a favour for a friend....

 cotton grass by Ian Hill

my friend Ian is a writer...at least we all think he is and he is almost convinced... so when he sent an email to say he had entered a competition run by Penguin Books, to be a Wayfarer this summer...to walk, write and follow in the footsteps of Robert Macfarlane...

...and that he had been longlisted and needed votes to get onto the short list...well there was no stopping us...facebook, tweets, emails, he's even been interviewed on Radio Cumbria...I have emailed madly and it's been a joy getting in touch with people you haven't seen for a while...I had a lovely email back from an old friend in Australia this morning with lots of news which is fantastic...


so now I am blogging about it because I think it is a wonderful thing to support a friend, and even someone you don't know, in a positive cause...walking is so fundamental and such restorative pleasure can be had from such a simple thing as a walk in beautiful countryside...and to give someone the chance to write about their walk and share that with the world and help them in an aspiration...well it doesn't get much better than that!


so here is Ian's video if you'd like to watch it and here is the link...to vote if you would like to...here

and you can visit Ian's wonderful blog The Printed Land 
 
thanks for reading...I'm back off to my pricing and labelling now...have a great week 

Emmaxx

Woolfest is almost here...

hope it's in your diary for 28th and 20th June! it's certainly in mine!

suddenly it's rather close...and after months of thinking and planning I'm in the final preparation stage...and rather scarily laid back... which could mean

a) I am completely ready (ha ha ha ha ha!)
b) I'm so tired I'm actually asleep or 
c) any minute now there is going to be one huge panic and lots of midnight oil being burnt...

actually I have been working verry hard, sewing at all opportunities eg handsewing brooches on long car journeys, making for Woolfest and ArtFest, whilst taking artwork to 2 new galleries, doing applications for 2 exhibitions (which means making work too)...I often wonder how I ever found time to go 'out to work to a proper job' as this one is more than full time! but so enjoyable...I had a lovely workshop yesterday which just adds to the pleasure!

work in progress...cutting, using my 'new best friend' my embellisher, pinning, sewing...

and here's a little taste of what will be on my stall...and I may be a little quiet here for a wee while so please 'bear with'... I will be back!

 

maybe I'll see some of you there...do hope so...

have a great week

Emmax

relax...it's summer...

 

just to be outdoors from dawn to dusk...is the greatest and simplest pleasure...flowers and still more flowers as the garden unfolds and relaxes into summeryness...planting and weeding...new seeds and new plants...good dark rich earth...the blissful feeling of sun and air on bare skin...

slow...

take the time to sit and read...or lie in the warm grass and watch the swallows twisting in the blue blue sky...

if I don't answer the phone or get back to your email it's because I'm not in the house... 

have a wonderful summery week...

Emmaxx

the Art of surprise...

Spring Fling...was fantastic...and later in the week following a delicious lunch at Little Salkeld Watermill...a chance picking up of a leaflet...a stunning drive across the wild country from Cumbria to Northumberland via Alston ...and down a tiny country road going we are not sure where...

 

...and daughter mine and myself arrive...at a lovely house and garden with such a view, open the door and find ourselves in a clean white space...

full of colour and texture and a wealth of paintings and textiles...we have found an exhibition of art work by Kate Jackson, Rachel Phillimore and Jane Willis...whose house we are now in...

paintings, ceramics and glorious textiles, a chance to see rug making and to talk to Rachel, all in a beautiful space and in a relaxed way...serendipity has led us to a rich visual feast...

 

I loved Jane's paintings but... my heart is textile through and through...

Kate recycles fabrics to create stunning quilts, hours of patient work...

and Rachel likewise takes all manner of fabrics and slowly creates rich textural pieces of art...

can you see why I got rather exited?

we then went to the next village and found Kate's studio where she runs wonderful workshops, above a lovely village shop and cafe, she has a room full of textile treasure...here and you can see more of Jane's work here and Rachel's here...just wish you could have been there with me to see it too, hope you enjoy it second hand...

Emmaxx