Monday 15 November 2010

Recording Events(Sorry for all the brackets) :)))

Some random bits of life since the last post which was too long ago.
First a bit of death, sorry.
You must remember from a few posts ago and from here and there in the blog, little Blodwen.

Well sadly she is no longer with us. She had a good 'innings' as they say and we were very lucky to have had a bit of her company in the past. She was a sweetie. I am imagining  her gambolling over the Elysian fields reunited with her little Dachshund 'sister', Porky, their ears a-flap in the breeze, perhaps being followed along by our dearly loved and missed Willow, who found the two of them quite a puzzle when they stayed with us a few years ago.
How things change.


Last week I spent two full days which nearly finished me off, teaching in a FE college nearby. 
Starting out at 8.15 and not getting home until 5pm is a struggle when you usually have, shall we say,  an unstructured day, and I have immense respect and admiration for those who do it daily. 
I don't do it very often and when I get there I am looked after and made to feel very valuable, but still , just before it comes round, I wonder why I do it.
Well, I had two lovely days. 4 different groups of 16-18 year olds who made felt, and smiled and worked hard despite the awful colours they had to work with.  Mostly red, that horrible green that always gets left, and some awful yellows. They still managed to come up with some variety, and all but one (yes there's always one) were a delight.
I also met an artist who makes the most amazing lino prints that made me want to give up pretending to be creative. Look at her work here. I saw the first three of these prints in the flesh, a metre square and breathtaking.

A by-product of my 2 days in college was a solution to a problem that has been keeping me awake.
I've applied for another demoralising rejection craft event and wanted to make a tree to display my wares upon. (oops sentence ended with a preposition. Sorry) I happened to mention it to the Mr Fix It of the college who said I should draw it out and take it in the next day and voila!
OK. Its an awful picture and the tree isn't painted or anything but I'm thrilled to bits. Its free standing and the perfect height for on a table. 
 (Its no good someone as short as me hanging stuff above head height now is it?)
Even if I don't get in to the event, I'll have it for other events. 
It needs a nice coat of 'String' or even 'Cord', 'Clunch' or possibly 'Matchstick' and a few little knobs on (I'm working on that) and I can hang my brooches on it. 

That's if I have any brooches left.
Since I showed my last ones I have been lucky enough to have been asked by the delightful Rachel of Lazyhill Gallery in Dorset to send her some..so I have. If you live near Abbotsbury, pop along there and see them in the flesh! It looks beautiful and I wish I could visit. I also have work in The Platform Gallery, Clitheroe,  The Chapel Gallery Ormskirk,  and Fibre+Clay, Knutsford.
I have been contacted by whole host of other people for bits and pieces too, so in some ways I can do without having to hang on to things for a possible craft fair. (Thats just to pre-empt rejection and make me feel better)

Now here's some actual Textile content of sorts.
If you were reading in the summer you may have seen a family of blue tits emerge from the nest box. 
I've just emptied it to clean it out and hang it back up for next year and look!
One little leftover egg. And beautifully woven in around the edge of the nest some fragments of pink wool! Do you think the could have picked them from some of my felt hanging up to dry?
I'd love to think so.
How clever birds are.
I do hope they come back next year. They were such fun to watch.

I am going to the Knitting and Stitching show in Harrogate a week on Thursday.
Will anyone reading this be there? It would be great to meet a few bloggers. 
Let me know.

33 comments:

ju-north said...

Re K & S - Hope to meet Julie (Mixed media) at the entrance about 11 am. shout if you see us!

ju-north said...

PS Just re-read your blog and see you are going thurs - we are going Friday. I'm disappointed!

Marigold Jam said...

I used to teach adults and I know just how tiring but how satisfying it can be. I am sure those students went away thrilled with what they had produced and inspired to do more all except the one and yes there IS always one!!

Love the little nest - must have been a very houseproud little bird to have woven in all that pink wool!

I must pop over to the shop in Abbotsbury next time I am that way - certainly much nearer than Harrowgate though wish I could go there too!

JAne

Daisie said...

Love your tree! Beautiful little pink nest, creative birdies in the garden make me smile. And am doing K&S but on sunday :(

Fiona said...

Sorry to hear about Blodwen. You know I had a sorft spot for her. And I just love the nest with the coloured felt. Unfortunately not able to get to the show but hopefully we can meet up at a , dare I say it, craft show sometime.

hens teeth said...

Ah, dearest darling Willow, Blodders and Porky.. doggies all so sadly missed. We still pine for our Rosie so very much.
Glad you had a good creative session with the youngsters and that a problem was so successfully resolved and .....
see, even the birds in the garden adore your felt creations. xx

alice c said...

I am sorry to hear about Blodwen - I was always glad to see her little face appear in your blog.

Anonymous said...

