new....

Still sticking to my 'timetable' and finding it really does give focus. I didn't factor in any outside stuff though - such as taking #2 to open his first bank account, or meeting with a printer to talk about prints and cards!!

At least though, it makes me realise where I have lost time and which bit needs more time adding to it. (I know what I mean!!)

Anyway, the children have all gone back to school and college and it is strange not to hear them running up and down stairs now and then, giggling and bickering, and even stranger not to find a teenager still wrapped up in a mass of duvet in his bed at mid-day!!

In part of my textile art slot this week, I experimented with a picture I have had in my head for a while and I'm really pleased with how it turned out......(despite my Dad saying, when he saw it - 'would it take you long to colour it in?'!!!!!) Just doesn't get it!!!

I'm doing a couple of others in different colours - I think this would look lovely as a card?

Oh, and talking of cards, if you're anywhere local to Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, the Tourist Information shop are now stocking my textile art cards. Yay!!! x

Cards in stock...

For those who requested - I'm just letting you know that the cards printed from my textile art pictures, including the prize winner! (above) are back in stock and can be found here on the website.

They include my latest picture - Holy Trinity Church.

They come in a cellophane wrapper complete with envelope and are blank inside for your own message. Or, of course, you can frame them into mini art works!!

A new textile art work....

Whilst wandering around my local town, I took lots of photos which are in a pile waiting to be translated into textile pictures, one of these is of the local church, Holy Trinity.

It was a little more complicated than others I've done but really enjoyable.

I'm just really relieved I can still do it!!!!

Now back to the tea cosies!

A little bit blown away...

and I don't just mean by the great gusty winds that we've had today!

This week is artWEEK, a local exhibition where 425 amateur and professional artists exhibit their work in the Civic Hall - there are also 30 fringe venues around the valley.

This is the first year that I decided to join in - and I put forward two of my sewn fabric art pieces of local lanes...... first South Lane....
then Daisy Lane...

I loved producing these and got a bit carried away at the time, starting to see everything in terms of stitches, so I am very fond of them but I wasn't sure what anyone else would make of them.

So it was a huge surprise when I went to the exhibition today on the first day, and found not only have they both sold already!!!!!!!

But I had won an award!!!

The Florence Parker memorial prize no less - for the best newcomer!!!

Surprised and excited doesn't really sum it up!!!! Giddy, giddy giddy!!!

The prize was some money to spend at the exhibition which I had great fun doing today! Guilt-free shopping!! And my beautiful Sue Jenkins hare sculpture will be coming to live at our house on Saturday... Wonder where my pictures will be going?!!!!x

In my creative space....

this week there is another fabric flower picture in progress.....I am sooooo loving making these and may very well just go on and on.........

and in true Blue Peter fashion, here's one I made earlier......
I think I might try scanning these and making them into cards - I went looking for a birthday card for my sister yesterday and I like these as much as any I found!

See more creative spaces here...

Flowers and a stripey frock......

Don't know where the last week has gone!! Busy, busy, busy!! And now it's half term so there are all these children wandering around in my normally quiet space!!!!

My focus at the moment (apart from the torture and torment of naming creations!!!!!!!!!!! which is on-going!!!!) is sewing some more fabric pictures.

This one was inspired by my childhood love of Milly-Molly-Mandy. Love, love, love those stories. So here she is in her little striped frock!
Strangely the part I enjoyed the most in this was the layering of the background. It's not as easy to choose fabrics as you might think and has highlighted my lack of certain colours (and the need to go fabric shopping!!!! See how I did that?!!)I've also started my first in what I hope to be a series of flower pictures. I LOVE doing these.

Now off to do more - punctuated by cries of "What can I do now? I'm bored!!" and teenagers lolling around avoiding doing GCSE work!! and eating toast. Lots of toast. Them, not me. xx

A diversion....

Good morning everyone! I do hope you had a relaxing and productive weekend. For a change, I seem to have fitted quite a lot into one weekend - we had a lovely Burns supper yesterday with some fab friends, which was so pleasant that I still have a smile on my face (and that's not from the whiskey, wine and sloe gin I promise!) So a big thank you to Lisa for such a lovely evening.

On Saturday, in my small bit of free time, I sat down to make a bag from the lovely new cord but somehow didn't feel in a 'bag-making' mood.

I found myself still thinking about the tulips that S had bought me, and the photo that I took of them with the gorgeous bright colours....

so I made this little fabric picture -....
I have been experimenting for a while with various scraps of fabric, piecing them together, making little parts of pictures, but this is the first time I have made a picture just as a picture and not as a piece of applique to go on a cushion or a bag.

I was really pleased to find the spotty fabric for the jug - my lovely red polka dot jug is from Greengate, where if I hadn't spent all my money on yarn, I would spend a fortune on their beautiful things - go see, but don't say I didn't warn you - money will be parted with!!

The tulips are really blooming now - look at their gorgeousness, they just get better and better!

Then, still in a picture-making-mood, I decided to have a go at one that has been in my mind since our holiday in Cornwall last summer. The wonderful harbours filled with brightly painted jaunty little boats were such an inspiration...I got the photos out and had a lot of fun making this-

Well, I hope today is a good day for you......think I might tackle the bag-making today!!...