What have I been up to?

Over the course of the past 3-4 weeks I have been guiding a friend in the making of these cushions. Apart from the challenges of getting the text onto the fabric, she was also left handed which made life interesting for me. They are a present for her son and I am sure he is going to love them.

Hopefully she will continue with her stitching …. her daughter now wants a cushion too!! She is obviously a very capable embroiderer and I am hoping that she will continue to develop her creativity. The benefits of this will enhance her life plus it is also very good for one's soul.

Chilly Start

Not a very exciting photograph but a welcome thing to see when you have cycled 20 miles.  I seem to get an extra spurt of energy when I know I am almost back to Croome and there is delicious coffee and a scone to refresh me, although there is still a nice slope to encounter on the way back to the entrance from here.

I took advantage of the sunshine on Sunday and rode from Malvern to Croome Park, via Diglis Bridge in Worcester.  I did an extra 4 mile loop to get my mileage up and fill in some time until DH met me at Croome and gave me a lift home in the car.

It was a very chilly start and I thought I had taken leave of my senses, but I soon warmed up once I got pedalling. At least my hands stayed warm in my lobster gloves, so it cannot have been as cold as I thought. It was around 9 degrees when I arrived at Croome.

Museum in the Park

On Wednesday of this week I was meant to be helping a friend in the Forest of Dean stitch some cushions together, but she was not well and cancelled last minute.  It was such a nice day that I decided to drive myself to Stroud to visit the current print exhibition at The Museum in the Park that I have been trying to get to for the past 2-3 weeks.  I was not disappointed. This lovely piece of vintage embroidery was on display in the general part of the Museum and it just demonstrates that you do not have to look far for inspiration when you are stuck!!

Sue Brown's piece of work was inspired by this drawer of moths.

Lots of different methods used to produce her prints onto silk - Eco Printing and Gum Arabic Transfer amongst them.

At the rear of the Museum there is also a calm and peaceful garden which is well worth a visit.  The borders are full of dried seedheads and Michaelmas Daisies at the moment. Alas the exhibition ends this weekend I am afraid.

Autumn Cycling

Lovely weather here on Tuesday so went off to Croome and did a route down through Kinnersley and Earls Coome.  Then a short length on the A4104 to Baughton where I turned right onto a quiet lane that eventually takes you back towards Defford through Lower Strensham. When I got to Defford I realised that I had not done enough miles so I then continued along through Wadborough and Pirton, via High Green back to NT Croome Court for a cup of coffee and a fruit scone.  Lovely weather and I got some much needed exercise and head space. The horrid steep hill coming out of Defford towards Besford defeated me again.  No wonder … when I got to the top of the hill I realised I had been in totally the wrong range of gears all the way up it. I did a total of 18+ miles so that was good.

Defford Church

Approach to Defford. I have never really seen any of the fields of asparagus in the autumn before and these were obviously starting to change colour before dying off for the winter.  The lorry is on the main road (A4104) which I had to join for a short distance before turning off into Defford past the village hall church.

Another Little Quilt

I have had a few days on my own as DH took himself off on a little jolly for 4 days. I made the most of the time to piece this small quilt using a method to produce circles that I found in an Improv Quilts book. It made it so easy to get the circles to actually be round and neat. I am also still trying to use up leftover fabric.

It is not finished yet and is quite small and I assume it will make a nice small quilt for a cot or crib.

Another book

Finished another book off and added an image to the cover from a print block I carved from an eraser some time ago. Have started a couple more. Perhaps they will become presents for people?

Last week's printing was based on, yet again, an old print block which needs modifying but I have not got round to sorting it out yet. Perhaps I will just start again.

Sewn Boards Binding

I learnt a new bookbinding structure on Saturday at a workshop with the lovely Lesley Crawley. It was similar to French Link, but with a covered spine and soft covers. I have finished a second one since then and might make some more if I have some free time.

A lovely variation of covers - wrapping paper, marbled paper, double sided paper and mixed media.

All had book cloth spines

We all produced one complete book on the day with a second book as work in progress.  I am sure everyone will have gone home and completed them.

Peared Up

Back to Solo Printing again in Cheltenham this Thursday. Was so sad to miss it last week when I went instead with DH on a River Cruise up the Severn for 3 hours.  Know where I would rather have been!!

Sue Brown was beavering away on her own work in the other room, piecing fabrics and then printing onto them using the Gum Arabic method. There were only 3 of us "Solo's" this week and strangely two of us were using old printing plates with pears on them ….

Margaret's

My effort