Happy Day

The first day of British Summertime and Mothers Day. Happy Mothers Day to all those Mums out there who happen to share the same mothers day as the UK, and of course all those in the UK.

Still frustrated

Ok I am having another moan but I am feeling so frustrated at the moment.
This is a not brilliant photo of the back of my current work as the front is a no show at the moment. I am quite liking the look of the paper yarn but I have broken another warp today and the sides are still moving in.
I haven't been totally happy with the last two pieces I have done. I seem to have lost my way somewhere and need to get back to my roots.
I think part of the trouble is I tend to interpret titles of exhibitions too literally and get too far out of my comfort zone. Yes its good to test yourself and not get stuck in a rut but not at the expense of enjoying what you do. Thank you if you are still reading this, I need to let off steam sometimes.

Trouble Brewing

I am about a quarter way up a new piece of weaving, sorry no images until its in the exhibition. I am using paper yarn, it looks great like a Lloyd Loom chair but its causing me some problems. My selvedges are gradually creeping inwards (how unusual) but as the yarn has no flexibility its really hard
to manipulate and one of the warp threads has already broken.
Note to self, don't try out experimental pieces when they are for an exhibition and you have deadlines.

Full Moon

Full moon last night

Transformation and sunshine

 This is a Patty Pan squash that got too big and too hard to eat. I left it in the garden over winter as a decoration. It has been sitting in a plastic lined plant basket and has turned these amazing colours. I presume these are moulds I don't think lichens would have grown so fast.
I have just bundled it up and am steaming it to see if any of the colours transfer onto cloth.

It has been beautiful outside for the last couple of days, so thats where I have been, weeding and clearing up in the garden. I have reluctantly come inside this afternoon, housework needs doing and deadlines are looming but it is hard. When the weather is good I just want to be outside taking advantage of the sun while it is blessing us with its presence.

Sunset, moonrise

Oops

Travel loom

I forgot to mention my travel loom. I love this little loom, it is handmade and had the maker's name but this has rubbed off. You can weave a piece approximately 16cms square, I use a needle for weaving, it travels on train trips, visits, and on holiday with me.

This was also from The Handweavers Studio.

Weaving Frames

Nail frame

Clamp fixed to table with loom

Clamp

Weaving Loom with tensioning device.

I was asked recently about the frames I use. I work on small scale pieces so none of my frames are large.
The nail frame above was the frame I used for my last piece. It was made locally and is not one I normally use, its actually my Mum's.
It fixes to the table with the clamps illustrated. The clamps which came from Handweavers are great and I used them a lot until I found it too hard to get a tight tension on the warp on the stretcher frames that I used to use.



Nowadays I normally use the loom on the right, these are very simple and easy to warp up as they have notches in the top and bottom. You can also tension them by using the butterfly nuts. I have these in two sizes, complete loom sizes are  42x53cms and 27x40cms;  I get mine from Great Art, they are called school looms. I use these for most of my work, unfortunately the clamps don't work on these as the flat plane of the wood is sideways on. At some time I am hoping to adapt the clamp but at the moment I rest the bottom edge on my lap and the rest of the frame against the edge of the table. I don't tend to use a heddle except on the knitting loom, I like to keep things as simple as possible. My knitting loom is the Ashford Knitting Loom which I use for longer pieces, I also own an Ashford Upright Loom but use it very rarely.

Signed, sealed and

Labyrinth

 to be delivered tomorrow. Finished at last and its turned out ok.

This is for the South West Textile Group Stand at the 'Fashion Embroidery and Stitch Show' at the NEC Birmingham from the 20th to 23rd March.

I am unlikely to be there in person but if you are going please do pop along and say hello to my fellow members.

Finding things

About three years ago I lost my wedding ring whilst gardening, amazingly the other day it turned up, just sitting there on the soil after it had been turned over. Disappointingly it no longer fits, luckily I have had a replacement made, in the meantime I may try and get the found one stretched. I am now on my third wedding ring, the first one had to be cut off.
It amazes me how much our bodies change, my engagement ring only fits on my little finger now. So I used to have short thin fingers and now I have short chubby fingers which it would appear are still getting even fatter.

Progress and learning new things

After reading Annabel Rainbow http://grumpyandmad.blogspot.co.uk/  extremely useful entry on copyright I have finally managed to upload a photo with a copyright symbol on it by using Picasa. How pleased I am with myself, thing is will I be able to do it again? Lets hope so, it has taken me a whole day to get this far.
Anyway I am getting a move on now, next time I show this it will be completed and ready for hanging I hope.