B&W

I lead a colourful life, surrounded by fibre and fabric, paper and pencils, but sometimes you just can't beat black and white.
Here's a little agricultural sampler from Northumberland County Show which we enjoyed on Bank Holiday Monday.

High Drama

I had intended posting today, but not quite this...

'Twas yesterday when I was out and about in Haddington (Peter Potter Gallery) and St Boswells (Tweedside Gallery), that Hugh's plans for the afternoon were shelved rather rapidly....
He'd lit the stove and gone on to do other things. When he returned to the kitchen there were lots of sparky noises emanating from said stove. Outside the road was thick with smoke. He moved dogs from kitchen (sensible man) and called the Fire Brigade.

Two hours later the fire in the chimney was extinguished. There was no internal damage. They advised Hugh to have the chimney swept again (it was only done a month ago) before lighting the fire. So that was duly booked for Monday

This morning before breakfast I investigated the occasional ticking noise from the stove and lo, the flue pipe was warm to the touch. There were wisps of smoke emerging from the chimney.

After a little contemplation, and breakfast, the Borders' finest firefighters were summoned once more. Green Watch from Hawick came rushing to the rescue, lights flashing, sirens scaring sheep and cattle for miles around. The fire had reignited from a pile of soot in a recess in the chimney (That's the short version of the saga). Another two hours elapsed as water was trickled down the chimney, the stove pipe was removed, a hole in the wall chipped out with a hammer and cold chisel, and the offending soot removed.

The fire is out. I am fairly confident of that. Green Watch departed with a dozen eggs for their lunch (they'd already missed breakfast on another call, I think). Now we await the loss adjuster appointed by our insurers before we can think about finding someone to fix us back together again...

We were very fortunate. It's only after the event that you start to consider the might-have-beens...

Stitchery

I finally finished off some cushions. The stitchery part is the enjoyable bit. The tidying it up and making it into a cushion cover, and making a pad to fit (if it's not a nice easy square) is rather less enthralling. But at least the flowery linen one above and the rose heart below are done and off my list. This fabric was a present from Katie and was surprisingly difficult to work with as it has a bit of stretch in it and kept blunting my needles. But the two cushions do show you the lovely effects of using variegated cotton perle thread (available at a very reasonable price from a Tart near you...)

Today was wet and windy, which made it a fine choice for a Woolgathering. Ali and Anne, Janet and Tricia, Jakki and Lizzi and I sewed and knitted and braided and finished off various projects very happily in the village hall. Anne had brought a huge stack of knitting magazines that she'd finished with so we went away with a collection to read through. And we are looking forward to Woolfest at the end of next month and wondering what we'll succumb to this time. At Harlow Carr I didn't only photograph tulips - the little potting shed had been painted a lovely sky blue inside and hung with old but serviceable garden tools. And who can resist auriculas? Though it does seem an odd choice for Douglas Bader, unless there's a hidden connection. You'd think he'd have merited a plant that was reaching skywards rather than these little titches...

Smitten...

....by tulips...Hugh and I were down in the East Riding of Yorkshire last weekend. We stayed at a very fine B&B and had a day exploring on the Friday. First we headed to the coast to admire the birdlife on the cliffs at Bempton. The gannets were majestic, the fulmars slightly scary and the puffins were just lovely! We only saw them on the wing but they are such chubby little critters that they really don't look like they ought to stay aloft at all.After a sojourn further down the coast to Hornsea we decided that kiss-me-quick and amusement parks (closed) were not for us and headed off to Beverley. I hadn't been before and thought it a lovely town with great architecture.The main reason for the trip was the LRO Land Rover Show at Driffield. Hugh has long wanted to go and it was a birthday treat. We had a grand time there on the Saturday. Next day we visited Harrogate en route to stay with friends. We visited RHS Harlow Carr which the RHS describe thus- Harlow Carr is a garden dominated by water, stone and woodland and is very much part of the surrounding Yorkshire landscape. We seek to push the boundaries of design and planting styles, creating displays that are beautiful but sometimes provocative. Careful gardening techniques, reflecting our respect for the environment, ensures that wildlife will flourish in the garden.
I liked the whole place but the tulips stole my heart - well, them and the leaf mould teapot!

