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 :)

New additions to my Spoonflower fabric range

This week I've been working on floral projects which lead to the perfect opportunity to update and refresh one of my Spoonflower fabrics, the Ditsy Embroidered Flowers design.

These are the fabric designs which I created in a collage style using embroidered flowers from vintage linens. I've been adding colours to the range and also doing some simple 2 colour complimentary fabrics. 

I still have lots more colour combinations to try but as usual not enough time to do them right now!

Have a good weekend everyone.

Some more bicycle art

Bicycles have been a bit of a theme recently and I am still working on a new bicycle fabric which needs finishing but annoyingly it won't be ready for the Tour de France, if only I'd thought about this earlier as it starts in Yorkshire.

Anyway I produced a few Le Tour brooches as seen on a previous post and I also did a couple of pictures for the current exhibition running at Gallery 49, Art & The Bicycle.

These were my offerings, I shall start with the simple, graphic piece. This is free cut paper which has been machine stitched.

Like with most pieces of work, I usually finish and then think it looks too plain and I start to tinker about or add more. I'm not sure I improved it by adding flowers and text but that's how it went to the gallery.

I'm thinking with hindsight I prefer the pre flower version! Proving that theory I usually try to work to, "less is more". 

The other piece of work I did was slightly more labour intensive and involved some screen printing for the background, a bit of distressed rubber stamping and some embellishing with fabric and threads.

Not surprisingly it's called Bike Ride With Butterflies.

First sunny day in June, seaside and open studios

It's June and I think this is the first day I remember the sun, although it has chucked it down and thundered this evening!

This weekend and next weekend is North Yorkshire Open Studios so a trip to sunny Filey was the perfect detour to a studio I wanted to visit a few miles north.
Filey is a quiet seaside spot with no noisy amusements which have their place at some resorts but Filey is lovely without.

The donkeys were just disappearing as I arrived. I've had many a donkey ride at Filey as a child!

I do like beach huts.

Clowns I find creepy and disturbing but it doesn't stop that fascination with photographing them, as long as you don't look into their eyes!!

Onwards to the open studio and the destination was Lebberston village. My friend Corinne the textile artist was exhibiting her work alongside Shirley who's studio was open at Lebberston Hall. Shirley has the most amazing and contemporary studio conversion, stylish, flooded with light and such a wonderful feel to it. 
I haven't any pics of the studio sadly as I was too engrossed in their lovely work but if you were in that area next weekend it's a good place to stop for a look.

Shirley does painting and sculptural pieces made with driftwood finds and ceramics. Here are my little treats.

What's in the corrugated package I hear you ask.

It's a lovely little puddy tat decoration, beautifully packaged. I love Shirley's animal creations they are so joyful and full of fun, could've bought loads, there were owls, sausage dogs, fish, birds and in all price ranges.

The other treat was a gorgeous embroidered butterfly brooch by Corinne, and as we always say, you can't have too many brooches! This one is made from vintage William Morris fabric.

Had an absolutely lovely visit. 
Corinne has just been featured in the Yorkshire Post.

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/yorkshire-living/leisure-fashion/homes/through-the-eye-of-a-needle-1-6651943

And here is a link to view Shirley's site and her lovely work which I think might be on Etsy.

http://www.shirleyvauvelle.co.uk/