Sanctuary

One of my favourite places in Pembrokeshire is St Davids Cathedral. This Norman masterpiece is about 30 miles away in Britain's smallest city and it is an architectural gem as well as being a very special place to visit. Despite hoards of tourist visiting there is always a quiet place to be found and there is so much inspiration inside that you can become overwhelmed by it all.

One of the things I always seek out is this small grave just below the main outside wall before you descend the steps down into the cathedral grounds. It is easily overlooked and is only about 2 feet in length. I often wonder who was commemorated here. There are no markers or records. It always reminds me of a quote from the well known diary of the cleric Francis Kilvert about his visit to St Davids:

'And so we came to the edge of the world, where the patron saint of Wales lays buried at the end of the Western Sea....'

Red, red, red

When I went up the garden late this afternoon it suddenly struck me that there is a lot of red in the borders at present. Couldn't resist it. Had to get the camera. Everything is a bit wind battered and flopping over but the colour is wonderful. I love it.

Time to stop procrastinating....

Now that the project commitment has been met I want to get on with other ideas I have floating around in my head. The trouble is though that I have a workshop full of half finished ideas that floated in to my head and then floated out again, so, I decided today that I will finish one half started idea for each new idea that I want to get going with. Sounds disciplined eh? We'll see.

I got off to a good start by turning my first attempt at machine embroidery into the bag I planned it for. This was all scraps and donated fabrics so the only outlay was time . As a learning curve it was a great exercise and I made a few mistakes I know I won't repeat the next time. Next time? Yes, there will be a next time. I like this idea a lot and can see bags adorned with quirky birds, beetles, gloves, shoes and other odd things. Now all I need to do is improve my embroidery skills - hmm, is that a half finished idea or a new one?

Group Work

Today was the day my friends and I got together to show the completed pieces we have been working on for the past few weeks. Our task was to finish a piece using any dyeing or image transfer idea that we wanted to use but to do something a bit outside the norm for all of us.

The one thing we all had in common was the fact that despite weeks of planning and thinking none of us finished until the eleventh hour. Why is it we always push things to the ultimate deadline? Anyway, first up was Vickie who had rust dyed her fabric and then transferred photographs on to it that reflected her interest in family history. She also included a transfer of the census returns for her great great grandparents. It started out as a piece about decay and turned into something very personal en route. She also tea dyed the lace and incorporated stitching and block printing into her work. Is it finished? She's not sure and thinks it might be a piece of fabric that will continue to evolve.

Lynda noticed that the rust dyed marks had a life of their own. In one small piece there seemed to be the outline of two ladies dresses with high collars and buttoned fronts. I could see them quite clearly and, outlined by some lace printing, it almost looks as if one has a crinoline or bustle!

Lynda had been concentrating on dyeing and had taken some white fabric and settled it into some scrunched up tin foil that was laden with different dye coulours in the many crevices and surfaces. The resulting colours were like a summer garden palette and Lynda then machine embroidered flowers and text onto the fabric before making it into a skirt. It was a delight.

Using a piece of left over dyed fabric Lynda machine embroidered a floral design onto it and then framed it with a box frame she picked up in a charity shop for a few pounds Why doesn't this type of luck ever come my way? Oh, and to cap it all she did this piece this morning - now that really is what you call working up to the deadline!

Joan concentrated her efforts on dyeing some fabric trying out rust dyeing and using some cold water dyes and resists. Sadly, my camera could not capture all the nuances and shading that her dyeing produced and this picture is the best I can show. As the dye strikes the fabric it breaks into its 'component' shades and this milk chocolate dye had shades of purple, indigo and ochre in it. The speckled effect was really rather wonderful but I'm afraid you'll just have to take my word for it.

Finally, here are my two pieces. This top piece uses an old chairback from the charity shop laminated with my Aunt Lilla's old dress pattern pieces. I've machined embroidered the tailors dummy and transferred the images to fabric and directly on to the base material. It's all about body image and liking yourself - or not, as the case may be.

I was also working on a pattern covered piece about the difficulties of growing up and learning to sew as a left handed child. I started with this, didn't like it and then cut it up. Eventually I decided to sew the pieces together and make a book, which I then embellished with some stitch. I like this better and prefer this to the other project piece.

