It's a New Day ..........

Well folks, it's been a while! Both Christmas AND New Year have come and gone, and  I managed to get a post written about neither of them. I can only plead annual sick episode - the usual, asthma, bronchitis and a never-ending head-cold - during which time I have used enough tissues to deforest a small Scandinavian country,  consumed more steroids than a disgraced Olympian athlete, and clocked up more hours on the Poorly Chair (previous known as Jim's Recliner) than is respectable for a woman of my age. However, I feel the Corner has been Turned, so I can pick up on normal activities again. Thank you so much for the kind thoughts you've sent my way which are now published on the previous post!

Our Christmas was very quiet, with just the two of us and Mum for Christmas lunch. She really enjoyed it, though having sat down for a nap in front of the television after lunch, she awoke not knowing where on  earth she was; it took a while for us to talk her through what had happened that morning. Having done that, she was fine, back in her own skin again as it were. By four o'clock she was more than ready to get back to her 'own home' though she really would rather be in her OWN little home and not the Care Home where she now lives.

I had two really rather wonderful Christmas presents from Jim - and some jolly nice other ones, too! But these two were totally unexpected. The first is a wonderful metal sculpture of a moonlit hare, made by the Holkham Blacksmith; I had seen it at the Back to the Garden Craft Fair and fell in love with it. Unknown to me, Jim had been across to the guy and ordered it there and then. Apparently I had scuppered his first attempt to pick it up saying I fancied a trip round the coast road with him one day, so he had to come up with another excuse for going up there!

Here he is, I photographed him right away in the garden, but of course, he will live indoors. Isn't he wonderful?

My second Big Surprise was a long, flat envelope containing the cardboard details attached to a Square Foot Garden package, which was too large to wrap up. I am no gardener, but have been wanting to move on from just growing herbs, perhaps salads, and some easy greens? Then I came across this very easy system of growing which seemed so manageable to me, who has always felt rather overwhelmed by the whole concept of "Gardening" . I read up about it and watched umpteen you tube videos. Being used to my enthusiasms, Jim was less than overcome when I stated I wanted some garden to do this new thing of mine. So I thought well, I shall just get on with it on my own, I have several gardening friends who are more than willing to talk raised beds and no-dig methods with me! Jim really enjoys digging, our soil is beautiful and organic, and he sees no reason to waste an inch of it - and I don't blame him. But I really thought I was going to have to source all the material myself and just crack on with it. Then I opened this on Christmas Day and was totally thrilled to bits by the fact he had gone out and bought this for me. (Any other time he would have knocked some nails into a few bits of wood). So here is the picture again, and I hope in a few months time I shall have something similar to show you myself!

 On Boxing Day we had Mike and Vicki for the day, and in the evening we trotted round the corner (I drove, as legs still too weak at that point) to our local where a couple of dozen  hardy perennials were gathered with homebaked bread, quiche, sausage rolls, cheeses, pickles and chutneys, a lovely spread; I took home made bread and a chicken-liver and pork terrine which I'd made two days earlier.

We had a lovely social time, and some of us made music on guitars and melodeon, there was much singing and even a little dancing!

Jim insisted upon wearing a "Hippy Waistcoat" which I made for him about 15 years ago for a fancy dress party!

Me accompanying Pat with some Cajun tunes. Then he accompanied me playing a couple of my tunes.

At one point Linda couldn't sit still any longer and dragged a not too reluctant Derek up to jive. Do you love the matching Christmas Jumpers? Derek didn't!

 It all packed in by 9pm as arranged, everyone having had a splendid, quite spontaneous time of it. I was pretty shattered by then but it was worth it. To make up for all the excitement (!) we had a very quiet New Years Eve, what Party Poopers we have become! I hope your own celebrations were happy and memorable, and I'd like to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2015. I shall now go and try and catch up with weeks of blog-reading and see what you've been up to!

After the Craft Fair

Wow! I thought I was a late night trouper, with lots of experience at the Burwell Bash but these last two days of the Letheringsett Craft Fair have left me really, really shattered! Early nights both days and still I have been tired today. It's amazing how standing around for seven hours can tire you out!

