BACK NOW

I cant believe it !!!!!!!!! as someone said......where have I been in my head its been so long and such a lot has happened & I cant remember all of it.
I think I will post some pictures & maybe that will sort my head out hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Last night was Kettering Embroiderers Guild with Kumi Middleton, lovely Japanese lady who entertained us with a show & tell & talk as well as a workshop.  I really enjoyed the evening even though I had twisted my ankle that morning & it was agony (all together ahhhhh) nope it really was AHHHH!!!
For the workshop we had a piece of cartridge paper, lots of fabulous Japanese books with scrummy images in them & a large box of various papers to cut up.  Scissors & glue & away we all went.  You can se Kumis' bags on the website.  This is what we were doing in paper.  Well not me cause I am a rebel, a very quiet rebel but I felt very inspired by an image on  the front of one of the books.

This is the original

This is my interpretation, the glascine has made a diffused effect which I really love

I am very happy with my piece & now as usual need the time to develop it.

The word in fact is Chinese & means CELEBRATION, so I wrote out the word in pencil, traced elements of the symbol out of some fabulous goldish paper, then added texture with Japanese papers & Glascine.  Sometimes it is good to be limited with your media.  If I had been in the Studio then I would have had a far different outcome  I may not add the black, in fact I might try printing it onto black fabric treated with inkaid & see what effect that I get.

This has been taken with my fabulous new phone.  Since I have been absent without leave I have had my birthday.  I asked for aging face cream & the V & A quilt book from my wonderful children & they bought me a new phone.  A fab new phone that has a really good camera & can access the Internet.  I am now truly a 21st century girl.  I have had huge fun finding accessories for it & discovering what I can do with it. This is a diabetic birthday cake made by my son & is bananas & oranges with candles, what a hoot, I was really happy.  We had a barbie in their new house with their new little kitten & met my daughters very nice boyfriend.  So happy me (wish I didnt look so fat in the piccy but it is a funny angle  yeah right Shelagh)

I am busy with the annual bag summer school & the end of year classes.  One of my C & G classes has finished & all the ladies achieved a Diploma grade for their work

I wont put close ups of the wonderful work as some of the pieces are very innovative especially for level 2.  Yes they are level 2, I am a very happy teacher with what they produced in only 10 weekly lessons on the new City & Guild Creative Techniques courses in Machine Embroidery & Patchwork & Quilting.

This is the most amazing bouquet that I have ever received.

It was wrapped up in lots of beautiful cellophane , raffia, & sizoflore & was huge with some really unusual flowers in it.  It took 45 minute to un-assemble & find vases, the house looked fabulous & they lasted a whole week.  Thank you to a really talented group, hopefully I will have the good fortune to teach them again

At Moulton College each year the staff choose a picture or painting & it is enlarged & split into parts.  Like Rolfe Harris did in Trafalgar Square.  Each student has a piece & I also had a piece.This year was George & the Dragon by Rubens

My section has a horse flank, a snake, an eye & an arrow head along with alot of undecipherable colour & texture.

I was very happy with the piece which consists of underpainting by the embellisher machine, couching by hand & machine, wireform, hand & machine embroidery, then overpainting with various acrylic mediums & paint.

The snake is made out of pre-dyed & painted torn up tee shirt pieces that can be bought from Bee Inspired

I cant remember anything else at the moment & its geting late, see you soon x