There are some times....

....When feet just don't touch the ground. It has been like that for weeks.

However, just to show that I haven't been idle here's a link to the Sassa Lynne at Etsy Blog

May, Take it Further

What a chapter of accidents! I have had to write this post in fits and starts. Many interruptions caused me to save and return to add more. The problem arose when I had more than one copy open in several windows (I still don't know how this happened). The result was that instead of publishing the final copy I saved the first! All the time and effort (well, almost all) was wasted and I have had to start again. Hopefully I can remember what I wrote, at least in gist.

I know it's June now, but I had actually completed the challenge by the end of May. As I thought, it was a holiday project, and here are my thoughts and results.

I gave the question a lot of thought because it goes much deeper for me than it would at first appear. My name is Welsh, but as soon as I open my mouth you will think I am English. It was a quirk of 'fate' that caused me to be born and brought up in England, but in spite of living here all my life I still regard myself as Welsh. I experienced Hiraeth long before I knew there was a name for it, and travelling over the border always makes me feel as though I am returning home.

In my working life I wear many figurative hats. I am a dyer, stitcher, artist, enabler (I feel that that is different to just a teacher). I work in textiles. My other hats include wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. At different times and if different places my 'title' needs to be different. With regard to my working life I consider myself to be a Dyer first and foremost. If asked 'what do you do' I always say 'I dye'. Of course, that could be for the impact, as it often raises a shocked glance as the 'y' isn't apparent in speech! I then go on to say that I'm an Artist who works in fabric and thread. I used to say that I worked in textiles. However, that seems to conjure up pictures of sheets and tea towels to the uninitiated, and I most definitely DON'T work in those!

Thinking along all these lines made me want to create something that harked back to my roots. Here is the result



This was made during our holiday. Fortunately I had an embellisher with me, and each layer was made using a different technique. There is also some hand-dyed fine viscose felt there, and some of the layers were made using an embellisher roll. It was good to make something from start to finish while still in the area. From first sketch to finished piece took about 3 days, but I certainly wasn't working all the time. It made me realise just how much I love creating, and how rarely I am able to fully indulge these days. However, dyeing is creative too, and I do LOVE mixing colour. Don't forget that you can see some to the colours I create on the website and also on Etsy.

April Take It Further

It has been a very busy month. We have travelled the country, and it is only 10th May! Our travels are not yet over, later this week we head for Ledbury to both sell and teach a workshop, but first there are also selling venues at Urchfont and another workshop at Grayshott where we will be making a pair of boots on the embellisher. After Ledbury we travel further north and west to Dolgellau for our spring break. It is to be extra special this year as our little grandson is bringing his mummy and daddy to visit for a few days. I'm sure there will be photographs to load when we come home.

At last I am finding time to load a corner of the Take it Further sample for April. I said that I would combine and old and new technique, and this shows an ideal example of that.




The background has been created on the embellisher - the new technique - and for the 'old' I decided to use stitches from the first session of my City and Guilds course which dates back nearly 20 years. I hope you like it. I have used a Sassa Lynne Serendipity Perle 5 for the stitching

I have resisted looking at any reference to the May inspiration until I was able to do this. I'm off to have a look now, no doubt it will be my holiday project. And I don't think I told you about the wonderful 2 days we had in Cornwall teaching the embellisher. I'll have to remember to do that soon

Knitted Jumbos!

I thought I had loaded a picture of the baby jacket I knitted with the medium Jumbo Perle. I can't find it anywhere, so I've loaded it now.

Serendipity at Etsy

Our Serendipity range of perle threads is very popular. I have been asked several times if they are available on the internet, so I have opened an Etsy shop to display some of them. I've only had time to list one so far, but over the next few days I will list more and more. Remember, these are not repeatable, they are really special, so grab them while they are there! Here is the link to the shop.

A weekend off

I have a whole weekend off! Now, what does that mean?

When I'm not teaching we usually spend the weekend visiting shows or colleges/courses with Winifred Cottage. As I said, last weekend we were at Textiles in Focus. I have spent the week beginning to restock our supplies, and a 'weekend off' means that that will continue! There are also three wholesale orders for Sassa Lynne that need attention, so the dyepot is red hot and I am working away with colour. Specific orders mean no time for experimentation, named colours are mostly the order of the day, but as I need still more Embellisher Rolls with the vegetarian silk I'm having fun with those too. I will also pop some yarns into some Serendipity pots, these are the experimental ones that will eventually make their way into the named range.

I did take an hour off this morning, though! I went to visit our newest grandson. He is now 6 months old and growing apace. We had lots of smiles and giggles amongst the hugs, so I've now had my 'fix' for a few days. We will see him again next weekend when we babysit for an evening while his Mum and Dad go out for a meal. It will be a busy week with trips to Heather Quilters, where I'm speaking about the Embellisher, Urchfont Manor and also the Quilters' Day at Selsey. If you are passing the stand - don't forget to say 'hello'. As far as Urchfont Manor is concerned - there is a very good exhibition of Art in the Garden that is well worth a visit.

Go with the flow

On Saturday we were at a Quilt Exhibition (we were actually there on Sunday as well, but this relates to the Saturday). The morning was quiet, and I just happened to have the embellisher with me! Working was obviously a little disjointed as it is difficult to serve, talk, discuss and embellish all at the same time, but the above picture shows the result of pulling apart roving and other fibres and just laying them on a background. There was no real thought to their placing, this 'just happened'. So, if you haven't got the machine out of the box, or if you have but are scared of trying something new. Don't be! Just go for it and 'go with the flow' The above needs more work. It will have hand and machine stitching in the end, and will be a bag - probably. At the moment I too am just going with the flow.

There is another prize draw on the dyeing blog. Don't forget to enter. The prize this time is 2 Yarn Twists. They are worth having - I will be using one to hand stitch on the above.





























































































There is another prize draw on the Dye-a-Lot blog, don't forget to enter.

A bit of fun

I needed a card in a hurry! Out came the embellisher and this is the result.

The background is fibres meshed onto net, added yarns and then reapplied to previously made felt.

The knitting is with Sassa Lynne Coton a Broder

Patches

Published now as a sample of 'Patches', some of you will have seen it before, it is one I use in workshops. I produced it to prove a point.

This has been through the washing machine and the patches still stay fairly secure. There is no stitching anywhere.



Don't forget the offer in the last post, there is only a week to go!














This is the back. It's difficult to see the texture in this photograph, but this too would make a good background for further stitching.