Still unpicking

I have recently unpicked another stable boy quilt. The quilt was a straightforward patchwork of tweeds held together by multicoloured tufting. Very moth eaten and unusable but I could feel there was probably an older quilt inside and I eventually managed to reveal it through carefully undoing the tufts. It revealed even older tweeds hand sewn together in a diamond pattern and held together by red tufting. Backed with a brown fabric also showing considerable wear and tear but containing its own beauty. I now need to wait for better weather so that I can wash it and air dry it flat outside.

These are the tweeds used in the top layer of the quilt. Probably suiting and jacket samples.

The back of the "inner" quilt

Red tufting revealed

Front of "inner" quilt showing hand stitching.

Diamond pattern and red tufting. There are some tweeds and other workwear fabrics.

Norwich

Have been home to Norfolk for a few days. Revisited old haunts including Strangers Hall in Norwich, a museum of domestic life with mostly Tudor and Stuart furnishings. There is a textile link in that the "Strangers" were dutch and flemish refugees who were weavers and were encouraged by some, and seen as a threat by others, in reviving the local weaving industry. I have put more photographs on my other blog http://asismothersoisdaughter.blogspot.com

Also made a little pilgrimage to the shrine of Julian of Norwich. Lady Julian was an anchoress living in a tiny cell attached to the church in the 13th century. She wrote a book called "The Revelations of Divine Love" which was the first book to be written in English. More on her and the shrine at www.julianofnorwich.org

Cultex

Went to see Cultex at The Hub in Lincolnshire. It features 6 textile artists from Japan and Norway who have worked in partnership to create sculptural and site-sensitive textile installations. More images and info on www.cultex.org

Pegswood Recycling Socks Workshop

60 kids, Mums, Dads and Grandmas helped me to make these weird and wonderful creatures at Pegswood Community Project yesterday. All the toys were made out of socks using different techniques and each one was special but here are a few of my favourites

Make Do and Mend

Revitalising

Re-vitalising a £10 chair from Heaton Park Rd. Many people have donated men's ties to me to use in children's workshops. I have been endeavouring to re-cycle every part of the tie. The larger end is being used for pocket making with children , some of the middle section has been used for the chair's upholstery and the back panel and the small pieces that are left are being turned into a tumbling blocks cushion for the chair and petals for corsages.

I love being able to turn printed polyester into something else.

Slow Sewing

Quilted Cloth Kits Dress

Another recycled vintage quilt. This one has been made up into a dress using a 1980s Clothkits dress pattern. I have over printed and embroidered it and embellished the bodice with my trade mark suffolk puffs.

Unpicking

Harris Tweed

The basis of this skirt is a strippy quilt which has been unpicked to reveal different layers. I have intervened with the surface through embellishing with second hand Harris Tweed, needlepoint, buttons and have patched to mend. I am trying to photograph and catalogue all the work which will be included in my exhibition "Thrift and Thread".