A trip to Yorkshire and some felt.

Sunday was a bit boring with no dog to walk, so at the bright and early start time of 3pm we decided to have a tootle out in the car.
Over the border into Yorkshire.

Never mind carbon emissions and global warming..it was pretty cold here despite the sunshine.
In Hebden Bridge we visited the Heart Gallery, when we eventually found it.


Had a drink and pricey but delicious cake in a beautiful organic cafe nearby, and sat next to a gang of shoutey posh people impressing the world with their stories of travel in Italy and visits to the opera. I watched the world go by outside the window and marveled at the colourful ensembles of the ladies of Hebden Bridge .


Its a very picturesque place.

Then we went to the small steep village of Heptonstall.
Had you heard of it?
I hadn't until last year.
What a wonderful surprise.
We parked the car and trudged up the steep cobbled road edged with 17th Century weavers' cottages.
Our efforts were rewarded at the top of the hill by the amazing ruined church.

It stands in a huge graveyard next to the newer Victorian church.
The gravestones are tightly packed and make interesting reading,


with lovely caligraphy and curlicues.


Its really worth a visit and I found a good website about Heptonstall here. I wish I'd read it before we went. If you want to see a 360 degree view click here.

They may have added a third even more lenient plaque by the time you get there.

'Dogs welcome'?

The 'grimness' of the grey stone houses is relieved by little flashes of colour.

But by gum it was cold.

Talking of colour...I have long wanted to combine my usual technique of stitched velvet, with felt,
so today I had a play.



If the felt is thick its more stable, but its harder to machine on.


These are only trial pieces,


and have no backs yet.

They may yet be brooches.

I will be stewarding at the exhibition in Lytham again on Tuesday and Wednesday, so if you are around near the Heritage Centre, do call in and say hello.
If I'm out, I am sure to be found in the cafe next door to the centre, behind a thick slab of their wonderful Frangipan tart, so come in a have a drink with me.
I'll diet next week.

Moving Forward .

This has been an extraordinary week for me and my family.
We have shed many tears and guess what? I lost three pounds. Not such a good way to lose it.
We have been very sad, but I have felt supported and cared for by your lovely, lovely messages and e mails and for that I am extremely grateful.
Thank you.
From now on I will be doing my maundering on about Willow on my other blog.
I started it a while ago to practice different things I wanted to do , such as upload video, change templates and so on so its a bit of a mess really.
Its the ideal place to write posts to help me remember my gentle companion. I don't mind if no one ever reads it, it will help. I'll write sadnesses and joys, stories of good and bad behaviour and keep her living over there for as long as I need to.
Thank you all again.
I really mean it. Answering your comments where I could(sorry if I didn't get to you) was perfect therapy.

Now moving forward here.
I have finished a whole lot of yummy*little brooches and I am going to have a giveaway of 5 of them BUT there will be something else, I think a piece of work for mounting, in the giveaway which I haven't made yet, so hold yer horses ...I'll have an actual 'blog anniversary leave your comments to enter the draw' post in a few days.

Meanwhile, see which one you would fancy if you won.


Please notice the light in these pictures. For months I have struggled to get a decent picture but now May is here they just glow with light.



A cautionary tale now.
Last night I was encouraging a flickr contact to start a blog and saying I would help if he got stuck, when my blog completely disappeared.
Yes! Vanished.
All that was there was an error message. I did a bit of googling and went to the help forum and the solution was easy to follow BUT it required going to the dashboard..which, of course, I couldn't as it had disappeared. Thankfully I have my other blog so I could google that to get to the dashboard.
If I'd only had one blog I would not be here now.
Maybe that wouldn't be the end of the world for you..but for a moment there.....last night..I panicked.



*I thought I'd try a bit of 'own trumpet, blowing of ' here.
It seems to be a requirement on some blogs.
(Not yours of course, dear readers)

Day 1 without Willow

So far its awful.
I know there are people out there with much more to grieve over and that its 'only a dog' but I can't begin to describe how bad I feel.
For the first time in 17 years there is no dog in the house.
When Daisy died we had Willow but now we have a big dog shaped hole, an empty chair, and two emboldened cats.

