Birmingham on a Sunday I started stitching these rose hips from sketches made earlier. Yup, blue rose hips. But then, the expected train turned out to be a rail replacement coach - and we were well over an hour late arriving.
Once the hand stitching was covered with machining, and the machining extended to make some petally things, and the "plastic" dissolved, came the question of how to use these motifs. Applied onto something I screenprinted earlier, perhaps? Some of the motifs were needed to cover the moth holes in a sweater. Especially halfway down the back. Here's the trial placement and with beads as stamens and a sprinkling of french knots, here's how it turned out.
The original rose hips are for another, different, project. Watch this spot.

Neither stippling nor meandering

The arrival of Dijanne Cevaal's "Seventy two ways not to stipple or meander" coincided with being about to throw out a bunch of images of large-scale silks - so before looking at the CD I doodled some quilting lines based on the silks. Now to see how they translate -- I have a large fabric-batting sandwich ready for practising. In between onslaughts, it covers the sewing machine.

De-lightful - at Ikea

Shopping evening

An irresistible invitation to look around Libertys while having a glass or two of wine. We started at the top and worked our way down. What a lovely store -- that 1920s medieval look.
Some people took it very seriously.And there were some silly things to be had, like this chandelier. Another, rather more "tasteful" chandelier had a price tag of £8000. That's right, three zeros.
The knitting department was very busy. Knitting is everywhere these days.
Piece the resistance - the knitted tea party. Another slice of Battenburg, Vicar?
Pleasant evening, no purchase necessary or forthcoming.

Sobering thought

"Worldwide, more than a thousand new images are currently being posted every second. Like poetry in the last century, more is being made than seen. " Robert Genn

Sobering thought

"Worldwide, more than a thousand new images are currently being posted every second. Like poetry in the last century, more is being made than seen." Robert Genn

Cemetery at night

The weather was mild enough for the party at the private view of Jonathan's exhibition at the Dissenters Gallery to spill out of the chapel into Kensal Green Cemetery -- and thanks to the wonders of digital cameras and Photoshop, here's a luridly lightened view of the peaceful scene --Imagine a jazz trio playing in the background; tables laden with organic, farmers' market food; and wine flowing freely.

Not what I had in mind

The machine quilting puckers up the fabric too much -- and the moon starts to pop out. So, back to hand quilting...

Work in progress - Phases of the Moon

Travels with Barbara - Piccadilly

We took in some culture - Rodin at the Royal Academyafter passing the Japanese sweet shop, going in, and choosing a Hakuunnohotori Bean Cake to try - it was beautifully packaged, delicious, not too sweet, and melt-in-the-mouth, definitely an indulgence. These are rather more elaborate (and expensive) than our bean cake."Wagashi are very low in fat and most are made without animal products."Silly handkerchiefs in the linen shop in Burlington Arcade.

Royal London is just round the corner from Piccadilly - this is St James Palace, where the Queen Mother lived. We couldn't remember who lives here now.
And this palace is rather newer --

Travels with Barbara - Chelsea

Start the day the greasy-spoon way --
And on, to the delights of the antique shops near Sloane Square --
Dames&dawgs everywherebut not allowed in theatres --Riding the buses and watching life on the streetsAnd you never know who might sit down beside you --

Travels with Barbara - Muswell Hill

Shoes were one of the themes running through our afternoon .This thrift-shop bag contains three pairs, all my size.
Dames&dawgs was a theme that ran throughout.Muswell Hill abounds in examples of Painted Chewing Gum Art - something that probably hasn't caught on in Vancouver yet.Turkish restaurant Bakko does a great tiramisu --

Weekend wanderings

Last weekend, that is - when Barbara, Emma and Helen were in town. We went down to Warren Street in search of a sculptors' materials show and came across this "design" shop which had all sorts of interesting stuff -- bowls made out of melted plastic soldiers, for instance --soft toys for children of all ages --and these decadent bunnies, which the photogenic Emma is giving the thumbs up --The knitted cupcakes looked good enough to eat --The sculptors' shop is called Tirantis and was an eye-opener in terms of tools and possibilities.
After meeting Thomas and grabbing some lunch at Borough Market - and being annoyed by the voracious, pestilential pigeons, aka "flying rats" - we walked along the river and stopped at a pub, where we saw this creature at work controlling them - literally, the cat among the pigeons --Locals (left) and tourists (right) enjoy a fine day --

Cornwall holidays

While visiting the Crossness Steam Engine during the open house weekend, I found some old (1930s) maps backed with linen, and had to buy several.

One Christmas we rented a tiny cottage near Tintagel (legendary home of King Arthur)
Can't remember the name of the hamlet - it was one of those many, many "Tre..." places. Delabole, England's oldest working slate mine, was just round the corner --
A few years later we went with friends in springtime and stayed at the Gurnard's Head Inn, south of St Ives.
You can walk over the fields - among cows - to Gurnard's Head, which is National Trust open land. This painting by Paul Lewin reminds me of the many wild flowers we saw there in May.
The views along the coast are fabulous. Can't find my own photos; this is from a kayaking site.