Deborah O'hare's work and an alternative busker!

How about this for alternative busking?
I noticed the guy pushing a wheelie shopping cart and taking something out of it then dropping it on the floor, as I walked past him to the shops in Hull yesterday.
On my way back he had done this and was working away on it with a palette knife.
Now it was damp, grey and blummin cold outside, so I reckon he deserved the pound I put on his collection plate!
I've never seen anyone do this before in the cities streets, sand art for the City of Culture -to-be lol

And here's something I've treated myself to, made by the very talented Deborah O'Hare who sells her work on Etsy.
This is the second piece of hers that I've bought and I love it.
 Deborah dyes her own fabrics and does workshops so if you want to see more of her work, do visit her blog and Etsy store.
Deb also monitors another blog that's well worth a look at and that's the Prayer Flag blog, find the link on her

www.facebook.com/deborah.ohare
http://thebluehare.blogspot.com
http://theprayerflagproject.blogspot.co.uk/

Now I'm trying to determine whether it needs a frame and which wall to hang it on, gosh decisions, decisions! what fun though lol
Thanks so much Deborah : )

Grow Your Blog 2014 - with a giveaway : )

  Hello there and welcome : )

To those that pop in here regularly I'm happy to 'see' you again!
No, really!!

What mythological character is this above do you think?
Answer at the end lol

Now it's quite possible that some of you dropping by, will be passing through whilst travelling along the 500+ blog pathway that is the
( 500+ blogs !!)
 2014 Grow Your Blog
event that was devised and organised by

Vicki of '2 Bags Full' 
http://vicki-2bagsfull.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/welcome-to-my-grow-your-blog-party.html

A full list of all the participating blogs are listed on Vicki's blog above, do go and browse the list and check out Vicki's fabulous nests!
 BUT Don't go yet please ! lol


Well welcome to ALL of you!

I hope you'll have time to take a look back at some of my posts and see if there's anything that you find interesting enough to encourage you to stay, or pop back again some when.
But no pressure, you're still welcome, whether you're passing through or coming back lol

A potted resume about me and then I'd like you to watch a short film about the city I live in, which won for us, the opportunity to be the
2017 City of Culture.
Although I was born in Birmingham, I've lived here in East Yorkshire some 20 years or so.

Okay the me bit .....  I'm Lyn, a much travelled, ex WRAF Aircrew who married then had a wonderful son and daughter.
(I now also have a grandson and a granddaughter so consider myself doubly blessed.)
Hubby later left, then he died at only 40, ( he was younger than myself)- so we lost him twice over.
I came to crafting late on really but it's become my therapy in so many ways.
I am employed to devise and make tactile educational resources for visually impaired children and it's a job I adore doing.
So I stitch, knit, glue and make things for work as well for my own satisfaction. Good eh?

I like to use recycled materials as often as possible, broken lampshade rings, driftwood, fabrics from charity shop clothing and vintage yarns.
I like wet felting, needle felting, dye a bit, knit a bit, crochet a bit, patchwork a bit and CL-art a lot.
I read a lot, thrillers mostly.
I LOVE illustrations that have been originally made from textiles and have begun collecting children's books with them in, for my grand children, naturally.......... cough, cough.
Okay that's the boring bit now have a watch and listen if you've time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXJkDgBUR9c

 Hope that gave you a flavour of where I'm living and the following pics may give you a flavour of what I do and post on here.
You can skip the pics and go right to the giveaway if you prefer lol

Okay now for the giveaway - there are no particular hoops to jump through.
Anyone can enter but I must be able to contact you by email if you win : )
Anonymooses won't be considered sorry.
One entry each to make it fair for all.
What will you win?
Ah well - that's up to you!
If you leave me a comment telling me what your most interested in then I will send you something related to that, if that makes sense!
( I have a BIG stash folks ... a lot of it still unused! )

If you like to felt, then I will most likely send you wool fleece.
If you love beading...........it will be beads of some kind.
If you like silk, it will be silk fabric scraps or threads.
If you like water colours...well bad luck.. I haven't got any!
If you like crazy patchwork, you'll most likely get a scraps bag.
You get the idea okay?
SO all I ask is that you tell me what your most interested in and that will form the basis of what you'll receive as a gift!
PLUS if your from overseas I will send you a British craft or stitchy/knitty magazine.
If your from UK then I will send you an overseas magazine instead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now I'm off to bed because I'm planning on strolling round the blogs listed over at Vicki's blog this weekend and it is liable to be a long walk round, so I need to rest a while before I set off..
Thanks for dropping by : )

