Tuesday 3 March 2015

St Ives Part 1

I love the excitement of arriving in St Ives, whether by train or car. Both routes give you a glimpse of that wonderful harbour scene as you're getting close to the resort..
I took this from the train as we reached Porthminster beach (foreground)...
There are four main beaches....Porthminster, Porthmeor, Porthgwidden and the harbour. There are also a few more tiny ones.
Well, the weather forecast was not good.....we expected to arrive in heavy rain. But thankfully it was wrong; the sun shone all afternoon and we were able to sit out on our balcony having a cup of tea (with no coat on!)
We rented a beautiful house from Sailingbystives......if you click on the link you can see more pictures.
Here are some of mine....


I'd be happy to stay there for the rest of my days, but we'd have to take Angel of course :-). 
Don't know what she'd make of those seagulls......
The six days flew by; lots of walking, eating, drinking, gallery-visiting, photo-taking, reading.......and just sitting staring at that view.
More next time.....

Since I got back I've begun making more collages....
I like adding these shabby leaves to my collages; they're really easy to make. I keep all my paper scraps in a box (from making inky/painted backgrounds) and simply free machine the leaf shapes onto them in a random way. 
When I've done, I just tear around the leaves - the messier the better! (The needle makes perforation holes).
I'm not a fan of straight/cut lines so I prefer to tear. I guess you could cut around with small scissors if you wanted to. 
I know you can use pre-set patterns on a machine, but I like messier hand 'drawn' ones better. 
Experiment with different types of paper.....soft (thin) cartridge works well, as does printer paper and newsprint (just tear carefully).
When they're done I lay them on an acetate sheet and brush on acrylic wax. It holds them together and gives a nice finish. I guess you could use PVA. 
Peel them off the sheet when they're dry.

Here are some close-ups....

Stitching freestyle on the machine....
And tearing....


I hand stitch them onto my collages in different ways.
Hope that helps!

Happy March :-) Yay....Spring is coming!


27 comments:

*jean* said...

what a beautiful spot!! would love to visit there...and thank you for the leaves toot!! am going to try this morning!! xo

Nancy said...

A post full of beauty...St. Ives looks like a gorgeous place for a vacation; I'd love to see it in person. Love your collage work which is full of such detail work. You must have lots of patience....

Lynn said...

Such beautiful photos of St.Ives Linda, and only 3 months until I see it in person for the first time since my childhood. I don't remember much of that though :)
Its been so nice seeing your work again on your new fresh blog, and thank you for showing us how you make your leaves, they are lovely !

Shashi Nayagam said...

Oh it looks so idyllic. So glad that the weather turned out good for you. The pictures are gorgeous. Thanks for sharing with us. Thank you also for the mini tutorial. The leaves look beautiful and so effective.

Heather said...

Great holiday pics - glad you had some good weather. I love your 'messy' leaves too - what a clever idea - thanks for sharing it.

Amanda said...

I love seeing photos of Cornwall but it's a long time since I've been there. Glad you had a good time and decent weather. Love the leaves too.

Sandies' Patch said...

I dream of 6 whole days in StIves!
The foot on your sewing machine, what kind is it please?
Sandie xxx

WendyCarole said...

St Ives looks a great place for a holiday. And I love your leaves.

Anonymous said...

Marvelous trip. Nice to see someone that's not wearing a winter coat. Love your stitched pieces. Yum. xox

Julie said...

Hi Linda, St I've looks lovely, I'm glad you enjoyed the break. Thank you for sharing the information about the leaves, I've just switched off my sewing machine for the evening, but it may be going back on again!

Julie said...

Wow! That was a low tide when you arrived. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy a lovely time in St Ives. I love your paper flowers, what a great idea! I'm going to pin it to remind me and have a go sometime. You could do them with scraps of fabric on soluble stabiliser too. xx

~*~Patty S said...

Your getaway to St Ives looks idyllic and restorative Linda.
Train travel is something I so enjoy. I will never forget stepping off the train and seeing you for the first time...I felt like I was floating on air ♥
You are very generous to share how you make those beautiful leaves....what a perfect touch they make to your gorgeous creations.
(((hugs))) to you and your Mr and sweet Angel too
oxo

Iz said...

Oh my, I love this post. I have never been to St Ives but I know I could happily live there forever! And those free machining leaves! May I share them with my ladies? There's going to be a lot of stitchy leaves in our near future!

ju-north said...

Can see why folks love St Ives! There could be quite a community of IGers one day!

Emma said...

So glad you got your well deserved holiday! One day I will explore that coastline, so different to the Hebrides.

I ADORE your 'messy' leaves, how clever!

Barbara said...

Such a beautiful area, I don't think I have ever heard of this place of paradise.

Beverly said...

Linda, I JUST LOVE your craft work and all the colors, and delicate pieces you add. And for St. Ives, it could not be any more beautiful! I enjoyed the collage of colors and beauty...yes six days would fly by for me too. Thank you so much for sharing your trip.

Roxi H said...

Oh Linda! I love your mixed media. I'll have to cruise through your other posts. I've done a lot of free motion quilting and a little on plain white paper but this opens a whole new door. I may need to clean out my sewing room and get to work. Is an acetate sheet the same as using a Teflon sheet? I haven't heard of acrylic wax before. A trip to Hobby Lobby may be on my list.

Unknown said...

What a lovely time in the sun!
Your stitched leaves are brilliant! I will definitely try that - I'm always looking for a new way to border things :)

Unknown said...

What a lovely time in the sun!
Your stitched leaves are brilliant! I will definitely try that - I'm always looking for a new way to border things :)

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, fabulous pictures of such a fabulous place and coming in by train is lovely. I'm very envious of the light and the peace!! Love the idea for the leaves - just a shame my dear old machine only does straight stitch!

Caterina Giglio said...

absolutely gorgeous... cannot wait to get to London in May... praying for pretty weather ... so glad you had it in St. Ives... xox

Maggi said...

Yikes, how come I haven't commented yet? Sill internet connection no doubt. Just love the photos of St Ives - very envious. And what a clever way to make those shabby leaves.

Lynette (NZ) said...

Fabulous photos - lovely holiday - in love with the leaves :-)

Judy S. said...

Love your collages, Linda! Is that the St. Ives of the old nursery rhyme?

Lynette (NZ) said...

Finally got a chance to try out your leaf technique. Really happy with what happened and I have shared a link to your blog : http://lynettecollis.blogspot.co.nz/2015/05/week-19-dlp-2015.html

Elizabeth said...

i love all the foto's and the work you make. Lovely.

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