Living where we do, with Ilkley Moor rising behind us to the south, there are a few weeks in winter when we don’t see the sun at all. So the solstice is definitely something to celebrate! And this is the song for it - no, not that Beatles one, but nearly as ancient (please don’t remind me exactly how old) -Jethro Tull, “Ring Out Solstice Bells”.
Wishing everyone a very happy solstice.
For many years now, Caroline Mornement’s “Craft Galleries Guide” (BCF Books) has helped me find new galleries to visit all over the UK. A new edition has just been published – but unfortunately it’s the last. Another casualty of the Internet I suppose.
But, there was a lovely surprise when my copy arrived - I got a mention! This piece of mine, Botanica 1, is featured in the Platform Gallery’s entry.
If you order before the end of March it’s only £12.50 inc. p&p from BCF Books.
Not much further to go now! I was determined to post this today but the light is awful so apologies for even worse than usual photos.
Week 44 - Autumn foliage at Newstead Abbey, Notts. Dyed scrims embellished onto felt from the back.
Week 45 – Launch of the new Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior. Digitised machine embroidery. Not perfect, but you get the idea.
Week 46 – Rolled up garments, illustrating article about increased prices. Thick wool yarns applied to felt using the embellisher.
Week 47 – “Field of Light” art installation in Bath. Free machined, trailing threads fixed down with Misty Fuse.
Only one more month to do, though it’s a five week one at a busy time… thoughts turn to next year’s project? I enjoyed using bought diaries for my first four years (!) of this, it’s a good challenge to do something you wouldn’t necessarily choose plus I liked being able to look ahead and make notes for future weeks. Using newspaper pictures this year was tougher, but I doubt I can go back to a diary as there’s not much choice of suitable/appealing ones (A5-ish with an illustration for each week) that are different to the ones I’ve done already. Maybe I could take my own photo to use each week? Hmm…
It didn’t snow! No fog or rain! Unusually lucky for the annual pilgrimage to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate. I’ll never understand why the most northerly of the shows is the latest in the year, but we got away with it this time.
So, into the labyrinth… five big halls to explore, and the ways between them don’t seem to get any less confusing with practise. Eventually realised I’d managed to miss one corner, a supplier I knew was in there somewhere, but too exhausted to fight my way back through the crowds by then. 
The highlights, as ever, were the Textile Gallery and the Graduate Showcase. The Textile Study Group had a polished exhibition, “Individual and Collective”, each member showing a picture of an artwork that inspired them beside their own work. But the catalogue didn’t mention these, or even include many of the works on show – I think it must’ve had to be produced too far in advance? (Know the problem, gg)
I really liked minimally stitched pieces by Pat Clayton (coast/shoreline) and Joan Lamb (dusky East Africa sky and grasses) in the Textile Expressions exhibition. Beautifully done, very evocative; sadly I can’t find any websites for them or their group.
Ten Plus Textiles also had an impressive show for their 20th anniversary year, and I surprised myself by picking woven, not stitched, pieces as my favourites - Jane White’s painted warp. Guess what… no pics.
In the Graduate Showcase, I was delighted to see some of Diana Barrett’s degree work – I know her as a machine embroidery star, making stunning vessels and unique intensely stitched wall pieces, but she’s really branched out for her BA. Here she also had long hangings with limited areas of stitch or even none. Beautiful laser cut patterns in off-white fabric, well of course I’d love those, I always go for pieces that cast lovely shadows. Congratulations on your First, Diana, well deserved. 
The other new graduate who excited me was Melanie Kay, with her stitched beer cans. She had lampshades and reconstructed embroidered cans but what really worked for me were the lacy pieces, heavily perforated with lots of punched holes. She has pics out on the web so I don’t think she’ll mind if I show one here. (I don’t take photos at these shows, it seems wrong to put pictures of other people’s work on the web if they haven’t done so themselves.)
What did I bring home? Not a lot really… it’s one of those rules, I’m always between projects when the show rolls round and then the following week I’ll be desperate for supplies I could have got so easily if I’d known. Some Razzle threads to try on the machine bobbin, dyed scrims to use on the embellisher, some green rubbery stuff to make print blocks (those starlings maybe?), the new Jan Beaney and Jean Littlejohn book (Stitch Rhythms & Patterns), lots of cards. But mostly – inspiration, a renewed determination to try harder with my own work!
