almost but not quite...

Christmas so just time for a night away

destination Manchester...driving down the majestic M6 through rain and storm force winds, some of the best views in the country as we travel through the Howghylls...at speed!

 

we made it safely to Rochdale station to catch a train, and glide easily into Manchester Victoria, half remembered through the mists of time, an old haunt from when I was at Liverpool Uni...young, free and single! This time we have ventured here for daughter mine to run in an athletics meeting on Sunday so I suggested making it a weekend...and here we are, rather stunned country mice getting used to the rush of the city...


luckily daughter mine had a map from when she came with a weekend with Rangers so she leads the way...I could do it from memory...maybe!

it's late afternoon, dusk is coming on and the lights are bright...

I do so love the bright yellow trams...and the hustle and bustle, somehow it feels exiting, a buzz of movement and things happening all around us

and here we are at The Manchester Craft and Design Centre...a historic building now full of the best in art and craft and design, studios, artists...and cafe, modern but with a sense of the past

just not enough time to take in the wealth and variety of creativity, ceramics, furniture, textiles, art of all kinds, and you meet the makers...brilliant to meet Andrea from &made whose lovely work I've admired for a long time

you can see more aboutalmost but nowt the Craft Centre here

out into the night to find Christmas markets in full swing...

so much to see and buy...but we were flagging by now so walked back to the station to catch the train again...and headed for a meal and a bed at the Youth Hostel at Haworth (yes as in The Bronte Sisters)...we know how to have a good time!

I even managed to watch Strictly and on Sunday, daughter mine ran like the wind in her 60m sprint and hurdles and got 2 PBs (personal bests!) 

Home again feeling like I had a week away not just a night...bliss!

 

 

making waves...for C-art

where does the time go? sorry I haven't been here much, just had so much to do to get ready for C-art, strange how in a year my studio has filled up with so much stuff! Thank goodness for the beautiful clean new loft space above and a loft ladder...husband of great patience I salute you!It felt like moving house, but now we have room for 3 artists and room for lovely visitors...

The New Bookshop in Cockermouth is kindly hosting a C-artists window display...so thought I'd better rustle up something new...been feeling sea-ish since my return from Mull...

here's a run through of the 'how to create a wave' process...choose delicious fabrics, snip them up and lay them on a backing of old blue blanket, needle felt with my fab machine, then get free machine stitching with more stunning blues...now the tricky bit, turn into a tube, stitch up by hand...luckily it just fits on my machine so I can stitch over the joins to blend them in and afterwards the fun part adding a lacey wavy top using dissolvable fabric...

I do like a technical and artistic challenge...and actually I am pretty chuffed...it worked! 

By the way I am having a few issues leaving comments on your blogs since I changed my blog name, apologies, I do visit and love your blogs, I will try and sort it out..any ideas please let me know!

Havea great week, back with some C-arty pics I hope, have a great week Emmaxx

a week ago...

we were esconced in a hot and sticky (we love summer!) Town Hall in Kendal ...surrounded by all manner of wonderful artwork, and some of our own...do you like my seedhead and brooches? I have really enjoyed creating my new work...and a big thanks to husband of patience for endlessly printing and cutting out my new labels! 

(beautiful landscapes by David Sims in the background)

 

we had journeyed to Kendal driving down through the Lake District past Keswick and Ambleside, Windermere and beyond...we had made our winding way through the crazy one-way system in Kendal(anyone out there familiar with this??) and found ourselves on the first floor of the Town Hall...faced with a big blank white space, displaying only our names...two tired textile artists with boxes of stuff, tables, shelves and more...

so bring on the tech team and...

several hours and much shifting around later...ta da!

 we were very happy as you may imagine so a big thanks to our wonderful families for supporting us...

 

here's a tiny taste of what you could have seen...

Kelly Stewart's amazing prints

and the delightful work of Emma Louise Wilson...who coincidentally I met up with on facebook before we met here, and some of whose work I had already had hanging in my studio...

  

and did I mention the amazing pop up tea shop run by Frumenty and Fluffin...all day cuppa's for hungry artists and visitors...and cakes beyond your wildest dreams!



and yes I did do a little bit of shopping, as well as selling...so much to tempt me amongst all the wonderful artwork...I'll share this little beauty with you, so exquisitely wrapped, a present to me after all my hard work...

and when you open it... a tiny gem of a bowl by the 'other' Emma...you can see more of her work here

I think when you visit a show like this you little realise all the hard graft which goes on behind the scenes...so a BIG thanks goes to Rosie and Tina and all those who made ArtFest happen!
 

and love and hugs to my 'home' team...chief packer, and chief arranger and carer of dotty artist mother...

going home...it will all fit in...somewhere

had a long lie down this week, sorry not been around, normal service slowly being restored...back to reality and the very overdue hoovering!

hope you're enjoying the summer here in the UK...Emmaxx