A catch up post

Life is moving at quite a pace now the countdown is on to the great escape and I have not had the chance to blog but have favoured the quicker option to document things via Instagram. 

Today I've started some packing so I'm just taking a break from the dusty task of rummaging through some of my stuff to write this and post some photos of things from the last month or so, it will be stuff my IG friends will have seen already so apologies for it being a bit boring.

First up, an interesting sculpture in a field in Holderness not too far from where I grew up. It's the gunpowder plotters, 2 of which, the Wright brothers, where from Welwick which is the location of the site in E. Yorkshire.
The monument celebrates the defeat of the plot to blow up King James 1st of England in the House of Lords on Nov 5th 1605.

 Continuing my theme of farewell visits, I made one last trip to the Hornsea Museum to see the pottery collection, there is always something fresh to see and inspire. I love the colours of the 1950s/60s pots in the cabinet below.

Below are pieces I hadn't seen before, the dove grey Jubilee pieces created for a development range in 1999-2000, however the pottery went into receivership around this time and these pots didn't make it into production. I love the simple grey, black and white design, it was a nod back to the hugely popular Contrast range in brown and white from the early 80s.

Lovely little muramic pin dishes below, rather like catherine wheels.

Food out with Bob. We met friends in Bridlington for a "last supper" a few weeks ago and we went to the Mexican / Hawaiian restaurant appropriately called Aloha. It was great fun and we had non alcoholic cocktails and delicious veggie food.

One of our party was celebrating a birthday and once you alert the waiter to this, the lights are dimmed, they bring you a courtesy cocktail and they play the Hawaii Five O theme tune and everyone joins in :) such fun.

Bob was along for the ride when I took my sister for a birthday trip out. Sister was back in the country to help take my dad for another operation so I decided she needed a treat out for her birthday. We were again in Bridlington and had this very nice cake at the Spa, it was Angel Sparkle cake and was absolutely lovely tucking in looking across the bay and with the Spa cafe pianist playing too.

 
I did the tourist thing with my sister, we went and saw the new Gansey Girl sculpture on the harbour, she was sat knitting a jumper!

We did a drive past the Hockney house and then a quick tour of the Old Town. Some of the shops on the High Street were still blacked out from the filming of Dads Army.

Things I've been making. I've had quite a run on needle cases.

I've also been crocheting some wrist warmers and a tweed wrist cuff.

I won something, a little competition to design cut and sew Christmas decorations, I revamped my nutcracker kits for this and added a sugar plum fairy cut and sew.

I also entered this calendar tea towel into a comp and I came second.

I've been working on my Dorothy Doll cut and sew kits which I probably won't have chance to sort out for my shop until next year now. I'm getting very near to having to stop making things and put my craft things away. I'll go mad if I put it all away so I reckon I will keep out something easy like crocheting stuff.

Something I bought recently which I have never owned before, a pair of DM's. I have always wanted some but I fear the stiffness of the leather is something my feet would not get along with. However, they have started doing softer ones so I am giving it a go and I hope I can break them in.

In all the sorting out we have dissected an old G5 power Mac and salvaged the case which will be made into a little stool, it's very sturdy so will be fine. Also I just love the brutalist design of the heat sink CPU's which are the pics below, I think they will be recycled into a piece of sculpture at some point!

I think that's me caught up for now.
I will have to stop work next week and turn my attention to packing, what a horrible task and it's blooming freezing cold now too. Such bad timing having to pack and move in the middle of winter but it was bound to happen.

Keep warm folks.

Dad's Army being filmed in Bridlington Old Town

Did you know the new Dad's Army film is being filmed on location in Bridlington and Flamborough, I gather 70% of the film is being done up here.

Now I'm not someone who is a bit bothered by celebrity this and celebrity that and spotting the stars out and about but I have been curious about the set and how the High Street in the Old Town has been transported back to the 1940's.

The last fortnight has seen a wonderful transformation and filming is still in full swing.
I had to call in to Gallery 49 last week and their shop was being transformed into a gentlemen's outfitters. I hope Liz will not mind in me lifting her pictures from a recent G49 newsletter to show you as I have no pics of my own.

The High Street, to anyone who knows it, needs little help to look authentic, it is one of the best preserved Georgian Streets in northern England and it looked tremendous with the flags and bunting strung between shops.

