Attic24

A Chair Story

Once Upon a Time there was a pale blue Lloyd Loom chair. She was a little drab and old-lady-like when she first came to live with me in March. A tad sad, a tad neglected. This chair has a great deal of sentimental value because of the very special Lady that once owned her. So I really wanted to feel good about the chair, to love her and adore her and make her pretty again. And I think there's something really special about breathing new life into a sad old chair, a chair that has had so many bottoms sat upon it over so many years. 

So I started out thinking about how to prettify this chair, and a couple of inspiring images had really firmly lodged in my mind. The first one was a post on Vanessa's blog. And the second one was a post on Jane's blog. Both inspiring ladies, showing us inspiring chairs. Chairs to make yourself comfy in. Chairs to relax and create and dream in. And as I badly wanted my own comfy-relaxy-dreamy chair, I set about creating just such a thing. With yarn and fabric and love and joy.

First up, my chair needed it's own blanket. Without a doubt, it had to be cloaked in colourful hooky goodness or else it just wouldn't be my chair now would it? And so the circles-squares throw was started....

....and it grew....

....and grew some more...

...and then to dizzy appreciation, it gloried in it's ta-dah moment. 

My chair also need a cushion. And so the whirly, stripy, circular cushion was started...

....and it grew....

....and grew some more....

...and it too enjoyed it's Ta-dah moment.

But even with her crochet cloak and her plumpety-plump cushion, the chair was still sporting her dowdy mucky velvet seat. And I just knew that One Piece of Fabric would never ever do. I had a vision, and to me it was as clear as day. I could see this chair so perfectly in my mind that it was as if it already existed. The seat would be made of patchwork.

Yes, patchwork!! It has to be this way, I can see it so clearly!

So I gathered the fabrics....

....discovered the delicious joy of cutting and piecing....

....and a Patchwork seat cover was made, Ta-dah!!

I am rather pleased with it. Well no, that is an out and out lie actually. I am not pleased with it, I am absolutely THRILLED with it!! It gives me palpitations, makes me hop and skip and clap!

I introduced The Patchwork to The Crochet. 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh so harmonious! 

Such Perfect Partners!

They will be so Happy together.

Now considering that I've done no patchwork before, and no upholstery before, I think I did pretty OK with this, wouldn't you say? I made a calico template and cut the seat top to shape, then made a loooooong length of patches to fit all round the sides of the seat in one continuous strip. Then simply stitched the two together, keeping the calico as backing for extra strength.

Ahhhh I really love love love love love love love LOVE this seat!!!!

And I really love love love love love love love LOVE how yarn and fabric, crochet and patchwork all come together in a rather whacky, lovable concoction of Attic24-Lucy-stylie creativity.

Slightly bonkers it has to be said.

But oh so very me!

I had a vision for this chair, and the vision was as clear as day in my mind.

And this chair became exactly as I imagined it.

Exactly, yet more so.

I hope we shall live Happily Ever After together, Me and Chair.

The End.

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Patchwork Stuff

Hello...ahhhhh glad it's Friday, are you? The weather here today is absolutely dire and the forecast for the weekend in my little patch is for continuing Heavy Rain, which to be perfectly honest, would suit me just fine. I'm envisaging some luxurious hours spent pyjama-clad and fluffy-socked, in front of the fire with Country Living magazine to the left, my crochet bag to the right, cushions and blankets to the back and tea and cake somewhere reachable in front. Yeah, that sounds mighty fine to me. I shall surround myself on all four sides with cosy, homey things. Bring it on.

Today though, I thought we might take a little diversion from the weather, and from yarn and crochet and talk fabric instead? More specifically, the business of cutting pieces of beautiful fabric into neat little squares and then attempting to stitch them together with precise, straight, unwobbly lines?

Ahhhh yes I've been busy in the Attic these past few days! Busy doing fabricky, cutty stuff! As you know, I had this idea for my Lloyd Loom chair that I would make a patchwork seat cover for it. Now despite being absolutely Passionate about Patchwork, and despite owning this wonderful book for the best part of ten years, I have never actually attempted to make Patchwork. Never. Well thats to say that when I was a weeny scrap of a girl I did have a go at making hexagonal patchwork, the old fashioned English sort where you hand stitch all the fabric pieces onto little paper templates, you know? But never tried my hand at grown-up sewing machine type patchwork before. Even though it greatly appeals to me and I adore the whole idea of it.

