Friday 27 April 2007

A painting...

This isn't my usual style, but I worked out that it was done on the day or very near to the day when I tipped into the diabetes, so perhaps it means something. It's acrylic on board, about 13 by 15 inches, and was done very quickly. Perhaps it's an underpainting for something else. Or perhaps not...

Tuesday 24 April 2007

Blood Sugar and such...

Well, officially I have joined the ranks of the insulin-challenged. I have to visit the doc tomorrow, and then I have to run the rest of my life. I have been heading for this for a long time, and in a way it's a relief for me to have gone over the hill and to be sliding down the far side...
More later. If you are reading this and have personal useful experience, I'd like to hear from you. If you have a story about your granny and her shortened life, please save it for another day. or another person, thanks.

helen@raindropkites.co.uk

To Keene Quilters, at Stock in Essex yesterday to teach Fabric postcards, in the afternoon.. A very big class, and all seemed to have a good time, and made some very nice cards (some of which are shown here)..

I am always amazed, and amused to see how many different ideas can be produced from one basic and simple starter, and it is fun to see people's fabrics and trimmings..


On a less happy note, I await the results of my blood sugar test from Friday. Looks like I have tipped over into diabetes, and I got in to a message on the machine from the surgery "nothing to worry about, but ring us Now.." something utterly sinister about the cheerful tone...

Teapot Quilters today, my own little group, and I shall have to watch them eat cake...

Thursday 19 April 2007


Meanwhile, here's one I made earlier.

Tree of Pieces in multiple cream fabrics, with overlaid 3D leaves, each of which has a name (at the top) or a place quilted into the surface.
The detail shows the quilting and some of the leaves. Total size is 150 by 120 cm, 60 by 48 inches. This is a commission, and the customer was very pleased with it. It was a real pain to get it flat...The two black leaves commemorate soldiers who fell in the First World War...

Spent Tuesday supervising one of my Play Days, and this was the piece I made... The theme was Monochrome, Polychrome, and I asked people first to work with a colour that was unfamiliar or not liked, and to consider the matters of contrast, in pattern size, tone, and size of piece. We made A4 sized pieces, as Heather and I are making for the Journal Quilt project in Contemporary Quilt, and this size is both quick and unstressful...
I don't have pictures of the other pieces, but I will try to get them later.
I plan to do some hand work and beading on this piece...

Monday 16 April 2007

Some Days...

Some days don't feel like they have many accomplishments, until you come to write them down...
Yesterday seemed like a waste of time, but I -
Bought and cleaned four nice green aluminium garden chairs (now we can eat at the right height for the table) (from the Dump!);
Put the lid on the gazebo, so we can sit outside under it all Summer;
Made some tiny books and finished, wrapped and priced them;
Fixed a sewing machine and looked at another;
Had lunch with Himself and talked with Cybele, who had brought me a monitor, a sewing machine, and 10 mugs from Freecycle;
Put up the pea nets and planted the peas;
Weeded the lettuce bed;
Cooked supper (salmon, new potatoes, broccoli from the garden);
Did my qigong training (Wudang Sword and Kunlun Twining Hands Bagua);
Read two short stories by China Mieville;
Went to the Car Boot and didn't buy anything...
Sorted the Bead Box;
And some other stuff I won't write down here...;
And so on... Perhaps not such a waste of time after all.

Image is of my workbook and diary, with this year's trees...

Saturday 14 April 2007

Day of Pots


Coil pots are interesting. I was trying to be more assymetrical, but it's hard... This was my second attempt. I find it hard to work in true 3D, and the form was elusive, but the day was fun. Then I went into town and bought 4 20 inch square canvases for £10-00 - bargain of the day...

I will burnish this one when it is harder...

Thursday 12 April 2007

Finding the workspace


.. not as easy as it looks, for all the space is 1000 square feet and all my own.. Set up the April Showcase wall this morning, went to the doctor's, cut and sorted some orders, made kite tails, tidied a bit, shopping at both ends of the day, bought 44 dolls, 3 tablecloths, grapes, mushrooms, took my library books back (and paid the fines) collected my prescriptions, sorted out the over-delivered parcel tapes, put the shop back together..

..talked on the phone a lot, sorted out the colours for a buddhist kite, took photos for the showcase, dropped things a lot (I'm right clumsy at the moment)...

..supper, and now to compute, webpages etc...

It never seems to end

Wednesday 11 April 2007

Bookbinding Day

..at Westleton, with the Heritage Quilters. A fine light Village Hall with a dozen keen sewists and a seriously charming dog to scavenge for crumbs...

All made nice books, had a good time, drank lots of tea, and went home feeling they had accomplished much.. No image, as I forgot the camera.. More tomorrow

Tuesday 10 April 2007


This piece was made for the Festival of Quilts last year, and entered for the Quilt 2006 juried competition. Didn't get selected, but I am still quite pleased with it. Layers of printed cotton muslin are trapped between a gridded mesh fabric and lutradur, and stitched and re-stitched. Designed to be hung against the light...This piece was perhaps the least new of the new works in my recent show.

I have made sveral pieces during the show.. More images later. Tomorrow I go abookbinding at Westleton..

Monday 9 April 2007

All done for now...


Exhibition over, all taken down and put away, back to normal, hip hooray.

Image is of "City of Lights" - centrepiece of the show; and much admired and pawed about... 7 by 6 feet...Commercial batiks and my own hand-dyes...

..at the End of the Exhibition...

...I feel like I've had enough of people. The work has been going down well with the public, and there have been fewer "rude grannies" than usual, but I am weary of being tidy and long to have my big space back..
Images soon, when I find out how...

Saturday 7 April 2007

Does Not Equal Starts Here...

New computer, new day, I can blog..
Oh Frabjous day,
Calloo callay,

This should be my textile and day-to-day blog.
See my Art Journal here
My Textile Website here
and my Kites here

More soon...