Rag Rugs

Following swiftly on (for me!) from my Open Studios post, I thought I'd post some photos of my very small and select rag rug collection! Here you see my Primitive Vase rug, which I started years ago with Yvonne. I'd like to say I have finished it but to be honest it isn't bound, just sits on the floor in my sewing room. But I do love it, warts and all. I 'designed' it myself (ah you'd guessed that, hadn't you?) and it incorporates many of my quilting favourites - stripes, triangles, and naive flower pots.

On to something a little more professionally finished!

This is the lovely sunflower cushion I brought away from Sally-Ann's Open Studio on Thursday. It fits beautifully against a small quilt on my wicker chair in the living room. Love it!

Not quite in the same class - my unfinished Bird seat cushion.

Erm, yes, it is a bird, honest! I'm a bit cross with myself as I packed the wing and feet too tightly; the fabric is multi-coloured and I thought it might work but I think it perhaps doesn't. Oh dear. Perhaps I should get down to a spot of 'frogging', it's only going to bother me. (Frogging, so-called because the sound of swift un-picking is like 'ribbit ribbit') Yes, Lynne, come on, do it, you know it makes sense.

From the back, you can see the outlines a bit better this way round. Actually, now I come to think about it, this looks quite neat..............

             Close-up. No, that multi-coloured fabric doesn't work, does it? Out it comes. Sigh.

This is better! The tulip rug I purchased from Sally-Ann at Open Studios 2011. This sits on the floor before the kitchen sink, so it gets well worn; you can see it has faded a little, but it washes well - we just chuck it in the machine and out it comes sparkling clean and no unravelling.

       Here you can see Sally-Ann's clever use of colour mixing for a variegated effect. Love it!

And to finish up another peek at my Primitive Vase, laid flat on the garden table. You can see the colours a little more clearly. I'm still quite chuffed with this, I must say.

Thanks to Yvonne, I hope to be tootling along to a rag rug group later this year, so perhaps some of the undoubted expertise might rub off on me while I'm there! I live in hope! Happy Weekends to you.

Open Studios Re-visited

Right, are you ready for another Textile Jaunt? OK, check your look in the mirror and come with me!

          Lynne K and I set off through the sunny Norfolk lanes towards our first stop at Foulsham.

The lovely Shepherd's Hut Studio of Sally-Ann Rainey. What an incredible setting this is, restful greenery, and some very entertaining chooks of different varieties.

Sally-Ann paints these delightful ladies (and the occasional chap!) capturing their endearing personalities to a tee!

                     Also lots of other lovely things inside........................   .....................

 This gorgeous cushion came home with me. Drat, I meant to take a photograph of its big sister, the rag rug I bought last time I was here; it keeps my feet warm while I'm at the kitchen sink!

And here is lovely Sally-Ann herself, who treated us to refreshing elderflower juice to sip as we browsed. I hope the weather holds for the family celebrations later on this month, Sally-Ann!

Next stop, as we meandered our way northwards, was to re-visit Pauline Wrighton at her magnificent studio at Hindolveston.

                     I have told Pauline once or twice that she is living my fantasy life!

 
Pauline works in a number of different media, cloth, yarn, thread, paper and ink, using a variety of techniques. She exhibits and sells her work, and also runs workshops for small numbers.

                                    Pauline discussing her work enthusiastically with us.

I was particularly taken with a series of collographs, which she had printed on this wonderful old mangle - this seems to be a leitmotif in my blog-posts recently, doesn't it??

 This is an incredible piece of work, which my photograph does not do justice to. The Award winning piece was created by using tiny scraps of fabric laid down on a fabric ground much in the same way as a pointillist painter might use brush-strokes. Lynne and I are hoping to join Pauline for a workshop soon to have a go ourselves.

 Outside we went to re-acquaint ourselves with Pauline's gorgeous Haflinger mares. Gentle, friendly creatures, they ambled across to us for a fuss and a few handsful of fresh grass. What wouldn't I give to have this paddock at the bottom of MY garden!

Then we were off again, further north into High Norfolk, to the village of Glandford, near the river Glaven. Our destination was theArt Cafe, seen in the header photograph, owned and run by Roo Sangster-Bullers (I was once almost her Health Visitor, and years ago her husband purchased from me, as a gift for Roo, one of my Wacky Waistcoats; we later met and she commissioned another. Small world, living in Norfolk, it really is!)

Here we consumed a hearty lunch and people watched for a while. Then we popped next door to the Birdscape Gallery. Incredible art-work to be found here, with the emphasis on lino-prints - I was in heaven!

I particularly liked this running hare, by  Harriet Mead. I did ask about taking photographs and was given permission, but took too many to include here, and also wasn't able to remember the artists' names. I did buy a beautiful book though - perhaps will show you that some other time.
Then, we set off again, meandering up through Stiffkey before dropping back down to the Creakes, in order to pop in on Stitch & Bitch friend Yvonne Autie for a cuppa, and a chat.

Finally, back through more lovely sun-dappled lanes to Lynne's home where I left her to return to mine.

An absolutely fabulous day, weather did us proud, and such a pleasure to be able to meet such wonderfully creative people and feast our eyes on their work. I hope you managed to hang on in there with me - this has been a long post! Thanks LynneK for driving, and for your great company.