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Alexandra Palace…….. inspiration from a by gone era….

I am sure you have heard of or have visited Alexandra Palace in London, but did you know it was the first home of BBC TV.

Victorian Palace

Recently the Palace have been running behind the scenes tours, explaining the history and development of the Palace from conception to what we know today.
Here are some behind the scenes at the lesser known  Victorian Alexandra Palace Theatre  which is in a state of decay .
I had to share the fantastic paintwork with you. The patterns, painting paint and decor are a joy to see.
Original woven carpet from the entrance to the theatre
Original woven carpet from the entrance to the theatre

Continue reading “Alexandra Palace…….. inspiration from a by gone era….”

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What kind of Stitcher are you?

If you are a Stitcher like me, inspiration is all around us.

Inspiration for a Stiticher

Hand embroidery and free-motion quilting are forms of stitching that I tend to revert back to time and again. In the case of free motion quilting, I try to make a stitch that works for me and one that comes naturally.
stitcher inspiration - ropes on the beach

 

In all the years I have taught Machine Quilting, I have noticed that one tends to be a ‘angular, zig-zag’ person, a ‘wiggly, irregular’ stitch person or a ‘spiral,wavy’ person – it all depends how your arms, shoulders and brain work together….. you are what you are. Continue reading “What kind of Stitcher are you?”

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Brass Safety Pins – A very useful bit of vintage kit.

A new acquisition of a safety pins. A new addition to my vintage kit.

Safety Pins

Vintage, small brass covered safety pins are a staple piece of kit in my projects.

Some are given pride of place on the front of my work, incorporated in mixed media design and embroidery art.

Whilst some are used the old fashion way as fasteners on the back of pieces.

Safety Pins
Small vintage brass safety pins

My favourite use is utilising them is as a ‘pin’ to hang found objects from.

Vintage Packaging

The bonus for my latest collection of pins, was the addition of the vintage packaging which I like to use as a background to display textile art.  The wording, the font and colours also provide inspiration for future projects.

A Safety Pin is a very versatile piece of kit.