Pottering

Almost forgot about this print I produced a couple of weeks ago.  It uses two plates - a collagraph and a drypoint - which are printed one upon the other. I was quite pleased with the result but need to play with the colours a bit more.

Another Shed

DH and I have had a couple of nights away in Devon so that we could visit his Aunt who is in her 90's. We took in Wells Cathedral on the way down and RHS Rosemoor on the way back where I found this delightful shed in the vegetable and fruit garden.  It may appear in my Travelling Journal before too long I think.

Allotment Surprise

Some of you may know that I have been working on a very loosely based allotment theme in the Yorkshire Travelling Journals this year so it was a lovely surprise to receive a Tamsin Abbott print for Christmas with a similar title ...

It is approximately A4 size and is a giclee print of one of her stained glass pieces. Lovely.

Also discovered a bit more about the sculpture.  It was inspired by the local environment and nature and was a collaboration between a sculptor and a local school.  When viewed from a  particular angle it is meant to represent the concentric curves of the design of a radar screen.  Shall have to go and have another look as I did not get it! It is called 'The Copse'.

More Allotments

As I have had an horrendous cold since I came back from Missenden Abbey I have not been up to doing much so I have fished out a couple of images from the Yorkshire Travelling Journal for 2014 to delight you.

Allotment Vegetables

Yesterday I spent most of the day stitching.  I have been trying out various vegetables for my next Yorkshire Travelling Journal. I saw the cauliflowers in 'Stitch' magazine and then remembered that I had a book with them in too so went and fished it out.

Next came the bright idea that I might be able to produce some raised cabbages using wadding and a piece of space died velvet I had in my box of bits.  I found it was easier to stitch from the back as the velvet was difficult to sew on.

Finally, and not yet mastered, was the idea of making some lettuce from some organza type ribbon.  IU am still working on that one.

I also managed to make a very small pincushion from tiny hexagons to put into the 'Quilt O Fax' I finished last week.  It has a little bit of Velcro on the back to hold it in place.

My Big Allotment Challenge

Last year I was trying to follow a theme of 'Allotments' for the Yorkshire Travelling Journals.  You must bear in mind that I do not actually have an allotment but do love looking at them. You get the lovely neat, regimented ones and then there are those that are neglected, full of weeds and junk. The jumble of sheds assembled from all sorts of bits and bobs are a feast to the eyes, all higgledy piggledy utilising such ingenuity to create them.  Then there is the flash view when passing by on a train journey, with an allotmenteer here and there busy tending their plot.

The picture above and below was my work for May 2014 and was based on companion planting, with nasturtiums to attract the blackfly away from your broadbeans. It is in my friend "E's" YTJ and I think she liked it. I managed to find an information sheet available following the austerity of the war.

This next one was for June I think.  I did a drawing from a photograph of another friend's shed, machine stitched it and then found a suitable poem on the internet.  Again I think "M" liked the entry in her YTJ. I bet it made her smile.