Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show

Harrogate Knitting & Stitching Show - part two of three

Ready for part two of my grand day out at the Harrogate show? Okay, let's start with the usual apology for my lack of photography skills. Secondly, I didn't capture the maker's name of the piece shown above, but it was part of a varied exhibition by 'The 62 Group of Textile Artists'. She looks calm and confident, doesn't she? Her gaze directed away from the viewer.

I think quiet spaces like this can be rather overlooked when there's so much else going on. With everyone intent on seeing as much as they can cram into their day.

I loved this, 'Rain' by Emily Jo Gibbs. It's silk organza and linen. She's hand stitched the material, and while the next photo is slightly blurry you can make out those stitches.

Such a simple idea, but often it's the simplicity that appeals to us, isn't it? Also, we know there's an awful lot of skill in producing something that looks effortless.

This was an eye catcher too. 'Inheritance' by Hannah Lamb. It's cyanotype on cotton organdie and vintage patchwork. I'm not sure if you can see from these images, but there're two pieces of fabric, one hanging in front of the other. The cyanotype in front, the patchwork at the back and visible through the sheer cyanotype.

Isn't that indigo colour beautiful? 'Inheritance' leads me on to one of my two favourite exhibition areas. The second being Jessie Chorley (more of that tomorrow) but the one I'll show you now is by Julius Arthur.

This section was a small oasis of calm in the midst of the heaving crowd, and I returned there a few times throughout the day.

These appliqued wall hangings reminded me of Rothko paintings. Something about the intensity of colour. The stitching of these appliqued shapes wasn't dense or elaborate. Such a huge contrast to the hexagonal English paper piecing patchwork of yesterday's post. I wonder what our great-great-great grandmothers would have made of the modern style?

Above - the beauty of a repeat pattern and limited colour palette.

I admit I hadn't heard of Julius Arthur before I'd seen these, but there's more info here if you're interested.

See you again tomorrow when it's embroidery all the way!

Comments

Sari scraps, PVA, a couple of books and a necklace

I'm typing this as snow's falling, and has been steadily all day. It's not settling to any great extent, though I bet by tomorrow morning the paths will be slippery with ice. Which always makes me paranoid about falling over and at the very least looking undignified, but at worst breaking a bone or twisting an ankle. Oh well, it's ideal weather to stay inside and craft, isn't it? I finally got around to listing packs of sari scraps on Etsy this morning. I only made up six bundles as I've no clue whether they'll sell or if I've set a reasonable enough price point. Time will tell. This is a link to the listing, if you're interested. This vaguely pink fabric isn't from one of my Etsy packs. It's from a bit of experimenting I was doing yesterday. I'd seen a post on Instagram showing how a DIY version of batik could be done without using hot wax. The Instagrammer used PVA instead, and I wanted to try this out. The glue's su

HOW TO MAKE: these decorative birds

I suggested yesterday that I'd run through how to make a fabric bird wall or window hanging (can't think of a snappier title for it than that!) so here goes. I'll start with the first decorative hanging I made. It's something you could make in any colour combination you want, and would look good hanging at a window with translucent beads that'd catch the light I used five birds for this, but you could make it longer if you prefer. (Incidentally, if you're wondering about what's hanging off the bottom on this, it's a metal Christmas decoration, shaped like a lantern. For some reason I thought it looked appropriate to leave it there, looped over the end.) WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO GATHER TOGETHER: Assorted scraps of fabric for the front of the birds - aim for a mix of colours and textures. Silk looks good, as does anything with embroidery or intricate patterns. You might aim for a hippy-ish boho look, or maybe you're more the minimal Scandi

What are you watching? Part One

Another cold, bright day, and I spent the morning indoors, reluctantly dragging a vacuum cleaner around before getting down to the nicer task of adding wadding to the back of this patchwork. Backing fabric's now tacked on, and it's ready to be stitched. I also squeezed in some reading. I'm currently immersed in 'Transcription' by ever-excellent Kate Atkinson, who can be relied upon for a well-written book. The book I recently finished - hmm, not so good. I'd fancied a lightweight cosy crime, something easy, quick to read, and picked 'A Pen dipped in Poison' by J.M. Hall. Oh my, I've never come across a story in which so many people sigh. Characters sighing all over the place! There's a fair amount of frowning too, and one character is constantly depicted as stirring a cup of coffee, supposedly to indicate thoughtfulness. Seriously, if I was in a coffee shop with her I'd be snatching that spoon out of her hand and yelling 'For go

rubykittyruby

Search This Blog