Large Flower Border at Quilters Cottage

Today Stewart and I finished the large flower border in the front garden area.

The border on this hedge side is 60 feet long so you can see it has taken some time.

We started refurbishing at the end of last year because it had got full of real persistant weeds.

We took nearly everything out and started again,

other than the large bushes and trees and heavily mulched.

I am now replanting and heavily mulching again to try and save some work!

see more of Quilters Cottage Garden throughout this blog.

Liz's Old Quilt

We have 'Show and Tell at Alveva's every month.

We had lots of lovely quilts in the making,

our workshop tidies and this old quilt brought by Liz, on Ebay.

It is really beautiful and in very good condition.

The pattern is a variation on'Old Maids Puzzle'.

It is all hand quilted.

Well done Liz and well done to all our members for making it such a lovely group.

See some of my quilts on my website

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Jo Rolfe textile Artist

Jo Rolfe Textile Artist, came to share her work with us at Alveva Quilters. She showed us her earliest work as a child and then through her education courses within textiles and right up to date with her PHD, which is based on traditional crafts but all use terms and methods which could be seen to relate to textiles.

Jo's studio is open in the 'Open Studios Norfolk',

www.nnfestival.org.uk/openstudios

Crazywork Square For This Month

As some of you know I am doing a Crazywork Patchwork Round Robin with 8 members of Alveva Quilt Group and this is the square I made for Barbara. Her bag contained all silk fabrics which felt wonderful but did have the fray factor too!

Her inspirational block was very crisp and precise so this was a different one for me to achieve this month again. Only two more swaps before we get our own boxes back.

oOo! how exciting.

See more crazywork on my website

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Lovely Lutradur Book

Marion was back at The Gallery today along with Jill.

They are getting ready for Open Studios and they are using

The Gallery as their exhibiting venue.

I brought Marion's book today and she signed it too!

I will have a good read and tell you all about it.

We are surounded by some really inspirational and clever people at The Gallery.

http://www.thegallerydereham.co.uk/

Carol's Quillo Cushion

This is Carol's cushion front for her Quillo.

She brought the two fabrics and made the panel.

She has machine quilted the straight lines and then she is hand quilting with gold thread the flowers and details.

Well done Carol, from beginner to quilter in such a short time.

See more of my quilts and textiles on my website

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Gallery Day 20th April 2010

Jenn's 19th birthday today but she's at college, ahh!

I'm at The Gallery and her Dads at work so special tea and cake tonight before she goes out and Party's.

Well here's Carol getting on with her first ever machine quilting of Quilt!!

She's doing so well and practising with her new machine.

See more of what happens at The Gallery

http://www.thegallerydereham.co.uk/

Spinney Lodge Garden

Visited Spinney Lodge Garden at Gayton in Norfolk today with Mum and Stewart, after we had had a Carvey lunch at The Crown at Gayton. Very nice too! Spinney Lodge is the home and garden of Mr and Mrs Grant and they opened it to raise money for the National Garden Scheme, (NGS) yellow book, which raises money for charity.
It is a 2 acre garden by the side of a stream and has it's own woodland and trout pond.
This stream was an area off a Japanese style bridge which you walked over from a raised deck.
The garden was extensive and had many key features and plants which we found inspirational.
I brought a blue wood anenome for Mum and myself to remind us of our visit. I'll take a picture tomorrow when I have planted it.
I liked the poems and quotes which were around the garden. We were given a map to show us the key features. I think I would like to make a map of Quilters Cottage so watch this space.
The Grant's garden is featured in the 'Grow It' magazine which was on display.

Thank you to all NGS gardens who open their door to the public.

Japanese Garden and Sculpture

Today Stewart and I were in the garden tidying up, digging,mulching and planting.
This is a Japanese inspired garden designed by myself at the back of my studio. The standing sculpture is based on standing stones important in Japanese Gardens. I designed the ceramic stones. The clay was pushed into boxes which were lined with calico fabric so the clay picked up all the folds and creases. It was finished and fired by an artist called 'Flick' she has her own ceramics buisness now. Pebbles and slate form a dry river bed and pool around a ceramic seat made in the same way.
On the studio wall is a wall hanging made by me in etched and joined metal sections called 'Rabbits Don't Wear Armour', part of 'The Roadkill' Exhibition. On the metal dividing fence is a large climbing jasmine which makes this garden smell heavenly.

See other previous posts of Quilters Cottage Garden

See The Roadkill Exhibition on my website

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Burning Metal

As you can see I make the metal really flame. Depending on the thickness and type of metal and what colour you require,it will take a different amount of time. This is thin alluminium so it didn't take long as I only wanted a burnished bronze tint.
Be careful not to burn it too far as it goes very brittle. When you get the effect you want, wash it in a liitle soap and water and I rub clean with a wet wipe. This takes off any charcoal which may get on your work and cleans up the surface for additional colour.
I will now cut this up into sections and etch before embroidering and joining to the main piece.

See how I joined the roadkill metal sculpture on my website.

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Burning Metal In Stewart's Studio

This morning Stewart let me into his studio to burn some more metal for one of the mixed media pieces I am working on, based on armour and costumes.

Health and Safety tip here make sure you protect yourself, I wear my leather apron most of the time when I am in my studio, so I can do most techniques without worrying about what I am wearing!
Wear a mask when needed.
Work in a well ventilated room.
Have water handy!

See more of my metal sculptures on my website especially under 'Roadkill'

http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Eastern Open

After being shown how to deal with my tax, I needed some art therapy, so went into Kings Lynn and visted The Arts Centre, where the Eastern Open Exhibition is on until 22 May.

It is even better than ever and so much inspiring art and medias.

Well done, to all the submitting artists.

See more information about The Arts centre at

http://www.kingslynnarts.co.uk/

Tax Course

This may send a shudder through many but today I went on a free Tax Course due to the changes and adaptions to the Self Employment Forms. I would recommend it if you haven't been on them they are really helpful and make it less alarming when you need to fill out the forms.

It's all part of being a professional artist!

See more of my work on http://www.art2inspire.co.uk/

Gallery Day with Jenn

Jenn came to help out at The Gallery yesterday. She helped me sort out some of the fabrics and art supplies. I took a large display box on wheels which Stewart and I had stripped of paint, on Monday. It fits right in and will hold the costumes and fabric for workshops.

Jenn couldn't help herself, she had to have a go on the embellisher.

In the afternoon Carol learnt some more machine quilting techniques on her new machine which her husband brought her for a suprise. It arrived lastFriday. So let's just say Carol thinks it's Christmas and her Birthday all rolled into one. He has got alot of smarty points, he chose really well.
See more of The Gallery http://www.thegallerydereham.co.uk/

The View Out of Skyspace Houghton Hall

This was the view up through the open roof of ths contemporary art space by James Turrel.

Blue Sky, today!

It was a beautiful day in Norfolk as you can see by the blue sky and the wispy clouds!

I laid on the floor and watched the sky go by,

every picture was different!

We only visited the garden today

but will return to see Houghton Hall and Garden in full bloom,

in the Summer.

Stewart and I had a lovely lunch in their restaurant and throughly enjoyed our visit.

The visit has given both of us lots of inspiration!

www.houghtonhall.com

In the Gardens there are many more sculptures including this on of

"The Fire Fountain".