at last, after four years........

As some of you may remember back in 2015 I started a big project, it had actually been the Christmas 2014 when I started the first square.  Well Christmas(ish) 2018 I have finished it!

The whole thing is handsewn, 

 had tried years ago to do some patchwork by machine, 

but I didnt feel I had enough control.

I am so pleased with the finished quilt, I love the colours and the look.

With hindsight it maybe be it was too big a project for a beginner, but I stuck with it.

The only problem is I feel with such a busy bedspread we should have plain curtain at the windows.  But that will be have to be a job for another time.

so much love in those sawdust hearts

You may remember that back in July I submitted a sawdust heart to WW1 heart project , well last Monday we were up in Yorkshire visiting Ollie, and we were able to go over to Scarborough to see the exhibition. It is on till the end of November and if you are in the area I definitely recommend it. My husband came to support me in a project I had been involved with and he really was moved and very impressed. This is the Link.  The heart above is one of the originals from the Great War and this was the one that inspired Helen Birmingham to start this project.

She made 1,568 sawdust hearts - one for each day of WW1.

Nearly all were returned by crafters all over the British Isles, 

and they were displayed in groups of 25.

What was amazing was how different they all were, as well as how moving they were.

From the traditional....

....to impressive embroidered boats

patriotism from north of the boarder

raw resent memories

simple images from children

complex works of beading

my favourite!

family tragedy

stunning embroidery and design

one to attempt to read later...

and Chris found mine first, I walked past it twice....no excuse...a bit embarrassing

Very proud to be the most southerly pin on this map of British crafters!

Least we forget

This weekend it seems very apt to share this.

In the Town Church we have this wooden cross,

 it is one of the original wooden crosses from World War 1.  

Later they were replaced with the headstones we are all so familiar with.  

This cross belonged to Eric D'Auverge Collings, 

he gave his life for his country at the age of 19 on 23rd August 1916 during the Battle of the Somme.

I wear my poppy with thanks for that great sacrifice

dreaming lampwork

Last year when I started making these fabric necklaces, 

it was because I had always loved lampwork beads 

so I was trying to do my version in fabric, but I still lusted over those beautiful glass beads.

So when Iris and Dora announced that a lampwork tutor was coming over 

 and was going to do courses, I was beyond excited!

Well it was last Saturday afternoon, and it lived up to everything I had hoped.

There were 6 of us, each with our own station and a very powerful gas flame, first we selected our colours from the rainbow for glass rods. Unsurprisingly I went for blues.......

The actual technique was pretty simple, but just like machine embroidery it is practice and control, control and practice, but I was hooked.  Our tutor was very patient and by the end of two and a half hours we had all produced about 12 beads, 

sadly my favorite one, that looked like a sputnik - all spiky, cracked.  

But all the others came off the rods easily. Really pleased.

Can wait to have ago at wrapping, winding and spodging molten glass again!

Loved it so much I actually drempt about it that night......

A towering library in my life

The Guille Alles Library has always been a big part of my Guernsey life. 

My mother was one of the group of ladies who launched 'Bookwormobile' a mobile children's library which later (poss 1981?) was absorbed into the Guille-Alle. Then later after she passed away, a video library was opened in her memory, and I remember standing in the Hayward Room for the opening, wearing a very large silver lamee scarf!  Well I was young.....

But I didnt really understand its history to well,

 and when the chance came up to join a 'behind the scenes' tour, I jumped at the chance. 

 We were led round the building by this fantastic gentleman, 

think he was called Mr Pitt, one of the early library directors from the 1880s.  

But the main reason I want to do this was to get up into the tower! 

 It's designed as a widow's walk, 

we couldn't get out side but the views from the porthole window was fantastic.

A very different view out over the roof tops of St Peter Port

and the roof top of Specsavers, some one has a brilliant terrace, but they really need to tidy it up!

Herm and Jethou behind the church

The copper tobacco leaves on top of the old Market Building 

The market, then the church and then the castle

This brilliant room is now 'The story tower' for children's story time, 

I am very very jealous of those lucky children!

finding a new artist to love

 

This time last month I was in the beautiful city of Bordeaux and I discovered the work of Henri-Jean Martin  (5 August 1860 – 12 November 1943), according to wikiart he is an Impressionist Artist.  I just though these were fantastic, I can can see the Impressionist influence, but I also think there is a nod toward Pointillism which was happening at a similar time.

