Fetlocks and a Bishop's Mitre

While visiting a care home in Tiverton last week, to do a rag rug session, I met a woman with the spirit of adventure in her eyes. She told me that as a young girl she had swum around the Isle of Wight and how the shire horses on her parents farm would only allow her near their fetlocks when they needed cleaning, rather than the male farm workers.

Horse, Derbyshire Dales

As for the rag rug session, I don't know why, but my rugs seemed to induce much mirth! Several of us had tears in our eyes by the end of the afternoon. One woman thought my braided bag would make a splendid bishop's mitre and demonstrated, modelling it at a rakish angle.

flower show at CreaTIV!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great group at the CreaTIV Hub this afternoon. Every one worked really hard and grew some amazing rag rug flowers. There was one moment when I asked people to hold up their first bloom to show everyone else, and I actually got goose bumps! It's so exciting seeing peoples' first creations and how everyone produces something completely different from the rag bag!

 

 

 

 

Took this snap at Taunton Flowers Show yesterday

Inspiration for rag rug flowers I reckon.

rag rug hooking en plein air!

I shall be demonstrating rag rug hooking en Plein Air, this Friday (1st Aug) at The Taunton Flower Show - the oldest flower show in the country which is held inside the beautiful and extensive Vivary Gardens. I 'll be joining artist Norman Steel, somewhere near the bandstand. Come and find us!

 

 

 

 

 

Visited the gardens today and took photos. Going to base my design on the decorative ironwork of the bandstand and the planted border around it. Like the idea of capturing a bit of summer to spread out over winter's hearth. Visitors can come and watch work in progress, ask questions and have a go themselves if they wish!

 

 

rag rug demonstrating at Killerton Spun

Killerton Spun
Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 July, 11am-5pm

 See exciting demonstrations of dying, felting, printing and spinning techniques, all inspired by plants and the landscape around us. You'll also be able to browse stalls selling a wide range of textile creations and products.

 

 

I shall be demonstrating rag rug making at this event on Sunday July 20th and publicizing my forthcoming workshops which will be at:

 The Walronds, Cullompton (24th July)

and CreaTIV in Tiverton) (Aug 2nd).

(I used to work as a conservation assistant at Killerton which is where my interest in rugs developed)!

 

 

 

flower delivery

 

 

I'm delivering a small felted vase of my rag rug flowers,

(felted vase made by Magpie Heaven) to

Waldrons

 in

Cullompton today.

 

 

 

 

They will be displaying them there to advertise my forthcoming Hooked on Flowers workshop on 24th July. For further details and to reserve a place, please contact Waldrons on:  

Telephone : 01884 33394 or Email : info@walronds.com

 

gramophone needles and blobs of wax

Today, as I was showing a group of women some French knitting that my mother did when she was a child, one lady told me that her mother had made her a French knitting dolly from a cotton reel into which she had hammered gramophone needles instead of nails, each needle dabbed with a blob of wax over the end.

Every time I share sewing experiences with women who grew up during wartime, I am told of experiences that prove necessity to be the mother of invention, and my own creativity feels challenged, in a positive way. Today's shared memory of French knitting, put me in mind of the early pins that were headed with a seed or blob of sealing wax. For pins as we know them with proper pin heads have only been manufactured since 1840. There is an interesting article online about the history of pin making:-

https://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/webdocs/lb_2010_15.pdf

braided and blossoming rug

 

 

Tomorrow, when I  visit Linden House Nursing Home in Wellington to do a Sewing Box Session, I shall also be handing over the completed braided rug that I helped residents to make. I took it home to sew on their flowers and added a backing to it. It's gorgeous - so vibrant.

 

 

While we braided the rug, people shared many memories of hearth and home. When we came to make the rag rug flowers, we talked of the gardens people had lovingly tended and cultivated, still blossoming in hearts and memories.

 

 

Along with the rug I shall be handing over a record of these precious shared memories.

knight and tilley lamp

Last week I was in the CreaTIV hub, Tiverton, to demonstrate how to fashion hand hooked blooms using rag rug techniques, and advertising my forthcoming workshop at the Hub on Sat. August 2nd. Passers by, intrigued by the knight in not-so-shining armour standing in the window to advertise the forthcoming St. James Fair, popped their heads around the door when they spotted me behind the knight working away on my rag rugs.

 

 

 

One woman told me that she recalled cutting up bed sheets to make into rag rugs. She remembered that they dyed the sheets with onions, and worked by the light of a Tilley lamp.

new workshops (including beadwork!)

 

Just updated my workshop page with details of all forthcoming workshops up until October. I've also introduced a couple of beadwork workshops to my programme

 (I used to be a jewellery designer in a past life).

 

 

Also available for parties and groups - just message me for details.