Return of the Old Crock :-)

Well I think 'old crock' just about sums me up over the last couple of months; first the operation.....  then just as I was getting over that I pulled a muscle in my back and had to avoid sitting at my computer. I think I'm almost back to normal; I have one more physio session this afternoon then hopefully I can put all that behind me. Spring is definitely here today and I'm feeling a bit more frisky!!!  (But best not tell DH that :-)  )

I've managed to do a bit of art.......

 I cut up my turquoise and orange Spirit Cloth and made it into cards and journal covers.

I made an Anniversary card for DH......he bought me these flowers a couple of days beforehand so I photographed one rose on my garden seat and altered it in Photoshop. Used some of the words from a Beatles song (inspired by Kim Klassen).

I used the felted piece which I made on my embellishing machine for a journal cover.....just added some handstitching. I think it needs some decoration around the edge (but its too late because I've sent it to a friend!)

 I made another 'thing' on my embellishing machine...

 ....not sure what it is yet but Peachy LOVES it!!! I think he's adding his own bit of felting :-)

I subscribed to Laura and Linda Kemshall's DMTV and have begun altering a couple of old books - more to come next time. I love handstitching pages together....... :-)

Last week we visited our friends again in beautiful Knaresborough. They took us to Harlow Carr Gardens...I wasn't expecting too much because of the time of year, but it was fabulous.....

 

And to top it off they have a Betty's Tea Room where we had tea and cakes (couldn't resist a simnel cake for Easter and a rhubarb cake for DH).

Sorry this is a long post but I wanted to tell you about a couple of artists I've recently discovered. Last year I tracked down my Mum's cousin (who she hasn't seen for over 60 years)...her name is Irene Jones and she paints amazing pictures. We've exchanged letters and photos and last week she sent me these lovely prints of her work.....

She has an exhibition coming up at this gallery  and if you click on the link you'll see lots more of her paintings. I'm so proud to be related to her and we're hoping to go to Devon to visit her very soon. 

Whilst in Knaresborough we visited the Mill Gallery and I discovered the work of Kate Lycett - and I am hooked. You can see her artwork on her website here. She was trained in textile design which is very evident from the patterns which can be seen in her paintings. We treated ourselves to one of her  (huge) prints called 'Valley Gardens'...it's extra-special because she has added gold machine stitching to the washing lines and walls and has applied gold leaf to some areas. She lives in Hebden Bridge and this painting is her view down to the valley..... another place I want to visit.

Well that's about it - but I can't go without a Peachy photo (or two :-) !

He had me crying with laughing a few days ago as he tried to fit inside one of the boxes on my workdesk. A few months ago, of course, he fitted in it quite easily........

Thanks for staying to the end!

Spirit Cloth 3

I'm so grateful for all the lovely comments I've had regarding my latest sewing project. Quite a few people have emailed and asked for details of the class (Jude Hill's 'Cloth to Cloth')....I hope you're now enjoying it as much as I am.
I decided to use ironed sari ribbons for my third Spirit Cloth...these are the colours from a skein I bought from The Threshing Barn in Staffordshire. It's a work in progress; I'm adding some tiny pieces of hand-made felt and there'll be lots more stitching.

The sari ribbon before ironing......

..and after.

I then discovered I could alter the ribbon by putting it through my embellishing machine...it ruches up like seersucker. I used a few of these mixed with the flat ironed ones.

I then tried it on other fabrics.
This is the effect on organza....

...and silk dupion. Saving these for future projects!

And finally....

I made this little landscape on my embellishing machine yesterday...I'm off now to do some hand-stitching on it.
BTW - if you're interested in embellishing machines, here's a link to see the Janome FM 725 in action. I found this on Lynn's excellent Squidoo page which is all about needle felting.
(She has a lovely give-away on her blog as well....definitely worth a visit.)
And absolutely finally....I can't go without a Peachy pic. He's currently kipping on his new mat (and yes...its a bath mat :-)

Happiness is.......

...........stitching my 'Spirit Cloth' in a sunny conservatory.

( still not quite finished)

............playing with Peachy outside in the garden. (He likes 'hide and seek').

.........looking for signs of Spring. (Chives, camelia and hydrangea)

 .........receiving lots of emails, messages and gifts from thoughtful friends. (Thank you all VERY much.)