I think that has partly been down to the absence of a Stash. And anyone knows that you need a half decent stash in order to make a half decent stab at Patchwork.

But over recent months, a little itty-bitty stash has been accumulating in the Attic...see those yummy scrumptious fabrics up there, don't they make your heart flutter just a little?? Well that'll be the extent of my stash, and I am very, very fond of it. Its very strokable, very inspiring. Its a mixture of Kaffee Fassett fabrics, European fabrics, and some generously gifted fabrics. I think there are only twenty five fabrics in total there, so extremely limited really in the giddy world of stash-building. But they are mine-mine-mine and I love each and every one of them.

And oh! What fun!!!! To spend an afternoon ironing and gliding my rotary cutter up and down my magical transparent Omnigrid ruler (bought a while ago and never been used before) was just delightful! Delightful. I chatted away to the fabric, enjoyed playing with it enormously.

Want to see what happened?

Want to see what I built?

Ok, look..........

.......I built a fantabulous pile of neatly cut, perfect little 4-inch squares!

A whole stack of them look!!!!

Oh my, well let me explain...what I did was to make a calico template for the chair seat I'm covering, and from the size of that I reackoned on needing 25 patchwork squares to fit it. So any noodle can work out that if you have twenty five fabrics and need twenty five squares, then that's only one square needed from each fabric, right? But where's the fun in cutting just one lonely square??? Nah, much better to cut big strips of fabric, then slice the strips into squares, two at a time! yeah, that rotary cutter was made for cutting strips, it didn't like doing single squares at all!

So anyhow, the upshot is that I think I am about to embark on my first ever patchwork quilt!!!!!! Ooooooooooooo how very totally, utterly exciting! Cos even after I put aside my 25 squares for the seat cover, I think I must still have around a hundred squares left over (yes I really did cut that many, I lost the ability to let go of the rotary cutter).

Anyhow, I will most definitely keep you posted on progression with that.

 

I think the whole Patchwork thing must be really In Fashion at the moment as I've noticed it in several magazines recently. The above image is from the May issue of Homes & Antiques, its the London home of Kate McShane. See that chair, isn't it amazing?? I love love love it. 

And these pages are from the May issue of Elle Decoration.....see the round crocheted cusions on the sofa??

Turn the page and there's a beautiful paper patchworked book shelf, and more of that amazing patchwork furniture too....take a closer look........

How fabulous are those?? Ooo makes me want to smooch that furniture and cover it in kisses, I adore it!!!! You may recognise it as the work of London based Squint Limited.

Want to see some more of their stuff??

(photo above borrowed from the Squint website)

That's the Chesterfield Sofa...

   

(photos above borrowed from the Squint website)

...and above are stools and chairs that've been given the Squint makeover.

I find this whole idea totally inspiring, fun, creative, imaginative, energetic and heart-skippy. It really inspires me to use fabrics and pattern more around the house, although not sure what husband would say.

Whilst we're still talking Patchwork Inspiration, I came across a fabulous blog yesterday with a beautiful Patchy Post to drool over......ah I do like a good browse in Blogland for inspiration, it always comes up trumps.

Well my friends...just before I log off and return to stitching myself into a squared-up Patchwork Frenzy, can i just say a huge thank you to all your responses to yesterdays post. I've been working my way though all your links and have thoroughly enjoyed my Global Hooky tour, it's been quite wonderful. If you haven't already added your crochet link to the post, then please do, I'd love to come and pay you a visit and see what you've been up to. I will also consider making a Flickr group, if you think that'd be cool??

Enjoy your weekend, whatever the weather, make sure you have yourself some fun....

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Thursday Thrills

Those of you who have gotten to know me over the past year will know about my Thursdays. You will know that Thursday mornings are cafe mornings. I can always be found there on Thursday mornings except in extreme circumstances  ie funerals, school holidays and severe weather conditions. Yes, Thursday morning is a Knit, Stitch and Natter morning.
In fact, it's come to be such a permanent, blissful fixture of my week that friends know they can reliably stroll in to the cafe on a Thursday morning and find me right there. And they often do. Sometimes they come unannounced, just stroll in knowing full well I'll be sat there coffee in one hand, hook in the other. And sometimes I'm forewarned and a little rendezvous will be arranged. A few months ago, it was the gorgeous Bertie who popped in to join in the hooky nattery fun. And today I had the pleasure of Fiona's chatty, bubbly company...oh such fun! You can just see Fiona's hands there in the above picture look, busy crocheting some sweet little fairy light covers.