OH YES....... the answer is Medusa of course!
This toy doll was easily turned into a tactile version of what Medusa
might have looked like.
Ideal for blind children to 'feel' the snakes which apparently formed her hair.........
and they pay me to do this at work ......Bliss!

fabrics from Studioapatchshe and a blog hop on the agenda

I know.
 I need more fabric like a hole in the head but let me try and explain,
to make myself feel justified in buying this bundle of lovely fabrics lol

I had an idea for a banner like project, based loosely on some of Mandy Portillo's work that I'd seen on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/174936642/bird-unframed-applique-with-embroidery?ref=pr_shop

I hope to attach  a birdy themed banner to the pelmet that is going to sit across my sliding doors between the front room and the dining room.
Not that the pelmet is there yet,
or the doors,
but there is  the mechanical gadgetry in situ and in time the new glass and wood slidey doors will be fitted
- when I've bought the doors and if my wonderful son gets round to then fitting them lol

So then I get a newsletter about a 30% sale of fabrics on Shelagh Folgate's STUDIOAPATCHSHE online store so naturally,
I was inclined to take a look : ) 
Partly because Shelagh is a lovely lady who although we've never met,
I have chatted to online for ages now and partly because I'd been thinking of buying some fabrics in certain colours anyway!
So I popped into STUDIOAPATCHSHE online and blow me,
these fabrics SPOKE to me!
Yes! Really!

Well let me tell you, the fabrics were with me, within a couple of days and they were beautifully wrapped, lovingly folded in tissue paper and tied up carefully.

I've done several of Shelagh's online workshops which I've found to be both fun and challenging and would recommend you pop into her online fabric store to see her selection of fabrics.
http://www.studioapatchshe.co.uk/

But please don't blame me if the fabrics SPEAK to you too! lol

I have hand stitched some fabric strips together so far for the backgrounds and am collecting other fabrics for the applique birds.
I am however going to sift through my stash fabrics for the birds ~
can you see my halo?
I will post piccies once I've got the hang of my new camera which I've had to buy because I bounced my other one off the settee, once too often, dam it.

Oh and after friday ( 24th) I may have visitors popping into the blog since I'm taking part in the Grow Your Blog, blog hop, which I took part in last year too.
There will be a Giveaway which all of you can enter too, so please do!

Abit of crochet and a win for me ~ yeahh

 

I've been doing a bit of crochet, well you know I said I was going to have to 'do' whatever was in the first bag or box I unearthed?

Well, the bag of acrylic wool fell out of the store area first when I was desperate for something to do with my hands lol

 

The house is coming on slowly and I love it, but I won't get the stash sorted properly until all the ground floor is done, since part of the alcove area off my dining room, is to be the sewing machine 'room' and I will be able to store some of the stash in there.

 

So I started to crochet a bit although I'd wanted to make more fabric hexi's, but I have no idea where the stitched together piece is I'd already started!

 

  

This is my elderly Fergus who has settled well into his new home you'll notice lol

 

Before Christmas in a Blog Hop, I entered a draw on Marijas blog

 

http://marijasfabricreations.blogspot.com/

 

and was lucky enough to be one of the winners.

The Christmas post meant my win only arrived last week but this was like a lovely late Christmas presie!

Lucky me, thanks so much Marija : )

Do pop over and browse her blog ~

 

 

When I've read the book I'll report back on that too lol

 

Now this arriving, reminded me that I hadn't mentioned another win I was lucky enough to receive from

 

Pam Harris of Gingerbread Snowflakes

when she was hosting, a

"Five Year Blog-bash Giveaway Celebration"

 Again I was one of several winners but this arrived in the midst of my moving to and fro which is why it's slipped my mind to mention it here.

It's a very thorough introduction to making animals and includes plenty of patterns.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Stuffed-Animals-From-Concept-Construction/dp/1454703644

 

 

As soon as I find the right fabrics in my stash, grandson Jack has already told me which animals he "needs" lol

 

Again, do pop over to Pam's blog, she calls herself a dabbler but frankly, there's so much on her blog to amuse and interest you

and she 'dabbles' with real style!

