My blog is moving!

My blog is moving - as my practice develops, I am needing a more flexible web presence, and have moved my blog to www.TheFabrikantBlog.wordpress.com

The new blog has pages for events, about me, and a selection of posts from this blog over the last few months.  If you follow this blog, you may wish to visit the new blog and click to follow or favourite that instead.

I'm finding WordPress a bit bewildering still, but I'm sure I'll get to grips with it soon enough, and it offers me a whole new level of flexibility and the opportunity to grow the blog as I explore new areas of work.  For example, once the traditional upholstery and furniture renovation business gets up and running in 2013, that can have a page all of its own.  Watch that space!

On the need to make things with my hands

In preparation for my move to Somerset (see previous post) I have resigned from my 'day job', and I am putting together extensive handover notes for my successor.  As I work on my own, and as this was a new post when I took it on, the majority of what it's necessary to know to do the job resides only in my head, so it is vitally important that I pass it on in some tangible way.  As I have been spending the last couple of weeks (in stray moments between frantically trying to tie up the loose ends and finish off all projects before I leave) thinking about the job in more detail than usual, I have been musing on how I have felt about this kind of work, and why I am so anxious to move on to other things.

It is no secret to those who know me that I have been increasingly unhappy in my 'day job'.  Some of the reasons for this are structural - frustrations about the systems, ethos and resourcing of the organisation  - and to do with my reaction to those structures; and also the way the workload has expanded to fill my entire week when what I thought I was taking on was a small part time job which would enable me to finish my art course and work as an artist.  But for the last eighteen months or so, there has been the realisation of a deeper issue.  Looking within myself to find out what makes me tick has been an uncomfortable, disruptive but enlightening experience.

I have come to the conclusion that I have a profound need to make things with my hands.  I need to be working in a way that combines the intellectual, the artistic and the practical, and not over-emphasizing any one of them.  In learning styles analysis, my preferred learning style is Visual, but with Kinaesthetic coming a strong second - not the profile one would expect for someone with my academic background.  My 'day job' has tended not only to be entirely conceptual and abstract, but also to take up so much time and energy that I have been less able to make things.  I think it is significant that at times when the job has been particularly stressful, I have felt a particularly strong need to do practical things such as knitting or painting furniture.  For me, making has become therapy, healing and wholeness.

Fundamentally, if I am not making things (whether that be art or 'things') I am unhappy.  This has been the case since I was a small child.  Acknowledging this has been difficult, because in our culture, being educated away from the practical and towards the cerebral is more highly valued, and having achieved that, why on earth would I want to 'go back' to the lowly business of making things?!  But however great the satisfaction from being good at my job (and there have been things I have been very proud of doing well in this role), what has been lacking is balance - and until recently enough self-awareness!  I cannot know how things will turn out in the next stage of my life, but I must make sure that I do not let any one aspect - academic, artistic, kinaesthetic - take over.  Brain, eye and hand must ALL be exercised.  Already I am finding that much of my art involves research and historical investigation.  When I train as a traditional upholsterer, one element of the assessment will be a paper on the history of furniture design.  The freelance work I am hoping to do will be more conceptual and abstract, but should be balanced by more time and energy for the artistic and practical.

I am reading a lot at present about the idea of craftsmanship, critiques of the ideas of the Arts & Crafts movement, Bauhaus etc.  When I have a clearer idea of where my thinking fits into all this, I will post further musing.  These may of course have some bearing on the contemporary debate about the future of 'vocational' versus 'academic' education, which is again looking to be come a contentious issue.

Moving to Somerset!

It's official - we are moving to Somerset!  Exact dates to be confirmed, but it is likely to be late October or early November (just after the opening of the exhibition at Craft Renaissance!  No pressure there, then...).  We are moving to the Taunton area, which is especially exciting from my point of view as I know there are lots of artists, spinners, rare breed sheep breeders, and other interesting folk in the SW who will now be within easy travelling distance (and the Spinning Weal at Clevedon is only up the road).

Sadly I've not been able to get to the Glastonbury Wool Festival this weekend as it would have been a good opportunity to meet lots of people and network, but I already had commitments today and yesterday I was at my Tiny Godson's second birthday party, which I think is a reasonable excuse...

Meanwhile, I have just a few weeks to put the day job to bed, unfortunately at a particularly busy time for my workload, and get work ready for the exhibition, as well as prepare to move house.  So I'm sure you will all bear with me if I don't manage to post here as often as usual!  Normal service (or what passes for it!) will be resumed some time in November when I have unpacked all my boxes of wool.

Crochet slippers!

I have been meaning to try this for ages - knit or crochet simple ballerina style slippers.  I decided that crochet was less likely to stretch (a problem I've found with shop-bought knitted slippers in the past), and scoured Ravelry for a suitable pattern.  I was surprised that there were not more of the kind of thing I was looking for, but I did eventually find an adjustable sizing crochet pattern, found about a ball and a half of grey wool Donegal (from a mill in Bradford!) in the stash, and a 4mm crochet hook, and set to.

Well, it didn't work, because although the pattern was actually for thicker yarn and a larger needle, following the basic pattern which should have fitted my shoe size came out HUGE, so I pulled it all out and started again, adapting the pattern and only doing about half the increase rows.  This, and adapting the number of stitches for the foot part proportionately, resulted in the right size of slipper.  I further adapted the pattern by deciding to crochet the back seam, rather than sewing it, and I found that the slipper was still too stretchy - I got round this by adding a row of crochet round the opening of the slipper to make it more stable.  And here are the results:

As I have laminate floors and limited skating ability, I used efco Sock Stop to create anti-slip patterns on the soles, which are very effective - it's a really good product and easy to apply.  So I now have snug, stylish and safe feet!

Painting furniture - Annie Sloan chalk paints

I have been playing in odd moments for the last few days.  For many years we have had a boring but immensely useful little side table in dark brown wood - in fact the top was some sort of upmarket plywood.  We acquired it from my mother in law, and she'd had it for years before that - no idea where it originated.  It's very stable and sturdy, and a really useful size for moving next to the armchair, balancing the tea-tray on, gin & tonic and a bowl of nuts - whatever!  But VERY boring and dark brown, which doesn't really go with our other furniture, which is mostly either painted vintage or pine. So, having discovered the Annie Sloane paint range, I thought I would depart from my usual treatment for furniture (Tallow from Farrow & Ball) and experiment.  Hence a trip to Brecon and Kindle House, which is a stockist, and a selection of tester pots and wax.

Annie Sloan paint claims not to need prep or primer, but I did clean years of dust and accumulated polish residue gunge off, and give it a quick rub down as the varnish was coming off in places.  Then I painted one coat of Primer Red, which is a deep burgundy, left it to dry (which it does very quickly) and then applied two (and on the top surface, three) coats of Antoinette, which is a pretty shell pink (slightly lighter and less intense than it appears in the picture), diluted with a little water as I was finding it a bit gloopy.  It dries to a wonderful deep, chalky matte finish.  I then added a coat of clear wax, then distressed it subtly with fine sandpaper and waxed again.

I'm very pleased with the result - the sanding has achieved a realistic degree of distressing (I really dislike the way most painted furniture is distressed within an inch of its life, and in places it would never haver received any wear!) and the wax finish is muted and pleasing.  Altogether a great improvement on boring dark brown!

