At long last.......

.......found time to work in the studio BUT then FORGOT(!!) to take the materials I needed to do what I originally meant to .......SO used the time instead to play around making textiles out of my illustrations.  It's been a long time since I just played with new ideas.  It was fun............

I used some of my illustrations from "my other blog" as inspiration and stitched.....

sometimes the back looked better than the front.....

sometimes it was hard to tell..........................

It was good to find happy accidents.........

and all in all a good days experimentation...........

Next time though I must get down to the serious stuff.........after all I do have an exhibition coming up in September!

Hebden Bridge ..........

...........Open Sutdios this weekend.  Friday Ist July to Sunday 3rd July.  Come and see my new studio space at Northlight Studios.  I'll be there Sunday!

And I'm in!

.........to my new Studio that is.  Or at least nearly.......still one or two more items to move in.  Some more shelving would be very useful and a table to sew at......but I am getting there.

It's a new start just waiting for it all to happen....... 

Must .......

......pay more attention to this blog!  Exciting things have been happening and I haven't mentioned a peep!

The wonderful Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield very kindly contacted me about my portrait work and it has now been on exhibition in their foyer for the last month.  It was fantastic to see it in such a large open space........a real treat!

We have had a number of meetings of the Reveal Group and everyone's work is really coming together for the Farfield Mill, Sedbergh exhibition in September this year.  The last meeting we had was particularly inspiring.  I am hoping to get a dedicated website up and running over the summer for the group......so watch this space!

The SDC Hallam Group have agreed to exhibit again this year at the Sheffield Art in the Gardens and we have been meeting to plan that in amongst everything else.  We did this event last year and it was an absolutely wonderful experience.  The gardens are beautiful, the art fabulous and we got to know some very kind and generous people.......can't wait for it all to happen again!

AND .....the icing on the cake, and very, very exciting ......I have just agreed to rent a shared studio space in the Northlight Art Studios in Hebden Bridge.   It is an artist co-operative with a myriad of artist working in all sorts of media.  I am sharing a lovely white, bright space with another textile artist who also works with machine embroidery.  We are hoping to have the space up and running in time for the Open Studios event in July.   So if you are in the area at the time do pop by and say hello.

A very interesting time.......

 .......at Creative Stitches in Glasgow.   It was a long journey up but a beautiful one along the A1 next to the Coast.  So wonderful to see the sea.  Where I live you can't get much further from it if you tried!  The show was great and I met some wonderful people.  Thanks to Rachel Powell and her mum for taking pity on me and taking me out to dinner one evening.  Hope to meet up with you again sometime soon.  I was demonstrating whilst on my stand and found it very difficult to draw and stitch whilst being watched - but I did get a lot of very nice comments about my work which was lovely. 
Unfortunately I missed out on the opportunity to see the City of Glasgow itself.  Next time, if I get invited again, I intend to make that a priority. 

Off to Glasgow.........

.....to exhibit and demonstrate at the Creative Stitch event at the SECC Exhibition Centre on the banks of the river Clyde.  It's an ICHFevent and the link for further information is here. 
It's all a little bit dauntng as I shall be on my own this time (hubby staying at home to mind the kids!) and so it will be all down to me - driving there (aargh! hate driving to or in places I don't know), setting up the stand and manning it for four days in a row.  Not quite worked out yet how I am going to manage for loo stops - maybe there will be a quiet moment or two along the way.

If you follow this blog and make it to the show stop by and say hello - there's a free postcard in it for you! 

Hope to see you there.

Preview night........

......tonight at the Clocktower Gallery at the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield.

The exhibition is on till 29th March 2011 so if you can't make it tonight do pop by before then ......we are all members of the Society of Designer Craftsman and have formed a Hallam Group.