Onion skin dyeing

These were all dyed in the same pot with brown onion skins, the top photo is a more accurate colour. The linen was disappointing.

Wool, silk, linen and nettle

I will be using some of these in the pieces for the quarry exhibition.
Its North Somerset Arts Week this year and the brochures have just been delivered

Slow progress

This piece is growing but more slowly than I had hoped, life gets in the way. I am still hoping to produce another three pieces by June plus some smaller ones.

We are trying to find a house for my daughter. She is moving back with us in the meantime, her belongings arriving today and herself tomorrow. So more interruptions but good ones.

Read this

I have just finished reading Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch, this is an epic novel, a masterpiece so much more than just a story it takes you through the whole emotive range of human stupidity, cruelty and humanity. The last chapter brought tears to my eyes. The book is beautifully written and has hidden psychological depths, its a must read.

A little weaving, a little stitching

Quarry piece

Moth holes and Memories (top)

Moth Holes and Memories (bottom)

Detail

I am working on three different pieces at the moment, firstly the small 5x5" pieces which I think I have shown before, no new photos, and secondly a stitched piece using a mix of new and vintage textiles that are dyed using plant material.. These are my evening variations. I was none to pleased when I discovered moth in my woollen cloth but then decided to take advantage of it. The photos are against glass so you can see the holes but none of the images have turned out that well.
My third piece, daytime weaving, is for the Quarry exhibition in June, progress is slow and a bit haphazard but beginning to go the way I want now.
We have a bitterly cold wind blowing at present but the sun is shining and I have actually managed to do some gardening pruning two climbing roses that had got completely out of hand, one is going as it is very diseased and the other now has a new support so hopefully will be a little more controllable.
I plan quite a few changes again this summer.

Peace and Quiet

Its quiet here today, my daughter went back yesterday after a month long stay, along with my son and and his partner who were down for the weekend.
Its been a beautiful sunny day so I have been out in the garden planting the quince tree that my brother gave me for christmas and having a general tidy up and a bit of pruning. Jenny Wren was foraging around in the bushes nearby and Mr Robin joined me for a while.
The pond has a covering of ice which didn't melt all day, its quite cold and now the clouds are gathering over the sea again and the sun is hazy. Rain again tomorrow I think.

Right place, right time

This view was only there for about a minute, how lucky I was to be looking out of the window and my camera was to hand. It would have been good to have had a telephoto lens as well to get a close up. We have been having sleety showers and can see snow on the hills in both Devon and Wales.

A new year

Well here we are in 2015, how did that happen, time seems to travel so fast when you get older.
The first three images below are work I am doing for an exhibition in October with the South West Textile Group, we have to have some work finished for publicity in May. The stitched piece is about three and a half metres long and half a metre wide and its nearly finished, a lot of evening stitching involved. The woven piece is one of ten  5 x 5 inch pieces which will be framed two wide and five long probably, I have only done four of these so far. Both pieces are based on the fossils of sea lilies which apparently are still growing under the sea to this day. The exhibition is to be held in Taunton Museum and each piece of work is takes its inspiration from a piece in the museum.
The pebble piece at the bottom is my stock in trade and is for the North Somerset Arts trail which takes place in May. The yarns are actually all shades of grey but the camera didn't seem to get that.

Happy New Year to you all.