After a morning of experimenting I finally got the paint solution to the right consistency and started to print the leather.

I got varying results depending on what colour I was used so decided to stick with the darker tones. Here’s some pictures of the leather pieces drying.

The leather has been sewn up into lovely clasp frame purses

The new purses will be on sale at Marketplace the Midlands Arts Centre’s contemporary craft fair which runs every weekend in the lead up to Christmans.  I’ll be there on Saturday 19, Sunday 20, Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 November from 11-6pm.  Please come and say hello.

I left early on Wednesday morning with the ever lovely Vickie Glynn.  When we arrived at Skegness we went straight to our digs, The Kildare.  Turns out that the Kildare won Channel 4 programme 3 In A Bed last year.  We rang the bell but no-one was home. It seemed that the owners had popped out to run some errands.

The weather report I’d seen before leaving home had showers and sunshine forecast for Thursday, so we decided to get to the pier and start installing whilst the weather was dry.  Fuelled by cups of tea and fresh doughnuts we managed to get 16 lamp posts covered before dinner time.

After our dinner we went back to the hotel.  We were given a warm welcome and lots of apologies for being out when we first arrived.  The Kildare is a friendly homely B&B and if you’re ever in Skegness I can recommend that you stay there.

We’d been invited to meet the rest of the visual artists for a drink that evening.  Vickie was feeling a bit coldy so elected for telly and an early night and I went to local bar Wallies to mingle.

Thursday morning was decidely grey so I packed my waterproofs and Vickie and I headed down to the pier to finish the install.  We got a taste of the bracing Skegness wind and had to use cable ties to secure the pieces whilst we stitched them on.

By lunchtime the install was finished.  I took Vickie to the train station to return home and went for a mooch round Skegness’ charity shops.

For the rest of my stay I was a lady of leisure. I took a trip to Mablethorpe further up the coast to visit the Bathing Beauties beach hut exhibition but the huts were closed.  I also visited some of the other exhibits at SO Festival Luminarium, Migration Stories, International Bus Stop, Weaving Stories and Camera Obscura.

I rounded off my Skegness stay with fish and chips on the beach.  A very fitting end to my stay by the seaside.

I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to Vickie.  It would have taken days to install the piece without you.

Here’s a few pics of the final piece.  Note the mistake on the information board - it seems my name is Stitches and Hos!

image from http://sophiarogge.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

My commission Candy Cane Pier for Skegness Open Festival has been featured in the Birmingham Post and Birmingham Mail.

I think it was published today.  So, I’m off to the newsagents

I’m currently working on an outdoor visual arts commission for Skegness Open Festival 2011.  The piece is called Candy Cane Pier and for this I will be transforming the lampposts on the pier in to sticks of rock with knit graffiti (well, actually I’m using crochet, but thats just a technical point).

Production of the pieces is going well here at needlesandhooks HQ.  In total I will make 24 pieces of crochet 110 x 24cm in just over 3 weeks.  I’m already over halfway through the crocheting (at time of writing 14 done, 10 to go) and still have just over a week to complete the work.  Luckily I have cleared the diary for the final week so will be able to concentrate fully on abusing my crochet hook

I’m very excited and a bit nervous to be taking part.  It’s great to set myself a challenge and this really is one.

I’ll post up photos of the completed work once its been installed next week.  Until then I’d better get back to my crocheting

Its been quite a while since my last post. It seems the time has just run away.

I have been busy working on various projects in my blogging absence.  I’ve been back at Birmingham Royal Ballet in the Wardrobe department repairing, maintaining and fitting costumes.  I’ll also be working on Elmhurst School for Dance end of year gala performance.

A breakway faction from Stitches and Hos gave the Floozy in the Jacquzzi (and other bits of Brum) some new knitted cheer.  You can read all about the groups exploits here.  We are also busy knitting our next knit graffiti project.  Keep an eye on the Stitches and Hos blog to find out more.

I’ve also been selected to produce an outdoor visual arts commission for Skegness Open Festival.  For this I’ll be wearing my Stitches and Hos hat and transforming the pier with knit graffiti.