Advance notice of exhibition

Advance notice of a forthcoming exhibition where I will be showing some of my work.  The show is entitled All Wrapped Up.  Textiles - function, form and design and will be at the Craft Renaissance Gallery, Kemeys Commander, near Usk NP15 1JU from 27 October till 18 November, open daily from 10.30 to 5.00.  The gallery tea shop serves wonderful cakes, and the shop sells an excellent range of art and craft, mostly by local or Welsh makers.  I hesitate to mention it at this time of year, but it could be a good place for Christmas shopping!

The current exhibition at Craft Renaissance is Two of Diamonds, an anniversary exhibition of ceramics and paintings by Frank Hamer and Janet Hamer, founder members of the South Wales Potters, which is on until 2 Sep.  I am completely in love with Frank's fish plates, and wish I could find houseroom for one of Janet's blue ostriches...

For more details of the gallery and forthcoming exhibitions go to craftrenaissance.co.uk

Royal Welsh Show

Somewhat belatedly, a few pictures from the Royal Welsh Show.  We went on Monday, and it was fantastic as ever - this is such a well organised event, never any problems with parking, shuttle busses or logistics, the loos were sparkling even late in the day, plenty of delicious and reasonably priced food and drink, and 60-odd thousand people a day having a wonderful time.

Obviously, much of my time was spent with the sheep.  A highlight of the Royal Welsh for me is the Welsh Sheeptacular, where an assortment of amazingly tolerant and well-behaved rams representing a range of Welsh and other breeds take their places on a kind of ziggurat-shaped stage in a large marquee.  The show is aimed mostly at children, but it's very well done and educational for adults too.  Fly the sheepdog presides over proceedings from his kennel stage left, and there's a shearing demonstration, but mostly it's a rare chance to see so many breeds in the same place at the same time.  The Jacob, with his impressive headgear, usually gets the biggest 'oooooh!' when he comes on stage!

My friend Jane Bissett http://thekennixtonflock.webs.com/ had entered some of her Poll Dorset fleeces into the fleece competition, and when I went in straight after the judging had finished, I was delighted to find that she had won third prize in the fine category!  Having texted her to tell her the good news, I then spent a couple of hours in the sheep pens, talking to various owners and, naturally, the sheep, and taking some photographs - I am keen to have a library of photographs of as many breeds, and especially rare and British breeds, as possible, and agricultural shows are great opportunities.

One noticeable effect of the awful summer weather was the fact that sheep had evidently been sheared much later - even the teddy bear Ryelands were still looking a bit recently shorn, and not as fluffy compared to previous years.  This was visible right across the breeds, and the contrast with this year's lambs was even more than usual - they were the only ones with wool!

Wiltshire Horn - magnificent

Ryeland rear!

Suffolk tup - his name is George and he belongs to Rebecca Meredith

Welsh Sheeptacular

Of gardens, cats and BIG POTS!

The weather today is glorious - sunny, but with a fresh breeze which gives welcome relief to the stifling heat of the past few days (two nights ago my bedroom was 28 degrees - unbearable, I gave up and went down to sleep on the sofa in the living room where it was 'only' 24!).  This means that we have finally started getting to grips with some of the garden tidying which has needed doing for months, but which we couldn't get on with during the prolonged monsoon which has been most of this summer!  The massive laurel hedge which has been steadily taking over the patio is now more or less under control, and the brambles have been cleared from the more accessible areas.  That's more than enough for one day - time for afternoon tea and putting our feet up, feeling virtuous!

Our activities provided great entertainment for a neighbouring cat which has taken up residence in our garden when he gets bored at home - our cat Sophie is a house-cat (her idea) and so the garden is fair game as neutral territory for the neighbours.  This fella is quite young, white with some tabby patches, very handsome in a lean and lithe kind of a way - also extremely playful, and very talkative!  He presents something of a trip hazard, as he wants to play when you are negotiating the lawn, arms full of laundry...this afternoon, with TWO humans to play with, and trailing leaves, and big garden rubbish bags to jump in and out of, he was in heaven!  I think he may be less impressed next time, when I start hosing down the patio furniture...

Now that the utility room has cooled down enough to work in, I am contemplating my next piece of work.  I have made felt pots for ages, and they are lovely tactile things (I sold some at the fair at Craft Renaissance the other week), but I am now thinking of trying some REALLY BIG POTS, possibly holding arrangements of felt quills or grasses. I am still at the head-scratching, technical stage, but at some point in the next few days I'll finally step out and make a prototype.  If it's any good, I'll upload a photograph (and if it isn't, wool makes great compost!).

Charting historic cross stitch sampler motifs

I am going squiggle-eyed - following my visit to St Fagan's, I have started the marathon job of charting some of the motifs from photographs I took of selected samplers from their collection.  I am using squared paper to produce a resource of motifs, borders and alphabets to use in my work.  So far I have done three alphabets and about a dozen motifs and borders, but it's the most eye-bending work!  I have high resolution photographs, which I then zoom into as much as I can on screen, and using the cursor to help me not lose my place, I transcribe the patterns to the squared paper stitch by stitch (with pencil, and a lot of rubbing out!).  It's the kind of job that can only be done in short bursts, so I think it's going to keep me occupied for most of the summer as I probably have several more alphabets and maybe up to a hundred motifs and borders to do!  I have spoken to Elen Phillips, the curator, and agreed that I am going to be giving St Fagan's a copy of the completed pattern charts - they are all cross referenced with the samplers' accession numbers, so might make a useful resource.  I wonder if it would be viable to create a book of Sampler Patterns from the St Fagan's Collection to sell in the shop?

Research visit to St Fagan's textiles collection - women makers lost in history

Many thanks to Elen Phillips and Sioned Williams, curators at St Fagan's (National History Museum of Wales), for a fascinating and very productive research visit today.  I am doing some preparatory work on a piece (which will probably evolve into a collection) of work based on some vintage French linen I have acquired, seeking to tell the hidden story of generations of anonymous women whose only footprint on history is the stitches - embroidery, mending - they have left behind in the textiles they worked on.  I am looking to use authentic motifs and techniques in this work, and St Fagan's is definitely the place to go to research this.

The collection is enormous - Elen had selected 6 large archive boxes of samplers, dating from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries, for me to look at, while Sioned brought along a range of domestic linen (including mattress covers, sheets, handkerchief cases and tray cloths), mostly 19th century, from all over Wales.  Some of the domestic linen even had letters enclosed in the folds of the fabric, written by the donor and giving the history of the item.  A beautiful silk jacquard hand towel (apparently unused) was part of a trousseau given to a 19th century bride in Machynlleth by her father.

I found the experience very moving - many of the samplers were made by very young girls - Mary Ann Baker aged 7 years (19th century), Mary Lewis aged 9 years (1797), Sarah Brigg aged 9 years (18th century), Ruth Davies aged 13 (1855).  Some of the samplers in the collection are unfinished, and one in particular pulled me up short: Accession number 41.86/6 Unfinished sampler 19th century.  This one has a trailing thread from the last stitch - why was it never finished?  What happened to the maker?  In a time of high juvenile mortality, did she die before she could finish her sampler?  The name of the maker is usually in the lower part of the sampler, and she stopped two-thirds of the way down, so we do not even know her name.  I think something from this sampler will have to find its way into my work.