                    Thanks Sue for this lovely photo of me - not the most photogenic of people!

However, I can say it was well worth it. We had fairly reasonable weather - lots of sunshine but with much cooler than usual temperatures for August. The open barn we set up our stalls in was a little windy at times, but on the whole it was a decent venue. The staff at Back to The Garden were very pleasant and set us up with a free tea/coffee making station in the shop, and also came round taking requests and bringing us drinks out to the stalls, which was jolly decent of them.

I made this little chap at the last minute on Friday, based on a Mexican folk style bird. I could have sold it several times over, and eventually it did go to a lovely little boy for his bedroom!

The bangles sold well, and I sold the little sampler with the lime green ric-rac down the side. The lower "Wingèd Heart " was repeatedly mistaken for an owl so I shall have to re-think the placement of the motifs!

Red Sanderson, who organised the event through North Norfolk Arts and Crafts had put a lot of thought and hard work into getting it up and running, and was there with us most of the time, checking things were ok, sussing out how things were going and being generally supportive.This was a new

venue for Red's events so it was an interesting exercise, with lots of lessons to be learned along the way. I had no idea there was so much to running a craft fair!

                             I have a commission for another of the top version of the Angel Panel

The small blue, red-bound  quilt folded over the towel stand at the front was purchased by lovely Jane-Ann, and is to be hung in her bedroom. To think that one of my quilts has joined the works of Janet Bolton, Mandy Patullo and other noted textile artists is very gratifying indeed!

There were more visitors on the Sunday, which was nice, as it makes the time go faster, and it is always lovely to chat to people who are interested in what you do, whether they buy or not. Most of us did pretty well, if not overwhelmingly so. I sold two quilts, a large wool/felt cushion, some bangles, some fat felt pin-cushions, a stitched sampler, a Mexican folk art style bird panel, and some post-cards. I was pretty pleased, I have to say. Also there was a lot of interest in the quilts, with two possible pending commissions, and a commission for three large wool/felt appliqued cushions. Well worth the two days of selling, plus the preparation, and of course, the hours and hours of designing and stitching and - finishing off - my least favourite part of the process!

My sewing table, covered with a round two dozen flower shapes already for appliquéd to three cushion fronts, should the tentative commission be firmed up. And if it doesn't, I have more stock for the next two craft fairs!

I know there are things I would do differently, and there things about my presentation which need a good tweaking, but I was pleased with the way the Textile Treasury stand looked. Thanks to lovely Nell Pols for her photographs, and to all my friends who toddled across county to come and see and support me - you know who you are! Big thanks too to Yvonne who came and helped out for both mornings - so good to have our company Yvonne, greatly appreciated. An especial thank you to my Other Half, Jim who packed all the stands and crates into his car - no room in my little Ford Ka once the quilts and cushions were in - and who helped set up, and take down at the end of Sunday. Thanks too to Red for giving me the opportunity to take part, let's do it again some time!!

Craft Fair at Letheringsett

Lest you think I have abandoned textiles entirely for a life of music and frivolity, here are a few photographs of some of the items I've been working on for the Craft Fair at Letheringsett this weekend.

First the details - Back to the Garden can be found very easily on the main road from Fakenham to Holt, and all the details are on the website above. Come along for a visit, have coffee, a snack or lunch - and there is also a food festival on at the same time as the craft fair.

As well as the bangles and pin-cushions, brooches and quilts, I have some new items, some of which I am rushing to finish!

                                    A woollen bag with felted wool appliqué decoration.

A new cushion using some of my dyed blanket. I made the buttons with felted wool and pelmet vilene.

                  A fourth "One Bird Upon a Hill" cushion, they are proving to be very popular!

                                           Folk art blooms and birds on this third cushion.

I made this little nursery cushion using reproduction "flour sack" fabrics, and the central panel contains a dozen genuine vintage Suffolk Puffs or "yo-yo's" as they are known in the States.

        And this is my latest Angel Panel, slightly smaller than the first one which has sold. I so enjoy         designing and stitching these panels - more in the pipe-line, but not in time for the craft fair!

