Busy Times

There are lots of things going on in my life at the moment- they say it's good to keep busy!

We have been having more work done on the house -plastering decorating and new floor being laid. This has caused a certain amount of disruption and lots more housework than normal added to the fact that I haven't been able to get into my sewing room.

On Monday we had our monthly meeting of St Ives Textiles and we spent the session printing- mostly using gelli plates. Below are some of my samples. I will be cutting and pasting them into my sketchbook shortly.

I have also been making things to sell at craft fairs too. On Saturday the Lelant Heritage Centre opens for Christmas- selling crafts and serving drinks, mince pies etc. I am also having a table at the Fair Mo Christmas Fair in St Ives at the end of the month.

At the weekend I am going up to Sussex to look after my beautiful granddaughter. I can't believe that she will be 11 months old this week- the time has gone so quickly. I can't wait to see her again.

Now I must go and prepare some hand sewing to  take with me to do on the train.

Busy times

 

 

 It's been a beautiful September here in Cornwall and the good weather has extended into October even though it's a bit cooler and we have had the odd bit of rain and some wind. Today we had our monthly meeting of St Ives Textiles in the Porthmeor Studios. It's really hard not to spend the day looking out of the window and soaking up the view as it is so fantastic as you can see from the pictures below. It is so inspiring and we all had to agree that we are so lucky to be living here.

 

Because the weather has been so good it has been a very busy holiday season. It is quieter this week and now it's autumn dog owners are allowed back on the beaches.

 

The ladies of St Ives Textiles have had a book making session today.

 

Lots of cutting and glueing took place!

 

At times people were so busy you could here a pin drop!

 

 

 

Some of the finished and nearly finished books.

 

At our next meeting we are going to do some printing which I am really looking forward to.

Quilts and Craft Fairs

 

This weekend I was lucky enough to spend two days at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in  Birmingham. We set off by coach early on Friday morning ready to stay at the Hilton Metropole. Unfortunately it took eleven hours to get from St Ives to Birmingham by coach as there was so much traffic on the road. However after a refreshing swim in the hotel pool , dinner and a sleep we were ready to face the exhibition. There was so much to see so I have just picked out a few of my favourite quilts.

 

                                      This one was by Janneke deVries-Bodzinger

 

Yvonne Brown

 

 Ruth Parker

 

 Of course there was plenty of opportunity for shopping. Here is my collection of goodies. Some lovely books for inspiration and lots of materials that are not readily available in Cornwall.  I'm looking forward to getting started.

 

 

 

 Yesterday I had a stall in the local church. My first venture into selling crafts in Cornwall. I sold a

 few pieces of jewellery and some lavender bags. Unfortunately it wasn't very well attended as I think most people were on the beach!

 

 Two pictures of my stall.

                                  
I have been asked if I would like to have a stall at a Christmas Market in St Ives so watch this space!

A Creative Week

 

I have had a busy time making things to sell next Tuesday at a table top sale which is being held at St Uny Church in Lelant.The sale is to raise money to fund a Heritage Centre which was opened last week

It is housed in an unused Methodist Chapel, which was built in 1879.  

It contains historical documents and photographs of Lelant as well as showcasing work by local artists. There is also a small refreshment area and the whole project if being run by volunteers. 

 

Lelant Heritage Centre

Below is pictured some of the things I have been making to sell. Recently I have been working with sari silk. I love the vibrant colours that you get and it is perfect for the jewellery I have been making. I first embellish the silk onto felt, then free machine on top of the silk using metallic and variegated threads. I then cut the fabric to the size of the jewellery mounts I use and finish with beads and hand embroidery. Below is a selection of some of the finished pieces ready for packing.

 

 

A close up of a finished piece showing the embroidery and back of the pendant. Packaging has to be finished by Thursday as I am going to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC early on Friday morning.

Living the Dream

I haven't blogged for ages but so much has happened in my life in the last year that I want to write about that I decided it was time to start again. The title of my blog says it all- I'm living the dream! My DH and I had talked about moving to Cornwall for some time and we finally succeeded in August last year. I am pinching myself as I still feel like I'm on holiday every morning when I wake up. We did wonder if we'd made a terrible mistake in the winter months as the weather was terrible- gales and flooding but fortunately we live high up the only damage we had was the loss of four fence panels.

The weather has been lovely for weeks now and we have been able to get out and explore our surroundings. This is our local beach- about ten minutes walk away. It's great for dog walking.

 

The railway station for the line that goes between Lelant and St Ives along a picturesque part of the coast is also just a short walk away. 

There can't be many stations with a view like this. The M25 is a million miles away!

 Getting used to the laid back way of life has taken a bit of getting used to. Workmen don't always turn up when they are supposed to and you have to make allowances for that.

 What I'm not used is all the cake. I didn't realise that Cornwall runs on cake - pasties yes but not cake! Everywhere you go it is offered to you and it's very difficult to refuse a slice as most of it is absolutely delicious.

Another good thing that's happened in the last year is the birth of our beautiful baby granddaughter Tabitha who was an early Christmas present. I have been lucky enough to spend some time looking after her which was really lovely. She's grown a bit since this picture was taken but it was a special day as we had four generations of the family together.

Sadly my dear Dad died shortly after he met Tabitha. He was 91 and he died in hospital- the first time in his life he had ever been in hospital. He is sadly missed by all the family.

I am slowly getting involved with local activities. We are starting a new textile art group in September which is very exciting. I have been asked to teach some workshops and I am volunteering at a new heritage centre which opens this week. Life is good in Cornwall!