Sutton Hoo

Nickie and I were stewarding on the penultimate day of our Sutton Hoo exhibition, and Alan and Kezzy came to view it, as did Nickie's parents. Kezzy is going to be doing GCSE Art next year, so I lent her my sketch book so that she could try her hand at drawing details and patterns of items that she liked.

In between visitors, Nickie and I stitched.We have had some lovely comments in our visitors book, it is so nice that people took time to write in it.

A giraffe in the garden.

The roads were empty for my drive to Cambridge today, the sun was shining and I had the sun-roof down-BLISS!!!!!

Every time I drive up to Cottenham, I am intrigued by these works of art that are in a garden that I drive past. So, today as I was early, I stopped to have a look. They are amazing. There is an invitation to take photo's and children are allowed to sit on them .

I love the giraffe!

Sutton Hoo was in the local newspaper last week, celebrating 70 years since its discovery. Today was spent sorting out the final details for the exhibition.It is interesting to see all the work that has been done by the group using Sutton Hoo as the inspirational source. All so varied. Nickie and I are stewarding next Sunday, so we shall be able to have a really good look at all the work.

Everyone had to take an item of food for lunch, so I made a fresh fruit brulee. We had a wonderful feast! I will need to do a lot of gardening tomorrow to burn off those extra calories.

The dodgy dealer saga continues.

I had to go back to Basildon Courts again today to swear an affidavit, the problem was that I thought I just had to read a few words over the Bible. NO SUCH LUCK!!! Another form to fill in!!!!! So after a quick dash round the supermarket, threw everything in the fridge, cupboard and freezer when I got home, filled in the dreaded forms and back to Basildon to do the Oath. I now have to wait until the end of June to find out what will happen next. It is now 1 year since he (read, Dodgy Dealer) took the granite worktops and money. The wheels of justice grind very slowly and he is ignoring all the legal correspondence!
I have also been out finding vinyl flooring covering for hubby who wants some for his new shed. He was quoted £180, 'No way! Not for a grotty shed!' I said. So I had to find a better deal. Mission accomplished and he will be going out tomorrow to buy it.
I have packed and labelled up my work ready to go to Cottenham tomorrow. Nickie can't make it, so I shall be taking her work for her. It will be very cosy in my Smart car with all the boxes.
My son, Rhodri has been working on my postcards and business cards. The business cards are printed and cut up but the postcards won't be finished in time to take tomorrow, but he has made a smashing job of them so far. As I am stewarding next Sunday I will take them up then. This time next week the exhibition will have been hung!

My mother is creative with flowers, so after a mammoth flower buying trip, she was left in my kitchen to make three floral tributes for my Great Aunt.

My brother wanted bright, so we got orange flowers for him.

I love pink with acid green.

Mum chose pink, Aunties favourite colour.

They survived the journey to Norwich well, and though it was a sad occasion, I found some relatives that I didn't know existed! All the old family photo's were got out as one new member of the family is trying to work out the family tree.

I am very worried about my surviving Great Aunt and I shall be going to stay with her in the Summer holidays for a few days.

It was then a three hour drive, cross country to take Mum home, before another two hours back to Essex. Very numb nether regions when we got home late last night.

I have spent this morning looking after my Grandson Josh while his little brother went swimming. I made some very bright green play dough for him. I have got everything ready for going back to work on Monday, and now I am going to start sorting out my bits for Cottenham on Saturday. I still haven't got my postcards sorted yet!!!! It is our last F.E.T. meeting before our exhibition at Sutton Hoo.

No stitching tonight as I am meeting up with friends for a Scrapbook night.

Monday

I gave Mum a helping hand deadheading part of her front garden yesterday morning, this is only part of the frontage. I find it a very relaxing job. while I was doing this Alan was cutting the lawns with help from Kezzy. This is one job that gets her out of bed as she likes to drive the sit-upon mower. She has now decided she wants to drive tractors for a living!!!!

After lunch we packed up and headed home to a wet Essex bringing my Mother with us.

I manged to mount and frame my wall hanging, I got my staple gun at Homebase in the end. I hope that Pauline will be happy with it when I take it up to Cambridge on Saturday. The photo is not very good, I will have to talk to my dear son to see if he can take a picture with his Super Duper camera for me to post.

Botox

I have at last finished beading the wall hanging for Sutton Hoo and all I need to do now is stuff (botox) the faces of the soldiers. The end is in sight, I have enjoyed stitching it, and I shall miss having something to hand stitch on at work.
The countdown on my blog went haywire and I have had to remove it. It decided to start counting down to New Year 2010!

Travel Journal workshop

My workshop for Schoolhouse Arts took place yesterday, and though some people who had booked, who due to unforeseen circumstances, couldn't make it at the last moment, we had a lovely day. I shall look forward to seeing the journals finished. The journal I made yesterday, has gone home with my daughter, Sam, who popped round for coffee today, before I could take any photos. She is off to Norfolk tomorrow with her hubby and 2 boys. I hope the weather improves!

Managed to get the photo of Nickie eating again! While I was out, hubby had two friends come round to help him put up the new shed, the old one being too small for all the bikes and tools. In return I cooked up pots of Vindaloo, Madras and Sag Aloo curry followed by fresh fruit brulee.

Today he has been busy, in spite of the weather, felting the roof. I have tried to think up some ideas for my bag that I have to make for Sutton Hoo-the problem is I only have 1 night in this week.

Tomorrow night it is Embroiderer's Guild, and we have Kim Thittichai as our speaker.

Not long now.

WOW!!!! is the only way I can describe the work that I saw today when we had to show Pauline Verrinder what we had made for the Sutton Hoo exhibition, I can't wait to see it all in situ. We all have doubts about not being good enough when we see other peoples work, and I have had plenty of those, but my work will be in the exhibition.
Ann showed us how to make business cards this afternoon, she is a real wizz with a computer.

