Kew Gardens inspiration

Do go and see Life in Death by Rebecca Louise Law, a mesmersing installation at Kew Gardens, on until March 2018.

In, and out of the greenhouses, the light was wonderful

Presents wrapped, Xmas baking done..........

..so time to sit back with a good book and a small glass of this season’s sloe gin?  I was on the way to that, but pulled a dining chair out to sit on and decided that the Christmas table, dressed in its finery,  could not be disgraced by these dilapidated chairs..

Out came the upholstery tools, the stash was raided,

and a transformation took place.

Merry Christmas all, and hope you have the people you want sitting at your table this festive season.

Bling bacteria, sleep and stitching on wood

The last journal quilt has been completed, the third on the theme of bacteria. Photographed on a sheet ( I don’t like ironing!) to show the extended, wired threads. A single antibiotic-resistant, flagellate bacterium swimming in a soup of over-used antibiotics. Bling for December.

Hand-dyed applique on commercial fabric with appliquéd threads, some hand-wired, which was much trickier than I had anticipated.

My copy of the book of The Sleep Quilt arrived this week, so I am setting aside time in the Christmas melee to enjoy that and think on how it was made. There is a superb blogpost about the project here.

A visit to Manchester allowed time to visit the Manchester Craft and Design Centre. This is lovely space, with a current exhibition of work by Kate Colin whose skill in paper folding is terrific.

Intriguing work with punched and stitched wood veneers by Jane Blease has gone on my long term wishlist.

Last minute Christmas makes

A lovely workshop with Plum this week, making tree decorations from this tutorial

led to a few last minute makes when I should have been doing more boring tasks.

Dressed up and ready for the Strictly Come Dancing final

Go Debbie!

November challenge, bacteria blooming

Two challenge pieces to complete by the end of the year, and I’m rushing to get these completed.  November is a single bacterial colony on a microscope slide. A chance to use some toggles made a long time go with Karen Ruane. I must have had my camera on some very odd setting as these colours are all too blue.

Snow - such an event

Yew tree channelling its inner palm tree

An embroidered pebble for a friend

 

Finding beauty in the disregarded and serendipitous

Sunshine revealing the serendipitous juxtaposition of colours on the studio painting boards.

To bead or not to bead, that is the question......

…. and for the October challenge on the theme of bacteria, the answer was most  definitely “to bead"

and, to button

Sewing tools

When I volunteered to assist with making costumes for the local pantomime, I thought I would just need my usual sewing kit. For the first costume, that was the case, dress for the female, youth lead, 

However, when the next one was for the king of the rats, I needed to use tools less commonly associated with sewing.

Thank you to Youtube for tips on cutting and sewing long-haired fake fur.

Thanks to Virgin Trains..................

... and a train journey of 2h being extended to 3h and 45 mins, I had time to start on my next series of the challenge.  Bacterial colonies, being embroidered on to cloth printed using the breakdown method.