British Summertime is (very nearly) officially over ...

In a few hours time the clocks will be put back an hour and that's that as far as Summer is concerned. It's always a little disconcerting when the clocks go forward in March or back in October. There's the feeling of being unbalanced. Unsettled by the shifting of time in this way.

I've spent part of today finishing this book, 'A Disappearance in Fiji' by Nilima Rao, set in 1914 and concerning the lives of indentured Indians on the island of Fiji. This was the days of Empire, of colonial rulers and sugar cane plantations where conditions were appalling for the thousands of workers bought over from India. Not only is it a well written story, but it gave me a glimpse of a slice of history I'd not known about. In an afterword by the author, she notes that between 1879 and 1916 over 60,000 Indians went to Fiji as indentured servants. Basically they were contracted to work for a fixed period of several years, for fixed pay, and weren't free to just leave or get a new job if they were mistreated. I know all this makes the book sound grim and might put you off, but honestly it's a good read and very enjoyable, despite some grim moments.

I also finished off the two folk art style angels I was making. This pair aren't the prettiest of gals. I think they're sisters, possibly Hettie and Harriet. Certainly the angel on the left has been over-doing the henna, and her wings are decidedly lumpy. Couldn't fly with those!

I've also been watching several Jude Hill videos, and have this slow-stitching piece that I'm putting together. The moon and a black & white feather are both motifs that occur in her work. I'm thinking of adding a comet - as you do - something like the one that occurs in the Bayeux Tapestry - and may add an eye, like the one I already embroidered on another project.

It is fun to start sewing, putting fabrics together, adding lines of stitching, and not know where it's all going to end up. Fun to let ideas pop into your head and not worry whether anyone else will approve or disapprove, whether they'll understand or think you're crackers!

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Fabric bowls & electrical cables ...

To add to my seemingly never ending list of works-in-progress, I've started making a fabric bowl. Or should I call it a fabric basket? I'm not sure. Anyway, I've made the odd bowl or two before, like this blue & white one that I keep cotton perle in. I decided to use upholstery material, which has both advantages & disadvantages. On the good side, it has a certain stiffness, which helps the bowl stay in shape. On the irritating side, the kind of material I'm using frays like mad, and I'm forever picking up threads off the carpet. The bowl's a simple construction, and I've used a circle of cardboard covered with brown felt for the base. It'll look much better when I've embroidered and stitched into it. I've made a start on that, and appliqued on a rectangle of plum coloured velvet for extra interest. When not stitching, I've been catching up on my reading. I finished C J Sansom's 'Dark Fire'. Real...

Threads of Freedom and charity shop bargains

It's Saturday afternoon, and I haven't done half the things I'd meant to. Partly because I spent most of this morning messing about with paints, stencils and the gell plate. Never mind, everything on today's 'To Do' list will join tomorrow's 'To Do' list ... it's hardly life or death if I don't haul the hoover around the room or pull up weeds in the front garden. I thought I'd show you what I made on Wednesday. I'd gone to my monthly StitchArt group, and this time we did something a little different. There's a project called 'Threads of Freedom' which is working with various community groups across the city. It's about creating little stitched pieces, some of which will be included in a textile panel to go on display at Leeds art gallery. There was lots of fabric we could choose from to sew with, and I picked this vintage tray cloth with the roses embroidery. My own embroidery's not a patch on those flo...

Another fabric bowl & what's starting to look like a craft room ...

Hello on what's been a beautiful autumn day. Bright blue clear sky, a chilly start but warming up in the afternoon. I've been on a long walk around a local nature reserve, not wanting to stay inside when it's so lovely outdoors. In the last week or so, I've been finishing this fabric bowl, and have started making another. But mainly I've been having a bit of a change-around in my house. I've hauled furniture from one room to another, clutter-cleared cupboards and bagged up things for the charity shop, and generally hoovered and cleaned all those dusty corners. I'd finally made a decision about turning the dumping ground of the front bedroom into a craft room. It's taking shape, though it really has taken some effort. Larger pieces of material are stacked on shelves, grouped into colours. Lower down is my Sissix machine and die cuts, and at the base of the shelving are beads and jewellery making supplies...

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