Love the display tree - I'm about 40 miles from Abbotsbury but I'm sure by the time I make it down, all your beautiful brooches will be sold

Kim said...

something so beautiful about a nest that fires up the imagination. And that my friend, is the most beautiful I have ever seen. Tnx.

Heather said...

Your doggy friends are so lovely - it's hard when we have to say goodbye. A two day workshop finishes me off and that's not me teaching it. I love that tree - your brooches will look super on it. Good luck with the craft fair and other sales opportunities. The little nest is so beautiful, it seems awful to throw them away when we clean out the nest boxes. I wish I lived near Harrogate - it would be lovely to say hello - enjoy the show.

jennyflowerblue said...

That nest is so precious. I can't wait to get back to Dorset to mooch that lovely shop. Have fun at K&S. xxxx

Victoria said...

Dear little Blodwen. I loved him and I never even met him. xo I hope that along with beautiful Willow and Porky, Mo can meet up with Blodwen, too. God bless their sweet, sweet souls for all the joy they gave to us!

The class sounds like fun, the bird nest rocks, and congrats on all the fabulous interest in your brooches!

Jan said...

Very sorry for the loss of the doggie Blodwen. Their lives are much too short but the memory of them lives on forever.

I look forward to seeing your tree all decorated, even if you decide not to enter the craft show, maybe you will decorate it for your own pleasure.

That nest is so beautiful I hope you are saving it. What a natural work of art, surely they stole some bits from you.

Patty Biermans said...

I think that birds can make a better piece of art then we can. Greetings.....Peebee

jeanette, mistress of longears said...

I feel sure that your amazingly fashion forward birds did nip a bit from your drying line! So wonderful! And the leftover egg is a treasure!

Magpie's Mumblings said...

I'm so sorry about your wee four-legged friend - it's so hard to lose them, but I firmly believe we will see them again. On another subject - your tree is definitely inspired - nobody else will have one, which will make yours attract attention and THEN they will see your work and fall in love!

menopausalmusing said...

What a poignant photo that first one is..........

The little nest is exquisite, just exquisite and thanks for the link to the linocutter........ fabulous work!

lazyhill said...

Thank you so much for mentioning the gallery! I hope to see lots of Cardyfans at the shop and will try and keep stocked up with your beautiful work although, as you know, it's marching out of the door fairly smartly! I have such discerning customers...

Emma said...

Love the nature made felt nest. Sorry to miss Harrogate, maybe next year - it's 'up North' but still down 8 hours drive from me!

Yes, I WILL get to Flikr - my big list of things to do is growing! Thanks ;)

Rachel said...

I think I'll be in Harrogate on the Friday, so we will miss each other - have a great time while you are there!

donna said...

Love the tree,it will be great for displaying all those BEAUTIFUL broaches...the blue tits certainly have an eye for quality and colour in decorating their cosy home,,,

Mary Welsh Hubbard said...

I love that nest and the tree is awesome-it's really a great idea.

A time to dance said...

Oh what a shame Polly and I are going saturday...Polly is tres dissappointed as she will miss Gok, I think she hoped he would grab mothers bangers!! I will just have been paid but its my last but one real pay packet so I will have to be good especially after laying out for the knitwear! I love the nest, we have one that we found in the shed and I would love to bring it in but afraid of funny little creatures living in it. Do you remember love for lydia by H E Bates, he threw her hair out of the windows for the birds to make nests of, as my hair is fallying out by the clump I think of this as I throuw it out of the bathroom window....a very grey nest it will make too...

Digitalgran said...

Unfortunatley I won't be going to Harrogate Jacky as I would love to meet you. Such a pity about Blodwen. Congrats on all the gallery showing.

lilylovekin said...

I truly believe in doggy heaven and all of yours are there!! What a lovely bird nest and I do believe the mother bird stole the felt from your line of gorgeous felts who could resist?

Twiglet said...

That little nest is amazing - so lovely that even the blue tits love your felt too!!

Anonymous said...

Sorry about little Blowden. Never easy to lose a companion of the heart. The tree is smashing, what a brilliant idea and will show off the work so well. Soft cushy pink wool to hold those eggs, how lovely that little bird must be. xox Corrine

silverpebble said...

Did you make pink felt and hang it on the line? I remember a rainbow of felt at some point - isn't it funny how they picked the pink?

Your tree is fabulous. You KNOW what I think about that fair.

Oh the dog picture. Oh.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear about little Blodwen.

Am not a blogger but love to read yours, so if I spot you in Harrogate on Thursday i will say hello,
Katie B

Jackie said...

Thanks Katie B .

Cytel said...

I love the nest story, I love to think it was your pink wool too that they used. I tend to toss my thread ends out in the garden hoping they will be used.

Cytel said...

I love the nest story, I toss out bits of pretty yarns in hopes the birds will use them. Did you keep the nest?

Sarah Anderson said...

Ah, just answered my last question here! Well, isn't it just a small world, I really do have one of your brooches...and I love, love, love it!!!



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