I am officially an Event!

And the rabbit has ears:

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Only The Tips of His Ears To Go.....

....and the background, the selvedge (including my mark), then the trimming of tail and stamens, cutting off, blocking, mounting.........

And My Boy is on his way here as I type 😃😃😃😃😃

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Have to Stop (but Don't Want To)

Am babysitting tonight, and the frame is a bit big to take with me.

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Where I Had Got To Last Night.....

How far will I get today? As the weather is FAR TOO REVOLTING to venture out, weaving seems a good option.

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

The Rabbit Begun....

There are many advantages to working from home, not least of which is being warm! And being able to listen to music without headphones. And catching up with domestic chores in little bits. And a soft cat purring on my lap.

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Ready for the Rabbit

Managed a lot of weaving time over the last two days, which pleases (and relieves) me no end. The flower is complete, just the surround to add in and my experiments with weft interlock seem to be working. I shall do a bit more to the right hand side (where the marker pegs are) and start the rabbit tomorrow morning. Or tonight. The world is my lobster!

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

One of the Perks of Working at Home....

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

End of an Era

I had a lovely few days 'holiday' with Mum and Dad, finding new bits of West Sussex and some lovely beaches (with associated finds!) The weather stayed crisp and cold for most of the time, apart from a blisteringly icy rain shower in Bognor on Monday.

I went back into TM on Wednesday to carry on weaving with renewed vigour only to receive some bad news: Paul had decided to close TM for the foreseeable future. Cue three days of sorting, packing and moving my stuff out and rearranging my (tiny) flat to accommodate it all and still have room to live and weave! Good job I am a girl who likes a challenge...

Crafty Girls on Thursday was great; real fire, Eleanor painting, me crocheting an experimental sock and both of us singing along to the WHOLE of 'Jesus Christ, Superstar' at the tops of our voices. Turns out we both know every note and very word. I shall miss her when she moves to London in a fortnight.

Yesterday I had a meeting at the Cathedral about the residency. They switched off the alarms for me to get up close and personal with the John Piper and Ursula Benker-Schirmer tapestries!! I did not have my camera, but have another meeting next week with the Clerk of Works to organise loom building and will take my camera. Watch this space!

Today, I will continue the tidying and get some weaving done before panic mode sets in about the deadline. I shall emply the 45:15 rule. Forty-five minutes weaving and fifteen of other stuff. Works like a charm.

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Getting There.....

Lots of background fill, and the fifth petal I did yesterday. Having a few days off to spend with my lovely Mum and Dad, now that I have found where they are staying. It only took me 100 minutes to do a 20 minute trip. That'll teach me to go somewhere I don't know without looking at the map before I set off. We had a lovely supper at a pub in Pagham which allowed the dogs in, then a walk along the front at Aldwick. Beautiful moon, cold night and the sound of sea on shingle. Good times.

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Hot Off The (email) Press!

I have just heard that 'Go Ask Alice' has been accepted for Tapestry Mischief; my first juried exhibition. Woohoo!

Now to finish it.......

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Under Wraps

I did all the Ghiordes knots for the flower centre; Moley kindly cut all five million** 5" lengths for me, and it took about 90 minutes to do all the knotting and interspersed picks. I have left the strands long until I decided how short to trim them and whether to add beads. To that end I hoofed off to Hobbycraft to acquire some black seed beads, it being too late to shop anywhere else by the time I left TM. I also found some pure wool DK at a bargain price, so I shall do some dyeing tomorrow for a yarn swap I am taking part in this month.

No photo until I have decided and tidied up the centre, which I will probably postpone until I have done the remaining petals. Unless I decide to post a pic of the vintage chair-back cloth I cover the tapestry with at night?

To satisfy your visual needs, here is a picture of something else:-




** possibly a slight exaggeration

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Blooming.....

Tomorrow is Ghiordes knots in black linen!

Location:Time Machine

What LouLou Did

More background and the second leaf. The problem is that I get engrossed and don't take enough breaks. Now for a neck massage and a good murder!

It Grows.....

Second petal completed, background fill and almost all the stem.