I had my camera with me this morning to take a few pictures as Lovely C has asked me to design a new poster to advertise the KS&N mornings. I really LOVE these stripy mugs, aren't they gorgeous? They are usually used at the cafe for hot chocolate as inside the mug (underneath the froth) the word "chocolat" is written. But today I asked nicely if I could have my usual latte put into one of these mugs as I knew it would look lovely in the photos.
Incidentally, the mugs come from the delicious Jules China shop in Hebden Bridge, you can find them on their website if you fancy buying yourself one. Or maybe several. And aren't the heart shaped oven dishes gorgeous too?

There's something so lovely about meeting fellow bloggers, because it's as if you've already met many many times before and are simply picking up where you left off. Conversation flows at full pelt, so much in common, so much to talk about, but also so much you already know and don't need to ask. Fiona, if you are reading this, it was an absolute pleasure to meet you, please come again, any Thursday that tickles your fancy. You'll know exactly where to find me.

Now then, I wish to share a little something with you, if that's ok? See that delicious stripy paper bag there sat on my chair, isn't it the most fabulous paper bag you ever ever laid eyes on? This was presented to me this morning, just a little something from Fi-to-me. To be truthful, I would've been overjoyed just to receive the bag itself, that would have made my day.

But inside the bag were some beautifully wrapped gifts :: a pretty box for me and two tissue paper ones for the Little People (still waiting for fingers to arrive and rip them to shreds). Want to have a look inside the box?

Go on then....have a peek....

,,,,sky blue tissue paper, and what's that nestling inside????

A little woolly something, what can it be?

Oh look!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The most gorgeous little house :: crocheted and then felted, with such intricate embroidered details look....

and look at the back too....a washing line!!! Isn't it just beautiful?

I love love love it. Very very much.

I can see a little collection beginning to grow here, a little handmade housey-housey village.

Which reminds me I've been meaning to show you a couple of housey pictures of mine which sit on my bookshelves downstairs....

This first one is by textile artist Janet Browne, who hand dyes her own fabrics, then pieces and stitches them into these very unique pictures...more of her work can be seen here.

 

And this picture I've had for years, it's by embroidery artist Rachel Setford who I used to bump into a lot when I was also making and selling my textile work :: we exhibited at many of the same fairs and shows (oh that seems like a life time ago!) and I loved her work very much. I remember I had a particularly successful show one Christmas time, resulting in the unexpectedly delicious feeling of having rather more money in my pocket than I was used to. So on a whim I extravagantly commissioned this piece from Rachel and she made it especially for me, all hand stitched, such teeny tiny stitches...ahhh I do so love hand made things. Such love and skill and care in every stitch. 

And speaking of stitches and love and skill....maybe very soon I might be able to find a little time to do more of this myself....and maybe then this will soon be open for business.......

xxxxxx

Loving Today

:: early morning sky ::

:: the view this morning from the end of my street ::

:: my walk home from school ::

:: noticing snowdrops growing in my front garden ::

:: wearing beautiful hand made jewellery ::

 

:: new pomegranate and raspberry hand soap in the kitchen ::

:: a vase of fresh flowers  ::

:: noticing the beauty inside these tulips ::

:: eating a home made bun  with my morning coffee ::

:: morning sunshine streaming in through the window ::

:: evidence of Little Lady's early morning play still on the windowsill ::

 

:: evidence of Little Man's early morning creativity still on the table ::

:: stitching orange beady bird feet ::

:: my growing pile of blanket squares ::

:: Finally planning the long-thought-about tea-towel quilt ::

:: a jar of sea glass, reminding me to make a visit to the coast very soon ::

:: shiny chrome and gleaming white ceramic in the bathroom ::

Hope you are Loving your own Today too?
xx

Housey-housey

Hello!
A very housey-housey post today as I seem to be going through something of an obsession with little houses at the moment. It is nothing new, I have loved housey imagery for a long, long time, and can't see it ever diminishing much. I just adore the heap of emotion that comes flooding in when my whirly-gig brain processes an image of a row of cute little houses.

