Another Textile Jaunt

Some very enjoyable textile stuff has been happening recently here at Textile Treasury. We've had the Kentucky Quilt Collection at Fakenham the other week. Then during my time in Wales came the visit to Lampeter to see Jen Jone's Welsh Quilt Collection with the Kaffe Fassett Exhibition. On my return I went to Swaffham to see Liz Nally's North of England and Welsh Antique Quilt Collection - coincidentally meeting up again with Jane Clarke, whose Open Studios I visited last year. More of Jane's exploits in an upcoming post! And to cap the month off I spent a brilliant day yesterday with Stitch and Bitch friend Yvonne at a very special studio over the other side of the county.

First, though, I'd like to tell you about a Blog Swap I made with lovely Els from the Netherlands. Els liked my wool pincushions and asked about doing a swap for one of her mandalas. I thought this was a Good Thing so the swap was a done deal. I think  the pincushion I sent to Els is the one in my header photograph.

 This is my mandala which Els drew and coloured - can you see the fiddle, and the singing bird - the Firebird, and some folky flowers, and journal flowers. And also a little image of - yes! Me!! So a very personalised mandala which I love - thank you so much Els.

So, back to Saturday's Textile Jaunt. Yvonne belongs to a group of Rug Hookers who meet monthly in a little village over the more easterly side of the county, called Swanton Novers. Meetings are hosted by Jane-Ann at her beautiful home and studio on the edge of the village. I had met her and one or two of the group at Yvonne's Open Studio earlier this year, and had been invited along to a meeting. Now I love rag rugs. You know I do. You've seen my attempts and my two purchased items. I fully intended to spend the day getting to grips with my 'bird' seat cover. I'm so embarrassed to admit - I can't find it anywhere! The bird has flown! However, I was allowed in and permitted to stay, and got on with some other stitching, but oh! I must find that bag before next month's meeting!

I know. Aren't you jealous? I'm so green I could run for parliament on the ecology ticket! Here you see, l-r  Jane-Ann, Yvonne, Red, kettle in hand, and Nadine.

Everywhere I looked there was evidence of Jane-Ann's prolific talent in many crafts, particularly textile-based, but with special emphasis on rug-hooking.

Sorry, this photo does not want to right itself; it is the seat cushion partnered to the next photograph.

This wonderful old hexagon quilt top was purchased by Jane-Ann at a textiles fair recently. Isn't it fascinating? There was much discussion on how/whether to launder it. The brochure reading  "FRAYED" above relates to an exhibition showing in Great Yarmouth between now and March, I'm hoping to get along to see that.

And look what I spied hanging on the wall near the door ...... a genuine Janet Bolton! Yes. and no, I didn't walk out with it!

All in all it was a very productive day for everyone. Much of the talk centred around the forthcoming craft fair "Made in Norfolk" at Swanton Novers Village Hall on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November 10-4 and 11-4. The post code is NR24 2RB and this is its third year. The work of the group will be much in evidence, and I think Red in particular was instrumental in getting the fair up and running in the first place. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) I'm under the impression that the craftspeople will be displaying and hopefully selling quite high-end items, so if you are within driving distance, do pop along, you won't be disappointed.

                                        Jane-Ann completed her hooky bird in the day.

                                                            The group hard at work.

                                 Yvonne dashing away at her sunflower - isn't it gorgeous?

And I completed three pincushions to 'stuffing level' and worked on my up cycled cardigan. I've become quite excited by 'altered clothing' at the moment - probably started off by my Boro-style Molly Coat - and I have been embellishing this 6-7 year old cotton cardigan. I think I might change the elbow patches a little, but I'm quite pleased with the felted diamonds. The cardigan is a lovely soft green, which unfortunately hasn't photographed in true colour.

Here it is at home, you can see the shade a little better perhaps. I think it is my habit of mending moth holes in woollens with velvet patches which has led me down this 'altered' path. I've seen some very exciting examples on pinterest. Watch this space!

