Move along..there's nothing to see...

 Just a few more brooch fronts.

 in different shades.

 and different shapes.

 Last saturday was the Embroiderers' Guild Northwest regional day in Preston. It was an enjoyable day. I added my Horrockses dress to the others on display. Here are a few including mine.

 Here are some real Horrockses dresses brought along by Dr Caroline Alexander from the Harris Museum who gave the morning talk. Its was really good despite the fact that her presentation wouldn't work and she had to rely on a few photos. 

She was a good lively speaker though and it didn't matter.

In the afternoon we had a talk from Sue Rangeley whose work is exquisite and neat and insiring. She's worked in fashion for years and it was her little applique purse that drew me into the BBC series about embroidery about 30  years ago, and then onto City and guilds.

I won first prize in an odd sort of competition where there were only 4 entries. It used to be sponsored by Coats Anchor and the pieces had to contain their threads, but they've given up sponsorship so it was a bit of a let down.

 In further news: I found a 17 spot ladybird in the garden.

  Is that unusual?

As always....

 I've been making felt

 of various hues.

 I've added backs to the aforementioned brooch fronts

 and made a few more fronts.

 Its odd when I make felt. Sometimes its speaks to me...this one says  Vanessa Bell/Charleston Farmhouse. Its dark and glowing. But I have a bit of a block because I don't know what to do with it. I'm doing a workshop next week where we are making felt and stitching on it and I don't know quite what to say about stitching on this piece.

 That may be why I dreamt I was teaching French and had to start by admitting that I couldn't speak French.
This one is supposed to 'speaking ' of the Burren.

 Will I make little pieces or stitch on it as a whole? I don't know. I stitched a little piece from some of the felt in the first picture and I was quite pleased with it.

 so I stitched a few more.

Guess what? It was my fourth bloggiversary last week on Saturday and I didn't blog about it.

Thats odd.

 Its a special day too as its the day we lost Willow a year later.

When I first started blogging I was obsessed with it. I took my camera out with me to take pictures of things to blog about. I really like some of my earlier posts and still enjoy reading them.

I made a group of lovely virtual friends and always read and commented on their blogs via google reader.

Lately I've been lazy and haven't read. Didn't dare go to Google reader for fear of the number of unread posts I had to catch up with, but when I did I found that not many of them had been blogging...just like me. 

I still love all the lovely comments and welcome you all, but at the same time I miss the 'community' I had at the beginning. I can't hope to read and reply to all the comments I get now and for that I am truly sorry .

As its my bloggiversary, I think I should have a giveaway, as a little 'thank you' for lovely comments, but its hard not to appear cynical  as only one person can win and it usually does boost readership and comments. So if you will forgive me, leave a comment here and I will choose a winner on Monday. You can choose a brooch if you win. I don't mind where you live.

Thank you for reading.

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.