Salford Exhibition

I have been working on a piece for Ten Plus Textiles (http://www.tenplustextiles.com/), the group that I am priviledged to be part of. The group are having a retrospective exhibition at Salford Art Gallery next February to celebrate 20 years together doing wonderfully creative things, (I have only been with them for a fraction of that time!)

Here is a sneak preview of my new piece. It is just a portion as I don't want to spoil the surprise!

The work combines modern technology with traditional patchwork. I have used the computer to print text and images onto fabric. I have also made "fabric paper" by layering tissue, newspaper and paint onto a fabric bagkground with PVA glue. These have been combined with painted, stamped fabrics of various sorts, which were embellished with stitch, buttons and eyelets. I cut lots of 1.5inch squares which were arranged and stitched to a background.

To see the whole piece you'll need to visit the exhibition:) I will post details nearer the time.

Gift Bags

I have been busy the last couple of days, spurred on by the days rushing on towards Christmas.

I made some little felt Matryoshka dolls as gifts for my son's teachers. These have faces drawn with pens and coloured pencils.
The dolls stocked in my shop have embroidered faces.

I wanted an unusual way to wrap them, so I set about making some gift bags from a  recycled music score. I used rubber stamps and embossing powders to decorate the pages, then folded and stuck them with double-sided tape.

I used a "cropodile" to add eyelets to the top of the bag and I will thread some ribbon through the top and tie a bow to finish them.

I'm really pleased with the results and they look so much better than my usual gift-wrapping efforts!!

Pink Friday

Today I went to the hairdressers to have pink streaks put in my hair. I love having pink hair and feel much more myself now!

As I'm having a "pink day" I made a treasury on Etsy, a collection of pink items from some lovely UK sellers.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ce6818b14256d91e4659513/pretty-in-pink-uk-sellers.

Soggy Dog and Inspiration

SOGGY DOG

All this rainy weather means my dog needs a shower everytime we come back from our morning walk. He doesn't seem to mind and stands really quietly while I wash him, though there is a knack to shampooing and rinsing BEFORE he shakes himself! He loves nothing more than rolling around a muddy field with other dogs, so it is a small price to pay.

Here he is looking lovely and clean, if a little scruffy.

INSPIRATION

We took a trip to Holmfirth at the weekend to one of the wonderful ART Markets. There are lots of stalls selling beautiful, quality handcrafted goods. I bought a couple of Christmas presents.
If you are nearby and fancy a trip there is another Art Market this Sunday. More details at:
http://www.artmarkets.co.uk/

I have been trying to add more stock to my Etsy Shop (http://www.dottybluebird.etsy.com/). I finished a crazy patchwork card which I will list later today.

Beginnings

Here I go, dipping my toe into a spot of bloggage and expecting to learn a lot along the way!

I've just come back from a family trip to Prague, which is beautiful. We had a fabulous time-so much to see. The architecture is stunning. We walked miles and miles. The boys particularly enjoyed visiting the Lennon wall which is a legal spot for grafitti.

I am hoping to use images from the wall to make some textile art for my Etsy shop (http://www.dottybluebird.etsy.com/)

This is a card that I made from images of the Lennon wall from a previous trip to Prague.