My particular favourites were a blackwork sampler (unfinished) from c1800, and one worked in red threads on linen, also unfinished (this seems to be becoming a theme!) from some time in the 19th century - the motif of oak leaves and acorns centre right is very reminiscent of the National Trust logo!

I'm very grateful to Elen and Sioned for making my visit possible, and I shall definitely be back to do more research in this wonderful collection.  I don't think the availability of this fantastic research resource is widely enough known - I know I have only seen the tip of the iceberg, but I was overwhelmed both by the richness of the collection, and the helpfulness of the curators.

Blackwork sampler c1800

Blackwork sampler c1800 detail

Red on linen, unfinished, 19th century

Unfinished sampler 19th century - trailing thread

Eliza M D Griffies W...ms 1819

Eliza M D Griffies W...ms 1819 detail

Jane Walker 1822

St Fagan's research visit tomorrow - samplers and domestic linen - and appeal for vintage nappy pins

I am very much looking forward to tomorrow and my trip to meet Elen Phillips, curator of textiles at the National Museum of Wales, St Fagan's.  I am going to be looking at samplers, to find some authentic motifs to use in my 'vintage linen as women's domestic history' piece, and also at domestic linens (tablecloths etc) with a view to learning more about how these were decorated, again to inform my work on this piece.  I'll report in full when I get back.

Meanwhile, I am still in search of vintage nappy pins to use in this piece - I need about a dozen - if you have some squirrelled away, please get in touch via lisa 'at' fabrikant dot co dot uk (apparently I have to write it like this to avoid being spammed!) if you'd be prepared to donate any.  You know the kind of thing - large safety pin with white cap which slides over the closure to lock it.  On really vintage ones, the white caps are metal, on later ones they are plastic.  Many thanks -  I had no idea it would be so hard to find them!

Summer Art and Craft Fair tomorrow (Sat 14th July)

Quick reminder that I will be exhibiting at the Summer Art and Craft Fair at Craft Renaissance Gallery, Kemeys Commander, Usk NP15 1JU from 10.30 to 5.00 tomorrow, Sat 14 July.   I shall be selling a selection of textile art, felt flower corsages, earrings, felt pots, and felt lavender hearts - prices range from £5 to £130.  The event is under cover, so don't be put off by the inclement weather!  And the gallery itself is fab  - gorgeous converted barn, with tea room.  Looking forward to seeing you there.

Every designer's worst nightmare: the rip-off - also mass-production versus artisan quality

Following the recent furore online about Claire's Accessories' alleged rip-off of a jewellery design by Tatty Divine, the latest scandal, which has broken in the last couple of days, concerns a jumper designed by knitwear designer Kate Davies.  Uncannily similar jumpers have recently been spotted at Debenham's, and Kate is clear that she has not been approached by the company for permission to use her design.

For Kate's account of the design of the famous o w l s jumper, see http://katedaviesdesigns.com/2012/07/08/the-o-w-l-sweater-a-design-story/

Whatever the outcome of the legal process which will no doubt result from this, the issue of the rip-off is one which should exercise every designer, maker and artist.  The legal protection under 'design rights' is sufficiently nebulous to most of us to be a serious cause for concern.  How can we - generally small operators, often sole traders, with limited financial and legal resources at our disposal - protect ourselves and our work against national or multinational companies?  How can we prove that it is our design, and also that there has been a process of transmission by which they could have seen our work?  How can we insure against the devaluation of our own, artisan-made products, in the face of cheaper mass-produced versions?

It is hard enough to explain to customers why my felt corsages cost upwards of £15 when a felt corsage can be bought on the hight street for considerably less than a fiver.  The British wool fibres used in my felt are hand dyed by people known to me in Yorkshire and Wales.  I hand make the felt - one set of corsage petals at a time - with subtle nuances of colour and texture.  I then stitch the corsage together myself, and incorporate a unique handmade bead created by an artisan glass bead maker based in South Wales - the colours of the glass and the wool are co-ordinated for each corsage.  Personally, I think £15 is ludicrously cheap for such a unique item, and doesn't remotely reflect my time in making it and the cost of the materials, but it's all the market will stand.  Meanwhile, the high street version has been cut out of machine produced felt, and assembled in a factory in China, almost certainly by workers whose pay and conditions would not be permitted in this country.  It has then been shipped half way round the world, generating a carbon footprint which I find it hard to justify for what is, after all, only an accessory.  But in this country, we still do not - with a few honourable exceptions - have a buying public who appreciate quality, uniqueness and artisan work, and are prepared to pay for it, and therefore those of us who design and make such products have an uphill struggle to persuade the public that it's worth investing in what we do.  After all, a felt corsage is just a felt corsage, right?!  If we now also have to defend our designs, and the integrity of the quality of our products, against mass-production apparently based on our ideas, then the designers and makers of whom so much is currently being asked to help tip this country back into growth and prosperity, are onto a hiding to nothing.  We can't compete on mass production in foreign factories with cheap labour - we CAN compete on quality, integrity of design, provenance of materials, artisan skills and sustainability.  But not if we keep finding cheap rip-offs on the high street, because the buying public is not generally sophisticated enough to know the difference, or care.  And as for how we change that - if I knew the answer to that, I could afford to retire!

Of beads and pearls and memories of St Ives

Today I have been mostly stitching and beading - with a little felt making thrown in for good measure.  I have been finishing off some pieces which have been sitting around for a while, awaiting the final stages in the transformation from fibres to art.  Also the silk I dyed recently with onion skins has found its home, layered with (and glowing through) some cobweb felt in dark teal.  Bronze sparkly beads in a drift were all that was needed to make a piece that feels 'just right'.  Autumnal felt (wool and silk) was stitched with toning threads of cotton in feather stitch to evoke harvest, and an experiment in undyed organic merino and silk throwsters waste, which I have been looking at for a while knowing that it wouldn't do as it was, no matter how much I loved it, suddenly sprang into life when I selected a small part of it in a 4 inch square mount window, and added some tiny Japanese beads.  I even did a little feltmaking - I was inspired by some salvaged freshwater pearls, and my notebook with sketches taken off the quayside during a visit to St Ives two years ago, to create an aquatic scene with ripples, seaweed and sand (in silk!) and the pearls drifting across the bottom.  Very satisfying to see several months of creativity finally coming together.  Off to the framers tomorrow, as I want to take these to the Summer Art and Craft Fair at Craft Renaissance Gallery, near Usk, where I shall be selling on Sat 14 July.

These pictures aren't as good as I'd like, as I have had to do them indoors with flash because of the continuous rain and gloom outdoors, but they give an idea of the work.  Each picture is 4 inches square,  mounted in 12x12 inch mounts, which are then framed in narrow, dark wood frames.  Unless I am framing a complete piece of felt or weaving (ie attaching it to the front of the mount, with the edges of the work showing) in which case the shape of the mount and frame is dictated by the shape of the work, I often choose a square format with a wide border (with these pieces, the border is as wide as the aperture in the mount) as I find it draws the eye into the work, and gives it more impact than if the frame crowds in too closely.  Having a framer with a good eye helps!

