it has been chundering away in the back of my mind.  I’ve been wanting to ‘make-over’ the side board for a while but not sure how, till I saw that!

So, a bit of lace from the stash and a bit off an old dress and a can of spray paint and hey presto, what do you think?

Before: Tired, neglected, bashed about through several house moves

during:

(a picture of some of the ‘important’ junk that came out of the drawers, I mean, who needs so many cables and more importantly – for what end?)

Ta-darr!

How much better!  I’m not pleased with the handles, I just sprayed them to get rid of the black, I’m not sure what to do with them yet, obviously older style ones would look better, but the holes are pre drilled so I’d have to find some exactly the same size as the ones on now, any ideas let me know!  But the rest – I love, it’s simple, it goes and I did it!

The latest one came in the post today and it is just beautiful, I can look at the pages for hours.  I think this is my favourite

Obviously even if I could afford it, I would look a complete muppet, not an ethereal beauty gliding round the streets of Barry like I’d imagine, but I can dream! 

How fabulous is this too!

And now the finished shawl, it’s not my friends birthday till October so I’m going to have to put it somewhere safe and I have a new project to add to my list, I want one in turquoise!  The pattern was quite easy and the gorgeous lace weight wool I got from fyberspates was an absolute dream.  When I saw how fine it was I was initially terrified, but you soon get used to it and it is definatly worth persevering as it is so soft and light on your shoulders.

(as with all my pictures if you hold your mouse over it you can enlarge them)

Jane

I know it sounds dramatic but it had to start somewhere and that wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for a blog called quilt while your ahead. 

About 4 years ago we’d moved from Blackpool to South Wales, then my youngest started school full time, I started helping out at school and Age Concern for a few days a week but essentially I was bored, I needed something to occupy my mind and hands.  I’d started exploring the Internet, excited at the possibilities when I found this blog.  It was a revelation; a blog?  It was like being back at college, sharing in these discussions about what we were working on, ideas we had, though it did feel a little voyeuristic at first – I was reading this persons journal!  I saw that people commented and I thought I could never do that, I don’t know her, but the strange thing about the Internet is the intimacy it portrays.  I didn’t feel alone anymore (and by that I mean someone who shared my love of craft/art/textiles).  I checked in on her blog every week (and still do) and it started to inspire me to do something again.

Through her blogroll (yes, even more people like me!!) I found Moonstitches.  Words cannot sufficiently describe her skill with crochet, knitting, sewing.  And her writing is so poetic, her photography simple and beautiful.

These blogs really did inspire me to Do Something.  I’d always sewn, patchworked, embroidered but I’d never crocheted before, I’d tried when I was young but being left handed and my mum and nan being right handed it was all just too confusing for everyone!  But reading these blogs and seeing these amazing creations with just a hook and ball of wool (and a lot of skill!)among lots of others I was finding now, and having the time, I decided to try again. 

 As you may have guessed I figured it out this time and absolutely loved it!  The repetitive motion of the hook, the wool gently feeding through your fingers; it is such a beautifully tactile thing to do with your hands.

I stumbled upon the Ravelry community which was wonderful, but the best thing?  On one of their forums someone suggested I join one called Crafteroo, I can’t remember who it was now, but I had a look.  As I don’t want this post to be a rambling history of my life its suffice to say that I owe everything from that moment on to them really - doing craft fairs, selling stuff, this blog and the confidence to actually do it!

So there you go; quilt while your ahead, Moonstitches and Crafteroo.  There are lots of others, but that’s for another post, if you don’t know them check them out, inspirational, well written and great!

If only I had the skill!

I love the website for the Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in California (not Ireland!)  I can spend ages just flicking through the past exhibitions, I strongly advise you to make a cup of tea, get comfy and let the beautiful images inspire, you’ll be there a while!

Shaz, on her blog  thesockgarden which has fantastic photography of her witty creations in situ, (I mean, whats not to love!)

does interviews with fellow craftspeople and this week spoke to amyorangejuice. I really enjoy reading how other people got started doing what they love and where their inspiration comes from.

One of the questions was:

 If you were stuck on a desert island and were allowed to take one new crafting project with you based on something you admire in another shop, what would it be?

Amyorangejuice replied that she would love to master crochet and would like to take something from my shop as inspiration!  Talk about chuffed!  So thank you Shaz and amyorangejuice, you’ve made my day!

I was browsing the internet last night (couldn’t sleep), going from link to link when I realised how much I ‘take’ from it and from peoples sites and blogs, looking at their links and so on and seeing all these wonderful ideas and objects that I wouldn’t have found otherwise, when I thought that actually, I should share some of mine.

The only connection will be that I like it, they maybe from shops, blogs, museums, old and new, but occasionally I will share, and not just talk about myself!

So, first up – but how can I choose, when you start to think about it there is so much – I never really did get back to sleep last night, once I got the idea my mind was full of images. 

Finally I settled on Alison Watt, one of my absolute favourite artists.  I saw her work in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, in an exhibition called Shift in 2000.  It was purely by chance, we were  there with my parents, a last break before our first was born.

I was blown away, these huge paintings of folds and drapes in fabric with minimal colour.  So deep and tactile, so strangly moving.  There is something about almost bare images, focusing on small details that we miss, particually within textiles that always draw me in, especially when explored in huge scale.

For more information, and to see more pictures like these 3 go to Ingley Gallery, or just google Alison Watt, trust me, you’ll be browsing for  hours!