So thank you Jane-Ann and everyone who made me so welcome, and big thanks to Yvonne for taking me. I promise to be hooking next time!

Festival of Quilts

                                                                     Story of the Earth

Yesterday Stitch&Bitch friend Lynne and I took the coach to the NEC to visit the Festival of Quilts. Lynne had a heck of an early start...she was running the dogs on Heacham beach about 5.30...and she is NOT a morning person! Jim drove us to the pick up point for 0700hours and we boarded a half empty coach; this was lovely for us all as we could spread out over two seats each, and have a good doze, but we wonder whether the company will be running the coach there next year, it can't have been worth their while financially.

We noticed fewer than usual cars and coaches - the recession is certainly biting. We decided to view the quilts together then split up to shop and meet up for lunch. Well, I don't know, unless we are both getting a bit jaded, or it is just that we've been around a long time looking at quilts, but we felt we had seen SO MANY of them before. Lots of lookey-likeys, and ....well, I'm not going to carp because I do think everyone should have an opportunity to exhibit and amateurs should be shown as well as the more prominent almost-pros and professionals. And correct me if I'm wrong, anyone who went also, but there didn't seem to be so many entries this year.

We thought this deserved more than Highly Commended. Lovely colour and design, and beautifully finished.

Now you know I like a bit of a basket, there were a few Baltimore-type quilts, but I wasn't terribly struck by most of them.

I must apologise here and now, as I have no idea who made each quilt. We decided against buying programmes at £6 just to be ale to put a name to each quilt. How mean are we?? Why can't they label the quilts? They put other information on them. I know the judges mustn't know the names but the labels could go up afterwards, or have a cover....or something. It's so annoying even when you DO have a programme, faffing about with your bag, your camera, your bags of stuff, your glasses...oh for goodness' sake!

                       Lovely wholecloth with stipple quilting.....only one of its kind.

             More hand stipple quilting.........oops, that's one of mine, how did that get there!!!

                                           Love the painterly effect of this one.

                                                              Juicy, juicy colours!

This was another Judges Choice, Vikings Beware, really lovely. Something to do with the sea holly thorns giving the Viking invaders sore feet. Or so I was told. They'd have thick foot-coverings on, surely? Anyway it was a great quilt.

                Masterful. Reminds me of C June Barnes  Dyeing to Quilt series.

                                                                     Impact! Precision!

                               

                      Simply.........

                            .............stunning.

                      I do find I am more and more drawn to the quite graphic designs these days.

                                                           Or outbursts of colour.

       I don't think this would have appealed to me 10 years ago. Ah well, you live and learn!

                                                           Just beautiful.

I stopped and spoke to a young lass called Sarah Stewart, who has just graduated from the University of Dundee, and was exhibiting in the Graduate Showcase....she was in fact the winner of the judges  Graduate Showcase Award. We liked her work best of all so were in full agreement! She has a blog:

intoaparalleluniverse.com  check it out. Wishing you all success in the future, Sarah. Here are some of her textiles.

           Beautiful colours, lovely linen; the embroidery reminded me of stitched collages.   

So, yes, I did take a few more photos but you have probably all dropped off to sleep and I'm getting mesmerised by the key board, so that will have to do! I stopped by to renew acquaintence with lovely Janet Bolton, she must have met a thousand people, all old students of hers, yet she always has time for a smile and a chat. I adore her work.

We found it quite pleasant being able to get to the stalls without fighting our way through several layers of other shoppers, but it doesn't bode well for the takings. We gave a nod and a wave to old friends, Magie at the African Fabric Shop, and Yvonne Brown and Annette Morgan, both members of Anglia Textile Works, old stitching pals, busy in their booths. 

