Magical Day

Fresh from touring Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris, The Paper Cinema

appeared in Bristol Old Vic and held it's first childrens' workshop.

I got to help out.  Brilliant.   See link for some idea of the concept!

Think silent movie being performed before your eyes. No words,

only live music - a story with illustrations both beautiful and scary.  

I have to admit an interest here - proud Mum.

We had a great time, the children created paper puppets - tables

piled high with materials to use - cardboard, tissue, pens,

lots of glue was involved - and performed their own Paper Cinema.  

A few photos - very difficult lighting conditions, so just a little taste.

Nic  and Imogen giving a show for the children.

Other colourful characters soon appeared

Wonderment

Aspiring puppeteers

collagraphy

Not a lot of textile action this week.  Something 

different today though, a workshop on collagraphy.  

Fascinating, and the process can be used on textiles.

Sample boards made to get some idea of the process.

A lot of "backward" brain work, negative/positive, 

texture and tone etc. Cutting into mount boards, 

lots of gluing,  paper, string, leaves, oatmeal. Sealing

with shellac.  All very satisfyingly messy!

Next week, learning how to ink up boards and printing.

Three small boards ready to go.

Time out

A week of doing a bit of this and that,

paperwork, organizing summer workshops,

playing with dyes and paints.  Enjoying the

garden and heavy April showers - listen to

the plants sigh.  Everything in the garden

is bursting into life .

So now for a relaxing weekend with my

friend Mary and her husband Andrew.

The Suffolk coast, wild and untamed.

Keith will play golf with Andrew, and I

guess Mary and I will just hang out in 

familiar places and relax.

And relax

A disjointed week.   Two workshops at the beginning;

father in law's 91st birthday - a little family gathering;

visit to the dentist, and something nasty in my foot!

Well, if I will wander around in the garden with no

shoes on it isn't really surprising.  Ouch.

The spring weather is warm, the garden is

bursting with life - wonderful fern fronds

uncurling.   I think I will take a little time

out, looking slowly and enjoying pottering

for a day or two.

Pots - Part IV

The last in the Journal Quilt series Pots

for the Contemporary Quilt Group.

No I - very tight - machine and applique.

No 2 - Printed patterns and hand stitching.

No 3 - Texture and very loose.

No 4 - Screen print with

free machine stitching.

Very interesting exercise.  Leaping out

of all known comfort zones.  I like where

I ended up though!

Now for the next series!

Not one but two

 for Little Gem Quilts.

Petit Bleu - raw edged patchwork.

Millefiori - strip patchwork

Call for more Little Gems!  

Things that lurk

Today has been in turns, interesting and boring.

You know files lurk and grow on the computer, with

stuff no longer required on journey.   Crisis call on

revisiting Indian Applique workshop file for a

forth coming workshop - oh no,can't open documents. 

 But I have a man who can.  Phew!   So today 

computer housekeeping.  Trashcan full up - amazing 

things appear.  Why?  There must have been a reason.   

Printing hard copies,then burning CDs'.  

Golden halo surrounds head,

Attention deficit syndrome also apparent.  Not to

say the above was mind bending /boring.  The

mind drifts, and one thing led to another and

look what I discovered, both keeping each

other company in a secret corner.

Kuba cloth bought when I was teaching in South Africa

a couple of years ago.   This is seriously gorgeous.

Note to self - do not put back in corner - find a space

on the wall to stand and admire.

Parch Marks

A little trip into the world of rust dyeing, mono printing and

minimal stitching by moi a couple of years ago.  Mounted

on a stretched canvas screen - that was fun!

Enough for one day.  Time for a glass of red, and some

creativity in the kitchen.