A Fine Weekend

...spent at the Border Union Show!
The sun beat down. Farmers and horseriders, feed merchants and bankers, fisherfolk and woodworkers, tractor men and insurance brokers, prize winning butchers, awesome ice cream makers, motorcycle stuntmen and the Countess of Wessex were all there. So were my wonderfully talented artist and maker friends, in the Craft Hall and in The Story of Wool marquee.

I didn't capture much on camera as I spent most of my time treadling my trusty spinning wheel (and blethering, and snacking...) but I did snap my neighbours, Laura (fab felt bags) and Rod Grant (handbuilt spinning wheels - that's Mrs Rod early on morning one before the visitors reached us)

Lovely Ruth was running kids' woolly workshops when she was not modelling her tarty handknitted bikini. I was also delighted to see the bag she had brought which she crocheted in Herdwick wool and my handspun.

 Rob and Katie visited briefly on a break from promoting Crossing Borders artists in the Craft Hall.

And I thought it was appropriate that I was spinning imperial purple when the Countess called by.

..

Nearly Show Time!

Getting all my new stock together, plus spinning wheel and fibres, ready for the Border Union Show at Kelso on Friday and Saturday. I will be in The Story of Wool marquee, along with some great textile makers. It's going to be a humdinger of a show this year, being the 200th anniversary one.
 You can see more of what's scheduled right here. 

There are over 500 classes for all sorts of stock and 250 trade stands, including Hugh's for Far x 4, and Crossing Borders 

and the sun is going to shine!!

The Glorious Borders

seen here on the walk we did across Bowden Common, along the side of Bowdenmoor Reservoir, over the saddle between the Mid and West Eildons and back round to the village. It was braw!

I remembered the camera

 but forgot to post the pics after last weekend's stitch-in. 
Eleven happy ladies being creative with block prints. Yet again elephants were the adornment of choice for panels and bags as we worked in the cool of the hall. 

 
As this amazing weather continues I have been balancing Tart work with maintenence duties outisde, like painting sheds and weeding and cutting back the undergrowth that threatens to climb in the windows.
Hugh and I did manage a walk last Monday and plan to make time for another tomorrow. If it's still hot and sunny I will need to know there's an ice cream at the end of it....

All set

   for a busy workshop tomorrow. A full house at the Forman Hall at Roberton south of Hawick for a day of stitching. We'll be making Indian-inspired envelope shaped bags using lovely Gujarati block printed cottons. Also involved are various embroidery threads and a good dose of bling, of the sequin, bead and bell variety! 

MUST remember to take some pictures of the day. 

On Monday Hugh and I hung our joint exhibition Landscapes and Threadscapes in the Hayloft Gallery at Paxton House. near Berwick. It runs until 21st of the month and we'd be delighted if you happened to visit there and let us know what you think of the work.

  
After that there will be just a few days before the Border Union Show in Kelso. Hugh will have a stand for Far x 4 and I will be spinning at my stall in The Story of Wool marquee. It's the bicentennial of the Border Union Agricultural Society so this show is bigger and brighter than ever. Friday 26th and Saturday 27th July.

Lots to think about

the inside of my head

how I'd like it to be

Today I spent a very informative time at Heriot Watt University's School of Textiles and Design learning about the fantastic facilities and technical support I could access through subscription to Resource, a new opportunity funded by Creative Scotland. It's open to all artists, designers and makers and you can learn more here. It's a great chance to access equipment and expertise for anyone based in the Borders and beyond.

Hmmmm, need to do some serious thinking...

 

Collage destined for Paxton next week

My days just evaporate

...must be the sunny weather, I reckon. 

When I am out with the dogs and walking through dappled shade I realise that yet again I have failed to bring a camera with me to capture the patterns of the leaves. Having said that, those of you who know our enthusiastic dogs (ill-disciplined? lively? nuisance?) will appreciate that I would need another pair of hands to keep them in check and take photographs. 

Anyway, despite the attractions of the great outdoors, stitching continues as the deadline for our exhibition at Paxton House rushes ever closer. Hugh and I are showing work in the Hayloft Gallery at Paxton from 2nd to 21st July. The House has lovely grounds to walk in and a pleasant cafe so is well worth a visit even if you don't want to tour the house itself, and you can certainly visit the cafe and gallery for free.

 not everything in the exhibition will be blue...

Happiness...

  .... is a sunny day and the freedom to roam in the garden. That probably goes for all of us but none more so than Henry and his girls. He struts about, announcing his presence loud and clear, while they quarter the ground in search of tasty morsels then recline in the recesses of the unpruned blackcurrant bushes. 

Our garden is sorely neglected in comparison with my mother's days but there's an appeal to the ever multiplying poppies and lady's mantle. Just a shame that the march of bishop weed and creeping buttercup et al is quite so quick.  

Work is continuing in indigo and other shades, is preparation for my exhibition with Hugh at Paxton House in July. But June is packed with events too - there the Artist's Book Fair in Gateshead on Friday, World Textile Day on 21st, Woolfest the following weekend...can I justify going to them all?

