If tears could build a stairway...

I recently made a cross-stitch for my mum, based on a poem she saw on a plate.

I used KG-Chart for cross stitch package to make the chart, and am happy with how it turned out. I have attached a pdf of the chart to my craftster post here should you want to do something similar.

Patterns...

At the Anni Albers exhibition there were displays of her sketchbooks. Pages of carefully crafted patterns giving an insight in to how she worked. There were pages filled with repeated typewriter letters, meticulous shapes drawn on graph paper and holes delicately pricked with a needle. On first glance these seem easy to do, but having the creativity and the plan to create compositions of these takes real skill. I attempted recreating some of these patterns, I really like how the direction that the paper is pricked creates a different effect. Beautiful and effective.

Perusing & Ligging...

Flicking through shiny glossy pages is fun. The new Cath Kidston pocket guide came in the post. Who wouldn't want a big pile of fabrics like this to admire?
Or cake tins? Preferably full of cakes!
I couldn't resist the 21st anniversary issue of Elle Decoration.
Some beautiful bird patterns, to adorn your house.
And Simply Knitting, what about this jumper? Gorgeous! Who wouldn't want to wear a reindeer on your chest!
When not collecting magazines to file on the living room floor, last night was the first birthday of Trongate 103. I love the Eduardo Paolozzi work inspired by Alan Turing.
Turing is of course, the mathematical genius who was part of the Enigma code breaking team at Bletchley Park. And Bletchley just happens to be my home town. My favourite gallery at Trongate 103 is Project Ability, maybe that is my day job coming through! The current exhibition is from Robert Reddick, with the walls of the gallery were covered with his many sketches. The drawings depicted Glasgow life, books, animals & memories.
Oh, and as a special treat, Sons and Daughters played live!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010! I have been playing around with inks on both wet & dry surfaces. I like the way the colours bleed into each other.
My current craze for playing with ink even extends to covering old Christmas wrapping paper with colours. The gold print remains unsaturated by the inks, to create a vibrant pattern.
I am also working on my third (yeah!) tapestry sample. I am trying to use a variety of threads, here is a sneak peek:I knew that charity shop find of blue & white mohair yarns would come in handy one day! And yes that is a Black & Decker logo you can spot - the loom is currently being held by my partners workmate! The weaving is coming along slower than planned, this due to a rather poorly guinea pig. Fletch is currently recuperating from an operation yesterday (all together now "ahhhhhh"). Here he is helping me finish off a plum stone earlier.

Tapestries & Wallpaper

I spent the bank holiday at the lovely Stirling Castle. Currently the palace is being restored and a series of seven medieval tapesties commisioned to adorn the palace. The tapestries are to be replicas of The Hunt of the Unicorn. The weaving is being split between West Dean Studios and a purpose built building within the castle grounds. I would certainly recommend a visit to see the weaving in action. Especially at 1pm, as the weavers stop to talk about the project (you are not allowed to disturb them at other times!). This is a fascinating process, and watching the pace of the weaving really makes you appreciate the dedication and the enormous quanitity of hours needed to create such works. This visit has spurred me on to sign up to a tapestry course later in the year... so watch this space!

I have just finished reading (and admiring the gorgeous pictures) Off the Wall - Wonderful Wall Coverings of the Twentieth Century by Lena Lencek & Gideon Bosker. There are great variety of wallpaper designs covered here - kistch, quirky, abstract - all with a generous side serving of Americana. As someone who lives in a wallpaper-free home, this made me crave some vintage wallpaper. Although the tales of creepy crawlies feeding off homemade wheat flour wallpaper paste gives me the heebie jeebies!

Snow!

Snow, snow, snow! Winter has certainly arrived here in Glasgow. I have been out taking pictures, not of snowmen or cars covered in snow - but of bird footprints in the snow! I have only received one strange look, so far, from doing this. I think these patterns of footprints are lovely, and have put them on my 'to do' list to create something with them in mind. Though we should certainly spare a thought for the hungry birdies out there :(