 

http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/frontpage

 

If these things normally happen in 3's .........

well, perhaps my post code lottery will come up next!

 

Ruth Brown talk at EYES and the stage exhibition

'I'll just check your diary Nannie '...... nine months already bless her.

a night stop at nannies lol

It was Ruth Brown speaking at our monthly embroidery club meet (EYES) last weekend and she humorously explained how she found her way after a busy career, into dyeing silks, cyanotype dyeing and digitally printing on fabrics.
Ruth was a club member but since weekends are her busiest days, she can no longer attend on a regular basis, since when she's not teaching at home, she travels all over the country giving talks and doing workshops these days. 
Ruth lives out towards Spurn Point here in East Yorkshire, where she has a smashing purpose fitted out barn and runs really interesting workshops.
I've attended one of her cyanotype workshops myself and really enjoyed the photographic process.
Ruth has also written the books 'Cyantypes on Fabric' and 'Digital Imagery on Fabric' and she sells cyanotype kits from Stone Creek Farm, link below ~
http://www.stonecreeksilk.co.uk/

As usual some members brought items in to display and inspire us all and I thought you might like this quilt ......... it was such great fun.
Made by Pauline Pope and I loved it!
I'm not sure if it's from a specific pattern, I didn't think to ask at the time, I was too busy oohing and ahhhing lol

 

 

I hope it's made you smile too lol

And EYES now has a new member and its a gentleman!
I meant to ask if this was a first for us but forgot. He's very brave when there are about 130+ female members LOL though they don't all come, every month to be fair.
All credit to him mind you and the club will support him all the way I know.
And below is the quilt he displayed and he has stitched it all by hand bless him!

Good on you Graham!
Loved this bag made by Paula Bell ~ (she made the cloth dolls of a previous post)

 

and Becky Parker, one of the teenage members had made this cute Smurf Lady, which was beautifully made.

Another interesting talk to listen to and some striking work to see and then there was the sales table, full of bargains!
Like I needed any more stash ~ but its rude not to buy the odd thing or two, right, in support of the club? Right.....?

2014 already : ) and some cloth dolls .....

Happy New Year folks and I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas, celebrating or relaxing in whichever way you chose.
Christmas arrived before I was ready for it and so has 2014!
lol
I'm getting much more sorted out in the new home, although waiting for my lovely son to finish various bits but I really like the house now we have improved her in so many ways.
Of course the garden will need tackling when the weather improves -
IF the weather ever improves lol and that will be a whole other story!

First some of my fabulous (recently hung) pictures.....on a wall papered with a paper that I adore!

The central watercolour one bought for me by great pal Mary and the other two multi media pieces I bought myself from the talented Lou of DrawntoStitch.
Her work featured on the cover and in an article in CPS and its well worth looking at her Facebook photo albums to see her stunning work.
Pieces come in smashing white box frames, incredibly well wrapped up too. And no, I am not on commission!

https://www.facebook.com/DrawntoStitch

 

During December at our embroidery group (EYES) meeting we had one of our own members, Paula Bell, talk about and display the dolls she had made.
I didn't stay for the talk itself, I had other things I had to do but did stay long enough to buy a few bits off the sales table and to take a few piccies.

There was a display on the stage ( as is usual) of things that members had brought in to compliment the talk itself and Jean brought these adorable little dolls that look old, but she believes were copies of much older dolls.
( for further details ask over at JeansMuse.blogspot.com )
They are only about 5" high.... and are oddly cute, infact
they remind me of Mable Lucy Atwell illustrations lol
Am sure Jean would welcome information if anyone recognises the pattern used.

 

Jean also displayed one of her alternative dolls which I think is great fun!

 

 

I thought Paula's genie in a bottle was a clever idea lol

and loved the feet on this elfish doll

 

and here are the others, most of which are just not to my taste, but their clothing and the hands on the mermaid especially, were so well made.

 

 

I have been doing a bit of knitting for Evie and some random afghan crochet, but having taken photos, my laptop is playing up and not allowing me to download the blessed pics.
Probably as well I'm back at work tomorrow so I can drop the laptop into the IT guys, it worked fine until I downloaded the last Microsoft update!
grrrr

I hope your all safe, warm, dry and comfy, despite the world wide  weather!