Sussex Stitchers Open Day

I had the best time at the Sussex Stitchers' Open Day. It was the first event they had organised so no one really knew what to expect from it. The members of the stitching group had put together a really brilliant display of work, showcasing their own individual projects as well as projects they had done on specific themes, or group projects where they had each done a little part of something then compiled it together. There was also a selection of works which had been done during (or completed after) workshops that the group had recently had - including some of the seascape Stitchscapes from May time!

As well as their exhibition, they had their own little shop of textile or texture packs, plus books, the most delicious cakes... and they'd asked myself and another lady (a ceramicist) to have stands there to sell and exhibit our own pieces. 

When I was packing the car I thought I'd taken far too much with me as I wasn't entirely sure how much space I would be given, but actually I'd taken just enough and ended up with an L-shaped table that worked really well as one side could be more like an exhibition of my Stitchscapes, and the other side more of a sales table with kits and the Stitchscape shop. 

The ladies (no gentlemen in the group as far as I'm aware) had done a fantastic job of advertising too and it was so well attended which was lovely to see. The event was open 10am - 4pm which can sometimes feel quite long but, aside from maybe half an hour where it quietened down over lunch time, there was a fairly constant stream of people attending and walking around. They seemed to come from far and wide; I had two ladies come to see me (I'd advertised it online and in my newsletter) and the exhibition all the way from Rochester - over an hours drive away!

Did I mention that the cakes were delicious?

All of the work was lovely but I was especially pleased to see the finished works of Stitchscape art being given pride of place at the back of the hall. It's not all of the pieces that were started in the workshop but that's fine - there is no time limit or restriction on these, the beauty is that you can pick them up and put them down again whenever you like. 

If you'd like to just quickly look back to see what they looked like the last time we saw them, the blog post about the workshop is here. I did ask permission before taking these photos of the pieces as well. 

This piece was inspired by a painting of the coastguards cottages and the Seven Sisters cliffs and, if you compare it to how it looked before - there's been a lot of work done to the cliffs - they've changed colour with all of the wonderful overlapping green stitches adding wind-blown texture and grasses, movement has been added to the water with the pistil stitches and beads give an extra sparkle and frothy look to the bottom of the cliffs. The thatched roofs have also had another layer of colour added and seabirds now soar around the cottages themselves as if the occupants have just thrown out a load of food for them to feast on. 

Everyone has worked so hard to add in different textures to their pieces. It's all about layering and having fun, contrasting materials  and just seeing what works. How many different textures and components can you see in the below piece? I've spotted felt rocks, knitted yarn, sticks of beads (using bugle and seed beads), sequin tape, suede tassels, shells, deconstructed knitting yarn, french knots in a whole range of colours, jute twine in a turquoise colour... the more you look the more you delve into this fantastic little rockpool! There's even a fish, can you see him?

This lady is the one who taught me a couple of stitches at the workshop, and you can see why I was so intrigued by what she was working on. The cast on stitches have been used to make two little starfish, as well as other textured elements, contrasting with bullion knots, french knots and seed stitch all in the same space for height and texture. She's also got a few little cup stitches up near the waters edge too. 

There is such a wonderful use of materials. Each piece may have similar themes and ideas, but they've all got something really special in them or about them that makes them shine. I love the silky looking cord- which may actually be smooth purl wire coils but I can't recall properly now. Everything looks so organic, as if it really is growing there. 

Now this one has a bit of a story to tell - a few weeks ago I got an email from Jane, the lady who stitched this, to say that she had just finished it whilst on holiday but, shock horror, had left it in a bad position with a magnifying glass which had burnt a fairly significant hole into the piece at the top, going right through the cotton fabrics and charring the inside hoop! She was very lucky that it hadn't actually caught fire and set the whole holiday cottage alight really. 

Also luckily, she still had some of the striped fabric that had been burned so I recommended that she take it out of the hoop and patch the hole at the back with some more calico, then snip back the striped fabric layer as much as she could, before lining up a new layered piece which would just blend in because of the stripes themselves. She then worked more of the pulled tapestry yarn over the stripes to match it and remake what she'd done before, and re-stitched down the little dolphin bead which had survived the ordeal. You don't notice it at all! (And, safety notice - don't leave anything with glass/mirror in, in a window or where sunlight can reach it!)

I'm so thrilled that these pieces were on display, it's not that often that I get to see so many finished Stitchscapes in person (that aren't mine) and they have so much personality in them - as well as different techniques that I haven't used or hadn't previously considered so it's a real inspiration for me!

