Birthday Hawaii Camp

Yes, Ian reached the big 50 and spent the weekend with friends at a pub near Uttoxeter. Much beer was drunk, stories exchanged and reunions took place with friends not seen for a number of years. Looking across the bar on Friday night it became evident that the only long hair these days is on the girls although beards are still popular :-)However there was still a healthy number of motorcycles in the car park.

We camped in a field next to the pub with a couple of unexpected guests who obviously felt that they had been left out. Firstly a small dog who grunted like a pig joined us for some fuss.



Then a horse from the adjoining field decided that he preferred our company to that of the other horse.




On Saturday I visited the local Churnett Valley Railway with a couple of friends ( Ian preferring to stay around the camp site to welcome visitors) and spent the day riding up and down the small line and sitting in the tearooms to sample tea and cake. Thanks Eric and Rab for your company :-)




Some (Biker ted) found the celebrations on Saturday night just a bit too much!




Sadly, we had to return home on Sunday but have made firm arrangements to meet up again for at least two more birthday celebrations next year.



Denny and Frank packed for the journey home.

it comes from where!!!

A chance conversation at work has made me realise just how little the next generation know about textiles. After explaining that I was knitting some handspun yarn (practising knitting squares) and that the little fluffy bits were sheeps curls, we went on to talk about silk and where it came from.
Yesterday I even took some silk and silk cocoons into work to help explain. It seems to me that a gap is developing in basic knowledge and it is supported by the number of people who seem to think I am weaving when they spot me relaxing with my drop spindle. This is making me even more determined to be seen making lace, stitching or spinning in public, am I alone in feeling like this? surely not!

Now....stitching photo of a keyring.



Off to get things ready for stitched up tonight.

taming the fluffyness

wheel on loan from the guild.

a grand day out part two

After succumbing to temptation at the spinning fair, I made my way down to the Lincolnshire Museum of Rural life. Free admission makes this little gem worth visiting.


As photos are allowed for personal use only, here is a link to their website.

In answer to Sally's' question, yes I did stop for tea, more than once and here is the evidence.


A pot of tea and toasted teacake £1, bargain at the museum!

Next call stop was a Ellis' mill which unfortunately closed but still looked wonderful,




then back down towards the town


where I spotted this Indian street artist




you can see more by the artist Janak Chauhan here and here


I hope you have all enjoyed this short trip as much as I did.

A Grand day out part one

woke up yesterday, sun shinning, hopped on a bus, stepped on a tram and caught a train to Lincoln

So I got off the train and walked up to the canal,



then walked up the hill


and up the hill


and up the hill


and up the hill



and pass the Cathedral



My Destination was the university where the Spinners and Dyers had been holding a Summer school and they were having a small trade fair. I treated myself to all sorts of fluffy goodness for spinning and feltmaking.



I also had the chance to play on a kromski sonata spinning wheel, spins like a dream although a bit more expensive than I was planning on......thinking about it :-)

Nottingham Riverside Festival

We had planned to go down to the festival yesterday but the weather put paid to that! so we wandered down today and found this...



and amongst the attractions and music I found this



of course I had to join in, just happened to have a drop spindle in my bag :-)

postal treats

I am a member of Unlimited Textiles, an internet swap group although I don't always have time to play.
This month the subject for the 5 inch quiltie was seasons and I received this lovely autumn quiltie from June ( I don't seem to have blog details for June, If you have one can you add a link in the comments? thanks)

Spell Book ?

not quite, each year I keep a holiday journal and since we will be heading north of the border, a celtic feel seemed to be appropriate.

Please excuse the dodgy photos but velvet seems to confuse my camera. The finished book is sort of darker blue than the photos.





size A5

looking for texture

inspiration-sunset, carded merino plyed with commercial mohair. plyed for texture, not yet set ( waiting for the rain to stop!


I've borrowed a spinning wheel again now that I have destashed a bit and made a space for it to live in. I plan to play and experiment over the next couple of weeks just to see what works :-)

Nottingham by the Sea

or a big pile of sand in the square! I have to admit that they have done a good job and it was certainly very busy when I wondered down yesterday. Sort of gave this city of ours a sunny feel that you don't normally find here. Since they rehashed the market square a couple of years ago, they are now beginning to discover its potential as an entertainment venue. We have had music concerts, a big wheel, ice skating rink ( the scene of my downfall) and the fountains have a constant stream of kids playing in them as soon as the weather warms up.



putting it all together



the scene yesterday

Unlimited Textiles Quiltie

Its been a while since I took part in an unlimited textile swap so I signed up to make a 5 inch quiltie on the theme of Seasons. I had forgotten how relaxing it is to make something entirely by hand. I was going to finish it on the sewing machine but decided that it would look wrong.

So here it is.



Plan of attack today...wander into town to look at Nottingham by the sea. Yes they appear to have imported the seaside into our city centre...watch out for the photos!

Patchwork on the Plinth

Please visit Claire or Vicky for full details.


Those of you in the UK, and further afield for that matter, may have heard about the art project in Trafalger Square, on the Fourth plinth of Nelson’s Column. Our craft group Stitched Up have been approached by Hazel Ellerby, a local actress/ artist to help make a quilt t0 celebrate the women of the East Midlands. She’s asking for women to contribute a quilt square that passes on a message either about yourself, or what you would want to say to the world. The squares will be sewn into a qulit, exhibited following the plinth day (12th August) and then eventually taken apart to be sold for charity.

Taken from Pinky and Boo Blog (Thanks Claire)

TAST revisited, week 28

Sheaf Stitch



size ATC

Detail


See Stitchin Fingers for more details

TAST revisited, week 27

Bullion Stitch



On Stitchin Fingers, the Take a Stitch Tuesday has resumed and this week it is Bullion Stitch. Stitched here in embroidery cotton on handfelted background.

The last few weeks seem to have been so busy that I have hardly kept up with reading blogs let alone any stitching, last weekend I managed to make a DVD slideshow for my mum so she will have a record of the wonderful flowers in bloom at the moment. As a result I have been lax in replying to your comments and I will be catching up with many of you over the next few days :-)

Have you ever tried to explain how you accidently buy something over E-bay? it's really easy, you just wait until there are five of the particular item for sale (all seperately) and you put in a silly bid having seen the first two being sold for more than you would like to pay and promptly forget about it. This has resulted in me buying a Jacobs fleece for spinning for a couple of quid, now I need to buy or borrow a wheel again:-) good job a friend has lent me a drum carder along with 3 different weighted spindles to have a play with.

Anyway, I'm off to surf your blogs whilst thinking of a design for a 10 inch quilt block right after I put the kettle on!!

Enjoying summer

I've been out enjoying the summer sun so no lace or stitch to show at the moment. TAST has restarted so I'm working on my bullion knot sample and I have a couple of other projects to start and finish this month.

I leave you with a couple of photos from my mums garden last weekend.