I have nothing new to post as I am still busy stitching my KISS project, the end is in sight, I will post again later.

Kezzy had her last session yesterday with the bereavement counsellor, and though it was always a mad rush to get there on time, as I couldn't leave work until my cover had arrived, I shall miss the chance to sit down stitching for 45 minutes in the late afternoon.
A busy night sorting out my resources for this terms topics at work (I have to keep it all up in the loft as have collected a fair amount over the years), Embroiderers' Guild bits and emails to write has meant that I have not done as much as I wanted on my KISS project.

Quilting the RRC

When I got the RRC fabric from Debbie to quilt, I was undecided as to what to do. The image that she used for her inspiration was quite small and it was of a traditional African dance. So, working on the link of tradition I researched into African quilting. I discovered that the diamond is a very prominent symbol that is used a lot in African textile tradition to represent the cycle of life- birth, life, death and rebirth. I stitched these words so that it could read from left to right or up and down and it would make the life cycle. The circle is another symbol used to represent this by the Africans. The next person to get this fabric at the end of the month has to cut it up and then rejoin it.

E G Workshop;0)

I am very lucky to belong to such a thriving Embroiderers' Guild, we have over 80 members which means that we get some very good speakers and workshops.

Today was no exception. I signed up for this workshop with Elisabeth Rutt, not really knowing what we were going to do except use plastic. What great fun we had! The sounds of excitement, bought a male member of the public to our door to see what we were up to!

Elisabeth has been working with plastic for the last ten years and bought many samples to share with us as well as some of her gorgeous work.

As you can see by the photo's we were very busy, experimenting to see which plastics worked and then combining plastics and adding colour. When it came to the show and tell at the end of the day, we had plenty of work to admire. Some members had even started to make panels an were ready to start adding stitch.

This is my pile of samples, but alas I shan't be doing anything with them for the moment. The art course is keeping me very busy, 3 postings of work to do this week. I am still doing Mondays exercises, I am not sure when I will catch up.

I have started work on the RRC fabric and used my new sewing machine at last!! I hope to finish stitching it tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

My first job this evening, or what is left of it, is to pack my bags for the Embroiderers' Guild workshop that I am going on tomorrow. It is called Plastic Fantastic with Elisabeth Rutt. I am not sure what we are doing as we have not had a talk from her. One of the requirements is colourful printed carrier bags, with everyone going green, these have been quite hard to acquire.
All being well, I hope to start quilting my RRC fabric from Debbie when I get home.

KISS and E Art course

I am spending nearly all my spare moments stitching the background of my KISS project. On Sunday, I was even stitching it on the train to London while Nickie had her knitting needles out and was experimenting with wire. I am nearly half way there, I have to finish it by the end of the month. Below is a close up of the background stitching.

Last month I enrolled on Amelia's art course thinking it would be something to do in the Easter holiday, it started Monday as I went back to work. Serves me right, in my excitement to sign up I didn't read the date properly. The first exercise is to make marks in boxes using different mediums and tools.

I have completed another eight samples since I took this photo. Onto exercise two tomorrow night.

Liz Holliday

Tonight's talk was on samplers, but not as we know it. Liz's talk was entitled 'A Visual Inheritance', and was very informative. She bought along her work to show the textile journey she has taken, merging traditional sampler patterns and techniques with contemporary. The piece de resistance was this sampler book depicting her family history-off now to be exhibited (don't know where, sorry).

I liked the way she displayed her sequin samples (C&G work), they all lifted up to reveal underneath, how each sample was made.

Exhibtions.

I have been really looking forward to today. The weather couldn't have been any better either! On our arrival in London just had to take photo's of interesting buildings, like you do.

Nickie was on the look out for interesting gates and doors for her barriers project. This was taken at just after 10 this morning and already there was a eat haze over the Tower.

We stopped at Trinity park last time for a photo so just had to do it again today, a different season.

We loved this sundial, such lovely textures in the pictures depicting the history of London.

Then it was the V&A, the reason for the trip to London. We hired the I-Pods, and it was worth doing so, we learnt so much more from listening to it, and being able to zoom into the quilts, to see close up details was a bonus.
No photos of the quilts I'm afraid, not allowed. There were some lovely quilts but others were quite thought provoking. If you get a chance to go, do so.

We got in at just after 11, and couldn't believe it was 2.30 by the time we had seen all the quilts, no wonder we felt hungry. Lunch on the V&A lawn in the sun, watching the children paddling in the pool-great.
We then went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the Indian Portrait exhibition, exquisite work, so fine and a lot of it was miniature. I don't know how they painted such detail without the use of a magnifying glass, it made my eyes hurt to look at it! As we were leaving we saw a sign for an exhibition called Contemporary Connections: The Singh Twins. I put my hands up, I am very ignorant when it comes to art and I had never heard of them- but their work, WOW! It is styled on Indian traditional mixed with contemporary Western influences. Well worth visiting if you get a chance, but see the Indian Portrait first, to see where their work is coming from.
In spite of working in London for a couple of years when I left school, I have never been to China Town, so we did a little detour.

The sights, sounds and smells!

Loved the dual language signs everywhere, I am always looking at the text marks used by other nationalities.

Loved the colours on these papaya's.

We don't know what these were, they are quite large, almost lelon size-prickly pears maybe?????

We couldn't resist getting one of these Japanese ice-creams. Take one very thin crepe and decorate with cream,

add sliced strawberries and banana,

then some kiwi.

Embellish with chocolate sauce and add a scoop of ice-cream.

Fold in half, and roll up. I am going to have a go at making some of these for the family.