Thinking about it now, I do seem to have many of these little passions, things that for me seem to have such a lot of feeling attached to them. Too numerous to mention, but I expect you could hazard a guess as most of these passions of mine tend to feature in my daily blogging.  It's the stuff of domestic family life, the stuff that makes me feel glad to be me, the stuff that gives me this emotional heart-skippy and happy jumpity feeling.
Pictures of little houses fall firmly into the heart-skippy category :: they make me feel safe and cosy and homely and glad for my own home life. I think that sort of explains it.

These first two images are "New Home" greeting cards that I found in my card stash a few days ago. I had quite forgotten I had bought them, I think they came from Marks and Spencers.  Of course I wouldn't dream of sending them to anyone, they will eventually become part of my big Inspiration Wall which one day I intend to create and share with you. For now, they are propped up near my sewing machine in the Attic, looking all cute and sweet, making me smile.

Its been quite a week for me, this one. After I made the stitched postcard for the Houseyversary giveaway (yes, it IS that day, but naughty me I am making you w.a.i.t), I realised that the time was right to be doing more with my skills. Making more. Sharing more. Achieving more. That I could talk about it and write about it and think about it and plan it, but really I should be getting on and actually doing it.
It was your comments and response to my little houses that have tipped the balance for me, and I cannot begin to think how to thank you. Each and every comment that came in on last Fridays post has made me so happy.
I had been pondering an Etsy shop for a while now, but had not quite had the confidence to do it. And now, thanks to you all, I think the time is right for me to give it a go. Katy, you in particular have helped make this happen for me, and I am sooperly-dooperly grateful for that.

So this week has seen me beetle about ordering supplies and materials and taking the first little baby steps towards setting-up-shop. Such fun!! As you probably know if you popped up to the Attic yesterday, I have been stitching a banner to head up my little shop :: I finished it last night, and am SO HAPPY to be sharing it with you! I think it's one of the best things I've ever made, and there is so much happiness and love and hope in every stitch.
The above image is how it was yesterday morning when I'd finished doing all the cutting and piecing and machine stitching, but before I started any of the hand embroidery. It's kind of like a lady without her makeup and jewellery on. She is there and dressed, but not yet ready for the party.

I really love how the hand embroidery brings the whole thing to life. When I'm designing a piece of work, I pretty much know from the outset how the hand embroidery is going to work. I cut little flower pots just so that I can hand stitch miniature flowers to fill them. I cut little windows which cry out for hand finished window frames.

You can click on these images to pop them up in a larger window if you like, to see the stitches. I love that you can do that, I always do it when I blog-read, I like to get right into the images and see every little last detail.

I drew the picture of the hill exactly as I see it out of my Attic Window. I had great fun stitching it whilst actually sitting in my window seat looking at the real thing (even though the real thing was/is white with snow)

And this is the finished banner. It had to measure just right to fit the rectangle needed for Etsy, so it's very long and thin, measuring 59cm x 8cm. And quite simply I love it.

But do you know what the nicest thing is about all of this? That my family also love it too. That they are proud of what I am trying to do and appreciate that I am attempting to begin working again. The Little People have been very curious to see me sit and stitch, and I have explained to them what I am doing. Little man even said to me this morning that he was very glad that I would be "starting a business", although he didn't elaborate on why exactly.

So my banner is made and hanging above my shop ready and waiting, and all I need to do now is work like the clappers and produce some colourful stitchy goodness to put on the virtual shelves. I hope that this will be in about a weeks time, depending on how clappery I can work.

Right then, finally lets stop talking Shop and start talking Gifts, shall we?
I have to be honest here and say I was/am astounded by the number of comments that have come in for this giveaway. Really, I have been bowled over by it all. It has been an absolute delight to read all your housey tales, has given me so very very much pleasure. And I think the overwhelming feeling that has come from this is how really the fabric of a place does not matter so long as there is love and happiness and warmth within the walls. That HOME matters so very much more than HOUSE. I truly wish I could make something for you all as a thankyou, but today there is just one winner.