Tarty Goodness

There's no particular reason for posting Tintin and Snowy - I just think they are rather quaint and stylish and a little eccentric. These are all good qualities which I wish to encourage in our wretched one-size-must-fit-all world.

The next pic is self-explanatory, isn't it?
And here we have an array of small but perfectly formed sewing kits which I have made up. In wee snap-shut tins with button images on them are needles and threads, buttons and safety pins and pins and dinky little felt pincushions.

Off on a little adventure now....

Today is orange...

...and 'soft pear green', well that's what it says on the tin. And if you want to know which room in the house is getting this fruity makeover, you'll have to visit.

Not content with orange and green, I bring you grey - our Scots Grey mini-flock is up for sale. Steve, Son of Eric, and his four girls need a new and loving home where egg production is secondary to good looks.


And red in the form of a shoal of red herrings

Today's List

Good things

• My wee chair for the Textile Towerhouse Chair Challenge was finished off.
• The final painted Tart HQ sign was given two coats of varnish.
• The latest buttons were admired (by me) and made ready for sale.
• My little sewing kits were labelled up.
• A textile-y meeting was attended on behalf of Crossing Borders.

Bad things

• An expensive problem with the chimney came to light (smoke sneaking into the cottage bedroom from our kitchen stove).

All things bright and beautiful...

...but no creatures great or small, apart from the appearance of big fat queen wasps already, looking for safe sites to take up residence.
NOT in Tart HQ, if you don't mind.


Organise your storage with style and panache! Try my new tags on recycled card (there are numbers 1-6 as sets as well).

I've used the button image below in my first newsletter. You can download it from Tart's Art website and have a browse through the site while you're about it. Feel free to spread the word, won't you!

I'm aiming to find new and interesting places to list my website and Tart HQ so if anything occurs to you I'd be delighted to hear from you. I am working on some new stock to go into the Peter Potter Gallery in Haddington and there's an opportunity through Crossing Borders to have work on show with fellow artists at Bowhill later in the year.

My fellow Crossing Borderer Ian Oliver is opening his new photographic gallery at Easter in Newtown St Boswells, and he's kindly invited some Crossing Borders artists to display their 3D work there too. Should be an excellent new venue.

I'll leave you with an image of some more lustre yarns which I have succumbed to - this image does not do the shades justice; you'll just have to come and see for yourselves...

Seaspray and scraps

We ran away to the seaside yesterday. It was a belated celebration of my birthday and had all the elements of a memorable day. Very blustery at the beach but that meant it was only us out there - the dogs had a fantastic morning.
I acquired new walking boots (not before time - my existing pair have been used a lot since their purchase in April 2002).
We had lunchtime chips on the sea-front at Eyemouth, and coffee with a friend en route home.I spent some of the weekend slicing up fabric and sewing this small quilt. It's multicultural - African indigo dyed fabrics interspersed with my pal's old summer batik trousers (thanks, A!) and with a surround of more recycled batik fabric. On the back is a piece of old blue duvet cover and the wadding is ancient English wool blanket. And here's a progress report on the wee school chair makeover. These are the front and back of the slipccover for the chairback.

April Showers!

Ha, bit more than delicate little showers happening round here the last few days. Still, it's afternoon now and the sun is high in the Spring sky, my wee red tulips are blooming and all is right with the world for a while.

I've been busy in HQ, revamping the old school chair I acquired from the Textile Towerhouse, making stylish tags and packaging up some Indian glass beads for sale. Lots more happening in my head so I need to get some notes down and keep on making.

Tuesday would have been my folks' fifty-fifth wedding anniversary...

Sunny Sunday

I was halfway through making a path up to Tart HQ.

Just when I needed an excuse for a break my pals turned up and I was forced to stop and make a cuppa and put the world to rights. As they left Hugh arrived home from the off-road trial he'd been running. He brought five drivers with him for tea and blether. Then it was time to feed and walk the dogs and cook our own meal. I sorted some washing and Hugh downloaded images of his day. After that we collected a hen crate, a soup pan and a ladle from the village hall and then delivered a single mattress to our neighbours and shared a couple of stories. By now it was dark.