It will be an early start on Saturday morning, though it is less than an hour's drive for me. I'm quite looking forward to it, and bless her cotton socks, Yvonne Autie rag-rug maker and silversmith extraordinaire, has volunteered to come and keep me company all day Saturday. I know several other friends have promised to pop up and see us, and I hope that my Norfolk blogging friends might be free to dash across-county and come and say hello. This is a new venue for North Norfolk Arts and Crafts, and I am very proud that Textile Treasury has been selected as one of the exhibitors, so do come along and help make it a success!

Swanton Novers

This morning was so dreary - a typical November day you might say - so I was so pleased to have something nice to look forward to. A month of facial swelling, pain, and dental/ hospital visits has been a bit of a strain, you just never know with facial 'things' and it has been preying on my mind a bit. Still waiting for yet another hospital appointment, but at least we know it is a sinus problem and nothing more sinister. So I was well in the market for a bit of cheering up. And when I got to Yvonne's, it was clear she was feeling in need of a bit of happy therapy; sadly, last week dear Arfa - known to you from my posts about Stitch and Bitch - really could not manage to totter on any longer and passed away. He couldn't have been rescued by a more devoted owner, and without Yvonnes's love and care Arfa would not have lived so long or so happily. Both of us were in the market for a Good Time. (ahem)

So through the damp and muddy lanes we trundled to Swanton Novers for the village craft fair. We got there at a minute to 10 and pinched the very last parking space , and just in time as a whole stream of cars queued up behind us! The hall isn't very large and was packed with stalls selling really excellent crafts. No crinoline lady toilet-roll covers to be found here, let me tell you! And on our way in we clocked the tea-room, already doing a roaring trade, and agreed to pop in when we'd finished inside.

Making our way straight to the back of the hall we found Jane-Ann with her stall Piece Works.

              Lovely up-cycled textile pieces inspired by the garden, and beautifully presented.

Next door we found Nadine with her bright and cheerful rag rugs.

                     Nadine works traditionally, using recycled fabric on a hessian backing.

Auriel Mims's stall was packed with wonderful carved wooden dolls and sculptures. She also makes traditional jig-dolls, which I have seen used at the East Anglian Traditional Music Day so we had a chat about folky stuff while I snapped away with my camera.

Then I came upon a new friend from Jane-Ann's group, Jackie Grimble, who was there with her incredible hooked dog portrait cushions. Jackie uses the softest merino wool for these faces and they are wonderfully life-like.

Kate Brouwer, makes thrown and hand-built porcelain items, and I had to treat myself to the prettiest pair of blue and white earrings! Like I need more earrings!

                  Her stall was almost Japanese- like in its simplicity. Lovely delicate colours.

How could you resist these wonderful textile animals? Helen Akers uses recycled fabrics for her creations.

These lovely garments and accessories for children were made by Auriel's daughter who works as "Mim's Heritage". Each item is made from restructured boiled wool, and individually hand-made and finished. I thought these little tunics were adorable.

I was very taken with Madeleine Spencer's hand-made silver and beaded jewellery, and very tempted too!

Unfortunately my camera battery died on me - yes I know I should have checked it last night, but I didn't. So there are some stalls which I have had to miss out, sadly. But I did manage to include this stall, and I would have been spitting feathers had I not!

Meg Foster's stall "The Yarn Gardener" could have been laid out with Yvonne in mind - look at this colour scheme!

That ball of wool above has my name on it - and into my bag it did go!!  Meg, it turns out, actually did a rag-rug course with Yvonne some years ago, and now writes and produces beautiful knitting patterns and kits, using the most mouth watering wools you could imagine.

And speaking of mouth watering - we did go and have a cuppa and a piece of cake - you should have seen the size of the meringues! All baked beautifully by Back To The Garden, a farm shop, cafe and restaurant in Letheringsett.

So I hope you've enjoyed your virtual tour round the craft fair, it certainly cheered us up. Wrap up warm in the days to come, the weather report doesn't sound too good - and I m off up to Harrogate on Friday - no snow yet, please!!