I was going to have a lovely blog anniversary post but all I need to say just at the moment is, thank you all so much for your kind and supportive comments yesterday. I realise I don't really know most of you but those comments and that support are the reasons that I love blogging so much.
I can't even be bothered with a picture at the moment but I may feel better later.

Its just the day for a walk.
It will be strange without my sidekick.

Bloggiversary..postponed

Today its a whole year since I first posted on this blog, but do you mind if I postpone the celebrations until tomorrow?
Today at 5pm the vet is coming to put Willow 'to sleep'.
We took her to be examined yesterday. She is extremely ill but not in pain, and we brought her home so our boys could come and say goodbye last night. She is here next to me on a big soft blanket on the sofa. Its obvious she needs to be released.
I can't believe she will be gone this evening.
I am beyond sad.
We all are.
I'm sure you understand.

The Northwest Regional Day

Saturday was the North West Regional Day of the the Embroiderers' Guild at the Rheged Centre near Penrith.
I had a good day. I actually managed to remember it for a start.
(Last year I was still in bed when the phone rang to tell me the coach was waiting for me at the motorway services about 8 miles away. This would not have been quite so bad had I not been the one insisting that the coach call in at the motorway services to pick me up)

I met Maggie Grey again and really enjoyed her talk on Celtic Inspirations, in which she showed one of my pieces.
Fame.
Then, I won second prize in the coats anchor competition with this piece, which you saw last year.
(The top picture is truer in colour to the original)


Here's the whole thing.

I managed not to offend anyone (I think).
Although I was a bit tactless at one point.

I got to actually hold a lovely piece made by Purple Missus, and saw some dead catalogue art too!

Now when I tagged a few bloggers the other week I certainly didn't expect this!
Edit: its fun do go and look. (I wasn't shocked Cathy!)

Do you have stat counter? Its very interesting and my favourite bit is 'came from' which shows you where readers have ..well you guessed it..come from. Its so lovely to find links to your blog and I am humbled by some of them.
People I don't know linking others to my blog.
Thank you .
Yesterday I discovered a lot of visitors from katafoltok I have popped in quite a few times but unfortunately I don't understand the language of the blog. I do understand that she has made some beautiful cuffs in velvet. I did a 'translate' but it only gave me a very rough idea of the meaning. For example, do you know what a 'vernal quiltnet' is?
I thought not.

A coincidence

Today was my day to steward the Exhibition I am part of at Lytham Heritage Centre.
It was very quiet with only one visitor until about 11.15 so I decided to pop out to buy something I needed.
I was away about 20 minutes . When I got back the other lady on duty said there had been 9 people in and there were two waiting for me to get back.
Look who they were!



Maggie and Clive Grey!
They hadn't known the exhibition was on, and had just been visiting relatives in Lytham as they were on their way to Rheged near Penrith, for the Northwest Regional day of the Embroiderers' Guild, where Maggie is giving a talk, and for which I have a ticket.
They saw the sign outside and just popped in for look.
What an amazing coincidence.
That it was on my day to steward too!

Here I have to say that Lytham is MILES from where they live and quite a few miles from where they were headed so you will appreciate the slim chance of us meeting.

I had been out to buy a canvas for a piece, and visited a new Art Gallery in Lytham run by a man who had a huge piece of work for sale with a print of a fish on it,when I say a print of a fish I don't mean a drawing of a fish rendered in print..I mean fish as printblock!
And bird too.
I wondered what happened to the fish? If he'd done some potato prints he could have made a fish and chip supper. (After he washed the ink off)
Just a minute I'll go and find his card and then I can link to his website so you can see ................................................................................................................................................................
..............................................footsteps disappearing ........................................ .................................. ............. ......................................................................................................................................................................
.............................................................coming back ........................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................................................
found it!
William Estlin Cummings

PS

Little tiny prototype brooch mentioned in the previous post.
Unfinished.
About an inch and a half in diameter.
Photographed on my lovely Midwinter casserole lid
Is it a runner?