Seashore 2012

Sky 2 2012

Teal and gold abstract 2012

Harvest 2012

Mystery spinning wheel

I am selling a spinning wheel on behalf of a friend.  She has had it for a while and never got round to learning to spin, and although she loves it, it takes up a lot of space and she would like it to go to a good home.  It does need some TLC (the wood is dry, there are a few minor cracks, and the adjusters appear to be seized up), but is a rather beautiful wheel.  Does anyone know what this is?  If so, please get in touch, as before I can advertise it for sale, I could do with knowing what it is!  It is, basically, a double-drive wheel with distaff, but I think the flyer and bobbin do not belong to it, and unusually the wheel is left-handed (wheel on the left, flyer and distaff on the right).  If you can offer any suggestions for maker, country of origin, type of fibre it was intended for, age, or anything else, please contact me!  I can send a few more pics by email if that would help.  Many thanks.

I have rigged it up with a temporary drive belt (which gave me a headache as I don't normally use a double drive!), the wheel runs very smoothly, and it does spin, although the take-up is poor.  Because the tension adjuster has seized up, I can't be sure if that's the issue, or because the belt is slipping on the flyer or bobbin, whether it's the rogue flyer/bobbin.  The bobbin looks as if it has come from another wheel, as the wind-on pattern of the yarn which is on it does not correspond to the hooks on this flyer.  Also the spindle length seems a bit too long for the space between the maidens, as you can perhaps see from the top view of the flyer.

Front view

Flyer from above

Close up

Back view

Natural dyeing - my first attempt at dyeing with onions skins

Having collected prodigious quantities of onion skins, I finally got around to my first attempt at natural dyeing.  I had some pongé silk and also a piece of vintage French linen in rather bad repair, which I wanted to dye and incorporate in my work.


I followed the instructions in Jenny Dean's excellent book, and mordanted the textiles overnight in a solution of alum crystals and Cream of Tartar (the stuff you bake with!).  Mordanting helps to make the dye fix more permanently.  Meanwhile, I prepared a dyebath by simmering my onion skins in water, and then leaving to steep overnight.  Next day, I sieved the dyebath to remove the onion skins, and then removed the fabric from the mordant and transferred it to the dye, which was by now a wonderful port-wine colour.  Brought to simmering point and kept there for 45 minutes, it yielded the following rather amazing colours:

The silk is slightly darker than the linen, which is what I would expect (animal fibres like wool and silk are structurally easier for the dye to penetrate than vegetable fibres like cotton and linen).  Interestingly, the linen is a bit patchy - running my fingers over the fabric, it appears that dye uptake has been better (and hence there is a deeper colour) in the parts where the linen is worn and the surface slightly roughed up - presumably breaking down the surface smoothness of the fibres has made it easier for the dye to 'take'.


Warned that excessive heat might lead to the silk losing its lustre, I used my jam thermometer to ensure that the temperature of the dyebath remained below 80 degrees C, and as you may be able to see from the pics, there has been no loss of lustre.  It would seem that I now need to have two jam thermometers, as it's really not a good idea to use the same implements for dyeing and cooking!


Being able to dye my own yarns, and especially the scrims, linens and silks I use in Nuno felting, will add a whole new dimension to my work, and I fear that I am, after just one foray into the wonderful world of natural dyeing, completely addicted...

St Fagan's Museum textiles collection

I'm very grateful to Elen Phillips, curator of textiles at St Fagan's (the National History Museum of Wales), who has arranged for me to visit next month to research in their extensive collections.  I am especially interested in samplers, as I wish to use some historically authentic motifs in a forthcoming piece of work, and also in domestic linen (tablecloths, sheets etc).  At the moment a lot of my work seems to be linking with my background in history, and especially my interest in domestic and women's history, which is often recorded in artefacts rather than in the written record.  The recent acquisition of a quantity of vintage French linen has enabled me to do some experimentation in using this material, incorporated into my felt and stitch work, to link my contemporary textile art to the creative legacy of generations of anonymous women.

Again, I suspect it is my background in history which makes me so keen to research this properly, using original sources, and it is great to have the huge archive of St Fagan's within an hour's drive of where I live.  I'm very much looking forward to my research visit there in a month's time, and will blog about how I get on and what I find!

Treasure - Welsh vintage wool blanket

Took a trip to Brecon today, to have lunch in the the excellent Tower Cafe in St Mary's Church in the town centre (highly recommended, also for nice teas) and to mooch around the three antiques shops there.  We never seem to manage to get away without finding some treasure there, and today's treasure was something I've been looking out for since we came back to Wales 6 years ago - a vintage Welsh woollen blanket.  They are a) usually hideous expensive, b) often not in great condition, and c) frequently in colourways which are just too 'sweet' and pastel for my taste, so to find one which was reasonably priced, in superb, pristine condition, and with a nice punchy apricot stripe was just too good to pass by!  The flash photography makes it look a tiny bit pinker than it is, it's more peach/aqua in the flesh.

The guy I bought it from had got it as part of a stash of vintage blankets he had bought from a lady in her 80s who lived in a farmhouse near Trecastle, and who had lots of blankets stored in a traditional coffer (large wooden chest for storing blankets and linen).  Most date back to when she was setting up home, and many (I suspect including this one) had never or rarely been used.  It is beautiful, and really very pleasing.  The trick will be to keep the cat off it, somewhere so soft and woolly would be Sophie's idea of heaven!

That's it - no more fleeces this year!

Having found some space for my latest fleeces in the garage, I have come to the conclusion (with enthusiastic encouragement from my partner!) that I need to call a halt to the acquisition of any more fleeces until I have processed at least some of the ones I already have - I find, on doing a stock-take, that I have 17 fleeces, which is, by any standards, excessive!  The trouble is, I find it so hard to say no to the opportunity of acquiring exciting rare breed fleeces...I did, heroically, turn down a Jacob and a Balwen today - very traumatic, but I think domestic relations might become a bit strained if I promptly go back on my decision to call a halt!  Not to mention the fact that we are likely to be moving house before too much longer, and the prospect of moving all these fleeces might not thrill the removals company...There's always next year, sheep are not suddenly going to stop producing wool between now and then, and I have MORE than enough fleeces to keep me occupied, both for spinning and feltmaking, in the meanwhile.  If we get some sunshine soon (please?!), let the scouring commence!

Rare breed Boreray fleeces - what must my Postie think?

Lovely delivery today of shearling fleece from Raskelf rare breeds farm in Yorkshire www.raskelfrarebreeds.co.uk (another triumph for Twitter' ability to bring people together!), I've not worked with Boreray fleece before so this is all very exciting.  Borerays are ancient and primitive sheep, feral on the island of Boreray since the evacuation of the population of St Kilda in 1930 - the sheep on Boreray were the 'reserve flock' and were left behind.  For more information about Borerays, and also the related Soays, see www.soaysheep.org which has the full story of these breed's history.

This foray into Borerays is part of my exploration of rare breed wool - so far this month I've spun and felted Ryeland, spun Poll Dorset 'in the grease', and carded some Balwen preparatory to felting it.  I love my work!  (But I can't imagine what my Postie thinks about all the squishy, sheepy-smelling parcels he's been delivering here lately...).

More spinning - this time in Somerset

Yesterday I got to spend yet more quality time with Winnie (my spinning wheel) as I was on another one-day spinning course with Sarah Harris at The Spinning Weal in Clevedon, Somerset www.spinningweal.co.uk.  This shop and workshop venue is a real Aladdin's cave of all things wool and fibre, well worth a visit if you are in the area.  Sarah and David are incredibly knowledgeable about all manner of wheels - as indicated by them instantly recognising Winnie's pedigree, which has most people very confused!  (She's a Mark I Ashford Traveller, which were only made between 1977 and 1979, so there's not many about).

