Today's Messing About - Weaving

Approx 15cm x 45cm (shell to shell)

Warp: Cotton thread.
Weft: Cotton thread, sisal rope (deconstructed), seaweeds, razor shells, driftwood, silk rod (cut into strips), feathers.
Two shells with naturally occurring holes.


It was fun just to mess about again. I was inspired to make it after thumbing though a couple of books that always make my mouth water with their gorgeous use of textiles fantastic mixes of colours and textures. But so often I only look and admire rather that take the inspiration and make my own. Partly I hesitate as if to copy it directly is wrong (although I am only too happy to use a knitting or dressmaking pattern) Inside a little voice had always nagged at me to be different, not copy, be original, come up with your own, and I am deterred. But I do believe there is a time and a place for me to take the concept of the woven hanging incorporating beach combings and made it my own. So it's been done a million times before, so what, I had fun.

Awful flash photograph, will try to take a better one.

Messing about,without agenda

Scans of yesterday's experiments with the various silks I had dyed, silk rods ( a waste product of unwinding the cocoons) and degummed cocoons 'fluffed out'.



Dyed throwsters waste, silk rods and razor shells.




Wrapped shells after colouring with silk dyes.





Wrappings- silk throwsters waste and cocoons.

Hmmmmm it's officially the last day of 2010

Actually to me it's still the 30th of Dec 2010 as I'm still up and won't be going to bed for a while yet. But still, it will be the last blog of the decade.

I tried very hard this year to move forward, career wise and in getting the house sorted out. I did indeed make several steps forward but life being what it is tripped me up and although I didn't ac tally move backwards, I made very little headway.

Tonight I have sat here with a sheet of paper making those notes to self, jottings and complicated diagrams and calculations that are supposed to help me decide my course of action for the year ahead. Not sure they helped much, but made me feel I was doing something. And I do have to do something and fast. It's all very well being assured that my work is good and should be selling. In fact thanks to the many lovely people who took the time -sometimes just in passing-to say how much they liked my work, and those who gave me support and help in so many ways. Between you all my fundamental confidence and self belief has grown this year.

But as I said I have to do something to make money quickly. Our personal finances are precarious made even more so by the dearth of work for my driving instructor husband, due to a local test centre having been closed for rather a long time now and of course the recent weather. I'm looking for a job to bring in some reliable cash, but my chaotic CV and having to put 'chronic migraine' on any application narrows down the opportunities.

We will see................................

Six Rooms Gallery

Only two days left of a three week long exhibition of my work as part of The Liverpool Independents Biennial. It's been a hectic time, preparing work, the venue and invigilating whilst trying to get other work done! It has been a personal success with very favourable feedback, and sales regarding both my photography and hand bound books.



The germ of the idea to get together as group and take part happened at a With These Hands networking meeting. Fortunately for all concerned Theresia Cadwallader took the post of curating the exhibition upon herself and has made a fantastic job of it. Thanks to Theresia a lovely empty Georgian building was secured for the duration of the Biennial. WTH members form the nucleus of those exhibiting with well respected artists invited to join them. There are three groups of artists, with Group 1 finishing exhibiting in a few days time on the 5th October. I have been privileged to be part of Group 1 and to have shown alongside so many fantastic practitioners.

Groups 2 and 3 have yet to show their work and can be seen at;

The Six Rooms Gallery
26 Argyle Street Birkenhead
CH41 6AE

Group 2 Fri 8th Oct - Sat 30th Oct
Group3 Thurs 4th Nov - Sat 27th Nov

In it to win it

How rubbish am I at Blogging? There is so much to catch up on. But just for now I am giving a mention to a blog I follow. There are often great give aways on offer and I have never attempted to win any. But tonight I am after seeing some fantastic Promarkers from Letraset up for grabs from http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/2010/09/1-million-hits-candy.html. So here goes........

I'm Independant!

Gosh I have amazed myself by doing something right away and not leaving it until it becomes that dark niggle that follows you tapping you on the shoulder for your attention. Always there, but left unattended and sometimes growing out of all proportion to become a hideous gigantic shadow of it's real self that distorts a simple action into something dreaded.

Tonight I passed a very pleasant and productive evening with fellow members of our networking group With These Hands. Among the various things discussed (around a table laden with all sorts of delicious goodies we had contributed) was the forthcoming Independents Biennial which is the Independent strand of the Liverpool Biennial Festival of Contemporary Visual Art. Exciting plans afoot can't wait to be able to post more but hushhhh for now. Anyway discussions about registering as a group or individuals went around the table. I have made my commitment to taking part in one way or another (or maybe several?) by registering as soon as I got home as an individual. As soon as I write one of those horrid biog things for my profile I will be there on the website for all to see.

Light Night at the Bluecoat

A week or so ago I made my maiden appearance at a Contemporary Craft and Art Fair in the courtyard of the elegant Bluecoat Arts Centre in Liverpool. These are usually held on the last Saturday of the month, but this was run on Light Night (galleries, museums, shops and more staying up long past their usual bed time) and had a good vibe. Rain might have dampened things a little but didn't stop play. I'll be there again this Saturday and hope that higher light levels and fine weather bring more sales.



Two days later on Bank Holiday Monday I will be at Coronation Gardens West Kirby (on the Wirral). This is a new venture for all involved and looks to be an exciting event. A wide variety of art and photography will be hung in alcoves i the walls of the gardens. Along with others I will be taking a table for yet more goodies, in my case my hand bound books. The Sunset Lounge Cafe will be serving drinks and snacks. I have an image of people wandering in the sunshine, ice creams in hand as they peruse the artwork, so much better than at the Tate!

'I Want to Make Craft Count'

I registered my support for the initiative from the Crafts Council, I Want to Make Craft Count. I wrote the following in the space provided for what craft means to me.

Craft has shaped my life from the moment I learnt how to make a pair of scissors perform at my command. It has kept the wolf from the door and carried me through my seasons of depression. It both inspires me and gives me the means to express my innermost thoughts and emotions. Craft has no boundaries, is welcoming and accessible to all.

Muddy Bikes

Yesterdays' walk around a part of the coast where I live, brought me upon a wonderful sight. This small mountain of tangled and mud encrusted bikes had been dredged from the bottom of Marine Lake (New Brighton) which is being redeveloped.


I had seen them heaped up whilst still in the lake. I was so disappointed at the time not to be able to get close enough for a good shot due to the security fencing. I was delighted then to happen across them again, now relocated to the bank of one of the dips*.









My camera has been playing up for some months and although OK at these resolutions, they are not as sharp and in focus as I would like them to be. I am currently methodically going through different permutations of settings and hardware to try to pinpoint the problem. Is it me, or the camera/lens?

I had forgotten how much fun it is, to just mess about in Photoshop.

*The dips are large rectangular grassed depressions sited along Kings Parade. These were created when earth was removed to create the embankment and sea defences in the first half of the 20th Century.

China Book

When I saw my friend Kristina on New Years' Eve (she lives over an hour and a half away by car yet it was only a twenty minute visit - long story) I saw some Chinese newspapers laying around. I immediately thought I could put them to some good use and was inspired to make this tiny book to start with. It is only 5.5 x 5.5cm and there isn't a great deal of the newspapers in evidence, but I'm working up to something a bit more ambitious. I've almost completed a companion for it so maybe one will be winging it's way to Kinmel Bay as a thank you.

The 'back'