Make that 11......

projects on the go.  I had forgotten that I had signed up for a Feltalong with Sara Lechner. This is my first attempt, an excuse to use the embellisher which I haven't touched for ages. We are to make a small book,  not sure if I have made it thick enough but it was fun.

Wk 17.....

A very busy week which involved my husband's birthday, two visits to the Boro exhibition, one visit to the Quentin Blake exhibition at Hall Place, Bexley (which I enjoyed) and a day at Sevenoaks Embroiderers Guild.
The challenge for week 17 was photograph or draw your favourite shoes.  Gulp, not v.good at drawing but here is my attempt/

So comfortable but alack Clarks have stopped making them. This is them for real

Now I am a girl who likes to have a few things on the go but I have just counted up my current "projects" and I have TEN and that is just the textiles.  Back to work!

More Boro.......

First I must correct an omission in my last post.  When I was at the exhibition on Tuesday I was delighted to meet Caroline Moore from Made by Caroline. She has posted pictures of the exhibition, guess who that is taking photographs. Caroline has a beautiful piece that she is working and her blog is well worth exploring.  I couldn't resist, I had to go back to the exhibition at Somerset House which ends tomorrow. This time I went with my daughter who loved it too. This was her favourite piece

amd this is one of mine (I wanted them all)

 

This is a side view giving and idea of the mounting.

 

This kimono(the only one) shows wear  where it has worn presumably from things being carried on the back.

I wondered what joy this little fragment of pattern would have given.

A magical piece of darning.

I leave the rest to speak for themselves.

Wonderful.

 

Boro

Yesterday I went to the Boro exhibition at Somerset House and was deeply moved. These cloths made by the poor from scraps of material and then patched and mended now look like works of art, my only criticism was because they had been mounted the back wasn't visible and it was hard  to judge the thickness. The effect they had is quite difficult to put into words so I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

This last one made me think of the land from the air.

 

Oh how I would have loved to touch.

I would like to try to get back for one more visit before it closes on Saturday as opportunities to see such wonderful pieces doesn't come very often.

Wk 16

The Documented Life challenge was  "add a cardboard food box in a creative way".  I retrieved this from the re-cycling bag. The actual packet was on a white background to I used my new glaze + re-inker technique to add some colour.  The aperture was already cut and I searched for an image that would suit the idea of enjoying a very tasty Spanish sausage.  This detail from the Peasants Wedding Feast by Pieter Brueghel the Elder which is in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, a place I would like to visit.

  

I also hod another play and copied a photograph I took last year when we visited the "Another Place" installation by Antony Gormley on Crosby Beach, Lancashire.  

This is the photograph

This is my attempt

The first time I have every attempted a figure. The middle one is a bit fatter then he should be, shaky hand.

This is a bit of digital play.

Antique Road Slow...

not one of my usual mis-typings but a trip to the Antiques and Collectors Fair at Ardingly.  It was the day of the horrible and tragic accident on the M26 so a round  journey of  80 miles took five hours but it was worth every moment.  We were completely unprepared for the scale of the event.  This was first sight that greeted us.

This vast room filled with four rows of stalls. Where to start?  We wandered through one side and then decided to take a look outside as the sunshine was glorious. My photographs cannot capture the miles of stalls, the web site says there are up to 1700.

It was all too much for this couple.

 

I reluctantly left behind the wonderful set of drawers with their enamelled number which looked as though it had come from the glove department of The Paradise and settled for a brass thimble instead. I also left behind a piece of really antique fabric which will haunt me for ever, unless I find it next time I go. Great day out in spite of the traffic.

I see the weather is due to do its usual thing and pour down for the  Holiday but I hope you have a Happy Easter in spite of it.

Wk 15 and Hussif...

 Wk 15 challenge for Documented Life was "Monochromatic: use shades tints and hues of one colour." I took the opportunity to try out the die I bought at the Big Stamp show at Ally Pally.

The word hussif keeps cropping up and it reminded me I made one for my daughter way back in 2006  this was the inside.

and  the original inspiration was this article in CQ Mag Online .

I have reluctantly decided to abandon the Craft Barn Q&L Challenge,I missed the deadline last time. Time is a bit of an issue at the moment and it is not really in the spirit of the thing if you can't get round to the other  posts. I found having two words to chose from a bit muddling unlike the Alphabet Challenge last rear which really  focused my mind. 

Amazing....

.....thanks to the Curiosites de Titam  I found this, the drawings of  Benjamin Sack. Oh my goodness!

Wk14

Wk 14 for Documented Life was Write your name and embellish it. I am not a fan of my handwriting so I chose an alphabet stencil I bought at the V&A with no clear idea of what to do and this is what happened.

Don't know why I should connect the letters with barbed wire?????

I treated myself to Sherrill Kahn's Mixed Media Master Class book

 and for the last few weeks I have been trying out some to the techniques I hadn't tried before. This is using textured copy paper and paper cord. 

and this was following a tutorial combining techniques.

It remind me of sailing into St Petersburg in the morning mist. I am so pleased with the book. it really gets the juices flowing.
This was something I meant to put up a while ago.  I collaged all the bits of paper that were lying around  my desk top and this rather Lord of the Rings landscape just appeared.  Well that's what it look like to me.

Al the mounts are digital to give me an idea of how or if to frame them.

Desk top is due for another tidy so who knows?

All behind.........

I am really chasing my tail this week. My computer was due in for it's annual hoover and in addition needed a bit more ooomph and changing from Windows XP so it was away for a few days, add two sunny days gardening (bliss), a haircut, Maylands Textile group and a visit to Excel for Creative Stitches and all challenges went into the background, So in an effort to get back on track ....
WK 13 Documented Life was "Ask someone to draw on your page -finish it."
This was the drawing my friend produced.

and this is how I finished it!

"

 for the Craft Barn Challenge the words were Flower or Travel.  Flower chose me as I started singing a very silly song.  "In the Flower Garden of  My Heart" is a Rogers and Hart song from the show "Pal Joey".  The scene is the "rehearsal" of a Follies Type number,my daughter was in the Bristol Old Vic production in the early days of her career and I have never forgotten it. Gelli print background and collaged flowers cut from magazines and put through my Sizzix,

If you click on the picture you should be able to read the lyrics ,if not you can read them here (No 10), they really are silly(and clever)
ADDENDUM - I was too late for the challenge.  Sorry I didn't get round  everyone else.
I bought this at Creative stitches yesterday, very relaxing to do, just need to think of some applications for it.

Onward....still have my runner to do.
I