Sarah decided that I needed to be technically stretched, so she got me spinning tussah silk, which was lovely and produced beautiful fine lustrous singles which I plied with a Corriedale single (shades of magenta and fuchsia pink blended on the carder to give a luminous berry colour), resulting in a wonderful 'raspberry ripple' yarn.  She also handed me a supply of cotton, on the principle that if you can spin cotton you can spin anything - after a certain amount of colourful language I did manage to produce a reasonably amount of a consistent cotton yarn without actually having a nervous breakdown, but I don't think it's an exercise I shall be repeating any time soon!

I also spun some of the Ryeland which I had scoured and carded recently, it is full of noils so takes a while to pick over but when spun woollen makes a really nice, lofty, springy yarn in a glowing white.  I quite fancy trying out some natural dyeing on this sometime, as I think it would make lovely winter woollies...

Field to fibre day at Kennixton Sheep

Pleasantly tired this evening after spending a day with Jane Bisset of Kennixton Sheep http://thekennixtonflock.webs.com/ on the first of her Field to Fibre days.  We met Dorset sheep on the hoof, and also Fen the collie who attempts to herd them!  Jane took us through the whole process from fleece (mucky bits and all) to finished handspun yarn.  Very well run day, delicious lunch, excellently led by Jane, and lovely to have the opportunity to meet likeminded people and spend a few hours playing with wool.  What's not to like?  I'd highly recommend one of Jane's courses if you can get to the Barry area of South Wales, whether you are a novice spinner or more experienced.

I particularly valued two things today - the chance to spend some quality time with Winnie, my lovely new wheel (regular readers of this blog will know how thrilled I was to get her a couple of months back, but I have had no real time to get to know her), and I am pleased to report that we suit each other very well and I think we have a rosy future ahead of us!  The other thing was spinning 'in the grease', ie with wool straight from the fleece without having been scoured (washed) first.  I have always been a bit squeamish about this, and not liked the idea of all that lanolin and pong, but actually if you start with a decent fleece, by the time you've teased it out and carded it into rolags, and then spin from it, it's actually perfectly fine and rather easier to spin with than scoured fleece, which can be rather dry and brittle.  I think I may be converted to spinning in the grease...nice soft hands tonight, too!

Herdwick sheep animation...

Just had to share this lovely little animation about Herdwick sheep in the Lake District, retweeted by a Herdwick shepherd I follow on Twitter.  The sounds are just fab!  Enjoy...http://vimeo.com/34753808

Trace application completed - felt for art exhibition, also in search of vintage nappy pins!

Today was the closing date for applications for the Trace exhibition in Bristol in late July.  My application, together with images of my work and of a study for what I am proposing for the exhibition, was emailed off this morning.  Now to wait and see if I am successful.  Meanwhile, I need to get on with the rest of this series of pieces.  I am using my own colour photographs of details of the painted plaster walls at Tretower Court and juxtaposing them with coloured and textured felt incorporating vintage linen woven textiles which represent the domestic context.  Some of the wool used will be from Ryeland sheep, a historic breed which is contemporary with the building, and genuine medieval coins form the period – themselves bearing traces of extensive handling – will be embedded in the felt.  (see pic, which is of the study and shows the linen but does not have coins)

I am also doing the preparatory work for another piece.  A little while back I acquired some pieces of French vintage linen.  Being vintage, it shows signs of wear, and this particular piece is made up of four pieces which appear to have been cut down from larger, threadbare linens.  It has itself been patched and mended and has some thin areas and a few marks.  I rather fell in love with this piece of linen, and began to think about how I could use it in my work.  Those of you who know my interest in social history will not be surprised that what I am planning to do is a tribute to this piece of linen's history as a domestic artefact, with references to the kind of things that linen has been used for in our homes in the past.  I also recently acquired some vintage shirt buttons, so some of these will be stitched to the linen.  Elements from samplers, produced by girls to demonstrate their domestic skills, will also be worked into the linen, together with drawn thread work such as was used to trim table linen. I am also tracking down vintage haberdashery - pins and needles - to attach to the work.  As an allusion to the childrearing aspects of domestic life, I'd like to include some vintage nappy pins - still an icon of babyhood even since the invention of the disposable.
So I have put the word out (via email and Twitter) that I need some vintage nappy pins!  It will be interesting to see how many appear out of the ether.  And it's rather lovely to have so many people involved with my work.

Ryeland rocks!

Thanks to Jane at Dove Farm, via Twitter, I am now the proud owner of a white Ryeland fleece.  Thanks to the lovely sunny weather I have even been able to wash and dry some of it already!  It's very beautiful, pearly white and soooooo soft.  I have started the lengthy job of carding it, to prepare it for feltmaking - rather than rolling it up into rolags like I would for spinning, I roll it in the opposite direction off the carder to make little fat sausages of wool where the fibres are mostly running in the same direction - not as smooth as commercially combed locks which most feltmakers use, but less troublesome than rolags where the fibres go every which way.  Over the weekend I shall be using the first of the carded wool, mixed with some wonderful dyed fibres from Freyalynn, in a study for the Tretower series (see earlier blog posts).  Can't wait!!!

Eager anticipation...

Thanks to the amazing resource that is Twitter, I am now eagerly awaiting the arrival of two rare breed fleeces - one Ryeland from Dove Farm in Derbyshire, and one Grey Faced Dartmoor from Sam's Lamb in Devon.  Very excited as I've not worked with either of these breeds before.  The Ryeland is to be incorporated into my project on the domestic history of Tretower Court (see previous blog posts on the subject of palimpsests and medieval sheep), and the GFD will be the latest in the Felting British Wool project.  There will be stacks of wool left over, as each fleece weighs usually at least 2-3 kilos, often much more, so even after the skanky bits and any vegetable matter have been removed, I should still have lots to play with - both for felting and spinning.  Yay!

In search of Ryeland fleece - medieval history on the hoof

My latest quest is for Ryeland fleece - I have a contact consulting the flock book for me to track down a source for me!  Why am I pursuing Ryeland fleece?  Well, my current project is connected with Tretower, a historic manor house north of the Brecon Beacons, and I am looking to use some wool in the felting process from a breed of sheep which would have been familiar in the house's heyday between the 14th and 17th centuries.  The Ryeland sheep (named after the rye-growing area around Archenfield in South Herefordshire which was its heartland) was developed by the monks of Leominster in the 12th or 13th century, producing a remarkably fine wool which was greatly in demand - its value was such that its alternative name was 'Leominster Ore'.  As a high-status dwelling in the later Middle Ages, only a relatively short distance west of Herefordshire, it is very likely that Ryeland wool would have found its way to Tretower, which is why I am keen to use this breed in my Tretower project.  Few breeds of sheep in the UK now, other than the 'primitives' such as Soays, can trace their origins back as far as the Ryeland - the 'improvement' of native breeds which resulted in the breeds we now have was largely a product of the 18th century onwards, and continues even now - as with, for example, the Beltex!

