Easter weekend and time off work !

This is the smallest window, certainly in Hull and supposedly in England, how have you managed to live without knowing about this eh? Its at the George Hotel and its the dark vertical strip to the right...........there, this blog is educational on occasions!

This little sunset has since been tarted up abit with additional voiles and a couple of birds, but its what I did on a mini workshop on saturday last, at the NEC. Still cant believe we managed to get places on the workshop with Wendy Dolan, but it was a fun and informative practical creative respite from buying!

Wendy is a gifted instructor and each of us came away with our own little work of machine stitched art, all credit to her. 

The joy of making small items like this, is that you stand a chance of completeing them before you pop your clogs! One less UFO, no - one less PHD to work on..........( project half done..... )

Ive just started to go through my second carrier bag of goodies from the NEC , how about that for self discipline! I made several purchases from Crafty Notions, well we kept finding ourselves back at their stand and my self discipline wasnt with me then.... so I now have 5 of their Colourful Thoughts multi surface paints...........SUCH delicious colours!

 I was forced to buy packs of the metallic synthetic sheet they sell, why? Because I think I might be able to manipulate the fabric into a ruched 'lichen' like ..... blobs, for a piece that Ive beem ruminating on for months already ( sorry Sue!)

There was a smashing stall there with a large selection of very reasonably priced braids and trims that I hadnt seen before,  Aarti J's ( http://www.aartij.com/) The lass had an incredible selection of braids with gems, with shishas, with dangly bits, with metallic bits..........all manner of striking things.

Many would cut up nicely to be incorporated in textile work and of course should you belly dance in your spare time, then there were metres enough, for hips a plenty!

Lastly, I made this patchwork blanket for use with largely pre school children. Ive made it with different textured fabrics, there's fine cord, glitzy nobbly silver, harlequin soft n smooth, furry and the cold feeling purple fabric that makes a noise as you run fingers over it.

The reverse is black so that it can have items laid on it for use with the UV light. Its tied at patchwork corners but I havent patched it perfectly, since for work, these things are considered almost, disposable, I know daft, but if things become past their best, its better that I simply make up another. 

Earlier, I painted some torn and pieced magazine strips, with liquid wax and laid a sheet of two tone voile over it, its now drying overnight. The pic above is before the voile was attached and its been 'glue sticked' lightly on a snazzy brown paper bag I got with a purchase.

I am going to quyite simply machine and hand stitch it abit, probably onto a pelmet vylene backing, and have some side and top pieces to attach later if all goes to plan.

Actually I did another 'torn and pieced' too, see below, but its waiting its turn and an appropriate textual comment! (Skinny Mares comes to mind!)

Or is that my wishful thinking............

Oh and Im starting on altering one of my Killed Cats' tomorrow too!

(Catalogues that is! as per Maggie Grey's idea )

I seem to be in the Zone at the moment lol and have all weekend to play!