Hens Teeth at Hope and Elvis – 2013

Last year I was a very lucky girl and managed to get a place on the Hens Teeth workshop at Hope and Elvis. The idea was to make a sewing or needle case, but as always, I tend not to follow rules and ended up creating something else!

I started off with scraps from an old blanket then added vintage red bias binding and vintage calico from my Arnold’s Attic stash. The wonderful Viv from Hens Teeth gave each of us a screen print for us to embroider the date onto, plus and a selection of screen printed figures to choose from too – I chose her iconic running hen. The whole thing was finished off with flurries of embroidery, inspired by Viv,  and some vintage linen buttons from the stash from Arnold’s Attic.
Here is my finished piece…..I hope you like it .
Thank you to Viv for sharing your work with us and to Louise for sharing your relaxing Studio at Hope and Elvis.

The front cover – complete with vintage linen buttons
Viv was a sweetie and signed my work

 

 

The back cover

MODA – Museum of Domestic Design and Architecture

Over the summer The Museum of Domestic Art and Arcitecture (MODA) in London, offered a rare opportunity for the public to view their exclusive collections… which include the work of the design house Silver Studios (1880-1963), Crown wallpapers’ archive, vintage textiles and selections of vintage magazines and journals. The MODA collection includes lots of other goodies, but I was particularly taken with the vintage hand cut, Japanese Katagami mulberry paper stencils used in making indigo dyed fabric for kimonos.

Here is a flavour of the day.

Large tables for viewing the collections
MODA Archive
MODA Archive
MODA Archive
Hand cut, Japanese Katagami mulberry paper stencils

 

 

They are so fine

 

 

 

Here are a few pages from the wonderfully colourful vintage magazines in the collection

 

 

Had to share this!

A Day in London at Tate Britain – The long awaited Folk Art Exhibition

I had been waiting for this exhibition for over a year – and I wasn’t disappointed. British Folk Art Exhibition celebrated work covering every medium from textiles, metal, leather, paint to carved wood – some were 18th Century shop signs…. I was in heaven.

Bootmakers sign
Bottle full of lace bobbins
Cockerel made from Bone by French Napoleonic Prisoners of War
Signage painted onto planks of wood
Boody Mosaic from Northumberland
Quilts made from Army uniforms and cottons

The exhibition has now moved to Compton Verney where one of the largest collections of British Folk Art is held.

…Then it was off to the Tate Cafe for a well deserved coffee and cake (my brain was buzzing) – Oh, the Lemon and Clementine Tarte was tasty…. then home.

 

The Spiral staircase near the Cafe
Pimlico Underground Station on the way home