I think everyone would class the open day as a success, and I believe they had a few new members join as well which is just so wonderful. I had a great day, it was highly lucrative for me (thank you to everyone who made a purchase - I've had to re-order lots of stock for the Stitchscape shop!) and I had so many great discussions with people passing my table. They have mentioned holding another one, in case you missed this one, but perhaps in two years time to give them time to build up another fantastic body of work to display. 

I will also be back with the Sussex Stitchers next year for another workshop in the Spring so there's more to come from this wonderful creative group. 

My Birthday

There was nothing particularly special about my birthday this year, no big number or huge party, but we visited some rather lovely places that I thought you might appreciate, and that I would like to remember when I look back through my blog diary in a few years' time. 

I had swapped my day at work so that I could have it off and was joined by The Mother, brother and Baby F for the morning with a lovely breakfast at Bills in Lewes, followed by a walk to Southover Grange Gardens. It's really something special this time of year, and I often come throughout the year - especially after a trip to the dentist - to see how it changes. If you come earlier in the year, the Pampas grass is huge and fluffy, crowding over the dried up canal like a permanent explosion of featheriness; if you come later in the year, you may even see some water trickling through the canal itself. There's a rose garden, a clean cut looking box garden, a kind of wild and untamed garden, mowed lawns, borders, and then this beautiful strip of planted wildflowers!!

It was too pretty not to try and have some nice photos in front of. The burst of colours was really something with the red poppies, blue cornflowers, yellow and white daisies and whatever else was in there. Sadly there weren't that many bugs, bees and butterflies visible on it - there just don't seem to be that many around this year. 

There is a grange still here at Southover, but it is privately owned or operated, usually for weddings and things like that. My godmother got married here - as did the Rag 'n Bone man!

It's also where The Sussex Guild have a permanent shop so you can wander round and pick up beautiful art and craft pieces from local artists/makers. 

Baby F just likes rushing around it because of all the little pathways popping through hedges and borders. There are a lot of stone walls here as well, some of it from the nearby ruined Lewes Priory (you can also walk around what's left of it) which seems to have had its stone pilfered to build many different parts of Lewes, bits pop up all over the place. 

Once we'd wandered around the gardens enough we headed back to my parents so that Baby F could have a nap and then played there for the rest of the afternoon before going out for a birthday dinner at Pizza Express. I even got a free birthday pudding!

My birthday weekend continued with a trip to Michelham Priory House & Garden, owned by the Sussex Archaeological Society (who also manage Lewes Castle among other places). Incidentally there was a Jaguar and Classic Car show on at the same time which kept my uncle and cousins entertained, personally I'm not at all interested in cars - even the people who owned the cars didn't seem that bothered, they were all sat in deck chairs behind their vehicles just having a chat. Perhaps that's what it's all about. There were a few people polishing off imaginary specks of dust but mostly it just looked like a classic car carpark on the lawn. 

You can walk around areas of the priory, it's got a long 800 year history so there's lots to read about, and there's dress up for the little people. The best bit for me was the smells in the kitchen - a proper herby smell as if the Augustinian canons who founded the site had just finished preparing a meal for themselves - although I doubt they would recognise the place now as much was destroyed by the dissolution of the monasteries. The garden photographed above represents what the cloister would have looked like, through the use of a wooden pergola, but there isn't a cloister there now. 

It was also home to evacuees and Canadian troops during World War II so there's quite a bit about that part of the site's history too. 

We had hoped for ducks, as The Mother remembered there being a lot of ducks there and our small people love feeding them, but we think that the Jags scared them off as there wasn't a single duck there! However, we did spy this lovely Barn Owl having a nap in the glass lantern above the entry to the inside of the priory! I'm not sure how many other people noticed him and we aren't sure how he decided upon that as the best place to have a snooze - he didn't have much to hold on to and looked pretty wedged in there but hopefully he managed to get out ok. 

We had a picnic lunch, wandered around the gardens, drank coffee, wandered through the little craft market that was also there and then mooched round to my sister's house so that the boys could all play in the garden together - a proper family birthday weekend!

Uplift Exhibition

 

I had my first proper art exhibition in July, submitting three pieces of work to be considered for a fundraising exhibition by Victoria Pavilion Arts who provide, and raise money for, an Arts for Wellbeing project at the Sussex Support Service. The theme of the exhibition was 'Uplift', chosen because it represents the benefits aimed to be achieved through the arts project and the emotions encountered from those taking part in the sessions - "a boost to mind and body, increased confidence, cheerfulness and optimism."  

