it's a funny thing...

this link between what I see and what I feel and how that directs what I want to make and what kind of fabrics I will use or what kind of textile work will result...as this month of September slips slowly into autumn and I want to spend more time indoors in the evenings...happy to stop work and head back to the house for a cosy night in...warm in the kitchen with smells of cooking and daughter mine doing homework at the big kitchen table and husband of patience making custard... yes its custard time again folks! 

We slip easily from one way of doing to another...habits we have made over the years...memories of autumns gone with chutneys,jams and fruit crumbles made...hedgerows laden with fruit to pick...brambling in sunshine with my grandmother...and colour colour colour...the strange mix of fruitfulness and abundance and crumbling decay...before the sombre stark winter greys and browns emerge once more...

so making with tweed and wool once more fits the season

...and since my new friend Sharon the photographer came round to photograph my work and her creativity started me off on playing even more with my camera...not really what I was supposed to be doing...but it's such fun playing...and who knows where it will take me?

and so to this month's autumnal and inspiring Mollie Makes...couldn't resist a little addition...yes those are real leaves...

lovely crocheted leaves and cosy blanket...

and a tantalising taste of Jane Brocket's new book The Gentle Art of Stitching...mm I have a birthday coming up soon...may have to drop a hint to husband of patience...

and as always a delightful free gift..so useful...a tiny pair of snippy scissors...thanks MM!!

here's to a great weekend to all my readers...see you on Sunday at the lovely vintage and craft fair Vintage on The Bay at Arnside if you're there...xx

I do soo love running workshops...

a chance to meet other textile enthusiasts and to enjoy time together sharing my knowledge and seeing how they take the techniques and make them their own... they learn and I learn too...and we have a fun day in the studio playing with stitch and fabric and embroidery and buttons... and did I mention the momemade cake?? thanks to my recent group of lovely ladies here stitching away...

 

so here without more ado...a quick trumpet for this term's workshops..autumn is upon us and cosy times indoors beckon... what better time to get making?

By the way...I am thinking of adding in a hatmaking workshop as I had a request at Woolfest but not sure how popular it would be ..if you fancy one let me know! I do like the idea of it...but if it included machine embroidery it would have to be a two day-er...

more workshop details here...

by the way bit apologies for the random posting of late...C-art Open Studios was such a huge success with over 170 people finding their way to our studio...and we even had a preview party and an artist's party ...but it is very tiring and now the house is a complete tip and the studio needs sorting and I've a craft fair next week...and to top it off we are currently having a new septic tank fitted (living in the country sn't all flowers and romance!) so outside down there is like WW1 trenches at the moment and there's a digger parked outside the studio and a lorry outside the house! 

  mm mud mud mud!

Is that enough excuses?? (not that I would change a thing as I'm loving this artist life!)

no, seriously I have missed my regular blogging so I will be back properly as soon as I've had a lie down...here's a little taste of autumn inspiration... I spotted this gorgeous book in Mollie Makes and well...now it's in my studio inspiring me...

it's wee Friday today as they say in Scotland...so have an inspiring  weekend and see you soon xx

To act on impulse...

is something I do love to do...so how nice after a morning out to be spontaneous and have lunch out...by myself! 

actually it was a way of saying thank you to the cafe owner who kindly displays posters for C-art and workshops etc...and it's a great cafe for such casual dropping into...and a way of celebrating the joys of being self-employed...

after all it was lunchtime so I had to eat... and a delicious bowl of soup and homemade roll doesn't cost the earth...wonder if I can put it down as an expense after a morning publicising my business?

it's funny too that we are all so used to people taking phone photos these days that no-one batted an eyelid when I took out my camera (in my handbag for another task)...

It was so lovely just to take time out and sit and people watch and read a magazine...it has been kind of hectic lately with summer hols and C-art so this was a chilling out moment. Note to self...must do this again sometime...

it reminds me of when I was a student many moons ago in Liverpool...the height of grown up decadence was eating pizza out by myself in a nice pizza restaurant and reading Cosmo...so sophisticated!  

ps I did eat out with friends too....amazing what you could manage on a student grant (happy days!)

 I rather liked this smiling woman and her big basket...rather an attractive house too...

can you guess where it is yet??

...and did I mention C-art is on till 16th September?? had a fantastic weekend with so many lovely visitors...and sold lots of artwork and bags and cards and Ian and Steph sold their beautiful books and prints too which is soo very gratifying...hope all the other artists in Cumbria are doing well too...

do you think this gets the message across? I just couldn't resist using up my spare stickers...



have a great week....hope you get the chance to chill out and relax a while too...xx

September sunshine...

I love September...after everyone's frenzied desire for summer...to relax into the start of autumnal hints is rather blissful...maybe too, it's something to do with schools going back and the return of a semblance of routine, however painful to teenage anti-earlyrisingness...

I do like a sense of order and at least the house stays the same all day now which gives me a small chance of restoring some sort of order after months of neglect...but I am heart gladdened when husband and daughter return home in the evening...and we can share our different days...but only after a whole day BY MYSELF with only my own thoughts for company...these days more and more I seem to need some solitude...tho' around here with chickens, ducks, donkeys, cats, geese and currently next door's dog staying I am never lonely!

It's been a blissful week of C-art Open Studios...we are open officially at the weekends with lots of delightful visitors calling in...some strays appear from time to time during the week and I rather like coming up from the veggie patch in the sunshine with grubby hands from digging up the garlic to greet strangers and welcome them to my life...to my studio...to our work...

I like to think people take away a sense of calm and tranquility from here, a sense of doing life a slightly different way maybe a more harmonious way (mind you I don't show them the house which currently is...well...in a BIT OF A STATE!!)

So lets take a little walk down the garden...it's such a gorgeous sunny day...quite hot in the sun...I haven't got a cardi, fleece or socks on!

Signage necessary to direct people to the studio and to give a subtle warning...

Gwendoline showing no interest at all in eating people's fingers...she's far too sensible!

ah...Neddy snoozling in the warm sunshine...cheek tickling = happy donkey and hasn't he got a beautiful soft nose and fabulous eyelashes!

and magnificent ears which swivel this way and that as he listens sometimes to you and sometimes to things behind him...carefully rotating one ear forward and one ear back...

Join me in sitting outside the studio for a moment to take in the view...and straightaway Basil take the chance to sit on your knee...

and Emilia hen comes to check out if you are by any chance  eating something...she nabbed a whole rice cake off my plate at the weekend!

and behind you can see the beautiful and rather sculptural seats which husband of patience has created...very patient!

down past the apple tree...apples ripening in the warm sun...and the chickens and ducklings...still together with their Mummy hen..and Basil like a sphinx in the grass...and a duckling apple bobbing...

and down the new path to the veg patch... where despite the somewhat rainy year we have some harvest...the pumpkins and squashes are magnificent...spreading like triffids...a forest of leaves and secret surprises...we love to wander round spotting hidden fruit and shouting 'here's another...and another!'

and here's the garlic I've been digging up...such a nice earthy job in the hot sunshine...it brings a great feeling of contentment...extra special this year as it shows how strong and improved my wrist is, I planted it when my hand was pretty weak in cold wintry weather and now here we have a harvest in the sun...

and help from our chickens...happy hens!
tho' I did have to keep hiding the worms from them as I dug...

and Nellie nextdoor's dog..best girl!

so here's to another weekend of lovely visitors to see all our beautiful artwork...and sunshine...hope you have a great one too...don't forget to love what you do!xx