Ruskin Bag work of art!

Well it has become a work of art - or a labour of love which ever way you want to look at it. I think I have to come down on the side of a labour of love as when I had completed all 8 sides I discovered that the ones with the large square designs on them where all slightly longer than the ones with the small square designs - so there was no other answer than to make 4 new ones with the large square design on. (There are times when I question my sanity)!!!

All that is left to do (hopefully) is to make the cord and beaded pulls that thread through the top of the panels to open and close bag.

Waste not want not is my motto so two of the offending panels have been turned into a biscornu.

When I first started to learn Ruskin Lace I found myself rather impatient - I started the sampler but very soon decided that I wanted to make some of the articles that are associated with the technique - so I made the small bag. I now want to make the pin cushion/ s and the needlecase!

Looking at these pictures together I think I am going to have to make another of these bags with the matching lining - so that it looks like part of the set!! (Mad - completely)!!!

Little bits of frippery

Just a few little bits of frippery that I created whilst on holiday in the Lake District.

Not sure just what I will do with them yet - I might put them on cards or I might make them into brooches.

Beautiful Blencathra

I have been so busy since we returned from a week away in the lake District that this is first opportunity I have had to write about it. We set off on October 2nd weather not too bad but the forecast was awful. Well we weren't let down by our meteorologists this time as the weather was appalling on the Saturday - fierce strong winds and constant heavy rain! We managed to go our for food supplies and hopped from coffee shop to somewhere very nice for lunch before giving in and heading off back to where we staying for a cosy up with the paper and the stack of books we had taken to read.

On Sunday the weather was lovely and we walked to the top of Latrigg. We couldn't believe the difference in the weather. The only other - not very nice day for weather - was Tuesday when we did a bit of moseying around over towards Caldbeck (John Peel country). There we visited the Wool Clip (very nice little find for anyone who has a passion for wool, felt, fleece, yarns of any kind) and we had coffee and lunch in the lovely little cafe. These were both at a Preists Mill, Caldbeck.

The other days we were out walking - we walked to the top of Highrigg, Lowrigg, Dodd and Longlands - all giving wonderful views of the surrounding area and lots of lungsful of beautiful, refreshing - fresh air!! Most invigorating.

Perhaps the best bit was the cottage as we were right at the foot of Blencathra - a beautiful mountain and views from the other side across St.John-in-Vale, Keswick.

Blencathra

A view of Skiddaw from Latrigg

Highrigg

Lowrigg - looking back to Highrigg

A view of Bassenthwaite lake from the top of Dodd

A view from Longlands

Virginia Creeper in all it's splendour on the wall of the tea-rooms at Priests Mill, Caldbeck!
A great week - but boy did I discover muscles I had forgotten that I had! These fells are considered to be low level - I will need better preparation if I am to attempt some the higher level fells!!

The Bus Pass - it comes to us all eventually!!

I never thought I really would reach the age when I would be eligible for a bus pass - I think I thought I would be different and be able to stay in my 50s for evermore! Anyway a special birthday means a special present and mine was an Ashford 'Knitter's Loom'.

Now those who keep up with my blog will know that I played about with one of these at the Ashford stand at Woolfest in Cockermouth.

I was really taken with it and added it to my wish list.

It is very easy to warp up and very therapeutic to weave with it.

These are what I have created so far.

This is the first piece I wove. It is quite long and used just 1 ball of fluffy wool.

Same warp - 3 different balls of yarn. One is a velour yarn, another is a long haired yarn and the third is the one with bits of fabric attached. This is 3 times as long as it shows as it is folded over. As soon as my sister-in-law saw it she claimed she had just seen one like it in M&S!!

When I ran out of the yarns on the second weave I started with a different yarn - very soft and bobbly and finished off the ward - I might make this one into a bag - the jury is still out on that one!!!

I think I need to set up a new warp to do some more!!! The great thing about the loom is that you can fold it in half whilst there is work on it - pack it away in a bag and take on holiday with you if you can't bear to be parted from it!!!

Printing and Sketching

I had taken all sorts of scraps of fabrics, threads and beads with me to Solva but I managed to forget my watercolours, pens and sketchbook. Fortunately I found that Raul Speek, a Cuban artist, with a studio in Solva now sells some artists materials. (He also now opened a cafe on the side of the old church building that is his home and his studio - called the Lavender Cafe).
I bought a small box of watercolours and some brushes and bought pens and a sketchbook when we were in Brecon.

I also spent some time working on disk 2 of 'From Design to Stitch'
(for more details of the disk - watch this space - in the forthcoming blog posts)!

Whilst working on the disk I kept coming up with designs that I wanted to explore on paper and fabric so I then needed to be able to make some print blocks. As ideas sprang into my head I had to make do with pieces of torn or cut paper from my sketchbook.

I played about with these in Photoshop too! I really like the effects that I created.

I was a bit frustrated with only be able to use paper but then good old Morrisons - and their children's stationary section came up trumps! They had a small pack with some funky foam in them and pieces of card - so I made several quick print blocks to play about with. I only had watercolours to paint them with but they kept me happy for a while!

on paper

on fabric

Summer in Solva

Well it was 2 weeks actually. Just after Summer School at Alston Hall we set off for our two weeks holiday in Pembrokeshire just a mile outside Solva. If you have never been to Solva then just Google it and take a look - it is an idyllic place.