It was delicious. Time to make our way home, stopping to do some brass rubbings on the sundial we saw this morning. We used a foreign newspaper as our sketch book paper was too thick and we couldn't find any drawing paper to buy. We got some very strange looks but were used to that.

A fantastic day, but oh my legs ache! Thank you Nickie for a great day out!;0)

Tomorrow night Nickie and I are off to Embroiderers' Guild.

Catching the rays.

As the weather has been so good we had lunch in the garden sitting by the pond, I just love the sound of the water trickling down the waterfall, it's so relaxing. It also meant that I didn't do any stitching as I was clearing flower beds instead, never mind, that sun felt great.
Tonight, Hubby took me out to dinner to my favourite Indian restaurant- feeling very full.
Tomorrow Nickie and I are up to London to the V & A museum to see the quilts.;0)

Slow progress

I am making progress with cutting out the voids, depending on the weather tomorrow, if it's good I'll be messing about in the garden, if not I shall continue to work on this. It's been a busy day, opticians, the bank, visiting an old friend and then this afternoon my daughter and two GS's came round as well as Diane, who very kindly gave me a set of Travel stamps she had duplicated and .........

Martin Woods- with a sewing machine, all at the same time. I'm a typical Libran. I weigh up the pro's and con's. I have talked for several years about buying a smaller Bernina for taking to classes, but didn't, I nearly bought it again at Christmas as it is a job to fit my Bernina in my car, but didn't I looked at them again the other week at the NEC, but didn't. On Wednesday I took the bull by the horns and phoned Martin. Having dithered so much it has gone up in price due to the Euro and VAT going back up-serves me right!!

I wont be using it tonight as I am spending the evening with Hubby in the lounge (a rare occurrence) but I thought I ought to as I was out last night (without him) on our anniversary.

Chrissythreads

In February, I went with Diane and Nickie to the Material Girls exhibition. I saw this piece by Chris Spencer and it reminded me of the two wonderful holidays I have had in Cornwall with Hubby. So I bought it and put it away safely, until today, my tenth wedding anniversary. We shall both get a lot of pleasure from this hanging. Even though I took these photo's this morning in daylight, it does not do it justice.

Hubby got me bunches of my favourite flowers;0)

I am slowly cutting away the sheers to create voids in the flower panel, but not done enough to make it worth while posting a photo as I had to take Kezzy clothes shopping! I have also been on the phone to the debt collectors????? They are having problems as well with my dodgy dealer. I should be hearing back from them by Monday after they have got advice from their legal department. It will be two years next month since my dealings with the granite man started.
Had a lovely eveing with my oldest daughter and friends playing with paper and ink making a birthday book, another project to be finished at a later date.

Tomorrow I have to collect my new glasses-it should make sewing easier I hope.

And yet another one.

I just couldn't stop myself. My first whole day at home this holiday,(well apart from visiting my elderly neighbour for coffee this afternoon) was too good a chance to miss, and I have been in my playroom nearly all day;0) . I wanted to make a bigger sample, so that I could do the complimentary stitching all over- I needed to see if it looked very 60's or a mess. I have been surprised at how long this piece has taken to do, as it's not that big(12"x16 approx."). I am now waiting for it to dry before attacking with my scissors. I have also been thinking about the RRC. I have to quilt Deb's piece which is based on Africa. I have done a bit of surfing and now need to put pen to paper.

Off to do some hand stitching on my KISS piece now.

Kaylacoo

I have wanted to buy one of Michala's brooch's for a long time, so I did! It was waiting for me when I got home from Barleylands. Michala kindly sent me these two postcards of her work. Also this notelet with another image of her textiles

and the piece de resistance........my lovely brooch. For those who do not know, an article on her work was in 'Stitch' magazine last year.

Barleylands

Diane came to pick me up this morning for a trip to Barleylands. We started off in Craft Arena where Denise had been working with Sari fabrics-ironed flat, woven and then machine stitched. Looked good, I hadn't realised how wide the 'ribbon' was. Bought some more sheers and threads for my Flower Power panel. I still need to find some different yellows, I might end up dyeing if I can't see them in the shops. On to Tylers Patch as Diane needed some fabric for her course she is doing with Yvonne Brown soon. Then coffee and cakes in the sunshine. While we were busy chatting, we saw two members of our Guild so they joined us as well. I had a lovely time and when I got back home, Kezzy had almost finished the dreaded Shakespeare- an added bonus.

KISS challenge

When hubby came to see what I had been doing yesterday with my sampling, he thought that the word 'love' didn't show up enough. So, in between trying to help Kezzy with her Shakespeare homework, I doodled on some paper to try and get clearer words. Hence sample number 5, just waiting for his comments. I shall stop work on this for a few days so that I can get on with........... My piece I am making for the KISS challenge. I have got a lot of stitching still to do, but I am really enjoying having some hand stitching on the 'go'.

I painted the base fabric with Procion dye and used a commercial black fabric. Though I put Bondaweb on the tree, I only lightly ironed it in place just enough to hold it, for me to hand stitch in place. I am now busy hand stitching the 'sky' with random straight stitch, this has to be finished by the end of this month.

More fun

I have just signed up to join in this years ALQS4 being hosted by Kate. This is the first time I have joined in with this swap. If you want to find out more click on the badge.

Sample 4

Just a small sample tonight-I was thinking about using the complimentary colours on the flowers to add interest. I will have to wait until it's dry before I can finish the cutting away.Kezzy had a fantastic time today, she was somewhere in Cambridge and got to steer the plane herself!! She wants to do acrobatic flying next!!!
Last month, when I didn't have much on, I signed up for a 6 week on-line art course with Amelia. One of the things I need to do this week is find all the materials I will require, (there is a fairly long list) ready to start next Monday;0)