This is so true!

Location:Clay Lane,,United Kingdom

Someone is Feeling Somewhat Pleased With Herself

After a morning of domestic admin (which I do not love) I went in, aiming to do the first petal on the lurid flower. And lo! I did nearly two. I did lose track of time and work at it until nearly 8pm, which I have not done for ages. Enjoying it enormously.

Location:Home

First Finished Leaf

It has been fun! Today I shall begin on a flower petal, after teaching on a dyeing workshop this morning.

I managed a flying visit to the Celia Paul 'Separation' paintings in the cathedral yesterday-the last day-although the Celia Paul / Gwen John continues at Pallant House. Hauntingly beautiful. Madonna and child below, look at the faces; quite lovely

Location:Time Machine

Growing a Leaf Sideways

Good progress over the last couple of days, with a goodly amount of background 'foundation' added all across, and about 2/3 of the first leaf taking shape. I am really enjoying this more intricate work.
Last evening I went to a lecture on Art, Time and the Eternal; Professor George Pattison. Interesting stuff. Plan to look for his books.
PV at TM this evening for my friend Eleanor's paintings, and an early start tomorrow for the Big Issue Knitathon. I set up all the tables before I left this evening, so only have to blow up some balloons in the morning. Here's hoping lots of people turn up........

Location:Home

A Good Review!

http://maximalspace.wordpress.com/2012/10/09/the-clock-trust-time-machine-fun/

Location:Time Machine

Ready for a Rest

Well, I got my entry for Tapestry Mischief in on time. Now I just have to finish weaving it!

Cartoon





Sampling Palette





Rabbit Sample




I am going to enjoy working an intricate piece in such bright colours. It is on a frame, so I can transport it between TM and home if I need to.

Location:Home

Bottoms Up!

I am a day or more behind where I wanted to be, but here is the finished sample of the rabbit's behind. I am pleased with the textured tail and try effect of the main yarn - Skye II by Texere. I have used it a lot in blends, but never as a sole yarn. I decided over the weekend that the flowers should be large, fantastical and in psychedelic colours, so dyed some fine worsted today, currently drying above my sink:-





Tomorrow I finalise the cartoon, sample the other yarns and then warp up.... Working at home; Paul has to go to London and we decided to leave TM closed for the day.

Location:Home

Too Busy to Blog.....

....and with workshops not weaving.  It has been half term this week, and there have been a lot of visitors.  I have also been busy or out most evenings, which is unusual for me.  We had a 'crafty girls' session on Tuesday; Eleanor made a linocut to print labels for the chocolate liqueur we made a couple of weeks ago and I carried on with some crochet, sending in my entry for the ATA Small Tapestry exhibition and cartoon design for 'Tapestry Mischief'.  This is the restored to full body rabbit:-

I photographed the postcard version, loaded it into Procreate, scaled it up and traced the important lines.  I am very pleased with Procreate, and have taken to using it more than Photoshop - mainly because it is on the iPad and FAST where my Pshop is on my old laptop and S-----L-----O-------W.  I have very nearly finished the sampling of his behind on the loom, and will move on to sampling the flower colours etc on Monday.
Wednesday evening was an evening out to avoid the Trick or Treaters.  Curmudgeonly or wot?!  In my defence, there are gazillions of children in the close, they bring their friends from the rest of the village, and it is mayhem.
Last evening was a PV at WD for Effervescence, the annual gift fair.  Lorraine had come down for it, so I had a nice girls' reunion with her, Eleanor and Sheila.

I have been having some problems with 'Blue', and may have to unweave quite a hefty section (chiz).  I have put it away for now while I get on with 'Go Ask Alice' (working title for the rabbit).  I am weaving it sideways, but there is one section (her derriere actually) which is a line across two warps, creating open slits which do not look right at all and I am not sure whether stitching them will help without distorting the lines around.  Time to ponder, and look again in a few weeks.

Tomorrow I am heading north again.  My brother has organised a charity gig with the band he plays bass in.  The Boy is coming down from Manchester to play drums and we are staying with Mum and Dad, so it will be a nice weekend.  In the meantime I am going to a fancy dress party at WD, having raided the dressing up boxes at TM. That is if I can stay awake that long.