Felting British Wool project - breeds update

I am very excited to have the prospect of a Boreray fleece from Raskelf Rare Breeds in Yorkshire (once it's off the sheep!), I am particularly keen to have more primitive breeds represented in the project.  So far my tally of breeds (raw fleeces) is as follows:

Black Welsh Mountain
Lleyn
Hebridean
Wensleydale
Manx Loughtan
Norfolk Horn

I also have Shetland, Teeswater and Blue Faced Leicester as tops or washed locks, but ideally I'd like to be able to document the entire process of fleece-to-piece for these breeds as well.  I am living in hopes of some Dorset Horn and/or Poll Dorset from the Kennixton Flock if I ask nicely!  And I am optimistic I may be able to source some Herdwick too.  After shearing this year I will put out an appeal on Twitter for interesting fleeces.

The project is progressing very slowly due to pressures of work in the day job, and also a couple of submissions I am working on for deadlines in the next few months.  Sadly there are only 24 hours in any day!  I had hoped to have enough to create at least an interim exhibition by the end of 2012, but looking at my commitments for the next few months, I think it's going to be some time in 2013 before I get far enough through the project to begin to think about that.  For each breed, I want to juxtapose a sample of the raw fleece, washed and carded fleece, a felt sample, and a piece of textile art incorporating one or more breeds - I am currently weighing up different approaches to exhibiting this.  Watch this space!

Wonderwool Wales

I can't believe the contrast between last year's Wonderwool and this year's - last year we were in a heat wave, and I went in linen trousers, a summer top and sandals - this year it was 5 degrees on the way there, with icy winds inside and out, and the ever-present threat of rain - and that was on the Saturday, before the weather really got going on Sunday!

Weather notwithstanding, it was a fabulous show - I thought it was yet again busier than in previous years (although that might have been partly because people had seen Sunday's forecast and all decided to go on Saturday!) with a really good atmosphere and lots and lots and lots of really high-quality exhibitors.  I took a friend who was a Wonderwool-virgin, and warned her that she'd have sensory overload - she described it as 'jaw-dropping, breath-taking', which is about right!  The colours and textures have to be seen to be believed.  It was great to catch up with a number of producers and makers whom I have been in contact with via Twitter but never actually met, and I managed to get everything on my shopping list apart from hand-carders (the queue at Wingham Wool Work's stand was just too long - they really need to think about bringing more staff to Wonderwool to take people's money!) and not to get tempted by too many goodies that were not on my list.

The only issue was food - unlike previous years, the catering vans were squashed up against the back of the building, so that it was very hard to queue without obstructing the other vans.  Also, there simply were not enough caterers for the number of people there - we joined the shortest queue at 12.30, and it took us 40 minutes (in the Arctic wind) to get served.  That's 40 minutes less browsing/shopping time!  I heard later that some of the caterers ran out of food.  Also, we then had to eat standing up as there were simply not enough chairs in the seating area.  Queues for coffee inside the hall snaked right across the building, so we didn't bother with hot drinks even though we were in dire need of them to thaw us out.  We (and others who had been at the show) ended up having tea at Erwood Station craft centre afterwards.  If numbers attending Wonderwool Wales continue to increase at the present rates, the organisers really will need to think about catering arrangements, and/or suggest that people bring their own packed lunches and flasks, and maybe even folding chairs!

However, despite the trials of the cold and the catering, as regards exhibitors it was the best show yet.  There seemed again to be fewer stands selling finished products, and more selling high-quality materials.  My impressions was that there were fewer batts for spinners, but more yarn, needles and patterns for knitters.  I couldn't find any mention of the Wool Board being there, which is odd as you'd have thought they would want to connect with all this vast number of wool-users, and I couldn't find the Campaign for Wool either, which is even more extraordinary as they explicitly have an understanding of the role of artisan wool users.

Real live sheep are always a bonus at events like this, and it was good to see the Shetlands, Manx Loughtans etc - I think they were the only ones who were well enough wrapped up against the cold!

So, having had lots of wool-related activity over the past few days (including a two-day course with Liz Clay on Thursday and Friday which I will try to blog about soon) it's now back to the day job, and catching up on my inbox...meanwhile dreaming about knitting a gorgeous lace shawl like some of the ones on show at Wonderwool!

Art or Craft? - lengthy musings

I have recently been working on my submission for an award for emerging artists and crafts people.  This turned out to be much more traumatic that the ‘write up to 500 words and send up to 3 images’ brief would have led me to expect.  The problem was about categorising myself and my work – art or craft?  This is hardly a new dilemma - has been much discussion of it, especially with the recent revival in interest in 'craftsmanship'.  It was clear from the blurb that they were expecting painters or photographers in the art category, and textiles people in craft.  However, the craft category’s entry brief was about giving instructions for making the things you make.  The artist brief was to describe your work and inspiration.  This set me thinking.

I describe myself on my website and business cards as ‘textile artist and maker’.  My real interest is in textile art.  However, because the medium I mostly use (felt) also lends itself to making things like corsages, lavender hearts and other homewares and accessories, I do make some of these as well because they sell.  And because of the media I use, my art does involve making – I make the felt, often having first worked through a whole lot of processes from fleece to felt.  This is even more true of weaving, where I may have processed the wool and spun it before weaving with it.  And for me, as an artist, the process is part of the art – the meaning is, to some extent, in the making.  I am excited about the medium, about the provenance of the materials (especially if it’s rare breed wool – I may even have met the sheep!), and the processes involved, many of which have been part of human history for millennia. 

Good craftsmanship (I’m happier with 'craftspersonship', especially as many of the skills I am using have traditionally been practiced by women, but it doesn’t seem to have reached the lexicon yet) is key to the integrity of what I do, and indeed I think it is key to our economic sustainability as a country and as a planet.  I’m not in any way denigrating that sense of the word ‘craft’ – in fact I am celebrating it.  I am just uncomfortable when one of my pieces (say, a tonal abstract exploring the colours and textures of wool from several breeds of sheep) is described as ‘craft’.  I have no issues with describing my beautiful felt lavender hearts as craft – I am using craft skills, and craftsmanship honed over the years, to produce and attractive and functional object.

It’s all very nebulous and difficult.  I know some feltmakers who describe what they make as ‘wearable art’.  This confuses me, and analysing my confusion takes me towards a possible definition for me (I wouldn’t presume to impose my definition on anyone else) of art as non-functional.  Its function is to make us step back from the everyday, to look at life in a slightly different way.  I produce beautiful craft objects which have a practical function of some sort (even if that function is simply embellishment, as with my corsages) and are aesthetically pleasing, but do not point beyond themselves as objects.  I also produce art, which instead of paint uses textiles, created using craft skills, to take the viewer beyond the immediate usefulness of the object (a framed picture, for example, has limited practical usefulness).  These works inspire reflection, evoke responses beyond the aesthetic, they challenge or intrigue or move.  Some works tell a story – a story not limited to the narrative of their production.

If I never made another corsage or felt heart, I might be worse off financially, but it would not grieve me unduly – and I could teach someone else to make them.  But if I never created another piece of art, part of me would have died.  And although I could teach someone the skills, no one else can see the world quite how I see it, or be inspired to create this particular piece of work.  I must therefore conclude that what matters to me is the art, and that my identity is fundamentally as an artist.

If you’ve followed me this far (in which case, thank you for your persistence! - I don't often venture into navel-gazing of this sort, as I am always worried I will descend into pomposity), you will not be surprised to learn that it took me nearly three weeks to get the submission written – for the artist category!

