Patchwork Puzzles

I have been working on a few new designs (when I get 2 seconds free!) and have made some larger cushions by patching knitted squares together - some old designs and some new, the idea came from looking at my Galt puzzle collection. Also I thought I would try to do something a bit more for girls as well as boys - I don't know why but ideas for boys come to me so much easier! I had a mention in an article for 'Kid's Wear Department' which featured my Dolly - thanks for that Julia, so nice to be in good company!

Flotta chair finished!

I managed to finish the Flotta chair for Rebecca during the summer. This was such an interesting commission, Peter came up with an unusual and stunning design based on Rebecca's Grandmothers' life on Flotta, one of the Orkney Islands. You can find out more about this on Peters blog here, and some more finished pictures here

Parker Knoll meets Lucienne Day

Just before the summer I upholstered this Parker Knoll chair for Andrew and Helen. They had been to the Robin and Lucienne Day exhibition at Pallant House Gallery in Chichester (sadly no longer on) Here it was possible to get some of the original textile designs reproduced on fabric. This was done at the Glasgow School of Art.
The design used for this chair was called 'Magnetic' by Lucienne Day, in colour red.

Summer is over

This summer started off with 2 lovely weeks in the south of France staying with great friends near Montpellier.
We saw the striking architecture at La Grande-Motte where we had great mussels, chips and beer... had lots of home grown tomatoes (in every form!)...strolled around Montpellier on a warm evening (see the tromp l'oiel in the center of town)... swam in the pool and went camping in the Ardeche. The campsite Mille Etoiles was peaceful and relaxing with a steep walk down to the bottom of a gorge rewarded with a swim in the river.










I spent a wonderful week in Northern Ireland at my Mum's in co. Down - its so good to get some fresh air, windy beaches and fresh veg from the garden - and see all my nieces and nephews!





During our stay in Ireland we visited the Aquarium at Portaferry - I love these ghost like Ray with what looks like little faces on their tummys - (we learnt they are breathing holes not faces!)





We finished the holidays back in London, enjoying the almost last hot sunny day in south Kensington, splashing in the pool at the V&A on route to the Science Museum.
I will be posting soon new work including the finished Flotta chair....

Embroidery at the Idler

I had a lovely day on Saturday teaching an Embroidery class at the Idler Academy on Westbourne park rd, London.
This is a wonderful place dedicated to teaching, learning and great coffee! Here is a description about what they are about taken from the website;

In Ancient Greece, the word which turned into our word for school, scholee, originally meant ‘leisure’. Education was a pleasure; it was a privilege freely chosen by the freeborn citizens of Athens. The Idler Academy brings this spirit of cultivated leisure to the 21st century, and crosses it with the lively atmosphere of an 18th century coffeehouse. We sell a wide range of new and secondhand books, largely educational in nature. We serve Monnouth coffee, Oolong tea from the Himalayas and Valrhona hot chocolate. We sell delicious cakes from Blueberry Hill. We run courses in academic and practical subjects, from Latin to embroidery, from book-keeping to ukulele, from life-drawing to ancient philosophy. This is a place to read, think, debate and learn, to sharpen your mind and learn creative skills. Above all, we seek liberty, and our Latin motto, libertas per cultum, means ‘freedom through education’.

I brought along a modern day sampler designed and printed by Peter and taught some basic stitches and variations on simple stitches to achieve this (almost) finished Sampler.
We had a wonderful lunch of salmon and asparagus, had delicious morning coffee and afternoon tea and cakes - a lovely way to spend a wet July Saturday.
Should be doing another in September - sign up for the Headmasters newsletter!

Ercol Sofas

I have just finished making new cushions and covers for Alison's 2 Ercol day beds - they are all the rage for a reason, they are simple, elegant and comfortable!
Alison inherited one of the sofas from her grandmother and was keen to retain the shape of the old cushions which had sadly disintegrated, so we worked together to achieve a lovely curve on the seat and back cushions. The piping is made using the reverse of the fabric to give a slightly lighter shade - have to say I could do with a break from making piping - over 30m! (done twice as I used the right side of the fabric first!)
Shown here in Alison's house - a real living environment complete with toys!

Idler Academy

This Saturday I will be teaching an embroidery class at the Idler Academy in west London. Look here for details. Peter has designed a modern sampler which will be printed on linen ready for some stitch work! I will be teaching how to build up basic stitch techniques to create a lovely finished sampler. This class will be suitable for anyone with basic sewing knowledge, it should be a fun day for making work!