Sheltering from the storms

Well here we are again at the end of another wet and windy week on the North Cornwall Coast.  We surely deserve a warm dry summer after all of this winter rain!! 

Here's hoping!!

Ready to go!

Lets play Chicken!

The one good result of all this awful weather is that I am not feeling too

 guilty about keeping warm inside and doing a bit of sewing and internet updating.

I am really lucky to have good friends and family that are happy to photograph my work (OK, so a little bribery may take place!); and it has to be said they do of course do a far better job of it than I could ever do!

 I have recently added two more of these photos to my Flickr Album - 'My Artwork', as a 'Thank You' to them!  

Forget Me Knot

'Forget Me Knot' is a collage of various fabrics and papers, texture was added with machine and hand stitching.  Three small pieces of 'pre-loved' blue pottery which I found on the beach give the piece extra detail and its title.  

Shoreline

'Shoreline'  is a smaller piece of painted fabric with texture added again with scrim, small slate shards and free machining and hand stitching.

 Challenge 2018 - Week 4 

I have used a piece of fabric paper that I made a little while ago and re-vamped with an extra wash of Derwent 'Inktense' Blocks.  (I mentioned last time that I do enjoy using them.) 

Week 4

 A little free machining was added along with echo couching to reflect ripples on the sea.  

I should probably warn you now, that this Challenge will have a reoccurring 'Sea' and/or Kandinsky theme!  But I may surprise you (or even myself!!).

Thank you for popping by, and hopefully see you next time.

Carolyn

Quiet Week, yeah Right!!

2018 Challenge - Week 3 and I am still on a roll........I am so impressed with myself.  

Week 3

This was a piece of free machining on calico that I have painted with Derwent Inktense Blocks.  My favourite medium to paint with.  The colours are so 'intense' and yet are applied as a crayon or with a brush like a watercolour.  Fabulous.

I am developing the ideas from weeks 1-3 and I will share with you later!   

Its been a busy week away from my sewing room, involving Parents & Mobile Phones!! Doesn't sound like much I hear you say, and yes its been super having them to stay...............but, it has involved several trips into town and across county lines...........need I say more.  Anyway, I'm very pleased to say that I think we are sorted now, and NO they won't be up-grading for a while, thank you very much!!

So I haven't got a lot to share, but as promised I have added some patterns to my Etsy Shop and to my website Younique Textiles, which I hope you may like.

Younique Textiles - Patterns

Thank you again for popping by, and hopefully I will catch you next time.

Carolyn

Motivation returns

Well here we are at the end of another week and I don't want to get too excited but I seem to be on a bit of a roll even after thinking I was having a creative block!!  To be fair there still may be a bit of a block going on, but at least this week has seen some motivation!!

I guess it started with a 'throw everything in the air' and see how it lands moment.  I am pleased to say that my work area is now very tidy and if not a tad over-sorted.  That will of course revert to the normal chaos very quickly.

I have also had a little re-vamp of the blog and up-dated my Flickr account which I have been meaning to do for a while.  Now that I have made these changes I will endeavour to upload new images regularly, when, of course I have finished any new work or have new photos that I find inspirational.

So what else have I been doing..............well a bit of playing, or should I say researching and experimenting, and also a bit of finishing off.  More needs to be done in that line this year, far too many UFO's lurking around in my room!!

Week Two

I am still on track with my Challenge 2018; well you would hope so as it is only Week Two. 

I really enjoyed making this 'Inchie', which I think has a real Wassily Kandinsky feel to it.  He was my inspiration during my City & Guilds course.  

I used painted scrim, beads and wire all stitched onto a piece of fabric used to clean brushes and protect tables during any painting moments.

Back to finishing off projects!

Porthole

Last year, when I was 'busy' helping my daughter after the birth of our youngest Granddaughter, I designed a hexagon based, biased strip pattern.  It has been tucked away all year, with the label 'need to develop this'. 

So I have......

'Porthole' will be available as a pattern shortly.  It has been made as a cushion cover, but will work equally well as a quilt block.

Hexagons & Diamonds

Keeping with the Hexagon theme, I have also finished another project that I started last year.