There were 147 comments when I looked this morning.
And sorry, but I couldn't face writing out one hundred and forty seven slips of paper to put into a hat.
So instead I used the marvelous computery jiggery-pokery that is the Random Number Generator to select the number....

....and it's number 76.

Number 76, the 76th comment on my houseyversary post belongs to Tracy of Cupcakes at Home. Well done Tracy, I hope it will go some way towards brightening up your days. I'll be sending you an email to get your address, cos don't think I can put "almost as far north as you can be" on the envelope.

Incidentally, Little Lady (age 4) drew me this picture of a house and garden yesterday, specifically for my "compy-tition". That is me in the picture, wearing high heels, doing a little jig and looking quite funky.

Have a great weekend you all, see you next week
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Number 24 :: One Year Today

I am having such a bright and gorgeous day today, there is blue sky and sunshine yet again in my patch and I am glad. I am full of the joys, full of those little fluttery bubbles of happiness that make me want to skip down the street like a big kid. Today is a happy, bubbly day and I am so glad you have popped in to say hello and share it with me, you are so very welcome. H e l l o !!

As you may know, today happens to be a special day for me and my little family, because today is the day that we are celebrating one year living here at number 24. This exact day last year, we were arriving in this new town, this new street, this new house with all our possessions in the back of the removal lorry, accompanied by all the excitement and apprehension that a change of location/house/school/nursery brings to ones life. It was an exciting, scary time. And I still remember that day so well. Still remember that amongst the chaos and the upheaval, the boxes and the mess, there was an overwhelming feeling that we had finally arrived H O M E. That this house was the right house for us, and that our new life here would be good. 

And oh it is!! Good that is. Life is good. And I am celebrating today, celebrating the warmth and happiness and comfort and security and belonging that I have found in this house. I don't think I've ever felt so attached to a place before (and I have lived at 15 different addresses in my life so far, in seven different city's/towns/villages). Like I say, life is good.

So. Do you recall that on Wednesday, when I was rambling away about Parcels and Lovely Things, I promised a little G I V E A W A Y ?? In celebration of my first housey-versary?

Well I spent a fantabulous time yesterday up in the Attic, getting reacquainted with my sewing things. I had to crawl into the cupboards under the attic eaves on my hands and knees to get at some of it, had to re-arrange furniture to set up a little working space, but it was all good fun.

I have not accomplished a great deal of sewing this year, and it has been an age since I had to think about designing something. So it was exciting and challenging to do this little project. I knew I wanted it to be something housey, and so this little textile picture was imagined, drawn, cut, pieced and stitched.

I am nervous, can you tell?

Can you tell how much I am hoping you like this little housey picture?

Can you just imagine my fingers crossed behind my back, imagine my wishful thinking??

There is a lot of love and happiness in this picture. I had such FUN making it!! I had forgotten how hugely exciting it is to create with colour and fabric and thread in this way, yes, I truly enjoyed every second.

My little cotton fabric scraps were snippety snipped (fifty two individual pieces cut for this picture), and stitched with love by machine and hand.

I designed and made it a bit like a fabric postcard. It has the same dimensions as a  postcard :: it measure 15cm x 10cm, and fits nicely into this Ikea Ribba frame (it's the 18x24cm one).

And there's more. After the picture, I could not stop. I could not drag myself away from the fabric, threads, ribbons and beads in the Attic. So after the Little People were tucked up in bed, I sneaked back into the Attic to stitch this little cotton and wool felt house. Such fun!!

 

I've made it as a keyring, as I had made one for myself once before and love being able to use something small and handmade every day.
 

So :: this is what i am thinking :: if you would like to receive these handmade housey goodies as a gift from me to you, all you have to do is leave a comment at the end of today's post.

I'd like you to tell me a bit about the house where you live, maybe what it looks like, your home style, what's your favourite thing about living there. 

And I'll draw the winner in one weeks time, on Friday 5th December.

I can't wait to hear all about your houses and homes :: nothing pleases me more than talking House-and-Home (well possibly eating cake comes a close second).

And for the record, one of my favourite things about my home is, as you would expect, the Attic. That little room up two flights of stairs which has given me so very much. A room to create it in, a room that inspired me to start my blog, and that view across the town to the hills. Love it today, in the hazy winter sunshine, more than ever. You can read a little more about Number 24 here.