 

Happily,

I snapped up a sunny Sunday, had soaked yarns in readiness, dug out an extension lead for the electric ring and a decrepit garden table and had myself a dyeing day in the garden. 
The dyeing itself was fun - the delicious anticipation as you lift the yarn from the pot, the magical shading of green to deepening blue, the anxiety as you worry whether resist bindings and knots are tight enough, or then again maybe too tight. More experiments, more luscious shades, more discoveries.
And then the endless rinsing, the cleaning up, the drying - will the rain stay off? do I rush to rescue the skeins dripping on the line? do I keep calm and let nature take its course? 
Finally it's all safely indoors and nearly dry, airing for twenty four hours. 

bamboo dk

Inevitably some skeins are tangled and need to be rewound.

wool/nylon sock yarns

Labels are printed and punched and attached. 

sock yarn lying on merino dk

New stock. 
Wish I could keep it all......
 

little helper - note blur of wagging tail

Stitchery Saturday

Saturday was foggy and wet. Not great for Jedburgh Sevens admittedly, but a fine day to spend stitching Indian-inspired textiles. This was my last workshop in the spring series of Warped Weekends, and my happy participants were all seduced by the Kutchi pieces I showed them. 

Whether it was the bright and cheerful toran covered in elephants they studied or just the universal appeal of these lovely animals I am not sure, by everyone felt a need for one in their work!

  

I had my dyepot out last week too - indigo bubbled away as I dipped and dyed cotton scrim, linen, raw cotton, wool yarns and handmade paper. I was really pleased with the results and think there will be more of this going on through the next few months...

The Ides of May

 and still depressingly cold and wet. Escapism is the only answer.

Last week I finally made time to visit an inspiring exhibition in The Scott Gallery in Hawick Museum. 'A Woven Journey' is a wonderful collection of embroideries, tapestries and felt made by Jane Brunning and Louise Martin, two professional tapestry makers who took themselves off to the Gobi Desert. They lived with nomadic families and returned to produce a tremendous volume of work reflecting the desert landscape and its colourful people. Runs till 26th so get there if you can.

I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop I ran for the East Lothian Embroiderers' Guild. It's always fascinating to see how people's style and approach varies. Here are a few works-in-progress

.

The top image shows Mary's take on a recent trip to Venice. 
Rita combined painted bondaweb with selection of stamps illustrating different modes of travel. Jenny's travel images were particularly significant to her family. There were some great combinations of stitch and paper in everyone's work.

Another birthday in the house called for a wee celebratory trip oot to Myreton Motor Museum near Aberlady. We had the place to ourselves and pored over old bikes, cars, vans and toys and generally had a grand time.

Still blue..

 The weeks pass in a blur. Last weekend was Art@Ancrum, with sixteen artists and makers showing their work throughout the village. Hugh's space was a kindly donated living room, complete with wood burning stove which was a bonus! There was lots of interest and comment from visitors and village residents so let's hope it becomes an annual event and keeps on growing.  
I showed my face there on two afternoons, and sat in Hugh's mini gallery stitching away on the top one of these pieces. 

Although it all looks a bit piecemeal when I post images up, I am working through a series of banners which will ultimately be displayed together and make sense. There's a vast volume of work still to be done but I am throughly enjoying the slow process of stitching onto this beautiful indigo-dyed handwoven Indian cotton.

 

Last night I gave an illustrated talk to textile friends and showed off the stitched, printed and woven treasures I brought back from Gujarat. It was a throughly enjoyable evening spent with like minds.

Tomorrow I am off to Dunbar to run a workshop for the East Lothian branch of the Embroiderers Guild. We'll be making stitched paper collages. I have had a devil of a job choosing what not to take with me - the poor car is groaning under the weight of my poor decision making.

Hurray - the First of May!

Well, the sun's shining as I write this, I've been out early with the dogs and then made pancakes for breakfast so I am feeling all virtuous for a little while...

We spent last week exploring Galloway, in an assortment of weathers. It's such a lovely part of the country that it was great to have time to wander through woods, along a deserted beach and over moors. That's in between sampling coffee, scones and the wonderful Cream o' Galloway ice cream of course. (I can recommend gingerbread flavour and the cardamom is very fine too). We enjoyed a trip to the Mull of Galloway, watching a little bird life and lots of army/navy offshore manouevres from the lighthouse. Dogs strictly at home for that trip - too scary for us having them on leads anywhere near the cliffs.

It's ok, they still managed to have a great time, what with all that water to muck about in and a warm stove to return to.

Stitchin'

 
At the weekend, Ali and I led Warped classes in Indian Stitchery (hand stitching with bright colours, beads and more) and in stitching curves (very impressive stuff with sewing machines). It was a lovely day of gentle work and good company and much was accomplished.

Meanwhile I have been continuing work on my indigo block print fabrics. Below is a typical Ajrakh block print design from Gujarat, with a resist applied, and several further blocks and dye processes. The fabric is a fine cotton.

I had a similar Ajrakh block printed onto a coarser weave of organic handwoven cotton - so only resist + one block, then dyed indigo -  and I have highlighted sections of the pattern in a fine cotton perle thread.

Ruth Clifford gives a detailed description of the true Ajrakh process here