Keeping Busy!

 I am having difficulty getting my head round the new editor in Blogger! My photos won't go where I want them to! I'm sure I'll get there in the end but apologies in advance for any anomalies!

Flower Photo-Print Hanging

This is the top of the hanging I'm making using photo-prints of flowers from the garden. I've added dyed fabric in a log cabin style and then used appliqued leaves over the top of the piece. These I have to stitch on (I've started on the top ones) and then back and bind the finished piece, attaching a hanging sleeve. I have been having great fun printing pictures onto fabric and am amassing quite a collection! There are lots of ideas buzzing around in my head for using them. Watch this space! 

My friend has lent me her Accuquilt while she is away in Africa for three weeks. I can't wait to get started. She has a fantastic collection of dies for it with everything from basic shapes to trees, leaves and flowers! I am thinking of doing packs of various shapes and selling them on the website. If you have suggestions do let me know! This is an amazing machine and although it has been around in the US for a long time it is relatively new over here. And we are going to be offering a cutting service for anyone who just doesn't want to cut out hundreds of diamonds, squares, rectangles etc.  I am certainly going to be busy! 

Also many thanks to everyone who has written to me or commented on the blog. I have been touched at your warmth and the simple fact that I am remembered! Having been out of touch for quite a while I duly expected to have been forgotten! Now I must get to grips with bringing the web-site up to date and organising a Pay-Pal facility again. The fact that I work every afternoon doesn't leave a lot of time but I'm getting Graeme involved so in time a lot should be accomplished. Now if only I could get him to use the sewing machine!  

Some more pictures!

I've been busy sorting out pictures for printing onto fabric as I'm doing memory and photo quilts with my students. I took loads of photos while I was recently in Scotland so here are few that I think are interesting!

It rained heavily while we were there and the burns were in full flow. What a few days previously had been rock strewn rivulets overnight became torrents of foaming water!

I came across this ruined croft while wandering in the hills and took a scenic view of the loch through the ruined window. What a glorious view to wake up to!

This is a close up of the view above.

I found these stones and their reflections in the water totally fascinating!

And then to my delight this enormous dragonfly landed on one of the stones!

Loch Rannoch where we were staying. And the photo below is of the view from our bedroom window with the early morning mist curling over the Loch.

And last but not least a lovely tree showing three colours of leaves. The green of summer plus the yellows and reds of autumn.

I am full of ideas as to how to use these pictures in pieces of work and just need to get organised. Easier said than done! And I need to dye a collection of autumnal colours!

The Phoenix rises from the Ashes!

Well I am back from the dead; alive and well! The last year has been a painful one full of ups and downs but now there are more ups. I am fully divorced and have a new partner living with me. Life has become fun again and I'm working on building up my crumbling textile business. It is sad that when one is deeply unhappy one tends to let important things slide but that's the way it was! On the plus side I lost loads of weight and am half the woman I was! My partner is a Scot so I have been spending a lot of my time in Scotland since the New Year. I can almost do the drive to Edinburgh in my sleep! But he loves being in Cornwall as it is so much warmer. We are still sitting on the patio to have our morning coffee! A couple of weeks ago we were staying at his time share in Rannoch and I was able to get loads of pictures for future textile use. I was lucky enough to see an Osprey, a hare and a herd of deer! I didn't catch a fish but I hooked and lost two small brownies! Who would have thought that I would become an avid fisherwoman! It is such a peaceful past-time and I really love making the flies. So creative!

I have classes starting tomorrow and I've been planning lots of exciting things for my students to do including printing on fabric and making photo picture quilts and hangings. Plus I've had a mammoth dyeing session and dyed up metres of fabric in yummy colours and patterns. I'm writing this at work so I'm going to have to add in more pictures when I get home! I treated myself to a new all in one printer. It is an HP F4500 and it's great. When printing on fabric I haven't had any problems or snarl ups.

A few of the dyed pieces. Two by half metre and one of a metre. It was a red day!




My next project is to update my website and bring it into the 21st century! I am going to start selling kits as well as my fabric and the site needs to be more user friendly. Plus I am going to have to get my head around inserting PayPal facilities again so I can sell abroad as well as in the UK. So I have plenty to do this coming winter. Onwards and upwards!