The brief was: "Uplift. A simple word but what does it mean to you? Perhaps to transport to a happier or safer place; to inspire, to elevate or to raise the spirits. It may be physical, emotional or spiritual but the word itself undoubtedly engenders feelings of positivity, regrowth and betterment."

You had to send in images of the artwork along with their details, a biography and an artist statement - although these weren't actually used in the exhibition so I'll share them here because I was particular proud of the lofty artiness of my artist statement, I hope you enjoy it too; 

"The sea calls to me, and I have spent many a happy hour searching the beaches for the gifts the white horses bring with them in their race to the sands. There is something so soothing about the rhythmic push and pull of the waves, the pebbles rattling and tumbling hopelessly as the ocean sniffs them back in. 

I can't help but feel joy and a sense of freedom there. The salty tang in my nose, gulls calling overhead, or squabbling over an abandoned sandwich, children laughing as their legs are playfully splashed by freezing droplets, the satisfying crunch underneath my sandals as my eyes scour the sand for treasures to take home; shells with interesting holes in, sea glass that changes colour when you hold it to the light or a smooth stone that lives in my pocket. 

When I can't get to the beach I create my own, through fabric and thread, adding in a few of my treasures to give each hoop its own tangible piece of those memories and feelings, hidden in a simple shell. The smell never quite leaves either."

What do you think of that then? These are the three pieces I submitted for entry...

Title: Crooklets Cove

Size: Embroidery Hoop 15cm, Frame Exterior 24.5cm, Frame Depth 3.5cm

Medium: Hand embroidered textile art embellished with real shells

Title: Barnacle Bay 

Size: Embroidery Hoop 20cm, Frame Exterior 34.5cm, Frame Depth 3.5cm

Medium: Hand embroidered textile art embellished with real shells

Title: Camber Sands

Size: Embroidery Hoop 25cm, Frame Exterior 39.5cm, Frame Depth 3.5cm

Medium: Hand embroidered textile art embellished with real shells

And all three of them were accepted! Huzzah! 

It was very exciting. The frames got dropped off (although I got my dates muddled up so I ended up delivering them late as I'd put the wrong delivery date on my calendar) and then the organisers put together the display so the next time I saw them, after their arrival in an enormous bag for life, was up on the wall as part of the exhibition! How cool. 

The Mother and I went to the open evening, and I was surprised by two close friends who also came along to see it with me (thank you chaps!), which was really well attended and we wandered around with prosecco (or at least I did) looking at all of the other artist's work. There were a couple of other textile artists there which was nice to see, and one piece that was also hand embroidered but not in the same style or detail as mine so I think I stood out a bit. But that's a personal opinion and I may be biased. 

The lighting was a little bit dark as the building is actually the top of a cricket pavilion so the roof is all angles and skylights, but it wasn't too bad and when the sun came out the pieces were sort of illuminated by the evening sun which was nice. 

There was a fantastic sky outside that evening and it was quite hot inside so The Mother and I sat on a little bench next to the cricket pitch for a while cooling off before returning back inside and then eventually heading home.

I wasn't able to help steward much over the weekend as I had another Guide event on but when I did manage to get back there on the Sunday afternoon, it was to find a red sticker dot on my big Camber Sands Stitchscape!

Someone had purchased it!!! It hadn't really crossed my mind that someone would actually buy one of the pieces, and it's led to a lot of internal discussion about my pricing because I'd forgotten to add on an allowance for the percentage fee that was being charged for sales by the exhibition organisers so I didn't get a huge amount for it in the end considering its size but, I do happen to know the person who purchased it as she's a fairly prominent figure in the local area and I've had two of her children at Guides, and my Mum knows her because she taught her children at primary school so there's a history there and I'm pleased it's gone to someone I know will appreciate it. The Stitchscape was purchased as a gift for the buyer's parents for a special wedding anniversary so there's that as well and I really hope that they like it and find joy in the shells and stitches.

As one of my biggest pieces to date it was slightly bittersweet to say goodbye - I will have to start another big seascape now to replace its spot on my seascape display at workshops too!

After the initial, physically bouncing excitement was over, Reece and Baby F and I shared some delicious celebratory cake at the Pavilion and I stayed to chat to the other artists and visitors for the rest of the afternoon, then was able to wrap up and package my Stitchscapes and take home the ones that hadn't sold.

I might have caught an exhibiting bug as I'd like to try and get some more pieces into exhibitions and am now in discussions to potentially have a shared exhibition just with me and one other textile artist next year! How cool would that be!?!