Even more Sketchbook making shennanigans

Assorted books made by members of Myriad Studio group

One of the things I enjoy about running workshops is the challenge of adapting what I'm teaching to suit my audience. Back in November I got to run my Inventive Sketchbooks workshop twice in one week but for two quite different audiences. The first one was for Myriad Studio art group, led by artist Katarina Prior and based at Eden Arts in Penrith and the second was at Carlisle Youth Zone for the Junior club (ages 7-12.) Two quite different audiences...

Looking at samples

Choosing papers

Choosing papers

The Myriad Studio session was a lot of fun but also really quite relaxed. Everyone was an adult and had come not just to learn something but for the social and therapeutic benefits of art making too. There were also a few people I knew who'd been on some of my other workshops which was lovely. It was a very friendly group and I was able to run the session in a very laid back, informal way, taking people through the process step by step and helping when needed but mostly just chatting! It's lovely working with groups like this, it hardly feels like work at all and I often get to have a bit of a play myself.

Creative chaos!

Creative chaos!

Creative chaos!

In contrast the session at the Youth Zone was what you might call action packed! I really enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun and I was lucky to have some fantastic staff supporting me but I was also very tired at the end of the session. We were busy all evening, the workshop was run on a drop in basis and we had so many children come and join in which was really good. There's often an interesting dynamic with workshops with energy going back and forth between leaders and participants; for this session it was high energy the whole evening and so by the end of the night I was ready to drop.

Finished books...

Finished books...

Finished books...

It's very different working with adults and children and I get a lot out of working with both groups, I like the differences and adapting what I'm doing and how I approach things for each different groups. One of the things that I love about working with people in general is being able to light that creative spark; whether it's showing someone who's already very competent a new way of doing something and sending them on new creative path or seeing a child genuinely proud of what they've been able to create with me. Sometimes I look at my schedule and think I must be insane but other times I look at what I actually do in that crazy schedule and realisle how much I love it how lucky I am to be able to do this.

Elephants!

Sunshine Elephant

On Saturday I did a craft fair at the Tithe Barn in Carlisle. It's a really lovely venue so it was a real shame it was so quiet. However, the people organising it (Masseuse Smooth, who also have a shop in Penrith stocking some of my stuff) came to me to tell me they'd sold one of my owl doorstops and the person who'd bought it wanted to know how much an elephant would be. So, I set about designing an elephant and came up with this design.

Design for the elephant doorstop

They took it away to show the person in question who said yes and so last night I made a lovely sunshiney elephant. Now I'm off to make one in green, as you do.

Side view

Back view

Detail

Re-Merchandise at Masseuse Smooth

New items, new display

I went to Masseuse Smooth in Penrith earlier this week to change over some of my stock there after BOB. Instead of the cushions I've taken some smaller items which will hopefully sell a bit better ( and take up less shelf space!)

Brooches, purses and keyrings

Owls and 'phone cases

Exciting Times

Delicate Stitches stand at Masseuse Smooth

I've had an even busier than normal week this week but it's been full of lots of good things. One of which I shall now tell you about. I've done a couple of craft fairs in Appleby organised by Masseuse Smooth who also have a shop in Penrith and they've asked me if I would like to sell some of my items in their shop. They already stock work by several other makers and I've been thinking for a while about trying to get my work into a 'bricks and mortar' shop rather than just my Folksy shop so it seemed like the ideal opportunity. So, today I took some of my items down and they're now available for sale there. Exciting times indeed! More to come later about other exciting things I've done this week...

Brooches and hair clips

Door stops

Cushions

Wooly Exploits

Yarn bombing Rheghed

Yesterday I went to Rheghed in Penrith to see their new exhibition, Wonder of Wool and the Art of Knit and Stitch. The exhibition features some of the top contemporary artists and practitioners using wool in the UK, including Freddie Robbins, Deirdre Nelson (one of my favourite artists) and Rachel Matthews. I've been really looking forward to this exhibition as I love all things stitchy and using traditional 'crafts' in art is kind of my thing.

There was a really diverse range of work in the show which was both its advantage and disadvantage. It was great to see so many different pieces and approaches but it did mean that the exhibition didn't really feel very cohesive, the common thread being the material rather than the concept. At times it felt like looking at a disparate collection of art works rather than a curated exhibition. However, it is still a very interesting show with high quality works and it is great to see shows of this type being put together. One thing that I think would have helped would have been more accompanying information. All the pieces were titled and credited and there was a clipboard you could take round with more information but I would have liked to have seen a bit more information with the works or an accompanying catalogue.

