Toasty Tummy Time

I can't believe we are almost into December, I really feel as though my feet have hit the ground running every day for almost a month!

I have been everywhere with my work, North and South, the fairs have all been different, and all been a joy to be at exhibiting my Machine Embroideries at and meeting the good folk from all over this glorious island. My last one is this Saturday www.theworkshopsale.co.uk I shall have all my end of lines, seconds, and pieces I have hung onto for far too long-that I really must be brave and let go! there will be bargains to be snapped up!

Remember my lovely Lady Fox? I knew I couldn't be selfish and hold onto her for too long so I set her free at The Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair, and off she scampered with a mischievous skip!

I'm back from Lustre at Nottingham which was wonderful and now I'm off to The Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair in Islington London! All my new embroideries will be with me, and my little fabric and stitch accessories, come and have a look and say hello.

Thanks for your kind comments about my appearance on Kirsty's Handmade Britain. It was great fun to do and I am thrilled that my Machine Embroideriers had an airing on the TV.

I'm exhibiting my Machine Embroideries at Lusture in Nottingham www.lakesidearts.org.uk if your passing come by and say hello.

Happy stitching everyone!

Here I am and I'm going to be on the Telly!!
Kirsty's Handmade Britain Wednesday 2nd November 8pm channel 4.
I'm in the same episode as Jo Colwill from Cowslip Workshops. www.cowslipworkshops.co.uk
It was great fun, and I hope that you enjoy it.
happy Stitching!

Thank you to everyone who has left such kind comments about the Lady Fox, she is still with me, and is currently running around my studio space having the time of her life, she's not bored yet and neither am I!

Rain!

I'm off with all my new work to the Great Northern Craft Fair. www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd October I hope you may be able to come by and say hello. It's a wonderful event, beautifully run and full of fantastic crafts. See you there!

I'm all ready for the Festival of Crafts! Everything is finished and boxed and ready to go! A wonderful feeling. I am very pleased with the pieces I am taking. I hope you can come by and say hello.I now can concentrate on finishing off a few things in preparation for the great Northern Craft Fair - Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd October www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk I'm in a dilemma, as happens every so often I've made a piece of work which I am really really pleased with and I selfishly I want to keep it for myself. Work when finished is assessed by me, quality control if you like. No piece is put with into the collection if it is below par, I then put such pieces to one side (an ice cream tub) and they - the cat with too big ears, a dog with a squint, a seagull with a lump on his head -etc are then taken to the Dulwich Workshop Sale which happens early in December and sold as seconds, given a second chance to find a happy home, which happily they usually do. But this new piece, my fascination with blocks of bright white snow and a shock of green trees and light blue sky, this lovely little fox in the snow, A lady Fox as I've called her, oh, what to do. I have pulled her out of the collection and put her to one side for the time being, I so want to keep her, but I need to let her go too, to be free and to find her own way. Oh, what to do!

A Lady Fox

http://www.farnhammaltings.com/news/festivals/622/447/145/festival_of_crafts.aspx

Here's the link to The Festival of Crafts!

It's been another glorious sunny day and I've been in the studio sorting out and getting ready for the Festival of Crafts at Farnham Maltings which starts a week on Saturday. Amongst the pieces I plan to take (whether I can fit them all in my booth) is Girl and Seal. The image is a detail taken from the piece, and what with all this sun and the thought of the beach it has made me long for the sea even more! I am very pleased to say however, that, October is here and I am still wearing sandals!

Girl and Seal (detail)

Not really the current weather for being wrapped up in big coats but very autumnal amongst this glorious sunshine!

Autumn people

Small ones and sunshine

Only one week of making left, then all the finishing off begins, a dash to the framers and I'm ready for Festival of Crafts at Farnham Maltings! Saturday and Sunday October 15th and 16th.
I've been spending my week making smaller pieces again, and I am thrilled with how the new pieces have come out, only one cat with a bit of a squint, so not bad going all in all.
This week has been filled with glorious Sunshine too, making the decent into winter slightly more bearable, I'm still sandal clad, if the sun carry's on I'll be bared toed well into October!

Dog and Gull

I have just returned from a wonderful workshop visit to the members of the Wolverhampton Embroiderers Guild. We had a fantastic productive day. It always amazes me how the time just fly's by, but everybody used their time wisely and made beautiful pieces, all different in size, theme and use of colour, what a lovely group of creative stitichers, I am so lucky to spend time with so many creative and inspiring folk!
Happy stitching everybody!!

