Electric Forest

 

last night we went into thetford forest to see the light effects at high lodge, quite amazing and what inspiration for some magical pieces of work

another helmet and a house



hoo's spirit II

 well i enjoyed playing with the lutrador helmet so thought i'd have another go just for me as the commission will be going next week


the view from here

 the second house is finished (just about) the drive and turf have been done and its all looking very smart, just need someone to fall in love with it now - any buyers out there?

mission accomplished

at last i've got hoo's spirit finished, yes there is a lot of work in it but i keep getting waylaid by other projects-bit of a butterfly brain i think!

shelves

my wonderful builders have performed their magic and built these fabulous shelves in the studio in an effort to tidy up all my 'stuff'. i'm going to spend the next few days having a sort out - i know i should be working but i don't feel very creative sitting in the middle of all my muddles!

shabby chic

 i've discovered annie sloan's chalk paint which is amazing stuff, it can be painted onto just about any surface without having to prepare at all and by layering colours you can then just rub it back to get that shabby chic look.

 so i decided to have a go on my sewing desk in the studio

 and this was the result!

then i got carried away and had a go on a dark wood side table that really didn't fit in with the new house - shabby chic chateau grey seems to be a big improvement. i'm off to buy some more paint!

a trip acrsoss the water



amazing roman mosaics





a view of the needles



wonderful sunset




cliffs at alum bay




sunday morning flotilla

 last weekend we were on the isle of wight visiting vectis quilters. had a great time all the girls were very welcoming and good fun and we had an extra two days exploring the island in perfect weather - whoever ordered that then thank you very much!

hoo's spirit



a painted and distressed lutrador mask





the mask on its fabric background

i've been playing with more ideas for the mask project and at last have found what i have been looking for. painted and distressed lutrador knocked back with fuse fx, gives a lovely surface and is crying out for more dstressed metal and rust techniques. watch this space!



nearly there

at long last the scaffolding is down and the site hut has gone - house number 2 is looking good.

its a bit pink

a very 'girlie' cover for a photograph album made for the electrician's girlfriend - had to be pink with blue butterflies - don't ask!

Quilting in Spain

the team at La Drova

had a great week in La Drova, the girls were very productive and enthusiastic and we were looked after extremely well by Sally and Billy. can't beat wall to wall sunshine, unlimited food and wine and stitching!
come and join me next september for a week of dyeing, printing and stitching.

domestic bliss



inca and pippa

the dogs look quite content, pippa has settled in very well.
 a domestic day today - cleaning and cooking preparing for visitors tomorrow.

new cushions

well i have managed to get a bit of sewing done here is the result - new cushions to go on the recently re-covered sofa. using up some of the kimono fabric and purchases from eternal maker at the festival of quilts

out for a walk



sunday afternoon walk in the sunshine



looks like autumn is on the way



some prefer to play in the water



bank holiday weekend

pippa

esme

pippa and esme have come to stay with us for a while - not sure how long! so we have got to get into a whole new routine

three flatcoats in a row

its my birthday

one of my most favourite places to eat is the fish place on the harbour at southwold, you have to take your own bread etc and wine so you can enjoy a glass or two..or three! but the seafood is amazing - so this was my choice for my birthday - colin had a day off work and we had an away day at the sea side, met up with richard and fiona and even the weather played ball. i've been looking forward to a family weekend to continue the celebrations but the army has scuppered that and christopher is off to italy tomorrow to fix a runway - vital i'm sure but not good for family stuff, so now ashleigh has to sort out the animals and get them to us - its going to be a bit of a zoo.

more experiments

here's the result of my first trial print just got to decide how i'm going to use it

sutton hoo samples

i'm playing with this transfer solution to get my photocopied images on to fabric, i'm not sure how permanent it will be - does anyone out there have any experience of using the stuff? i've manipulated my image of the helmet on photoshop elements to get a ghostly effect - well that's the idea lets see if it works

a new project

this is the starting point for my new project, its a commission for the lady who purchased another of my Sutton Hoo pieces (the very orange piece on my web site gallery) so i've been doing some samples and experiments

and just a little bit more

and i just had to have this piece of kimono fabric from susan briscoe, just love the subtle colours and abstract design, its really fine wool, feels yummy.

just a bit of fabric

i did say that i wasn't going to buy any more fabric but in a moment of weakness i just had to have these they are from Eternal Maker www.eternalmaker.com they have the most amazing fabrics just have a look.

new stuff and a disappointment

our new oak furniture arrived today, 2 lamp tables and a book/display cupboard. very excited to unwrap everything but disappointed to find that one of the tables is damaged! phone call and email later and they promise to replace it on friday.

kitchen blind

just back from the festival of quilts at nec birmingham, lovely to see so many folks, lots of people to talk to, thankyou to all of you who came by to say hello. really tired now so spending this week quietly at home, catching up and trying to be creative. here you can see my completed kitchen blind. just love the fabric!

more stuff for the show

i've made lots of yummy book covers for my stand at the show so if you want one get in quick there may not be any left by sunday - i hope! don't forget to come and say hello i'm on a different stand this year QIA 13 hope you can find me.

getting ready for the show

just getting ready for the festival of quilts, looks as though i'm moving house! i try to be organised but always end up like a headless chicken with too many things to do at the last minute and worried that i will leave something vital behind.

walking with pippa

a lovely weekend with chris and ash at old dalby. here i am in charge of pippa on a country walk - she's growing so quickly!

flint inspiration

some random flint in the barn wall

another one

more inspiration

old walls

lots of these in our village

wall

another long, thin piece in the making. i don't know why but i really like this format.

inspired by the old walls that surround us here - chalk, flint and old brickwork with lichen and foliage.

fossils are finished

the fossil piece is finished. i just wondered whether i have been influenced by the book i've been reading - remarkable creatures by tracy chevalier, the story of mary anning famous fossil huner

and here is pippa

this is pippa the baby flatcoat that goes to work with the army