Monday 28 May 2012

An uninformative post


I'm afraid that this is going to be a round-up of things that aren't happening, or are but I can't say much about them, but at least you'll know that I'm still here.

So, here we go:

Nautilus I and the 'Show your hand' exhibition - this was held over the weekend, but I haven't had any feedback yet so I don't know how it went.  I assume that as I haven't been told that Nautilus I sold it didn't, but I hope to be proved wrong!

Carbonifera - I have finally and definitively decided not to bother.  I kept wavering between liking it and not liking it, before deciding that I liked what it ought to have been, but didn't like what it actually was.  So I've stopped work on it.  Maybe I'll have another go at it or something like it in the future, when I can do it to a standard I'll be happy with.

Unnamed goldwork project - the Sunderland Branch of the Embroiderers' Guild held a fundraising Afternoon Tea recently, and I put on a small display on St Cuthbert's Banner.  As part of that, I thought I ought to sit and stitch something, as that's always a good way of getting people to ask questions.  I started a small project purely to have something to demonstrate at the Tea, but I rather like how it's going, so I'll finish it off and show you it later.

A present - I'm currently working on a present for someone, but I can't say anything at all about that in case they happen to read this!  I'll tell you about that once the occasion is over and they have it.

So that's it - I'll try and do better next time!

Sunday 20 May 2012

Show your hand

I'm happy to tell your that Nautilus I will be featured in the 'Show your hand' exhibition, part of the COAST Festival held by the Banff and Buchan Arts Forum.


'Show your hand' focuses on traditional craft skills - their place in the modern world and how much we as a society would lose were they to be forgotten.  It will feature work by artists and craftspeople working in a range of skills and materials - stone, wood, metals, ceramics and glass as well as textiles, which I think shows that while there's no room for complacency and it's always good for more people to learn about traditional crafts, many skills are in very good hands with a huge range of beautiful objects still being made.

The exhibition runs from 25 to 27 May in Macduff Town Hall; many of the pieces are available to buy (including Nautilus I).

So, if you're in the Aberdeen area next weekend, it should be well worth a visit.  Why not pop along!

Thursday 3 May 2012

Slow progress...

Oh dear. I haven't written a post in ages, and when I do I don't have much to show you.  I am making some progress, but after some busy weekends and a lot to do at work recently, it's pretty slow.  I'm just being lazy after the Banner, that's the trouble!

Anyway, continuing on with the third leaf, up to the point where the fourth one is about to start:


And in close-up:


Then both leaves, to where they overlap, and one continuous line of couching stitches is in both colours:


Close-up again:


I'm over half way now, so that's encouraging!