Oddly enough I never did get back to barrowing stone for the path.

People still sometimes say 'What do you find to do in the country?'


Found this today on Pinterest. I am really enjoying using this simple site as it enables me to find and store so many inspiring images in one place.

The next two collage pics are part of my series of prints.

Snap Happy

Heavens, only three days since I last posted...!
Really, I'm back so soon because I grabbed the moment today and took some pics in HQ to update the main Workhouse website.
And I certainly couldn't keep this first one to myself. Look at all these scrumptious buttons! The next one is entitled 'Still Life with Iron' and after that we have a few shelves of Tart creations. There have been more collage 'pictures' printed too - I'll give you an update at the end of the week.
While I was window dressing inside HQ, Hugh started on the construction of proper safe steps oustide so that you can all visit with a little dignity rather than clambering into the caravan from a rickety wee plastic step thingy.

All things bright and shiny...

It's a frosty sunny morning here - boding well for a grand day.
I'm off to Tart HQ shortly to get busy with scissors and glue and little scraps of paper but I bring you happy colourful images first...
Thought that you might like to see my patchwork chair in its new home south of the Border. I think it has met with approval.

And some pretty stuff which I have just packaged up. The ribbons are resting on delicious Indian block printed cotton squares which were a gift from a treasured friend.

Meet George

I said I'd show you what I created from the collaged comics and childhood scraps so here he is.

I rather like George.... I hope you do too. The positioning of the deadly peril scrap was serendipity rather than careful planning but it made me smirk

Mad March Days

Muddling through March - fingers in too many pies - juggling lots of plates - you get the gist. My little brain is struggling to keep up with the calendar.

Helping on a small scale with costumes for a young people's drama performance
Selling off the contents of the cottage before our new tenant moves in
Painting the last wee space in Tart HQ before using it as a store for bigger stuff like wadding and cardboard and bubblewrap
Making collages for new prints.
Preparing supplies for my next outing which is a demo for a local Embroiderer's Guild branch
Experimenting with Viking style 'brooches' before I run a little workshop at the primary school next week
Participating in a writing course
Doing my bit in advance of the Crossing Border AGM in two weeks' time
And, as a change of pace I like to imagine what I am going to do with my wee school chair here for the Chair Challenge.
I ventured into Oxfam last week and fell instantly for the teapot above. I do not like yellow as a rule but it had to come home with me. As I was giving it a wash it reminded me of my little barrel shaped spice jar - and lo, I realised they were closely related. They have since been united and grace a shelf in HQ.

New and interesting ways to spend your time...

I had a lovely busy weekend. Saturday was a Woolfish Woolly Day at St Abbs where my new prints had their first outing and were well received.

this is the starting point for a toy based print - I'll show the finished print when I remember to scan it

It was good to catch up with fellow stall holders as well as talking to textile-inspired visitors. I didn't succumb to the scrumptious looking cakes with my cups of tea but did pass round a giant bag of Malteasers to help keep up the communal strength in the afternoon.

On Sunday we had a Woolgathering in the village hall. Ten of us stitching and knitting away, sharing books and magazines and stories - it's always a good day with these talented folks!

After that I had a slightly manic week but it's Friday evening and peace reigns again.

I've recently discovered Mangle Prints blog. Angela makes lovely lino cuts and uses an old mangle as her press. Her work is very covetable and she helpfully has a Folksy shop... and it's my birthday soon. Hmmmm


I managed to nip into the Textile Towerhouse today in Hawick to see the little artworks that Heriot Watt textile students have for sale. And I learned about the Chair Challenge... I've reserved an old school chair to transform into a piece of textile art - the chairs will all be exhibited at the Towerhouse in a growing display. The first one's already on show so if you fancy participating don't wait too long - ask in the shop. Talking of which, there is some delicious work on sale there - Linda Keith's awesome Eildon Felt pieces and Julia Cunningham's great bags are all well displayed.

Check me out at Pinterest if you are so inclined...it's where I found this...