In the same room were some of his painting featuring figures and I must say was not so keen on those, they felt a little kitsch, a bit twee, the landscapes and flowers were alot more powerful and felt contemporary.  The ultimate compliment of 'I would love to have that hanging on my wall' was whispered under my breath a few times (out of ear shot of the guards!).

 

I do hope you like his work too, sorry the photos aren't great, always feel guilty taking snaps in a gallery even if it is allowed.  I find it very exciting to discover artists I have never heard of, and I definitely want to learn more about Henri-Jean.

another use for old jeans

Just a quick post, I wanted to show you a little project I did last month.

My husband needed to store away his winter clothes, and I was pained to buy another one, as much as anything they are ugly.  So I thought actually that would be another good use for the pile of old jeans I have collected over the years and ta da, voila! 

Really please with how it turned out, actually rather jealous.

And actually could also make a rather good bean bag.....

Hearts for WW1

Earlier this year I read a piece in a magazine about this amazing project

and I signed up straight away.  I have found these hearts fascinating since I first saw one in the window of an antique shop here.  They are the first example of Occupational Therapy 

being used in the UK and they are stunning.

Mine blank heart arrived and was numbered 43, I obviously was very early in ordering as she has made 1,568 blank hearts, one for every day of World War 1.

I did attempt to decorate with beads and sequins, not sure what I was doing wrong but just could not get the sequin pins to stay in.  So I went back to what I know, embroidery.  The lines of back stitch are to represent the contour line of the horrendous trenches with the poppies then rising out of them.

I made the poppies by first ironing black interfacing on to some red and black shot fabric I had, then cutting out oval shapes, as I wanted them to be stylised like the poppies we buy for Remembrance Sunday.

They were then anchored in place with two sizes of black beads.

Pleased with the end result, but there really are some amazing ones being sent in which are being posted of their Facebook page.  I do hope I can get up to Scarbourgh to see the exhibition in November, I think it will be very moving indeed.

a post war story

A post war story

Last month a German lady was in the gallery and we were having a good long chat, she had been to the gallery before and was a regular visitor to Guernsey.  So after a while I felt comfortable in asking her about the pin she was wearing (see above).  I had seen them with a Guernsey flag crossed with the Union Jack or German flag but not this one.

Well it turned out it was the flag of Biberach which is the town in southern Germany where the internment camp for Channel Islanders was during World War 2.  The island and the town now have a strong link, with visiting, choir, group and VIPs etc.

She very kindly then gave me my own pin.

We carrier on chatting, with me talking about how my father had been in Guernsey as a boy during the Occupation, and she had just visited German Naval Signals Headquarters

 and as her father had worked in the GNSH in Brest, Britany 

he had probably regularly communicated with the soldiers stationed in St Peter Port. 

What I thought was so nice was we were both catching about our fathers experiences during the war, on opposite side, yet it was relaxed and friendly. As it should be.  

After all in did all happen a life time ago.

Freedom shoes (Liberty Espadrilles)

Earlier on this year I noticed that my local haby Creaseys was selling espadrille soles, what a lovely idea!  They very kindly ordered them in in my size, have rather large feet.....and I started looking for inspiration. 

I have box of fabric strips, mainly Liberty Tawn Lawn which I had used for decoupage, 

that were perfect. The backing was just a pair of old jeans. 

You draw round the pattern provided with the soles and then get creative.

I simply stitched the stripes down with a line of back stitch in embroidery silk, 

so that the fraid edge of the fabric was a feature.

It was only after I had finished the tops that I realised the denim had some stretch....

not what you want for the top of a shoe!  So I backed them with a woven interfacing. 

Creaseys by now were also selling the espadrille thread, a nice strong (red)  cotton, 

perfect for doing the traditional blanket stitch to hold the top to the bottom. 

The only problem I had was as you fold the fabric under to do the blanket stitch, it meant I was sewing through two layers of denim and interfacing plus the rope sole, so I ended up having to use a pair of pliers to pull the needle through!

Must say I am very please with how they turned out, I decided not to do the backs as when I used to wear espadrilles a lot and you always stood on the backs, so why bother with them in the first place?

And today they have had their first outing in the sun!