Black Pigs

I was exhibiting at the Eastwood Expo yesterday, which is mainly an event for local authors to promote their work - fantastic.  The event was at the lovely Beauvale Priory which is close to us, but we previously hadn't visited.  We'll definately be back though - the priory remains are interesting,. and there's a lovely tea room serving high teas, which also hosts a summer beer festival.  As well at the exhibitors there was quite a lot of entertainment - my favourite being the black pig border morris dancers. The woman at the stall next to me kept urging me to go outside and look at the morris dancers, and I was just "yeah, yeah" but I'm really glad I did - don't think traditional morris dancers, think "steam punk"  brightly and chaotically dress, covered in feathers and ribbons with blacked out faces, playing their own instruments and attempting to thrash each other with massive sticks - Hugely entertaining.
Apparently the tradition was started by farmers, who needed to earn money, once the harvesting was done.  They would tour the pubs and turn their jackets inside out and decorate them with ribbons and scraps of materials.  They would black their faces so that they weren't recognised by the church, who were disapproving of people having fun.
The Black Pig Border Morris dancers were all really friendly guys, and are well worth checking out

Winter's Here

The weather is changing, and quickly - the gales are blowing again, and it feels like time to hunker down.  Always much easier to sew in the winter than it is on the red hot days, where I feel I should be making the most of the sunshine.
Here's my latest hunker down picture - I took a photo of a frosty fence post years ago, I loved the pattern and the textures, but have never been sure how to progress with it.
Karina at Studio 61 and I often work together on seasonal projects - shes a water colour artist, and sometimes she'll do something and I'll make something in textiles that is inspired from that, sometimes its the other way round.
With the request of "do something wintry" it felt time to revisit the frosty fence post - I've incorporated silks and angelina fibres (ideal for winter sparkle) as well as lots of burning..... I'm really pleased with the overall effect and am going to get some prints and cards created.
Now to hunker down again.

Frosty Fence Post

scruffy pups

Thanks to my neighbours lovely animal pictures that are created by pyrography (wood burning) I've just been playing around, and have come up with this little chappie - he's stilll a work in progress, but I think he's got potential, and am feeling inspired about the possibility of creating a new collection
Just need to think of a name for him now.

Giant dragonflies

Another busy weekend.
Col went over to a fell face at Longshaw sheepdog trials on Saturday; brinsleyrunner.blogspot.co.uk

And then yesterday he helped me with my stall at the Brinsley Headstocks.  It was a great day; despite the gloomy forecast the sun shone all day, and the volunteers who take responsibility for looking after the headstocks and organising the festival did a fantastic job.

As well as my stall, I'd bought along a giant dragonfly sculpture that I'd been commissioned to make with young people from the Eastwood Youth Club.  We'd designed it so that people could stand in the middle, and have their photograph taken, and write and weave things inside the wings.  It was lovely to see how popular it was.

It was also really nice to have persuaded my  neighbour to come to his first ever event and sell his beautiful work - he's a pyrographer, burning art in to wood, my personal favourites are the hares, and I'm really tempted to create some animals in textiles.
Our little bit of the village is quite a creative corner, with photographers, textilers, painters and pyrographers - oooh a Brinsley art trail would be nice......

Dragonfly 

TreeHuggery at Brinsley Headstocks Festival

Brinsley Headstocks

I can't believe I haven't posted for over 2 months!
I've been so busy getting things ready for galleries, and doing my textiles degree (including a smoking jacket for Bradley Wiggins!) that I haven't had time to post, and I've got a whole load of things waiting to go on here. Even though I haven't been running for months, theres not enough hours in the day, and a bit of a niggle in my leg, has actually felt like a relief, and an excuse for one less thing to have to do!
Just in time though, for Sunday's Brinsley Headstock Festival, my piece is finally ready and framed.
I'm loving the big chunky frame that Col made for me out of reclaimed timbers, it's so chunky it can sit on a desk rather than being hung.
Sunday's festival is sounding good, lots of guided walks, and I'm intrigued to find out what/who "Sheepish Grin" are....
More soon - hopefully

Brinsley Headstocks

Brinsley Headstocks - I'm thinking of getting this one done as a print

Brinsley Headstocks - big chunky frame!