Isn't it strange that to get motivated again you have to clear the decks!

This will also be available as a cushion pattern later in the year.





So that is about it for now; time to start thinking about next weeks 'Inchie' I guess.

Thank you for taking the time to pop by....

Carolyn

2018 Challenges and Workshops!!

Well, here we are then in 2018..........not sure exactly what happened to 2017, but hopefully we are heading into another exciting year!!

Last time I wrote I was busy getting ready for our local Christmas Fair.  It was a super weekend, I met lots of lovely people, and got some invaluable advice from Claire @ Spellbound by the sea, thank you.

Ready for the Christmas Fair 2017

Following Claire's advice I now have an  Etsy Shop as well as my website.  I will be adding new items in the next few weeks to both Etsy and the website so please feel free to check them out!

Now, as we are all settling into 2018 and getting over all the excitement of the Christmas and New Year festivities its time to set myself a goal!

I am finding it a tad difficult to settle down and get creative, so I have decided to bump start myself with a little challenge!  I am not the best at keeping on top of challenges......but hey there is always a first time!!

So.....as I am fascinated by the 'inchies' that creative folk make and show on Pinterest; my challenge is to (hopefully) make one a week (!!).  They will be no bigger than 4" square and will use a different technique each time.  The thought being that this will give me the opportunity to delve into; and develop new ideas, that will hopefully grow into pieces of work.

Tyvek - Challenge 2018

This is my first one; using Tyvek, fabric paints, chiffon and a little bit of magic! I love it and I am looking forward to getting started on the next one!


As well as 'Challenges', Etsy and the website, I will also be running a selection of workshops in 2018.  At the moment I will be based at Coast & Country, Crafts & Quilts, but I am looking at adding another venue in the next couple of months.  I will keep you posted.

Cutting Mat Tote

Workshops 2018

Tuesday February 13th 
Cutting Mat Tote 
Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts

This really useful tote includes several pockets for rulers and rotary cutter.  A 'must have' for taking quilting equipment to workshops!

Shadow Cushion 

Tuesday March 13th
Shadow Cushion 
Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts

A modern twist to the traditional 'tumbling block'.  It is completed using both the foundation piecing technique and quilt as you go method.  A full to scale plan is included in the workshop.

As seen at the V&A

Tuesday April 10th & Tuesday April 24th
Trapeze Tunic 
Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts 

This is a departure from quilting and a venture into dressmaking (where it all started for me!)  It is a super pattern which can be made with short sleeves, 3/4 length sleeves or sleeveless.  A sample will be hanging at Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts and permission has kindly been given by Merchant and Mills to use their pattern for this workshop.  

Thank you for reading, and best wishes for 2018.

Carolyn

Christmas Markets and Sunsets

Just as I sit down to write a few lines and I have been distracted by the most beautiful sky!  

The sun is setting and is turning the sky a beautiful range of pinks and purples.  Its just too gorgeous and as it lasts for only a few seconds, I'm not feeling too guilty about watching it.

Getting Ready for the Christmas Market

It is a busy time for me at the moment as I am getting ready for my first venture into the world of  Christmas Markets!!  


And its not all about creating there are so many questions to ask first............
  

What to make........? 
How many to make........? 
Will anyone but me, like what I make..........? 

Shoreline Wall Art

Wave Journal

AND........

too many ideas (though that's such a bad thing, until its time to go the sleep!!!)

BUT..........


The fabric is out, the needles are threaded and the first bits and pieces are completed. 


These are just a small taster of what will be available on my stall!!

Batik Cushions

As well as getting ready for the Fayre, I  am brushing up on my teaching skills, as I am off to Coast & Country Crafts & Quilts next Thursday (9th November) to run my Journal Cover workshop. 

It promises to be a super day using Photo Fabric, different fabric textures and raw edges!!!!  

Journal Cover Workshop

I must remember to pick up the double chocolate chip cookies on the way down though, otherwise I will be shown the door, before the day even starts!







I am looking forward to doing some more workshops in 2018, and will include details and dates once they have been confirmed.