As you can see I am still beading, and then the soldier is going to get some botox! All work has to be finished by the 29th May!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow morning I am going to my friends charity breakfast to raise funds fo Little Havens, our local children's hospice.

F.E.T.

I have had my weekly trip to Craft Arena ( no affiliation) today, a treat to myself after a very busy week at work. I am thinking about making the bag for Sutton Hoo in silk, so popped there to see what Denise had. I found a lovely dupion, not too slubby. I need to decide now on what colours to dye it.
I have also carried on stitching beads on the wall hanging, as I am using a size 15 bead it is taking quite some time. Tomorrow, Nickie and I are off to Cottenham for our F.E.T. meeting, Pauline will selecting work for the exhibition.
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Ploughed field workshop

Nickie and I spent today at this quaint village hall in Hutton with a group of very friendly ladies.

I had to take this pictures of the trees before I even went in the hall, it was just so beautiful! The ladies all worked very hard as you can see by the slide show and are well on the way to a finished piece of textile art with a little bit more time.

This evening I have finished quilting my Sutton Hoo wall hanging and it is now soaking to dissolve the romeo fabric. A 'slight' problem- not all the pattern lines are dissolving, do I dare bleach it or go straight into dyeing it? I think I shall sleep on it before doing anything drastic.

I might have to go to Norwich tomorrow, my Aunt who is 105 in June, had had a nasty fall yesterday and is now in a respite home to recover, leaving at home her young blind sister of nearly 102 (in September) They have never been apart! My Aunts were in the Telegraph when the younger sister was 100 as they are the first family to have recieved 3 telgrams from the queen for celebrating their 100th birthday. Their older sister lived to 106!

'Makeover'

Ten yards from home last night, my car was attacked by my soon to be new neighbour. Luckily my daughter and I were not hurt, just shaken. He admitted that he just didn't see me. I hope to get it repaired in the school holiday, as it means I will have a couple of days without being able to go out- Yipheee!!!!!





In preparation for the rust workshop with Myfanwy in July, I have managed to get some unwanted rusty items from school. The caretakers were very helpful, I should get some interesting patterns.
Last night I was round at Nickie's, she has a workshop on Saturday at Schoolhouse Arts and I am her 'gofer'. The workshop is on image transfer. We had lots of fun experimenting







My new piece for Sutton Hoo has now been machine stitched and I have started on the hand stitching.

Library Exhibition

Yesterday at our Embroiderer's Guild exhibition at Chelmsford Library, we held a 'Come and stitch a square' for the general public to come and join us between 10am and 1pm. We had five visitors, one, a young man training to be a chef. Through this, we have got a possible Young Embroiderer joining our group and a visitor to our meetings when she is home from Uni. One lady who joined us came for the first time to our last meeting, so we couldn't have scared her off! Next stitch day is the 4th April.Here are some images of the work in the exhibition, we have had some lovely comments in the visitors book.

I have now started my next piece of work for Sutton Hoo. Craft Vilene, tissue and gesso 'fabric'

Painted with the lovely Lumiere paints and then acrylic wax was applied when the paint was dry.

I have spent a fair bit of time playing with spirals, the Anglo-Saxons were influenced by the Celts and also to represent the sea. It was then deciding what colour thread. Decisions!!!!!

The pattern was drawn on water soluble paper and I shall now start stitching.

More retail therapy

I had another dose of retail therapy yesterday after work, by stopping off at Craft Arena. (I forgot to say in my blog last night) I had ordered some more Hemmingworth threads , which had been delivered, so I just HAD to go and get them. Trouble is there were some new Valdani threads in as well!

Today it was off to Cottenham. We were told that Textiles in Focus had been a success in spite of the economic climate. Lots of discussions about our Sutton Hoo exhibition that is taking place in June (84 days to go). We have all got to make a wall hanging at least A3and if we have any 'spare time' a bag as well to fit in a 10" square. Planty to keep me busy!!!!!

We got back our A.T.C.'s , we were all given two themes, mine were culture-music and colour-intense. We had to make our A.T.C.'s put them in a bag with our design source and a selection of materials that had been used and then sent off to the other group and then they would make one for us and vice versa. My A.T.C.'s are on the left with the design source. I had never made an A.T.C. card before and was quite nervous but I really enjoyed it, I also like the anticipation of waiting to see what is going to come back you.

Chelmsford Embroiderer's Guild Exhibition

I have now finished my second piece for our exhibition, just got to deliver the two pieces tomorrow night. I was hoping to help with setting up the exhibition on Thursday, but I have to attend my daughters parents evening as it is her Options year.

Now, I have to start thinking about the Sutton Hoo exhibition and writing my school reports!

On Friday my daughter number 2 got her costume ready for Halloween, we bought a cheap pair of wings that she painted black, we found some spooky tights in the factory shop, and a cheap dress from Primark that to distress with my soldering iron. She wouldn't wear a coat to go Trick or Treating as it would have spoilt her outfit. Why don't the youngsters feel the cold?

Grandson number 1 came T and T to our house, so I had to do the doting Nany bit and take a photo.

Yesterday I had to do some babysitting for my daughter number 1, so she could take Grandson number 1 to the fireworks, so after finishing some schoolwork(ready for Monday) I started my Wild Woman, it was lovely to sit in front of the television(a very rare thing to do) and sew beads randomly onto vilene. I shall be doing some more on this in my tea breaks at work.
Today we went to Sutton Hoo to do some more research in readiness to start making something???? for F.E.S.T. We met up with Nickie and her man.My head is buzzing with ideas but, will they work? When will I get time to be able to start playing? Which idea first?

My daughter caught Nickie on camera eating AGAIN!!!!!