Of Aerials and Other Things

Moley and Paul went in the pick up to collect the last section of the aerial. It was used to transmit something VERY IMPORTANT at sometime, somewhere, but, dear reader, the facts escape me. At TM it will be used for something or other, but not at its full height, I can't remember what or why. You can see that I am not in full possession of my faculties at present!

This evening I went to the PV and award ceremony for 'Outside In' at Pallant House Gallery. Very moving exhibition, and due to go to other venues over the next two years. PHG has been at the forefront of supporting outsider art for a few years. I also had a quick squint at the Gwen John / Celia Paul exhibit. We do get some good stuff in Chi. The paintings that Celia Paul did after the death of Lucien Freud are in the form of stations of the cross and are in the cathedral - my next port of call, tomorrow.

In Tapestry terms, I have been doing some more to 'Blue', and have to finish my entry for the ATA juried exhibition and look out some framed pieces to submit to an open art show in London.....

On Saturday I am getting the train 'home' to pick up my new wheels (have been carless for a few months) which my lovely Mum and Dad have found for me. I have not seen family since August, so am really looking forward to it.





My colours (it has a grey interior). The freedom of the road beckons!! P and M have been great about lifts, but it will be nice to be independent.

Location:TM

Sampling (or, "What did you do today Mummy?" "I wove a rabbit's bottom"

The finished violet leaf. I decided that filling in all the background was not the best use of time (= I could not bear it because my tension had gone too tight) so moved on to rabbit. I counted the number of warps in the original and redrew the outline to fit my warps. This decapitated and detorsoed him. Louise then suggested that I remove his legs and concentrate on the hachures in the hindquarters, adding an extra layer of complexity by putting in highlights.....





And this is how a whole, medieval rabbit looks





Lots to do!

Location:Home

Weaving Back in Time

Excellent first day of the millefleurs course with Louise Martin. We began with hachures (stepped and smooth) then a double ended hachure 'cheat'. After lunch we each chose a motif - here a violet leaf - drew it onto the warp and set to....
Great lunch and supper, a lift to the station and I am on my way home for cocoa and an early night with a tapestry book, choosing a motif to weave tomorrow. I am tempted by one of the rabbits from The Lady and the Unicorn, which I can then use in my entry for Tapestry Mischief. A White Rabbit and a bottle saying Drink Me; 'Go Ask Alice'.

Location:A Train Between Angmering and Chichester

A Pressie!

Michael went to visit a residential college in Gloucestershire yesterday, and he came in today with this present for me. It is a good weather day, so we are all going to be working outside.......

Location:Time Machine

Looking Back....

Six years ago yesterday, the life I knew came to an abrupt end.
It has been far from easy, there is still a way to go, but I have survived, and in many ways thrived.
To all the people who sat with me while I cried - THANK-YOU
To everyone who listened, made tea, talked, took me out, took me in and made suggestions - THANK-YOU
To all of you who have helped / are helping me to rebuild - THANK-YOU

I like my life, there is so much to look forward to. THANK-YOU

Location:Home

New Stuff

I am going to a class this weekend - Millefleurs technique with Louise Martin from the Stirling Castle Tapestry Project (http://www.stirlingcastle.gov.uk/home/experience/highlights/tapestries.htm)and will be travelling by train. What a good excuse to make a new bag to protect my frame in transit! Black denim with an extra pocket on the front. The scissor (and other things) poke and huswif will go too. They are a Liberty print designed by Grayson Perry with little weird faces all over.

Location:Home

Getting Dressed in the Dark (and no opportunity to come home and change)

'Nuff said.

Location:Home

Between the Loom and the Lathes

My new indoor workspace:-




Tucked behind the countermarche loom and the machine room lathes, with sunshine streaming through the window. All ready for designing and sampling....





The current state of Octopus.

Location:Time Machine

A Wonderful Wednesday

Look what I got today! My official badge. I wore it all day!

