Some Advice

The Cupboard

I have been clearing my parent's house and garage and am now down to the last few bits and pieces. This cupboard in the garage has now been exposed, it might have been a doll's house at one time though not mine.I would dearly love it but it is screwed into asbestos board so daren't take the risk of pulling it off. Full of lovely textures though. The dirty screwed up papers were on the front of the cupboard - my Dad's own little mood board!

The Red House

I have at last finished a major project which I have been working on all summer. It brings together my feelings about losing the family home and garden as my mother has moved into a care home and brings together my mother's favoured technique of cross stitch and my love of collage and using old bits and pieces. The cross stitch is not up to her standard but it is my way as I did not want to work on a grid.
This has been my year of exploring cross stitch and mixing it in to my work and there is more to come.

Seed heads

The seed heads in the hedgerows are so pretty now mixed in with a bit of green  till everything gets a bit limp and dead looking. Seed heads have been the inspiration for one of my most popular workshops and both dates for my Seed Heads courses have been fully booked for 6 months. Today though I heard that another user had cancelled their booking on the space where I teach so I am now able to offer a new date, Saturday 20th October. The course is £50 incl materials and will take place at The Hearth, Horsley 10-4.
Today is the first day I have advertised it so there are plenty of spaces.
Full details of the course are on my website HERE and please contact me there for information on how to pay.

Revisiitng the maidens

I was so pleased to yesterday return to Old St Stephens, Fylingdales. This perfect little church on a headland overlooking Robin Hood's Bay was so inspirational to me 10 years ago and I had a solo exhibition in the church in response to the Maiden's Garlands which are still hanging at the back of the church. My exhibition work can be seen HERE.
Nothing has changed and I was amazed to see that a replica garland I made then is still hanging at the front of the church and is ageing nicely. Hope it will still be there in 100 years time along with those of the four dead girls. If you are in North Yorkshire do go and visit the info is HERE

The four maiden's garlands

My maiden's garland hanging in the church for the last 10 years

view from the pulpit

Elizabeth Harland's grave. One of the garlands was made for her

Don't let the seagulls eat your chips if you are on holiday this week! I am  busy gathering things together to teach 2 weeks of summer schools at my studio in Northumberland. This is the first time I have done this since I used to teach print making summer schools 10 years ago and if it works well I may concentrate on running more longer  blocks of tuition as I know many of you who are abroad would like to participate. Anyway here is a textile seagull and a print making one too to keep you in the summer mood.

Wheatear

I love Wheatear stitch and the hedgerows and fields are rich with flowers and grasses despite the drought. In the north we have had the odd dull day and even a little rain which has helped to make this perhaps the best summer for a long time. Looking forward to teaching two weeks of Hedgerow to my summer schoolers.