We stopped for lunch at just after 1pm, and then sat and nattered til 3pm, quick look at Art VAn Go, which I had missed! first time round, then we went and got on the coach, we  were away by4pm and back in Kings Lynn by 6.30....very hot and tired out but having had a super day. And to make things even better, Jim had  bought an Indian takeaaway so no cooking!!!Yay!

Oh, and in case you wondered..........

This was what I bought! Yes, I know, how circumspect was I! Some hand-dyed felted wool from 21st Century Yarns, some variegated hand-dyed threads from Oliver Twists - lovely, lovely company, a few Kaffe Fasset fat quarters - just because - and some BEAUTIFUL journals. Can't wait to get into these. But they will have to wait as I am off tomorrow to Burwell in Cambridgeshire, to the annual Burwell Bash, a week of music, good food, late nights, music, laughter, more food, even later nights, more music and most of all more laughter. I'm meeting up with my 'other family'.  I will take LOADS od photos, and will see if I can blog while I'm there...though I seldom have time even to read a page of a book when I am there. I have to phone Jim before breakfast, because once the day starts ....it just goes and I never remember to ring after supper....no time....no time! I KNOW i am going to have just THE BEST time as usual.  Catch up with you soon.

Textile Tarts

                                                      Self Portrait. AKA Lily the Pink!


Are you a Textile Tart? Could you be true to only one genre, or do you like to play the field? Perhaps you are a serial monogamist, or yet again, you may be blissfully happy, wedded to a single calling.

I have to confess to being something of a style philanderer. There is so much out there to dabble in, I just could not restrain myself to one creative outlet. And there-in probably lies my expertise downfall. I've tried them all, cross-stitch, first on printed cloth, then counted stitch work, becoming more proficient until I was designing my own samplers; cloth doll making - from the prosaic Raggedy-Anne to the more contempory, handpainted, much embellished Art Doll; (looking a tad muscular, it must be said!)

Wild and wonderful wacky waistcoat making - this even led to a series of workshops given across the county, some years ago; and  for a while I became known for my naive folk art quilts, and again, taught classes on the subject.

Then I was off - experimentation was the name of the game, and I became - briefly - a Textile Artist!

Yes! It's true! I was a member of a bone fide Quilt Art group, Anglia Textile Works, which is an excellent body and goes on from strength to strength. With ATW I exhibited in Churches, Arts Centres and Galleries, - and even sold one or two pieces. But I always felt somewhat bogus, to be honest, and I left the group, quite amicably , several years ago.

 For a while I stopped stitching. My sewing room became a depository for anything which didn't have a home and made me feel even less like going in there. Then I discovered PAPER and zoomed off down a blind alley to pursue  journalling, book making, paper making, stamping, and a myriad other things to do with mixed media.

Then a friend told me firmly I had played around long enough, time to get back to stitch, and took me to a delightful Janet Bolton workshop. Picking up cloth, needle and thread once again was like coming home. And working on a small scale such as Janet has perfected was somehow so satisfying. Janet is, of course, an artist, and is so well known her workshops and books have spawned a plethora of pale imitations of her work - my own included.  I love making these small stitcheries, they are just so .....complete in themselves, is the only way I can describe my feeling for them.

Once back into my sewing room I began making quilts and other stitched items, samplers, hangings, and so on. Oh, and while I'm in confessional mode, I have to mention a prediliction for beading and other embellishment, and admit to ongoing but superficial flings with rag-rugging and crochet.

Oh dear, it's all looking a bit sleazey, isn't it? And we haven't even been near machine versus hand quilting, applique versus pieced quilts, tradtional versus contemporary, indigo dyeing and shibori, bag making, hats, scarves and cushions. I know, I know, you faithful types are probably pursing your lips in disgust at my profligacy. I can say only one thing in my defence: no experience is ever wasted, and I have learned a lot along the way. Oh, ok, that's two things.

So, yes, I guess I am an unrepentant Textile Tart, and my life has been all the more colourful because of it. How about you? Leave me a comment and let us all know!