We had a very useful meeting planning the dates for the school and family workshops that I shall lead during the residency, and generally talking about the ideas for making stronger links between TM and the cathedral to echo the fact that we are built from their rubble. I shall be doing one family day during half term, three primary school days, one SEN school day and a secondary morning which ties in with a Holocaust Survivor talk; not on HMD, but the week afterwards. That one was news to me, so I have to plan an additional (and appropriate) activity. All very exciting.

This afternoon ( and before the meeting) I did some weaving. I finished the octopus yesterday (but forgot to photograph it before it rained on me) so am back on seascape filling until such time as I decided to add some fish. The weather was lovely and sunny until about 4, which was very gratifying. I then spent some time arranging my new indoor space. This evening a group of poets came for a reading around the fire pit, so I did mulled wine and they toasted marshmallows. We filled the garden with candles and it looked fantastic. Cue more night time events methinks.

Location:Various

Amusement

A day off today after two days at the PACE conference. Eleanor is coming for supper later and bringing the cat back - she (the cat that is) has been on a mouse catching holiday. We are going to make supper with whatever we have on hand. Not mouse, despite the one lying dead outside my garage door. Another cat I presume.





Hard to believe she is such a good mouser.....

Location:Home

Of Robins and Patriotic Dogs....

Arrived this morning to blue skies and the cheery robin in the hedgerow. He sings to me every day as I work on the octopus, and is becoming bolder about being seen. I hope to lure him to my loom with mealworms.....




Waiting for last night's ran to dry off the tapestry and doing some indoor making, I turn to see the doglet asleep on our vintage flag; is this patriotism or treason?

And this, I thought, seems a good way of dealing with moments of bleugh:




Amended by me to

Location:Time Machine

A Lovely Day

Today dawned bright and fair and proved to be an excellent day for outdoor weaving. It was also an excellent day for people to decide on visiting, so I divided my time between working on the octopus and serving tea and cakes. (Paul was chopping wood at the end of the garden; his aim is to fill the yurt with logs for the winter). Progress was made despite all the interruptions.





Michael and Moley discussing the finer points of chain saws.....

We also had a bit of jollity this morning when someone brought in an old chemistry set, complete with (wait for it......) MAGNESIUM RIBBON. A bit oxidised, so not the quantity of brilliant white flame we hoped for, but better than nothing. We are saving the rest for a special occasion, along with other whizz bangs. We do have fun at the Time Machine.

Location:Time Machine

Keeping Out of Mischief

I recently made a resolution to spend more time making things and using up my stash. Here is the first result. It is only a little lap blanket, as I only had one ball of the Noro sock yarn, and knew I would not be able to get more as it has been discontinued. A border of some Rowan tweed from a cone I bought from EBay a few months ago just because I liked the colour, and with no particular purpose in mind. There are other things in progress, both here and at TM, to keep me busy when outdoor weaving is not an option: the weather forecast suggests that will be the case for most of the next ten days. Chiz.

In other news, I went over to WD this morning, and caught up with a few people. They have confirmed their side of the Cathedral residency, and I have arranged to use some of the facilities in Visual Arts in the time leading up to Feb. Photoshop on the iMac 2! A3 printer! Daylight lamps! Whizzo.





This dyed Shetland is now half way to being a shawl.

Location:Home

Shock! Horror! We Closed Time Machine for a Day

Chi College hosted an SEN Moving On Fair yesterday, and we went along to sell our wares - well at least to tell people about what we do, and to form links with other service providers. I hope it proves to be useful. This is Paul, the Time Lord and finder of the Clock Trust and Time Machine. I cunningly avoided being photographed.

Location:Chichester College

Up to My Eyes

Ideal weaving weather today after two days of rain and near-gales, so good progress made. Let's hope for more days like this! Tomorrow I am in Littlehampton on a day course, and Saturday is the BTG South East meeting, so I will not be back at the loom until Sunday.

Location:Time Machine

A Dyeing Day

Michael, a volunteer helper. He usually does gardening, but the weather was too bad.



Jade green in the new boiler. Which, in case you didn't know already, I LOVE!

Location:Time Machine