Of the work on show I particularly enjoyed Donna Wilson's animated knitted adventure 'I am Ahab.' A clever and highly entertaining combination of cute and gory gently prods the viewer into questioning the low value traditionally placed on the materials and techniques employed. Similarly, Freddie Robbins knitted portraits of female serial killers houses 'Houses of Crime' asks us to question the feminine as something purely soft, gentle and without threat.

Link to the Rheghed website: http://www.rheged.com/wow-wonder-wool-and-art-knit-and-stitch-0

As well as the exhibition Rheghed were also encouraging people to yarn bomb the centre, I had brought a piece of my knitting with me specially and put it up on a sad looking pillar. There were a few other bits up and I hope that over the course of the exhibition more people will join in. I'm taking my Heathlands textiles group to see the show soon so I will be able to see then how the knitted take-over is going! There were also several small 'flocks' of pom-pom sheep, part of the Flock project run by Eden Arts that I've also got my textiles group involved with.

Link to Eden Arts Flock page: http://www.edenarts.co.uk/portfolio/flock/

Flock at Rheghed

The Heathlands Flock

My piece of knitting is done in a chunky Jacob sheep wool using 10mm needles. I chose a traditional feather and fan pattern and added a row of eyelets down each side of the knitting so I could lace it onto a pillar, which I did. I also incorporated some ribbon and lace for added textural interest.

In situ

Detail of the lacing

Stitch detail

Feather and Fan pattern

Bird Decorations

Hand-made felt birds

I run an art group called Create It! for Eden Mencap Society every other Monday evening and recently we've been making bird decorations. Last session we did some design work and then some felt making and yesterday we began using that felt to make the decorations. The blue bird was done by a guy who'd never done any stitching before, he quickly picked it up and did a great job. I love the colour choices and his blue-lidded eye. Next session we'll be carrying on and making some more birds, I can't wait to see what they come up with!

Work in progress

Design work

Craft Stall-The Day After

Our stall (my stuff on the left of the table and Gen's on the right and far left)

Well, it wasn't a great success yesterday. It was very very quiet, I don't think many people knew about it and as it was in an upstairs venue tucked away in a quiet area not many people happened to find us by accident. However, there were some very nice people there and I enjoyed talking to some of the other stall holders and seeing what everyone had on offer. It was also lovely to work with Gen a bit more and her lovely mum, Michelle. It also means that I have lots of stuff ready to list and put on Folksy so that's good!

Michelle and I were discussing the connotations of the word 'craft' and whether perhaps a better title would be decorative arts. A lot of people seemed to think some of the wares on offer were over-priced, maybe not appreciating just how much time and effort goes into making each piece. Perhaps using the name  decorative arts, rather than crafts, would help to emphasise the time, skill and workmanship involved and help people understand why handmade is often more expensive. An interesting discussion!

(Mostly) My stuff

Beaded Crochet Necklaces and Owl Keyrings

Penrith Craft Stall

Some of my crafty stuff

My friend Genevieve has been doing a few craft stalls recently and told me about one at St. Andrews in the centre of Penrith. Unfortunately I didn't have enough stock or time to make enough stuff to be able to take a stall. Gen very kindly offered to share her table with me and I'm really looking forward to doing the stall with her tomorrow. Gen makes, amongst other things, beautiful scarves and I will be taking various bits and pieces including brooches and bags. I've also come up with an ingenious way to display the earrings I've made using wooden picture frames and sequin waste (see picture.) So here's hoping for a sunny day!

Owl key ring and brooches

Earring Display

May Day Madness!

Detail of the van covering

Detail of the minibus cover

We won!

Parading behind the bus

Banner of painted flowers

I was in Penrith yesterday preparing for and then watching the May Day Parade. I've never been to one before and it was a glorious day, which was lucky as most of the van covering was made of paper! To explain; I help run an art group for Eden Mencap Society (http://www.edenmencapsociety.co.uk/) and one of the things we've been working on recently is preparations for the May Day parade, with a theme of Alice in Wonderland. We didn't have a 'proper' float, i.e. a lorry, so we decided to improvise by making a covering for the minibus. We used card board and paper and then went to town on the decorations; flowers, mushrooms, flamingoes and other madness. We also made various costumes and the guys walked behind the minibus, all dressed up and looking fabulous! At the very back they carried a banner painted with exotic flowers that we had an enjoyable morning painting. To top it all off, we won 1st prize! So, a big cheer to all the people at Eden Mencap Society who all put so much hard work in, it was all worth it.