Seeing how we'd all done something so different was fascinating but the next step is to start sharing some of our skills between us. From here it's going to be about using the pc to produce ideas and imagery to work with, getting to grips with layers and blending etc. I can't wait!

Hetty Bower

Hetty Bower is 103. On BBC4 last night there was a documentary about Hetty and two other ladies living in a residential home for the 'active elderly'. It was inspirational.

Hetty loves walking and classical music and has been a life long pacifist, campaigning to this day about the war in Iraq and the Israeli occupation of Palestine. She is still taking part in protest marches and delivering petitions to Downing Street. Her hearing and her eyesight have deteriorated but her mind is as sharp as ever. I was bowled over by her spirit and could not help but admire and respect her commitment to the beliefs she has held for a lifetime. I don't know if it's a 'generation' thing sadly, but I have never had that passion for an ideal.

Her husband died in the 90's and they were together for over 70 years. She recounted how he was sent away to Scotland during the war years. She told him that he had to come home because she'd planned that when the time came she was going to die in his arms. This was not to be. The way she told it was so poignant. It broke my heart.

Weekly moth trap

We decided to risk a moth trap last night and the weather luckily held out for some good results. The trap takes about eight egg boxes and in the one my husband is holding you can see what a treat they can be when you lift them up and turn them over to examine the contents. We had some 'firsts' again for our particular 'patch' of Pembrokeshire, unlike the Clouded Border below which we see a lot of at this time of year.

The biggest treat was seeing a couple of Garden Tigers, something we've not seen for a couple of years. As a child of the 50's however, I remember finding lots of what we called 'woolly bear' caterpillars. I never knew they grew into these amazing moths and sadly, what was once a common feature of gardens, is now a rarity.

To put the icing on the cake we also found a solitary Ruby Tiger in the box. This is the one and only time I've ever seen one of these and whilst it wasn't wildly coloured it had a wonderful rusty reddish hue to its wings and started to vibrate its wings ready for flight. Seeing the wonderful colour underneath was just lovely.

Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail.....

It is a good year for the rabbit population. We are blessed(!!) with large, medium and small ones - and now we can add 'tiny babies' to that list as well.

They have suddenly started to appear in the garden close to the house, seemingly completely fearless. They must know my husband is a soft touch. The last one he caught enjoyed a four mile car ride to a better home but I think it must have had homing instincts because it - or one of it's relatives - was back pretty soon!

He just smiles at their antics and tells me to 'chill'. You will surmise from this that I am not 'rabbit friendly'. Wait until he comes home from work and finds they have decimated his crop of french beans. That will wipe the smile off his face!

Summertime is moth time

This is the peak time for moth activity. Last night's trap gave us 45 different species. To me they all have their good points and I enjoy them all but I've just picked a few to display the variety of colour, shape and size that's out there flying around in our gardens every night, especially now.

Rosy Footman

Gold Spot

Green Silverlines (with Privet Hawk Moth)

Drinker

Peppered Moth

Archie

On Wednesday afternoon I went with my friend Vickie to demonstrate at a local craft festival in the church at Manorbier. This is a beautiful village complete with a great surfing beach, castle and lovely Norman church. It's very popular with visitors and every year the ladies of the village organise their flower and craft festival to raise much needed funds for the church's ongoing restoration. Our Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers always put an exhibit together and we take our turn to demonstrate something that might interest people.

Whilst my friend Vickie was spinning cashmere I decided to needlefelt something. These are the raw materials - a bit of carded wool, a sharp barbed needle and some foam - in case you stick the needle in your thigh.... not recommended! As always I seem to attract the younger crowd who are forever keen to know what you're making. I had the company of four lovely kids from San Diego - Jack, Bella, Cameron and Jessie , all giving advice on what sort of creature I should make.
As these things always take longer than you think my loyal young fans did not see the end result. I finally finished him over breakfast and I shall call him Archie. Actually, I always call them Archie and he's about number seven or eight in a long line of Archies. Every time I finish someone wants him and I happily send Archie off to pastures new. Perhaps this one might actually stay with me!

