Catching Up Time

I have not written anything for a while for a couple of reasons.  The computer broke, then my husband is on it all evening every evening and I have been very busy.  I have been to the North Lonsdale Embroidery Guild a few times and love it!  Started my textile art class at Kendal Brewery Arts Centre and loving that.  Been doing digital art workshops with Signal Films in Barrow.  Been doing lots of outdoors stuff with my brother like ghyll scrambling up Church Beck in Feb in the snow.  I fell in and it was rather cold to say the least but I felt like a hero afterwards.

My son Alex turned two and started pre-school for one morning a week and has to wear a uniform.  Looks really cute but was not happy about it! As seen here afterwards at his yiayia's house.  He loved the nursery though.

It was my husbands 40th birthday last Friday and we went to Liverpool for the weekend.  I hired a swanky appartment in Liverpool One.  We had a couple of great nights out and did a bit of shopping too.  The best was seeing the Mark Rothkos at Tate Liverpool though.  I love the old bits of Liverpool mixed with the new!

In two weeks we are skiing with friends in Morzine in France for a week so really looking forward to that.  The Winter Olympics has fired up our juices and we really excited.  So as you can see I have been busy.....ooooh I almost forgot to mention my new sewing machine arrived and it is great.  A Brother Innovis 350 SE.  Love it.  It is my 40th birthday present 3 years early from my husband.  So I m super busy with that too.  I have a couple of exhibitions coming up through the guild.

Snow, snow, snow....

We have had lots of lovely snow and my 22 month old got to experience it properly this year before we go skiing at Easter.  He tried out all his new gear whilst playing on the Glebe in Bowness-on-Windermere last weekend.  I have finished his quilt at last too!  There has been no QG or EG due to snow so bored!

Momiji Contest Winner Announced

Unfortunately I am not the winner or indeed a finalist of the Momiji Couture Contest.  These were announced on the  Momiji blog on Sunday at 4pm.  It turned out to be someone called 'Felt Mistress', whose blog I follow actually.  I loved the doll and I felt she deserved it.  Photos of the finalist dolls will be published later on.  Click on the link to look at the winning entry and read the interview.

                                                   http://lovemomiji.com/momiji-blog/1

Snow on Coniston Old Man!

I went for a walk with my brother Eddy today up to Beacon Tarn from the Blawith end.  It was a cold but clear day.  It snowed as we walked up.  When we got up to the tarn we were thrilled to see that the snow had settled on the Old Man and Dow Crag.  It is days like this that make us feel glad to live where we do.  Although I have to say very rainy dark days don't.  Although those type of days are typical and define why we are called the 'Lake District'!  It was my first sighting of local snow this year!  It was a great day.

Momiji Update & Furness Shoreline Quilters Guild Christmas Meeting

Checked out the blog for the Momiji Contest I had entered last month.  It seems they are well on the way to finding their final 10 dolls.  What gave me a bit of a thrill was that in the photo accompanying the blog was one of the judges marking some entries.  I could tell that my doll is the one at the end by the judge!  I know it does not mean anything of course but I was thrilled...as anyone would be!

http://www.momijicouturecontest.blogspot.com/

Last night my Aunty Anne and I attended the last guild meeting of the year.  Everyone had to take some food to share, a christmas card and a fat quarter of fabric for the secret santa.  The Christmas project was to make a table runner or placemats.  I did not have time to do anything unfortunately.  The entries are laid out so we can view and then vote.  I particularly liked the one that came third. 

We ate and drank, played quilt bingo and did a christmas carol quiz.  The average age must be 70 but I really enjoyed it.  I like talking to the ladies and gleaning lots of new sewing tips!  We were given the list of next years speakers too.  Quite a lot to look forward to!

HMS Astute and finding the Embroiderers' Guild

I made this cute stuffed submarine (with googly eye periscope!) as a tribute for my husband Nic.  He works for BAE Systems and this weekend the HMS Astute left Devonshire Dock, Barrow-in-Furness for Faslane in Scotland with its new crew.  So it was exciting for the team to witness this new chapter in the project.  Nic managed to get some photos and video of the sub leaving dock.  There was a big spread in the local newpaper too.  Go to this link and scroll down to see video and interviews. http://www.nwemail.co.uk/ All the rest of the lads in the office now want their own stuffed submarine with googly eye periscope!!

I am having real problems finding a local branch of the Embroiderers' Guild.  The nearest was the South Lakeland and Furness now has folded and the next nearest I can find is Keswick.  The national competition for the Embroiderers' Guild deadline is in Feb 2010 and I would like to take part but via a local branch.  In this search I find that many local craft guilds have folded.  For example the Cumbria Craft Guild used to be a fantastic group and would exhibit every year at Grizedale, they too are no more!  Living in a rural area is fantastic but it can end up isolating those who need to network.

So I guess I will just have to do it through national membership for now.  The competition theme this year is 'Shelter'.  I am also a member of a local quilters' guild but again I am considering entering the national exhibition next year, 'Festival of Quilts' at the NEC in Birmingham.  These fairs are good because it gives the artist a chance to exhibit but also to network. On a last good note for me, Nic and I are off to Glasgow for the weekend.  Leaving Alex with his grandparents.  So looking forward to visiting the galleries and a few watering holes!!

http://www.embroiderersguild.com/

http://www.quiltersguild.org.uk/

It got there!

Just checked out online if the doll got to its destination.  It was delivered the day after posting!  That is good I can now relax.  On with the next project now.  Working on a mixed media painting for a competition next year.  Details to follow.