What's New
Here you can see what I'm busy making
I'm planning to use this page as a kind of journal. It should be a quick way for you to find out what is new in the shop and what I'm currently working on - the newest posts will be at the top of the page.
November
Eek - only just November!
I've had a busy few weeks/months with various things - haven't made time to document any of it here. I had a bonkers weekend with two pre-christmas sales on the same day (why I thought that was OK is beyond me..) - crazy busy making stock for both days and none of it has made it onto the website. So that's today's task - adding some new stock items into the Gifts section. Bird brooches and mini art pieces - on their way.... go straight there from here
September
I needed to make some cards for the Rugby gallery - last minute as usual - but got carried away with the little stitched panels. It took all day to make a trio of cards - not exactly cost effective! So I decided to upgrade them to mini artworks - by adding a suitable sized, signed mount - so they are ready to pop into a frame. The card and the mount fit into the envelope creating a postable gift - I thought it was worth a try at the exhibition. I made eleven and sold nine of them - so they will become a regular feature I think.
August 30th
The final few days of our exhibition at Rugby Art Gallery - I will be stewarding on the final day (Thursday). For anyone not local enough to visit, here are some overview pictures of the show followed by all the pieces I have there. Any that remain unsold will be coming back home with me and will hit my on-line shop at the end of September - if you are keen to reserve any of these, drop me a message.... Happy to help!
The pieces of mine in the show are the four woodland landscapes below..... (all the first edition now sold, but second edition are part complete - autumn and bluebells are back in the exhibition....) Also these pieces - a sunset over water based on a painting course I did at Christmas, also local landscapes from my own photos and a piece based on the Japanese garden at Barnsdale in Rutland. Finally, three semi abstract panels inspired by close up sketches in my garden of brick paths, bamboo edging, stone, wood and metal. Will be heading into the on-line shop in a few weeks.... Please let me know if you would like to know more...
August
this is a very quick post - I will be back to clean it up later....
Just to say that these four pieces have been sold from our exhibition in Rugby Art Gallery (on until sept 2nd)
They were all 13cm square and framed in black. Please email me if you are interested in a commission....
July
Following on from the recent exhibition - I've removed the nine small detail panels from their frames and cellophane wrapped them just on their mount card. Heading off to the shop at 78 Derngate - along with a set of lovely greetings cards I've had printed with the Streetscape design on. Hopefully a new influx of visitors will enjoy their visit and snap up a memento! Closer details ...... here
July
Following on from my previous post....
Now lots more fun being had at the studio.... Same trees, different seasons. Heading off to the Rugby exhibition in a few weeks time.....details
July
Having a lot of fun working up an idea that have been brewing.... I did an on line oil painting course at the start of the year - a lovely birthday/Christmas present. It was a really steep learning curve (never done any painting before... apart from walls and ceilings) and I ended up with a passable sunset over the sea kind of thing. I then enrolled on a bluebell woods version and just LOVED it. The painting is gorgeous.
sooo.... could I use it to inspire a stitched landscape? Well, yes of course. Here is the painting (50cm square) and the embroidery (13cm square). It will get mounted and head off the the next exhibition in Rugby at the end of the month... details of that here
31 July
The commission is complete and put in its frame. The client chose a pale wood finish, which made a nice change from the black that I've been using lately. They saw the Derngate Streetscape panel that was sold quite quickly at the recent exhibition, and contacted me to see if I could make another one. I was so thrilled that they asked! I sent them photos of the stages as I worked on their piece and they found that a fascinating insight to the process.
They live relatively locally, so I popped it round to them on Saturday and had a lovely chat. It looks great in their dining room.
Another happy customer.
Another happy dance from me.
12 July
Hugely excited to have confirmed another commission... this time from the 78 Derngate exhibition. I've ordered a frame and will be getting on with the embroidery next week....
Until 18 July
The exhibition at 78 Derngate, Northampton is still open - further details are on the Where You Can Find Me page here.
It is a group exhibition with a dozen or so other textile artists I work with - called Visualise.
The exhibition has had a great reception and quite a number of pieces have been sold, which is always gratifying. Including one of mine - the 78 Derngate Streetscape, which I am thrilled about.
These nine pieces are all based on details from the house and garden - the kitchen, guest bedroom and the sculpture garden. Further details here.
May - June
So, the lovely team of builders John, Jake and Ian and cleaner, decorator, floor-layer, furniture-builder and general dogsbody (me) and ladder-scrambler, filler-king and light-fitter (himself) set to work. The barn had been a very cold games room when the kids were growing up - cricket wicket painted on the wall, dartboard, pool table and playstation. But it has been seriously under used for quite long enough for me to take it over... Carpet removed (photos taken of mouldy brick floor underneath for inspiration....) then all plaster hacked off (neighbours probably hacked off, too). Damp treatment and insulated plasterboard was followed by new raised floor with underfloor heating and new lighting. Oh and the dog walked through the wet floor screed... thanks Floyd. But after lots of sweeping, vacuuming and scrubbing, three coats of paint and half a ton of wood effect floor tiles it was done! A bit of re-assembling of dis-assembled flat pack furniture and unpacking of a squillion boxes and it is looking pretty darned fine. I'm a lucky lady, that's for certain.
April - May
It's been a bit of a weird time.... I have not been especially creative (in a textile sense anyway) because I've been sorting out and closing down my work place. I've been there for 12 years - teaching and hosting social stitchers' groups - so I had accumulated a mighty lot of stuff! But times change, and the Covid restrictions have put an end to all that for me now. It has been a hard decision - but keeping on paying the rent for an unused studio just didn't make any sense. So it was time to have a good clear out! These photos give a glimpse of the creative chaos that I used to live in (and love! I knew where everything was...) and the carnage that it became as I moved out. Followed by the melancholy sight of the room all empty again.
The down side was that the majority of all that stuff and furniture ended up at home. That really was chaos and it left me with no access to materials and nowhere to work. Barely anywhere to sit down, to be honest! But we are blessed with a rambling house and a very likely looking old pig barn attached to the back. Bring on the builders...
April
Well, you may have guessed from the colours of the threads I selected and teased you with.... it was a Kingfisher that I was asked to make. All done now and safely delivered to his new home.
April 19th
Just a teaser I'm afraid....
A bespoke order for something.
Currently sold out in the shop - but I'm making a new one by special request.
April 14th
Getting on with the last few pieces for the exhibition at 78 Derngate, opening in the middle of May (fingers crossed....)
details of the exhibition here
This is the third one taken from sketches done in the kitchen - a metal teapot - pewter maybe? It has a beautiful hammered top.
The green is suggested by the stunning pea green paintwork.
Now I have a bespoke order to get busy with.... happy days
April 8th
The puffins are always popular - everybody seems to love their cheeky faces. As I have sold the one I had in the shop, I thought it might be good to make another - I only ever have one at a time and eventually I'll stop!
Here's a little video of the newest one underway.
It should find its way into the shop very soon.... you can check quickly here or drop me a message if you are desperate not to miss out and would like to reserve it.