Workshops and Wonderwool - busy week!

This week is going to be a busy one - three very full days of the day job, then Thursday and Friday I shall be at Craft in the Bay in Cardiff, taking part in a workshop entitled Translating Images: Photography with Feltmaking led by Liz clay. As many of you will know, Liz Clay is a leading (world-famous, indeed) textile artist now specialising in Nuno felt, which is mostly what this workshop is about. Having dabbled quite a bit in Nuno techniques over the last year or two in my own work, I am very much looking forward to a masterclass with a real expert. Then on Saturday it's off to Wonderwool - if you are within striking distance of the Royal Welsh Showground near Builth Wells, don't miss this! See www.wonderwool.co.uk for details. As well as potentially spending a fortune on equipment and materials, it will be good to catch up with friends and contacts, and also to meet in person quite a few people I've met online in the last year. I am particularly looking forward to meeting Susan James of Llynfi Textiles, who will be on the Organic Textiles Wales stand. Check out her website at www.llynfitextiles.co.uk (just getting used to the new version of Blogger and not sure if the links will work - apologies if they don't, please cut and paste them into your browser until I get the hang of the new system! Thanks...)

Nude Ewe

Yes, really, this is the name of a company! Nude Ewe is a non-profit company selling the wool of rare breed sheep which are used in conservation grazing projects. The proceeds are returned to the owners or projects to offset costs. I'd really like to promote this site - a great concept, and so good to see wonderful rare breed wool yarns for sale at sensible prices, with provenance and a really good story! Nude Ewe does kits as well as selling the yarn, and can also put you in touch with flock owners to buy fleeces direct. Win! Check out www.nude-ewe.co.uk

Wonderwool Wales

Not long now till Wonderwool Wales - for those of you who are not familiar with it, this is a major two-day trade/consumer fair for anyone interested in fibre, preferably but not exclusively from sheep. It takes place in Builth Wells, at the Royal Welsh Showground, this year's dates being 28 and 29 April (I will be going on the Saturday). Around 150 exhibitors attend, with workshops, a 'sheepwalk' (catwalk for wool fashion), some real live sheep, and complete sensory overload from the most amazing display of yarn, wool and related equipment. I have a shopping list which I have been working on since Christmas, the trick will be sticking to it and not getting seduced by all the delicious yarn, tops and notions on offer. It's also the place to meet up with people from all over the UK who come as exhibitors and visitors - last year I met Sue Blacker and Helen Melvin, whom I had been in contact with online - it was nice to meet them in person. Wearing my Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers membership badge prominently also resulted in a few people who have hitherto been only names on the screen coming up and making themselves known.

This year I am also hoping to get some additional bobbins for my spinning wheel from Woodland Turnery, who will be at Wonderwool despite a recent disastrous fire at their workshop in South Wales. I'm sure a lot of people will be visiting their stand to show goodwill and support at this difficult time.

For more information, go to http://www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk/ and http://www.woodland-turnery.co.uk/

Traces - the fascination of the palimpsest

I am thinking seriously about submitting an application to exhibit as part of the Trace project in Bristol. The brief is to 'create work with an idea that there is a Trace – a Trace of something that once belonged, a Trace of something that once happened, a Trace of a suggestion.'

With an academic background in history, principally architectural and medieval history, I have become fascinated by the idea of the palimpsest – where buildings have been altered, remodelled and re-purposed, leaving the traces of their previous selves in roof lines, arches, and the outlines of former windows. In 2010 I visited Tretower, a medieval house north of the Brecon Beacons which was developed between the 14th and 17th centuries. Evidence of the changes to the structure abound in the architecture, but I was particularly interested in the layers of painted plaster which are evident in some of the rooms. As the plaster flakes, it reveals preceding layers of colour and texture, telling the story of human habitation and domestic life through four centuries.

I took extensive photographs, determined that I would work with these images and concepts in some way in the future. Maybe this brief is my opportunity - to juxtapose the photographs with textile pieces which use layering, abrasion and distressing to interpret the idea of trace and palimpsest.

The timescale is quite tight, but even if I don't quite make it to submitting work for this exhibition, I think I want to do this work - to make art which is, at this time of personal change and re-evaluation, exploring the hidden layers of being which are both under the surface, and also fundamental to the nature of present and future.

Best-laid plans...

theMADEmarket on Saturday wasn't much good for me from the selling point of view, but I met some very interesting people and laid the foundations for what might turn into some commissions. The main issue seemed to be lack of marketing - the organisers (though very lovely people) seemed to be relying mostly on passing trade (Saturday shoppers in the centre of Gloucester, many quite elderly, who weren't generally wanting to spend much money, and often seemed rather bemused by the items on sale) rather than having targeted their advertising at the kind of visitors who would appreciate the very high standard of art and craft on sale, and be prepared to spend, for example, £80 on one of my framed felt textile art pieces. It has been a learning curve for me - in future, before I sign up for a stand at a large fair which involves a lot of travel costs for me, I will enquire about the organisers' marketing strategy. Especially in these straightened financial times, if exhibitors are going to go half way across the country for a fair, we need to know that the right kind of potential customers are likely to be there.

I had taken my Folksy shop down for a few days to avoid duplication of sales, but it's now back up, and surplus stock from Saturday will go on as soon as I have got it photographed.

However, this week (as well as tidying up my workspace which has become a bit chaotic in the run up to Saturday) I HAD planned to start scouring and preparing some of the fleeces in my garage, towards the Felting British Wool project (which seems to be going nowhere fast at the moment as I keep getting distracted by other things!). However, my plans have been thwarted by the weather - in the absence of an Aga, washed fleece really needs to dry outside on a warm day (like the ones we had recently, when I was too busy doing other things to wash wool!) and the forecast for this week is rubbish - rain, or at least showers, all week. So I'll scrap that idea and try again another time. Meanwhile, my spinning wheel is calling, the trouble is I really do need to do some tidying up of the workspace before I reward myself with some spinning time!

New website!

Drumroll - the website is live! A few minor tweaks are still required, but Fabrikant now has a web presence at www.fabrikant.co.uk

This blog and my Folksy shop can be accessed from the website, and in due course there will be a gallery of images of my work, which will be added to over time. Many thanks to Sam at Blue Daisy Virtual Innovations, who has been juggling my demands and a challenging timescale. We were aiming for a minimalist look for the website, which I think he's achieved - I think it's very handsome, and would welcome your comments and feedback.

All set for theMADEmarket on Easter Saturday

I have been putting the finishing touches to the items I am taking to theMADEmarket at Gloucester Guildhall from 10-4 tomorrow - today I picked up three pieces of felt art from the framers, and they look amazing - I'll be proud to display them on my table! I am also taking some nuno felt silk scarves, lots of lovely felt lavender hearts, felt corsages and matching earrings.

Early night tonight, in preparation for a very early start tomorrow! Hope to see you at Gloucester Guildhall - do come and say hello!

theMADEmarket - Easter Saturday

As I have mentioned before (and interminably Tweeted about!) I will be exhibiting at theMADEmarket on Easter Saturday, from 10 till 4 at the Guildhall, Gloucester. This is the first market run by theMADEproject (I was featured maker of the week on their website in December) and will include a really interesting line-up of designer-makers. I have will be taking a range of felt craft pieces (scarves, corsages, lavender hearts) and also some textile art. If you're in the Gloucester area on Easter Saturday, come and see me!

