Hands up if you're off to Urchfont!

and have you made your ATC yet?

For the first time I will be staying in Seymore House.
Even though I rang to book as soon as the date of the Summer School was available all the other rooms were booked!

I double checked with the office - "That's not the thatched one, is it?"

Now I like a thatched cottage like the next woman - who wouldn't - but this particular one looks, well,... abit scary. Maybe it's the fact it's the furthest from the Manor House and you have to walk through the garden - in the dark! - to reach it may be a factor. Now as Seymore House is just slightly closer to the Manor House and you still have walk through the "Secret Garden" to reach it I will be packing my Son's wind up torch. Yes, the one I bought as a gift from the lovely famer's fayre/craft shop down the road from Urchfont. I knew there was a reason for getting it! I doubt he has used it for the last 12 months, so that now means it's mine!!! So next week-end as you tuck yourselves up in the Manor House and you hear an unusual "sawing " sound that will be me winding up the torch as I sprint through the dark to bed.

(Just checked on the Urchfont Website and the paths to the outer gardens

and the houses are lit! - but it's still dark near the vegetable patch!)

Who ever had the wonderful idea of having us make ATC's for the first evening "Icebreaker" deserves a pat on the back. I am busy making mine and I hope nobody forgets. I love the idea of the secret codes and things on the ATC to identify the maker. It will be such fun.

I am so looking forward to seeing you all again and to meet the first timers.

See you on Sunday...

Sister Hannah with the Banner!

I'm not sure who "Sister Hannah" is- I'm sure someone out there can answer that - but when ever the banner is paraded the cry "Who's Sister Hannah this time?" can be heard. I was banner bearer on Tuesday and was even more fortunate to follow the Northwood banner I had made!

There is something very special about St. Paul's. We sit under the dome and gaze at the beautiful mosaics and paintings above us. The colours are amazing and I keep promising myself a daytime visit with the sketchbook. Sadly photos aren't allowed in the main part of the church but they allow us to photograph the banners - fortunately my Son was able to snap away and got a good selection of the different designs.

After we have walked down the nave the banners are displayed around the font so that the congregation can view the many different designs as they leave. The lovely ladies of Northwood MU came to view their new banner and their banner bearer Graham was quick to tell them I was the one who had made it. It was quite difficult to hug all the ladies whilst holding my own banner aloft, but I managed!

A selection of the many banners on display

This final one is one of my favourites and I always look out for it.

The Madonna is so unusual.

Coursework update

I have been working on Chapter 10, making lots of little books and a bigger book to hold them in!

Training Days

So the job sheet is clear at the moment.

Being self employed this can be worrying, but I have decided that I am using this quiet time to focus on the City and Guild coursework, especially as the Summer school is iminent!

I've allocated my time as to what I am going to do so I intend to post each day what has been acheived - hopefully!

Letting it go...

Please bear with me re. the photos. No matter what I do I can't get the amended "moved" photos on my computer to stay the right way up when transfered to the blog, so I hope you don't get neck strain whilst looking at them!

How do you feel when you have completed a piece of work? Especially if you have spent sometime creating it and off it goes to the client? Is it right to feel something similar to sadness about an inanimate object?

I am having mixed feelings - it's great I now have time to move onto something else and also missing it as I had so much fun and satisfaction working on it. I'm also excited about seeing it again, when it is paraded down the naive of St. Paul's on Tuesday evening.

I was commissioned to recreate a Mothers' Union banner which was seeing better days, I have posted the odd photo, but here are the old and new - before and after - photos. I handed the banner over on Saturday

Here are photos of the original:

The leather work was crumbling

The silk fabric was fraying

The goldwork was coming undone

The Other Side

Here are photos of the new banner:

New bright leather on new silk background

Close up on the centre design

But for the machine stitching on the blue fabric to create the waves all of the banner was hand sewn

The Other Side

Understandably the goldwork is slightly different as finding exact materials was difficult due to the length of time since it was made. Also some colour matching was made difficult due to fading. I hope I did my best to recreate a new version that will last for time to come.