As always en-route we stopped off for our lunch break in the car park at Colinette Yarns near to Welshpool. From the outside you wouldn't think that you could so easily make a dent in the contents of your purse and before your husband has managed to down his lunch!!

Job done and then it was on off for a visit to Stokesay Castle , Shropshire - what an amazing place. After that we spent the night at the Brynafon Hotel in Rhayader.

The following day we visited Brecon - an historical market town, before ambling on to our lovely little bolthole at Middle Mill, Solva.

Well I don't think any one would believe me if I said we had two weeks of glorious weather because we didn't - we did have a lot of rain but we also had quite a lot of sunshine too. So we can't complain and it was very relaxing. Lots of walks and visits to some NGS Gardens.

I always take hand stitching with me and usually manage to create one or two pieces of my 'little works of art'. (not a machine stitch in sight other than on some of the applied snippets)!!!

A bit of a Missing Link!

Hi to one and all who are taking the time to read my blog. (Thank you).

I haven't blogged in over a month - so what have I been up to then?

Well first of all I was at Embroiderers' Guild Summer School at Alston Hall (in fact I arranged it - so really needed to be there - as well as the fact that I chose to be there too)

We had 3 tutors. Susan Chapman was our 3 day tutor teaching 'Exploring Simple Print' and the two 2-day tutors were Diane Bates teaching 'Flower Power' (machine embroidery) and Lucy Smethurst teaching 'A Modern Net Curtain' - a modern approach to applique.

It all went very well - as always the staff there were brilliant, the food was very good and it was great fun to get together with lots of nice ladies for branches from all over the North West Region.

Susan, our tutor, was a delight. She was extremely generous with her materials, and ideas, suggestions and lots of examples of her work to show us. How she managed to get into her car I will never know - it was packed to capacity!!!! (including a spin dryer)!!

These were the printed pieces that I managed to create. I had to do a bit of dipping in and out to various sessions so I didn't manage to do quite as much as most of the members in the group - but looking at this little lot I didn't do too badly either!

I haven't a clue as to what I am going to do with them - but no doubt they will come in useful for a future project.

This screen print is on linen and refuses to let me iron out the creases!!!!! I really like printing on fabric and do a lot of it. I haven't done much screen printing so I was really keen to try that - but I have to say I found that a bit messy for my liking and rather time consuming. Great to try but not exactly on my - must do again sometime soon - list.

More to come as to what else I have been up to over the last few weeks.

Strawberry Tea & Rainbow Squares

Last night we had a strawberry tea at our branch meeting (Seasidestitchers.blogspot). We had strawberries, scones with jam and clotted cream and shortbread fingers.
We started the evening by stitching together all of our rainbow squares. We ended up with 44 and the ladies worked like little trojans stitching them altogether. They look really good.

I baked the scones. They are from a recipe that came from my mother-in-law, now sadly no longer with us. I rescued the recipe from her old hand written recipe book. My husband can remember what the scones used to taste like from his childhood and I was really pleased that they tasted just the same when I first tried out the recipe.
They went down really well last night and I have to say I didn't have any to bring back home with me. The scones are not quite like traditional scones that you get in tea shops but they are scrummy.

I thought I would share the recipe with you. (This is not going to be a regular feature of this
blog).

Firstly I must apologise that the quantities are not in metric - I am sure you can all convert them using one of your cookbooks - I have kept to the original recipe.


Grandma’s Bun Scones

Ingredients:
4oz self raising flour
4 oz of caster sugar (I use much less as I don’t like things really sweet)
2 oz of butter (or margarine) I use about 1 ½ as it seems to rub better
1 beaten egg (you can add a little milk if you like) I use a large egg

Method:
Put flour and sugar in a bowl, rub in the fat and then mix in the beaten egg.
Do not use the whole egg, just half of it to start off with and then add a little more if the mixture isn’t binding together into a soft ball.
You don’t want the mixture to be sticky but neither do you want it to be too dry.
Knead the ball slightly with your hand and if it is a bit sticky sprinkle some flour over it.

I make about 10 balls from the mixture using my hands and place them on a baking tray that has parchment paper on it.
Use the remaining egg to spread over the top of each scone.

Bake at 180 degrees for about 15 mins – test for browness and doneness! I always think you have to judge finished baking by your own oven – if not quite done give them another 5 minutes so – it isn’t crucial!
When baked they will have spread and look more like biscuits.

I have also baked them in one of those flippy floppy baking trays – placed on a metal tray. Then they come out more traditional scone shaped.

These are not like traditional scones – but they are delicious and unlike normal scones they will keep for several days!! (Bonus)!

Enjoy

FAO Bob T Bear esq

Otis, Bitsy Beans and Boston Bruin want you to know how much they enjoy reading your blog and look forward to hearing all bout what you have been doing!

They haven't learnt write to yet and are quite shy so have asked me to say Hi on their behalf.

Hi Bob!

from
Otis, Bitsy Beans and Boston Bruin!

NB Boston Bruin has not got a plaster on his left arm - he was tattooed with his owner's name when he went somewhere far away from home and was in danger of getting lost!

Necklace

This necklace matches the last bracelet that I made.

Lots of fun to make - and they don't take too long to do.