And just before I go, a view of my hyacinths, which seem to have reached their peak. They look and smell  just beautiful.

Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are up to :: we are away tomorrow, on a little jolly to the Lake District. I love weekends away (we are Youth Hosteling again), and will no doubt be telling you all about it....
....see you next week
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Stitched flowers

Good morning, good morning, its another colour-fest this morning, hope you're not feeling delicate cos these are knock-your-socks off Bright. With a capital B.
Following on from Wednesdays stitchy reveal, I've been inspired to show you some more of my work.

My textile work is made using pure cotton fabrics, bought from an amazing mail-order company called Strawberry Fayre. They stock 200 plain colour 100% cottons, as well as prints and wonderful charm packs, and furthermore, they are lovely lovely people to do business with.

Each image is built up in layers and is mainly stitched using free machine embroidery where you lower the feed and use a darning foot, moving the fabric under the needle to "draw" freehand with the stitches. It has taken me many years of practice to be able to do this competently, but now it's as easy for me as drawing with a pen.

I love to use hand embroidery to add detail to the the finished piece though, there is something lovely about hand stitch, something so personal. I think whenever you see hand embroidery, you can just picture  the maker sitting and working quietly with needle and thread. I never feel my applique pieces are complete unless they have some hand stitch added.

Goodness, but the colours zing, don't they??!! Even I am a little overwhelmed!

I have tried using softer colours in the past, have tried limiting my colour palette, but it never works out for me.
There's something about such vivid colour combinations that absolutely makes my heart sing, and when I am working directly with fabric and playing with colour in this way, I do get very very excited :: remember the Dahlia Walk? Well yes, I get the same giddiness with fabric too, no surprises there really.

The above picture, the tulips in the zig-zag jug is one of my favourites. It measures 15cm x 21cm, just to give you an idea of scale, and I rarely made work any bigger than this.

 

And these last three pieces are some of my smaller ones, they appear bigger on my blog than in real life as the originals only measure about 8cm x 11cm. I always used to leave the edges of these pieces free and "raw", rather than backing and hemming them like I do with the larger pieces.

I quite like to see the frayed edges of textile work, but I used to find it hard not to neaten and straighten the edges. I think on balance, I prefer the finished look of the larger pieces.

     

Oh, it's been REALLY good to have a look at these images again, it's been a while since I really contemplated my textile work.
It's been good to remember that yes, at one time in my life I was able to create things that gave me (and other people) a lot of pleasure and simultaneously allowed me to earn a modest living.
It almost seems impossible to remember that I achieved that :: sometimes life BC seems so very very distant and far away. And as much as I adore the Little People, and adore my role as a SAHM, it has  rather taken over my life. Perhaps now's the time for me to start to reclaim some of my old, working life back again, create more of a balance?
I figure that if I did it once, then perhaps I could just do it again?

So, once again *thank you* for your enthusiasm and encouragement, you have given me the confidence to think that I can do this. Your feedback is invaluable, and I am so grateful to you for giving it so generously.

I will keep you posted, an etsy shop possibly??? :o)
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Edited to add:: you probably know this, but if you click on the images, they will enlarge and pop up in a separate window :: you can then see more of the stitch detail in close-up :: Love that!

Stitched seascapes

Whenever I come home after spending time by the sea, for a while afterwards I am still sort of emotionally and mentally sea-bound. I find that my subconscious sort of draws me to contemplate sea-related things, to seek out coastal images, to reminisce about past seaside holidays.
Yesterday, I even found that whilst sitting at the computer and waiting for images to load, my absent minded doodles on a scrap of paper were all sea-related too (little fishermans cottages and boats, when usually I doodle hearts, flowers and birds!)

So yesterday, after I had written my post about our weekend by the coast, I found myself thinking of the many different times during the past  when I have visited Robin Hoods Bay (first ever visit, vividly and passionately remembered, September 1996). I also suddenly remembered that I had once stitched a picture of Robin Hoods Bay, and after routing around in the Attic24 eaves, I managed to find my old portfolios of textile work.

I have been wanting to share my textile work with you for some time, wanted to air them on my blog, but have been ridiculously nervous to do so.
I still feel butterflies in my stomach seeing these images on the computer screen, although I don't know why.
I think because they are so much a part of me, so personal to my life, they cause me to feel huge emotion.
It's most odd.