Here are some little faces to celebrate the busy making days that I've had so far for my first fair of the autumn bunch! Festival of Crafts at Farnham Maltings, Bridge Square Farnham, Surrey, GU9 7QR www.farnhammaltings.com 01252 745444 which is the weekend of 15th and 16th October.

All smiles

It seems as though autumn is really on its way, there is truly a nip in the early morning air and the trees are starting to look tired in green and are turning to the palest russets and ochres.
I have spied freshly fallen conkers, and was excited to break open one of the spiky husks and hold the lovely new reddy brown nut in my palm. But, I'm not ready to let go of summer just yet, I haven't had enough sunshine, I want to stay bare legged and sandaled for a bit longer, and I'm going to try my hardest to do so!

Runing in the Leaves

I can't believe what another whistle stop tour I've just had. Firstly (which now seems an age ago)to The festival of Quilts which was just wonderful. A true visual feast of pure loveliness, I so enjoyed myself epically in the shops, my cache of sequins a very big highlight in the visit, then camping with my sister and family in Dorset, wonderful until the torrential rain fell on the day we were packing up, I however did chuckle as on arriving home to open up my boot where I found a waterfall cascading from my tent as I pulled it out, and then back into the car and off to East Kent where I spent a very lovely day with some members from the East Kent Embroiderers Guild, and an extremely lovely day (in sunshine) was had by all as we merrily embroidered the day away.
Crammed also into this time I spent an afternoon sewing knitted corsages together at home in the sunshine accompanied of course by Maurice, Bigone had taken himself down the garden in disgust of such a girlie activity.
Now I'm back in the studio and catching my breath, getting ready to continue to embroiderer a collection of pieces for the Autumn and Christmas sales and exhibitions which are hurdling themselves towards me at a rate of knots. Oh, but I can't wait!

East Kent Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild

A Bed of Roses

This piece is hot off my sewing machine, initially I'm very pleased with it. It always takes a little time for me to get used to the new pieces even though I have made them myself. I am very pleased with the colours, I love that lavender blue colour. We have very fragrant lavender in the garden at the studio, the heady scent is wonderful, and the bees go mad for it.
I'm now working on a couple by the seaside, with terns flying about and one tern in her arms, again another piece in blue. I am just indulging myself at present, and loving it!

Lavender Blue

On the last day of our four day Pictorial Machine Embroidery course at Oxford Summer School I asked everyone to hold up what that had made, and here is the wealth of all that hard work!
A big thank you to everyone who came and made the course so enjoyable. It truly was a delight and a treat to be amongst such a wonderful group of fantastic stitchers and fantastic women.

Oxford Summer School 2011

Although it's summer, and I could be making pieces about swimming and the sea side, I've had foxes in my head again, and so out they came, and of course in the snow, and with bunnies too.

A hungry Fox

Four Bunnies

Clever stitchers at the end of a creative journey with their beautiful pieces, thank you ladies for making it such a great day!

Chelmsford Embroiderers Guild

I have been west, east and in the middle of the country in the last week, meeting so many wonderful and inspiring stitching enthusiasts, Cowslip Workshops in Cornwall, Chelmsford Embroiderers' Guild and Lutterworth Embroiderers' Guild, all of which made me so welcome, and it's just been so fantastic to see the wealth of creativity amongst those clever people.

I love it, I love the travelling, I love the union of meeting people with a common interest, I love the soaking up of the stitching atmosphere, and then when, as all good things have to come to an end, I love the coming home.

Happy Stitchers at Cowslip Worshops

Jo Colwill http://www.cowslipworkshops.co.uk/ kindly put my name forward to show Kirstie Allsopp how to machine embroider onto soluble fabric for Kirstie's new programme to be shown on Channel 4 later on in the autumn. The filming took place in Nottinghill in London a couple of weeks ago.
The whole experience was daunting, terrifying and exciting all at the same time, and now its all over I loved every bit of it! We were taken to London in a silver Range Rover driven by Paul, who was just lovely and very calming. Kirstie Allsopp was very nice indeed and very professional, she and the team made us very welcome, as did Ellie who phoned me everyday leading up to the filming with different schedules, locations and times, so much so that my head spun. I was very glad to go with Jo, we encouraged each other and I hope kept each other calm too. You just never know what's around the corner, each time the telephone rings!

now back with a bump and reality once more, I'm knee deep in making pieces for the orders I took at The British Craft Trade Fair back in April, and I can't believe it's already June!!