Website sooooon!

Very excited today as I'm seeing the preview of my website, which should be up and running in a couple of days, assuming no gremlins. I will post (and Tweet) with the details once we're live. Over time I shall be adding a lot of images of my work to the gallery, which will be a good way of putting my portfolio online.

Watch this space!

Making the most of the sunshine

Spring appears to have sprung here in South Wales (well, for a day anyway!) and I spent part of today out in the garden - not gardening (although it desperately needs some work doing on it) but restoring furniture.

As some those of you who know me personally may be aware, I am planning a career change in then next year or so - giving up the day job and re-training as a traditional upholsterer, and starting my own business repairing and renovating chairs - alongside the textile art. Having had something of a mid-life crisis over the past 6 months or so, I have decided to move away from the 'knowledge work' that has been my trade for the last 20+ years (and which I drifted into with a certain inevitability having been channelled into a university education because I was reasonably bright as a child) and finally do what I love - making things, repairing things, finding out how things work in order to fix them, re- and up-cycling things, and learning skills really well so that I am working to a high standard of craftspersonship. Creative job satisfaction, anyone?!

This seems to be chiming with a certain zeitgeist, where the idea of 'craftsmanship', traditional skills, making things, etc is once more a subject of interest, and I will be blogging in future about some of the leading books on the subject which are doing the rounds at the moment. But I am not doing this to be trendy - I'm doing it to be me. It's taken me till nearly 43 years of age, but I'm glad I've finally made the decision to step off the precipice and out of my comfort zones and do it! Exact timings haven't been sorted out yet, but by Spring 2013 I should have started my training.

Today's project wasn't as ambitious as a chair, though - I have a craft fair coming up (theMADEmarket at Gloucester Guildhall, 10-4 on Easter Saturday 7 April) and I needed something to give some height to the display on my table, and allow me to display some wall hangings. I'd decided that a vintage clothes rack was the answer, but hadn't found anything that was the right size and shape, until a recent trawl on eBay. I am now the proud owner of a folding, 3-panel rack, which I think could be oak, and which I have a feeling dates from pre-1930s. The rusty hinges have been removed (I will be replacing them with leather ones), and today I sanded away the various layers of gunge and varnish, and filled the screw holes with a filler made from sawdust and wood glue. Once the filler has dried (tomorrow) I will be sanding those bits, and then painting with Farrow & Ball eggshell - first a dark red, then cream, and then sand back to the red in places to give a distressed finish. With all those stages to go through (and leaving it to dry between coats!) I just hope I can get it finished by the 7th! But working outside in gorgeous sunny weather, being buzzed by bumblebees and serenaded by the blackbird, was just wonderful.

New wheel!

Pics to follow, but I just had to share the fact that my new wheel has arrived! Well, when I say new - 1977-79 vintage Ashford Traveller. The condition is excellent, no dry wood or loose joints and in better overall condition than the seller had given me to understand - she definitely under-sold it in the description! Superbly well packed by its previous owner, it came out of the box requiring only a couple of adjustments and some parcel string for a drive belt, and I have spun my first 'test' yarn on it - it runs amazingly well, very smooth and 'alive' (something I haven't always found with the new, high-tech wheels I have tried out). I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...

At last - a wheel of my own!

Today there has been much excitement chez Tregenza, as I was successful in bidding on a spinning wheel on eBay - fellow-members of the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers will be aware that I have been watching this wheel, and asking for their advice as to whether I should bid on it, and how much I should be prepared to pay. The vast consensus was that I should go for it, indeed many people said this had been their first wheel which they now bitterly regretted selling when they 'upgraded'! It is an Ashford Traveller, but a very early one - I believe it to have been made between 1977 and 1979. It is generally in good condition, needing only maintenance - the one issue, which is a bit of delamination of one of the joints on the flywheel, can apparently be easily fixed (if indeed it needs attention at all - if it doesn't affect the smooth running of the wheel it can safely be left) - I took advice from Joan at Woodland Turnery, who are leaders in the field of spinning wheel refurbishment and who (conveniently) are only 10 miles away from me should I need their services!

The picture is the one which was on the eBay listing - the wheel is currently living with its (sheepfarming!) owner in Dorset, but should hopefully be with me next week some time. I am sooooooooo excited!

As regular readers of this blog will be aware, I had been researching spinning wheels for some time and had come to the conclusion that symmetry was vital for ergonomically safe spinning, given my height/back/shoulder problems. This wheel does not have a dual treadle, but the treadle is wide and, crucially, central. This means I can use either foot, or both feet. And the orifice is central above the wheel, at a good height for me, which is also all good. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will all work for me...In the end, I couldn't NOT try to buy a lovely vintage wheel, rather than a modern one - given my passion for upcycling and vintage, it just felt like the right thing to do.

Rare breed fleeces - Norfolk Horn

In glorious sunny weather (more like May than Feb) I drove to the Forest of Dean this morning to pick up some rare breed fleeces from Lydia Barrett who has a smallholding there - she advertised the fleeces on Freecycle, so naturally I arranged to pick some up! She and Dave have a small flock of Norfolk Horn sheep - an interesting breed which has been re-created after becoming extinct. I don't know enough about genetics to understand how it was done, but the resulting sheep are very handsome - medium sized sheep, sturdy but with dainty feet and faces, elegant horns, and really rather nice fleece. See http://www.norfolkhornbreeders.co.uk for more details. I am looking to use the fleece as part of my Felting British Wool project, and also spin one of the fleeces - I have promised Lydia to send her some handspun yarn later in the year!

Date for your diary - come and see me in Gloucester!

Might you be anywhere near Gloucester on Sat 7 April (Easter Saturday)? I am delighted to announce that I will be having a stall at the inaugural MADE market, an initiative by theMADEproject, which will take place at Gloucester Guildhall from 10am to 4pm. Do come if you can - I am working on getting a good selection ready for the day, including art, accessories and homewares, some of which will be new lines. More details nearer the time!

Sock toe triumph

Some of you will know that I have for some time been wrestling with the idea of knitting socks - the idea is to spin self-striping yarn and make truly funky socks. I can do the spinning yarn bit, and I can knit, but knitting socks is something else altogether! After taking a lot of advice and reading a large number of recommended books, articles and patterns, I decided to go with the instructions in Socks from the toe up by Wendy Johnson. She gives a basic sock 'recipe' which can be easily adapted, which is what I need - once I have got the hang of it, I can change the elements to suit my own design, I just need to understand the basic construction.

And, dear reader, I am half way there! Today's triumph is the toe - I have produced my first toe, using Judy's Magic Cast-On which you can also see at www.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/techniques/magic-cast-onwww.persistentillusion.com/blogblog/techniques/magic-cast-on if you are so inclined. As with so many knitting patterns, it is ever so much easier to do than to describe.

I am now off to find some suitable wool (what I was using today was just some scrap handspun) and needles, and then I am going to attempt a WHOLE SOCK - including the next challenge, THE HEEL! Watch this space...

Those of you who knit socks in your sleep will no doubt be amused/dismissive about my little triumph, but the idea of knitting socks has always scared me - my mother once knitted me a pair of white lacy ankle socks when I was small, and it took months and much cursing, so I think my impression that this was A Really Hard Thing To Knit was instilled early...