Yes, moths do fly in the rain

We had a moth trap last night but also a bit of a downpour in the early hours. Moths do fly in the rain but the smaller ones can be wiped out by it. We had to rescue the trap and put it in the garage where we had a few escapees but in amongst them all were these few beauties:

Buff Arches

Large Emerald Pale Shouldered Brocade

On the beach

Last night we went for a walk on our local beach at Amroth which is about 5 miles away. It was warm but very breezy. Not surprisingly it was pretty quiet. Apart from a few other hardy souls we pretty much had it all to ourselves. Sometimes the best pictures are the ones created quite by chance. I spend more time looking at the ground here. Pictures created by the sea or other visitors are often the best.

Chasing the Scarlet Tiger

People are often surprised to learn that there are a fair number of moth species that are active by day and they are often as brightly coloured and beautifully patterned as many butterflies.

While I was on the phone to my Mum today this brightly coloured jewel flew past the window so I told her I'd call her back and threw the phone down, grabbed the camera and chased outside. This moth is a Scarlet Tiger, active around June to July and only the second one I have ever seen. It worked it's way down into one of my plants as if it was hiding but I managed to photograph it as it emerged. It's been through the wars a bit - not surprising as it has already used up half of it's allotted lifetime. What a treat.

Earlier today we had another visit from the young woodpecker. All juveniles have a red cap and this will disappear as they mature. I think his eyes look wary and give his youth away. He's a nervous feeder and is knocking six bells out of my tree trying to get the rhythm right once he's found a nut and tries to eat it! The photo, through my double glazing, is not great but if I tried to get up close he'd be long gone.

In fact, while I was looking at the woodpecker I noticed the bird food was depleted and needed refilling. As I went out to do that something bright caught my eye and I saw this crab spider on one of the plants by the back door. Again, this is something I've never seen before. I saw it on Springwatch a few weeks ago - otherwise I wouldn't have had a clue what it is.

I have to take photos of all these things to share with my husband when he comes home from work. He'll be disappointed to have missed the Tiger. Perhaps, if the weather holds, we can run a moth trap tonight and see one of it's family, the Garden Tiger. Now, that really would be a treat!

In the midst of life....

When I am feeling good about myself I try to get out and walk for a couple of miles to and from home. It makes me feel I am trying to get fit and healthy! Sadly, today, as I got just about 50 yards from my gate there was a young fox cub that had been run over. It was a beauty but obviously clipped by a car last night sometime. My husband will move him somewhere else tonight. Being too squeamish and soft-hearted I cannot do that.

I am more taken with 'life' and the garden is absolutely teeming with it. It may be down to the warm weather but I've never seen so many fledglings as I have this year. We have taken to putting soft bird food out and we're overrun with young blue tits, great tits, robins, blackbirds, chiffchaffs and nuthatches. Today a juvenile woodpecker turned up while my friend was here for coffee. She says it's like visiting Beatrix Potter! She must mean because there are so many rabbits about..... arrgh!

Still, my karma is good because of my lovely swallow family. They sit on our tv aerial or in the gutter on my conservatory and they get fed at regular intervals by the parents. They swoop all around when I go outside, chattering away nineteen to the dozen. I love it.

Works in progress... sort of

I am flitting about from idea to idea as usual and getting nowhere fast. Here's a print I took from one of the small collagraph plates I've been making. I discussed it with Sue, my printmaking mentor and I think I was using watercolour paper instead of printmaking paper, hence the press not making an impression in the middle of the print. I keep trying to have another go but I get sidetracked by other thoughts.

First up is this piece of fabric that I keep dyeing, overprinting and bleaching into. It looks better in the flesh, but in truth I am just daubing a bit here and there every time I go into the workshop. Whatever happened to having a plan?

These pieces below started in the same way. It was one piece of fabric that I dyed and painted and then cut in half on a whim. Now I've had a really good idea of what to do next and guess what - it would have worked better if I hadn't cut it in half!

I'm going to use it as a background to a piece about the migration of swallows. Very fitting given my obsession with them. I intend to draw a compass point on the fabric and overprint with swallows and other things. It works in my head. Let's hope it works on the fabric....

Finally, I was given some fabric remnants the other day which I just sewed together thinking I could make a small bag or something. Then the urge took me to practice my machine embroidery skills - non-existent despite a course recently! My scale is a bit off and I forgot about taking the pressure off the foot so it wrinkled up. My apple is a bit wonky and I forgot to give the serpent some eyes but it's not too bad for a first attempt ( as long as you don't look too closely...)