I am thrilled to say that I am in this months edition of Embroidery Magazine. With lots of pictures of my work and a really well written article by Caroline Rees, it's a good read and an inspiring magazine.

Clever members of the Leamington Spa Embroiderers Guild, thank you for a lovely workshop!

I'm in the process of making my Folksy shop! all I have to do now is fill it full of things!

What a wonderful happy stitching day we have all had today.
A wonderfully talented and lively group of stitchers, thank you for a lovely day!

A big thank you to the members of the Lincoln Embroiderers' Guild for making me so welcome when I went to visit them last weekend, just look at the beautiful pieces that where made. A very clever group of stitchers and a lovely and productive time was had by all. What can be nicer than all stitching and making together?

Lincoln Embroiderers' Guild

I'm getting my collection of new pieces ready for the Harrogate Trade Fair. It has been lovely making and creating new pieces. All are now made and now the framing begins. I can't wait to see what they look like in their frames.

Shoreline Birds

Wokingham Embroiderers Guid

Marlborough embroiderers Guild

Drawing with the sewing machine

Stitching here and stitching there and stitching everywhere

Stitching here and stitching there and stitching everywhere has been me in the last couple of weeks and I wouldn't change a thing or ask for a different occupation. I've been to The Wokingham branch of the embroiderers guild, The Marlborough branch of the embroiderers guild and The Salisbury branch of the embroiderers guild and the same questions and observations pop up in conversation "you are so lucky to stitch all the time" and I know I am. I have always taken it for granted, and then it suddenly dawned on me! I am so lucky!!

The photographs attached are very clever stitchers from The Wokingham branch and The Marlborough branch all with their finished and almost finished beautiful embroideries. Let us celebrate the stitch and congratulate ourselves on us making it all by ourselves, well done everybody who made work and a big thank you to all of you for making me so welcome at your guilds.
Happy stitching and carry on the good work!

A lovely clever group of stitchers from the Milton Keynes Embroiderers' Guild made me very welcome last Saturday when we all spent the day together stitching and making beautiful brooches and pictures.

Clever stitchers!

ummh, lovely threads

Studio in motion

From L to R:

Kay, Jane, Vicky, Catrina, Sue, Chris, Di with Tilly, Linda and Kate.

A great weekend!

Creative Cornwall

I have returned from Cowslip Worshops and I am full up with delight. http://www.cowslipworkshops.co.uk/ it is a wonderful place full of joy, inspiration, creativity, happiness and delicious foods! My workshop group were the most lovely hardworking and creative group, they were a joy to be amongst!

I would really recommend a visit there. There is also a shop, packed with sumptuous fabrics, Bernina sewing machines, threads, buttons, and everything a stitching lover could want, and the setting of the farm in a beautiful Cornish landscape completes the whole fabulous package of Cowslip Workshops.

Whilst also in Cornwall I visited The Bakery Studios in the glorious city of Truro, full of artists and craftspeople all working hard away and full of more creativity. (My whole journey was full of creativity and inspiration!) My lovely friend Rebecca has a studio space there, her window looks outs upon the tidal river and she can watch the wading birds coming and going. I love my own studio space, but was I was a bit jealous of hers. www.manycuriousthings.co.uk

Now I'm back in my studio and am surrounded by what feels like a million things that need to be done, always the way when one goes away.

First things first, finish off those little faces!!

Thanks for your kind comments about my book, I'm so glad you are enjoying it. Happy stitching!

I'm in the middle of making a nice sized collection of jewellery pieces! I've been true to my words and have been stitching away! All those little faces smiling, there is nothing one can do but smile back. I've also starting making some small pieces for small frames.
It's such a pleasing size to be working with, little pictorial snippets of events, happy cats and dogs, of course at the same time I'm thinking about bigger pieces, more taxing, but for the moment I'm really enjoying myself with miniatures.

Beach Snack

Beach Chase

SMILE the touring exhibition that I have pieces in is going to Blackswan Arts in Frome in February. www.blackswan.org.uk They have a collection of my smaller pieces their too and some new jewellery pieces, which I made especially for them. I haven't made jewellery pieces for a very long time, people have always requested them and I'd make the occasional one.
The collection I have just finished for Blackswan has made me want to make more and more of them. All those little faces smiling.