A day on Lindisfarne...

Lindisfarne is a very special place. So rich in history, and so very pretty too.
As well as looking at the fine scenery, I was on the look out for textiles. In the Lindisfarne centre was a quilt by Joan Tunstall, depicting a page from the Lindisfarne gospels.
Within Lindisfarne castle, some fantastic textiles, and a very fetching original William Morris sofa.
Also on the island I couldn't help but notice some sheep, who seemed rather relieved that they had lost their woolly coats. Now I wonder if the fleece is off to make something special?

Textiles at Bamburgh Castle

This time last week we were in a very hot car, on a very hot day, on our way to Bamburgh - a very pretty village in Northumberland.
A trip around the castle revealed some wonderful textiles.
Tapestries.
A curtain made by Russian prisoners, from their uniforms, during the Crimean war.
And an embroidery, similar in style to the Bayeux tapestry. Beautiful!

New Tracey Emin Tapestry

I was excited to hear that West Dean Tapestry studio is working on creating one of Tracey Emin's paintings in to a tapestry. Tracey Emin divides people, I'm in the love her camp, not least because she has an 'e' in her name - like all great Tracey's! Her work is brutal at times, personal, painful, but always so refreshingly honest. I am a big fan of her quilts, applique letters on kitsch fabrics, inner most thoughts told.

Tracey Emin - I do not expect to be a mother, 2002

I am reminded of Tilleke Schwarz's embroideries. In 2008 there was a Emin retrospective at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh. Inspired by my visit, I created my very own take on an Emin quilt. This was pb (pre-blog!) so I shall share it now. Hand stitched in felt and cottons.

Quilts 1700-2010: Hidden Histories, Untold Stories.

I spent the weekend in Milton Keynes visiting family. On Saturday me & my mum popped down to London to the V&A to see their quilt exhibition. The range of work was amazing, I am in awe of the tiny stitches, the planning & the perseverance. Each quilt told a story, from a wounded solider making a military quilt to Caren Garfen's 'how may times do I have to repeat myself' quilt looking at the role of women within the home. The show is on till the 4th of July, if you get the chance, I can certainly recommend it.

Also check out the summer edition of UK handmade, beautiful inspirations & tips!

And relax...

I have been sooooo busy of late; frantic some might say. It's that darn day job getting in the way of all my play :(

On the positive side I have finally finished my next project for Textiles 1 and will put the HUGE envelope in the post on Friday morning. The final piece was to try to combine a sketch with the fabric manipulation techniques learnt. I used one of the windows from Sweetheart Abbey with furrowing and shadow quilting techniques. This really exaggerates the window spaces, by creating such volume. I like the delicate mystical effect.

I have also been making the effort to drag myself out of bed early on a Sunday morning to pop along to my local knitting group. I'm working on the Stanwyck Pullover by Nancy Griffin, though am so far stuck in the world of rib. Maybe I'll be there by Christmas?

Quilting & YoYos

I have just had a very productive afternoon (it is so nice when that happens!) finishing my quilting samples. Firstly a hand quilted flower sample using a piece of polyester wadding sandwiched between two pieces of white cotton. Basting stitches where first added to stop movement, the flower shape sewn in running stitch, then surrounded by stippling, finally the basting stitches removed. The overall effect is subtle, pretty and time consuming!
Then a shadow quilting sample. I loosely tacked small shapes of nets and transparent materials onto a piece of white cotton. This was placed on a piece of wadding backed by cotton, and on top a piece of sheer salmon pink fabric; this was then all basted together. I then outlined the shapes with running stitch. This method produces a more muted effect compared to applique.
Finally, some Suffolk puffs or YoYos (depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on). These cuties are simple to make and create great shapes when joined together. They are perfect for using up scraps of material and would be a good starting point for making brooches.
Now, after all this hand sewing I am in desperate need of some hand cream!!!

White folds of fabric & fiction

For my textiles 1 I am at the 'manipulating fabric' project. Before I start this properly, I decided to have a play around experimenting with different techniques on some white cotton. I used the wonderful resource book 'The Art of Manipulating Fabric' by Colette Wolff. I particularly liked the furrowing samples, and how the fabric flows; rather than be constrained by stitches.
During the week I picked up, at a charity shop, the book 'How to make an American Quilt' by Whitney Otto, for the bargain price of 50p. I must be the only person in the world who hasn't seen the film. It was the perfect read for a rainy Saturday afternoon. The book tells the stories of the attendants of a quilting circle, and each chapter is interspaced with quilting instructions in the style of one of the attendees. The story draws on the similarities between quilt making, life and love.