I began stitching these sort of textile pictures in February 1997, at a time when I was tentatively attempting to find a way to earn money from my work.
Each piece of work is a unique, one off piece, and because the scale is quite small (top picture of Robin Hoods Bay measures roughly 8"x5") I was able to put the original piece of work directly on to a colour photocopying  machine and photocopy it.
I am SO Very Glad I had the foresight to record every single piece of work I made by copying it in this way, because it has become a very valuable and precious record of my work.

I sold my first piece of work in the Spring of 1998.
I was exhibiting at a contemporary craft fair in Battersea, London, and a wealthy lady bought a framed piece to go in her Paris apartment.
She paid me £180.
I was shaking from head to foot during the whole transaction.

Over the next four years before My Little Man was born, I went on to establish myself as a contemporary textile artist and produced a great many one-off pieces of work.
One Hundred and Fifty Nine to be precise, all numbered and dated and recorded in my portfolios.
I exhibited at fairs and galleries up and down the country, and even had my very own one-man show at a Cornish gallery in 2000, where I sold every single piece of work (20 in total)
I have ten pieces left, some hanging on the walls and some wrapped up and stored away.

These seascapes were such a pleasure to make, and looking at them again now, I can remember creating each one, usually following a weekend spent by the sea.
I did have other subject matter too :: flowers and the such like.
Perhaps I'll show you some more sometime, the flowery ones?
It's been fun to share these with you, although I somehow feel like I need a stiff drink now.
I am not normal, am I?!
xxx

Fabric and Pins

Nine metres of new fabric :: mine all mine.
Bought from The Little Fabric Shop.
First time I have ever purchased fabric on-line.
First time I have ever had the absolute heart-skipping pleasure of having fabric arrive through the letter box in blue plastic parcels.

I deliberated long and hard about spending money on nine yards of fabric without a purpose for it.
I wanted to buy it just because it was so pretty, because it squeezed my heart like Greengate products do.
In my defence, it was in The Sale, and if you hurry, the sale is still on and there are some fabrics left at the bargain price of £3.99 per metre.
And in the grand scheme of things, Three-ninety-nine is not a great deal to pay for one metre of printed cotton deliciousness.
But multiply that by nine and yes, I did feel a bit guilty spending that sort of money on fabric.
Didn't last long though, I never generally give in to Guilt for more than a day or so.

I find this fabric so damn pretty and charming, it captivates me.
It's been lying around in the Attic for a month or so now and I have done nothing more than gaze at it, arrange it, stack it, fold it, re-arrange it some more and photograph it.
I've been using Flickr to search for some likely projects for this fabric of mine.
I do love Flickr, it is so completely brimful of inspiration.
So I've been pondering some ideas :: maybe a patchwork cushion or two, perhaps something like this? Or maybe this?

Remember the other day I was talking about the Chain-of-Influence?
Well this is how the most recent chain went ::

Yarnstorm :: Anna Maria Horner :: Flickr :: Red Rapunzel :: Wild Flower Pincushion

So this is what I've been up to this morning, I've been stitching myself a Wild Flower Pincushion. And  I'm pleased to report that unlike the Twig Project AKA the Bird Mobile, this attempt at sewing from a pattern was free of hissy fits and blue language. Thank heavens.

I am pleased with it, and I love the patchworky effect with the different fabrics combined.

 

And its a whoppa this wild flower pincushion. Look at it next to my miniature patchwork pin cushion of old and you get the scale of it. I made that little hexagon pincushion of old :: paper-pieced and hand stitched it when I was about 13 years old, .

 

Oh I do love these fabrics, did I mention that? They make me sigh with pleasure.

I still think I want to try a log-cabiney type patchwork cushion with them though.
Any other suggestions for pretty florally, stitchy fabric projects? That don't involve twigs?