I won’t leave my next blog update so long next time.  Until then ta ta

I’ve also been back at Birmingham Royal Ballet dressing for their new production of Cinderella. I really wish I had a chance to see the production but I’ll have to settle for seeing the costumes on the rails, lacing up bodices and doing up hook and eyes.

Well the working fun doesn’t stop quite yet for me.  I’ll be at my last Christmas fair selling my wares at Festive Flair, LIght House, Wolverhampton on Saturday 11 December, 11-4pm.

For more information here’s the flyer

…to be jolly, fa la la la la fa laa laa la. Here at needlesandhooks I’m starting to get in the festive mood.

After wrangling with Illustrator I’ve managed to design (and print) some Christmas cards for all of the upcoming shows and markets I’ll be at over the coming weeks. I still have a very long to do list but I’m trying to work through it as fast as I can.  My first show is next week - eek!

I’ll be exhibiting at:

Handmade Birmingham, Bullring, Tuesday 9 November

Mid Century Modern, Dulwich College on Sunday 14 November.  I’ll be sharing a stall with the everso talented Ben Javens.

Marketplace, Midlands Arts Centre, Saturday 20, Sunday 21 and Sunday 28 November

Handmade Birmingham, Bullring Markets, Saturday 27 November

Well with all these shows lined up I’d better get back to work.

This weekend I’ll be selling my wares at Handmade Birmingham.

You should really come by and say hello

I went over to my good friend Ruth Green’s studio to do some screen printing.  It’s something that I haven’t done since I was at school but have been meaning to do for a while.  I was very lucky to have expert tuition and guidance from Ruth to ease my screen printing nerves.

So with plenty of tea and biscuits we got to printing.  First the background eggs

Then we printed some birds over the eggs.

I want to say a big big BIG thank you to Ruth for letting me use her studio for a whole afternoon and acting as my lecturer and technician.  I wouldn’t have been able to get so much done without your help.

Today I’ve been embroidering the prints with images of architectural details

I’m really pleased with my stitched pictures, they look great.  I’m most pleased with the machine control (yes I did it all freehand - no computerised sewing machine in this house).

Now I know what they look like I’ll be developing some other designs.

I know have my files, baskets of notions and record player all housed on purpose built shelves.  The shelves are even level.

In the midst of my tidying up I finally got around to unpacking 2 cigar boxes and a tin I’d been given.  They’ve been sitting on my desk since the start of the year, when I’d had a cursory glance inside.  Oh my my, what treats they did hold.

The larger box (at the back) had obviously been used as a sewing box and was full of needles, scraps of newspaper, old pins and a few reels of cotton.

One of the gems in the larger box was something called the Zigzagger.

Its an attachment for your straight stitch sewing machine to allow it to do zigzag stitch.  Most machines before the 60’s only did straight stitch.  This is what the attachment actually looks like.

The Zigzagger comes with a set of typed instructions which tell you that ‘the attachment is useful, effective and will fit any standard domestic type of sewing machine of the flat bed type’.  However, looking at the almost pristine state of the box I’m not sure how useful or effective it is.

I’d love to have a play with the Zigzagger to see if I can get it to work but I don’t own a vintage sewing machine that the Zigzagger will fit.

Talking of vintage sewing machines, folded up in the smaller cigar box was this.

An instruction chart and manual for a Vickers sewing machine.  The machine looks like its from the 30’s or 40’s but the printing on the poster looks so modern.  I love the way the red cotton is used to highlight the image and also tell you how to thread the machine.

Also folded in the smaller cigar box was this advert.

I love the fact that there was/is a Metrication Board to deal with all things metric and to smooth the transition from imperial measurements.

Last of the treats were all these reels of cottons

inside this rather lovely tin

The cottons will get used in my work as they’re Sylko thread which is my 2nd choice thread (after Guterman).  The cigar boxes will be great to display cards and brooches in at fairs or markets.  The tin will make a great edition to my ever growing storage needs.