.........playing on my new Janome embellishing machine  which I treated myself to last week.

 

                                          front.....................and back (which I've chosen to work on)

  .........doing a bit of Photoshop editing.

.........and chilling out in my art room at the end of the day with him.

Hope you all had a lovely day today....... :-)

Goodbye January......

 

I have to confess I'm glad January is almost over. It wasn't the best of months for me :-(

Mum was in hospital for 4 weeks in total.....the surgeons didn't operate on her fractured femur for 2 and a half weeks (lots of emergencies plus swine flu cases in the theatres).

By then the whole hip replacement had to be re-done as well.....big surgery for an 81 year old. Since she's been home my sister and I have done our best to look after her and, thankfully, she's doing really well now. 

Just to make matters worse I had an operation almost 3 weeks ago (a not-very-pleasant one!!) and I'm just begining to recover now. The surgeon didn't give me too much post-op detail....probably just as well or I wouldn't have bothered ! :-)

To make me feel better I decided to do Jude Hill's Spirit Cloth Workshop.....it was so soothing just to sit and stitch. My first piece is at the top - I decided to use muted shades for a change. I'm going to make it into a cushion. Not sure why I got so engrossed in stitching leaves....

....my embroidery skills leave a lot to be desired but this was just a practice piece ;-)

The next one is going to be brighter..........lots more to do yet!

My Graze box arrived today.....have any of you tried them? Its a great idea.....you get a box that just fits through your letterbox every week with 4 little trays of healthy snacks. You state your prefences on the website but the contents are always a surprise. Last week I had olives in basil and garlic, savoury toasted seeds, almonds/cranberries/cherry infused raisins and mini garlic/rosemary/pesto focaccia breads. If you click on the photo you'll see what I got today...

The 'Apricot Torte' is so pretty.....green raisins, choc coated apricot pieces and jumbo raisins.

...even the box has pretty pictures inside! Everything is environmentally friendly, additive-free and healthy. And its not expensive either....... www.graze.com (They aren't paying me to tell you  ;-)

Finally I wanted to show you the beautiful felted heart Maggi made me for Christmas...I love it.

So, unfortunately, does Peachy; he keeps stealing it from my room. I caught him in action one evening when I just happened to have my camera handy....

He is obsessed with it and quickly learns all the hiding places I have for it. He does like Maggi; maybe he knows its from her.
Here he is searching for it in my room......

He's such a bad boy ;-)........but I love him.

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a great Christmas.
Things didn't quite go according to plan for us because Mum had a bad fall 4 days before Christmas Day and fractured her femur (close to the hip replacement she had done last Christmas.....eeek!)  And no -  the snow and ice weren't to blame - she was just trying to get to the toilet at 6.00 in the morning and stumbled outside her bedroom door.
So as you might expect, I've been rather busy and apologise if I haven't managed to visit your blog over Christmas. I know you'll understand and I promise I'll be with you in the New Year.

Peachy is sad that the snow has gone....he absolutely loved playing in it and we had difficulty getting him back in the house. He looked so funny chasing snowflakes and jumping in the air....

....but Christmas tired him out, poor thing :-)

Hope you're not too tired after all the festivities and you still have some energy left to celebrate the start of the New Year. 

I shall do my best...... ;-)

Merry Christmas!

Had you given up on me? I've had a computer-free fortnight whilst I caught up with some jobs and made some Christmas gifts. Of course during that time the snow and frost provided great photo opportunities in my garden....

...and apparently its not done with us yet :-( 

I used some of my photos for digital art. The one at the very top shows the view from my window. That, and the ones below, have textures from Kim Klassen and DJ Pettitt.

 

Here are some of the gifts I've been making - felted brooches, purses, washcloths (knitted and crocheted).......

...the pink and green cloths are tied up with rhubarb and custard scented soap!

 

I'm quite proud of my flowers as I've only just taught myself to crochet.

I met my friend Clare for lunch yesterday and she gave me this wonderful gift...... a little cat decoration which she had hand-stitched herself. The snowflake stitches and the fish bones are so tiny!! Truly something to treasure...I love it!

I'm off to the shops now to find some dancing shoes for a party I'm going to this evening with my sister. Its all go.... :-)

I hope you all have a truly joyful Christmas.......

Love from Linda xx