 

The TWIG project

Well now, hello to you all. You doing OK today? Good, good, me too. This morning I was casting around for something to post about today, umming and ahhing over subject matter. I pondered chatting more about housework and my recent discovery of the FLY lady (thanks Amanda), or perhaps I could talk Soup Recipes? Or possibly I could get away with bombarding you with more crochet hexagons which I cannot stop photographing? Or maybe even show you my new fabric stash which arrived through the post a few weeks ago?
But then I suddenly remembered The TWIGS. Remember way-back-when in the depths of the Summer holidays, I took the Little People out in the rain to gather soggy twigs from the woods?
Do you recall me talking about the Mysterious Twig Project I was working on??
Wanna see it?
Yeah?
You sure?
Oh, well go on then, let me tell you the story of the DAMNED HARDEST PROJECT EVER INVENTED.

Here is my small, ancient fabric stash, well the patterned bit of it anyhow :: I also have a box of blindingly coloured plain cottons. Back in my dim distant past pre-Little-People, I was a working textile artist and amongst other things, I used to make a lot of hand made greetings cards. And when I say a lot, I do mean thousands. The above fabrics used to be cut into tiny pieces to make miniature appliqued and embroidered motifs for my cards, and this collection is what I have left. Once I reached eight months pregnant and could no longer sit my huuuuge belly in front of a sewing machine to fulfil orders, I wound down my little business, packed up all my materials into a cupboard and my work room was hurriedly transformed into a baby's room.

That was in 2002 and I since then I have done very little in the way of sewing. Every so often, I get inspired to stitch, get the urge to have a play with fabric, ribbons, buttons. I've stitched the odd gift, and made a few bits and pieces. I wait for Inspiration to strike. Inspiration needs to strike me pretty damn hard these days, and back in August there it suddenly was :: Bang! The most perfect little decorative sewing project!

One of the many things I love about visiting Blogland and Flickrville, is the thing I call the Chain-of-Influence. You know when you see something creative that someone else has done, and you follow a link to a pattern or website, and then you get all excited for giving it a go yourself. And you discover that quite a few others are also doing the very same thing, and then lots of different variations of the same project all get created and shared, and then they in turn inspire more people to give it a go. A chain of creativity and linked ideas. It's great isn't it?
So this is how the Chain of Inspiration went ::
The Yvestown Blog :: Spool Sewing :: Flickr :: Attic 24

This is the story of The Bird Mobile AKA The Twig Project AKA The Damned Hardest Project Ever Invented.

I could not wait to do this project, I was so excited for it. A bird mobile! How delightful! How beautifully simple! How Creative! And Decorative!

I made four birdies in one afternoon.

Cut them out in a frenzy of activity, stitched them as fast as I could because I could not wait to stuff them and see them all sitting prettily in a row.

The Little People adored these birds. I had to snatch them back on numerous occasions, especially from Little Lady who wanted to take them to bed with her. All four of them.

I declare they are not toys and must remain in the Attic to be Attached to Twigs and made into the perfect mobile. Just like the clever people at Spool Sewing had done.
And here my friends is where it starts to go pear shaped.

I paint the twigs white.
I try to do as the Spool People said and stitch the birds to the twigs.
It is devilishly difficult and I decide they must be glued on instead.
But how to position them so they balance?
How to get the twigs to all stay horizontal and provide a series of perfectly balanced perches for my birds?
It is IMPOSSIBLY HARD to make a well balanced mobile.
There is lots of cursing.
A fairly major hissy fit.
The birds will not sit properly, they keep spinning upsidedown and hang moodily underneath the perch instead of jauntily on top.

Eventually, I manage to get three birds to remain upright, and the twig to remain straight(ish).
I hang the mobile from my bedroom light and I do enjoy it very much.
But it doesn't last long.
J keeps knocking it when he is taking his clothes off.
I keep knocking it when I am making the bed.
And because it is so delicately balanced, it's hard to put it right once it's been knocked off kilter.
Then one day last week, the Kaffe Fassett fabric bird fell off completely, so I took it as a sign that the Twig Project had had it's day.

But I do still love the birds, and they have now flown around the house to perch.

They are happier this way.
And so am I.

Edited to add :: please don't let my own crappy mobile-making skills put you off this project! The free bird pattern is there in the sidebar of the Spool Sewing blog, and the birds are FABULous to make, so do give them a go. I am fully intending to give the mobile thing another try too (because I do still LOVE the idea of it). Only I think I need to use more twigs in a configuration because I suddenly realised maybe this is where I went wrong, trying to balance just one twig? Any advice or mobile-making experience welcome!