I was in Brid yesterday, it was sunny and I drove past with half a mind to try and get some photos but the area is completed cordoned off now for filming and with security men in place allowing only pass holders in.
So sadly no pics of my own but there are some nice shots on this link to Brid Free Press, takes a minute to load but lots of pics.

http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/what-s-on/out-about/more-pictures-dad-s-army-in-old-town-1-6956941

Catch up, needle cases and new website

As June draws to a close and it should feel like the height of summer it seems to have been overcast for most of the time although that could also sum up my mood! You know that feeling when your head is so full of ideas that it feels like you're going to explode and what happens to me is I start to feel overwhelmed with what to do first in the limited hours of the day. 
Because of the problems I have in winter, cold house and poor light, I want to be going hell for leather with projects in summer but that's the time it's also nice to get out a bit for some fresh air and only so many hours in the day!

At the start of June I scribbled a huge to do list which I've since added to and not ticked many things off, it's satisfying ticking things off but then I ground to a halt a fortnight ago with a gardening related incident which immobilised my arm for some days and I couldn't drive either. That got me so mad with this stupid garden that I hate and having to keep up appearances with it incase the landlady complains again.  

Anyway I'm getting back on track and have just about finished a batch of caravan needle cases for an order.

I thought the colours were a little bit like the beach hut doors in Bridlington.

Other projects in the pipeline and just arrived back from fabric printing are cut and sew doll kits and some of my Brid photos which will turn into something, not sure what yet.

And talking of Brid I did manage a bit of an early morning stroll last weekend to take in some fresh air which was nice and there was the previous days evidence of families on the beach digging big holes and making pebble sculptures.

In recent weeks I've been trying to create a new website / blog just for my Fabric Mountain stuff. It's mainly because I have some more magazine work coming out soon (can't reveal yet) and I felt I needed a specific site to send readers to regarding Fabric Mountain rather than visiting here with all my ranting and moaning!

There will be very little new to any early readers of this blog as I am trying to back track some of my relevant textile blog posts from here onto the new site but eventually it will feature new work.

http://fabricmountain.co.uk/

Oh dear it's raining, looks like the start of the grim weather weekend, hope it's better where you are :)

Some recent photos

May is well underway and following the sale of one of my needle cases in the previous post I've had an order for 7 more which is lovely.
I'm also very busy with other projects which in turn has lead to going out and about with the camera to the seaside so I have some pictures for this post.

Went to Scarborough last weekend and the Italian gardens had been beautifully planted up, these are just snaps from my phone so they don't really do it justice. The pastel coloured flowers in the centre bed were very pretty.

I always like the reflections captured on a sunny day in the glass on the covered bridge near the Spa.

Today it was Bridlington with the camera and to the beach huts.

Bob came too and posed outside the yellow one with his new car!

It was pretty blustery and we didn't have long before it rained.

Had some fun messing about with photo filters on my Bridlington pictures, the seaside is always a great place to find some interesting and quirky things to shoot.

Love this new ride thing with Triffids!

Beach huts always make me smile and think Hi-de-Hi! Lovely sugary, candy floss, sugar almond coloured doors.

Warning - great new fabric shop, Bridlington

Last week I found a 'new' craft and fabric shop in Bridlington, although the lady said she had been open for a few months so I'm surprised I hadn't spotted it before.
It may be because, in my humble design opinion, the shop sign doesn't do it much justice for the quality of stock inside. The shop is Daisy Crafts on Bridge Street and the logo is just a big clip art daisy which gives the impression of crafts or toys for children.

Anyway don't be fooled, once you venture inside you will find the most amazing and up to date selection of fabrics. She has all the groovy stuff that you would probably only find online, it is all nicely laid out in sections and there are pre cut fat quarters neatly arranged next to each section of fabric bolts.
She is concentrating on ordering the latest designs and has some exciting fabrics on order for Halloween and Christmas.

Also lots of lovely ribbons, buttons, embroidery threads etc. I'm afraid I don't have any pictures of the shop interior or exterior but I can show you a little bundle of FQ's I purchased (£2.95 ea). 
(one other thing, cash only, no credit card facilities at present).

(below) I also bought a few FQ's from the fabric shop in Harrogate last weekend, they are incredibly cheap at only £1.75 ea.

I'm currently busy making brooches but I am also on with some crocheting, this is a big chunky waistcoat for winter, it is coming along well and should be finished within the week, not bad going for me as I don't really crochet clothes.