In the meantime its back to the fabric, the threads and the needles......  

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

Lazy of Leisure??

Well, I never quite got around to uploading the photos from Germany!  

Instead we got a puppy (who has transformed our lives and is just so cute), I also changed jobs and just got busy doing the odd Quilting workshop!

One of my favourites was 'Angus' and it turned out to be a popular one too. 

It's good to mix it up a little bit and add different textures to work and 'Angus' is a mixture of linen, wool and cottons.

Another popular workshop was 'Cityscapes', which is made as a single sized quilt.  It is not for the faint-hearted as there is  a lot of cutting and piecing, so of course many seams to match. 

Saying that,one of the loveliest ones was made by a student who hadn't even picked up a rotary cutter prior to  booking onto the workshop.

It has been an eventful 2017 as we welcomed safely into the world a beautiful new Granddaughter in January.  She is a joy (of course) and it feels like a 'gift' to have her.  

Added to that we have had a couple of family weddings!  

In fact not just 'family' weddings but both our eldest Daughter and youngest Son decided that 2017 was the year to get married.  Bless them!

Both were fabulous days and as with any special occasion over far too quickly.  

Thankfully we have over 3500 photos (between the two) to help us remember!

Oh and best I don't forget.....just recently another little puppy to the family.  Not ours this time but our daughters.  

So many additions and all rather lovely!

Anyway two years since my last post and the 50 minute drive to work was becoming tiring, and being in an environment when you are breathing in fabric dust all day, meant it was time to change again.   

So........now I am, what my husband calls 'a lazy of leisure'. I really don't think so!!  I left work nearly 2 months ago and I am not really sure where the time has gone!

Once I finished work and to get into the 'lazy of leisure' mode we had a sailing holiday in Greece.  

To get me to agree to go, I was told it would be flat calm (I'm not a sailor) with beautiful sunshine! 

Well, the first day saw 1.5 metre swells (according to my husband), 5 metre swells (according to me) and a mini hurricane and thunder storm!  Too late by then as I was already there ( but a note to self - never listen to my husband again!).  

It was though, a fabulous week, beautiful scenery, warm seas, nicely hot, good food and even better drink! 

We sailed around the Greek Islands including Kefalonia , which was a trip down memory lane as that was our first holiday abroad with the children too many years ago.

So now we are settling ourselves into a routine of being home, and I'm pleased to say we are still speaking!!

Exciting news today as we saw the launch of my new website Younique Textiles.  We have been working on it for a little while so it is good to see it go live.  

A really big 'thank you' to my husband who has done a great deal of the background 'stuff', and my daughter who has been quietly giving me bits of advice as I've gone along.  I'm also very lucky to have friends who will happily photograph my work, so a big thank you Chris and Amy. 

Thank you for reading and hopefully I will be back soon.
Carolyn

What a lovely day

First it was Germany, then an over night stop on Dartmoor, what a busy little life we have. A bit like waiting for a bus though, not one for ages (or in our case years) then they all come at once!!

Germany was fabulous.  Lots of driving (for some of us), and even more to see. I still haven't managed to up load all the photos, that may be tomorrow's job.  I am debating whether or not to include photos of us in full costume on our way to the Oktoberfest!.................No, on second thoughts, that may be not such a good idea!

Our trip to Dartmoor was very definitely "last minute.com",  but was so very worth it.  We had a lovely walk out from Post Bridge to the waterfall and back.  The weather was perfect and we could see for miles and miles, including the sea at Torbay.

 

Our overnight stop was at "The Bedford Hotel" at Tavistock, sister to "The Two Bridges Hotel" where we have stayed a few times. The perfect end to a lovely day.

A touch of dejavu as we were back there today, this time with our son and his girlfriend.  Again the weather was perfect, hard to believe we are in October, it is so warm.

We had a little chocolate malfunction, so the boys decided to cool them down in the waterfall!

 

Thankfully, the bag was held tight and none were lost, we did panic for a minute or two though, but it worked, and they were very lovely!

We are so lucky to have this beautiful and inspiring National Park on our doorstep! It calms the soul and clears the head.