sailing and weather and shoes

Lovely sunny day in Perth - not so in NZ I see - Helen and family have been unable to go where they wanted - loads of snow and roads closed. Life does that.




Found Grant and Slam again in the pics department. I think it photographs well.


Mandy sent me a page from the Peter Sheppard shoe catalogue. She knows I am a sucker - look at those wonderful new colours in the Arche shoes - my very favourites. Credit card watch out - who can resist those colours? Just as well they haven't a shop in Perth - or rather - what a shame they haven't a shop in Perth. Phone does well though.


ABs play South Africa tonight. Fingers crossed for a good game and a good result for you know who.

Friday musings

Managed to find SLAM again in San Francisco. I think they are coming 4th or 5th with 4 more races to go and the Bridge to Bridge to sail.

With a fair bit of searching I have found some adhesive paper lace which I have been sticking onto Tissutex and colouring - I can see all sorts of possibilities with this. Show some pics when I have some more respectable samples.

Lovely and sunny in Perth so off to wander up the road tonight since it's Friday night. Rather than watch tv which is not very exciting at all at present unless you want to watch soccer or similar.

sailing in san fran and some silk paper playing

Here is SLAM in San Francisco - wish we were all so lucky! Here is the intrepid skipper on the left. But all good things must come to an end soon, Grant! The rest of us are plodding on back on the range......

Playing with silk paper and silk yarn knitting for Ratty Tatty Papers - Doreen will recognise these felt flowers - the embellisher likes this silk paper and silk yarn and it especially likes these cheap flowers.

books and rubbings

Today I got a lovely new Nicky Epstein book Crocheting on the Edge - haven't crocheted for years (made the compulsory bedspreads with crochet squares and ponchos and stuff) but looks like a new start to add to my little knitting adventures. I can see all manner of little dangleys appearing using embroidery yarn and the like.

And I also got some advance new rubbing plates to play with and assess for buying - one with lace and words and botanical sort of things - I did a pile of rubbings on tissutex with shiva stiks then I will spray with colorwash for tomorrow - I think they have potential. Also got a pack of permanent markers for using on acetate and pewter charms and the like. So once I have finished cleaning up from the show - trying to clean my workshop stuff but I can't find the plug for the sink in the studio - did Sarah take it home with her I wonder? - then I will be able to clear a better space to work in.

Do go to our website and see the wonderful work done by some of the participants in the first Embellish Stitch Enrich wokshop. Ian has set up a gallery.

lazy sunday

Still pottering along slowly and quietly - the rain has gone and the days are nice and sunny. We got woken in the middle of the night with car alarms (not ours) and people yelling and stuff so tha was the excuse to sleep in and go for a leisurely breakfast at Sotos.

Ian got a load of dirt for one of the gardens out the back so it looks like we will soon have a new section to admire - this weather means we are a bit negligent in the garden. Yesterday we got new shelves for the lockup so that is still messy but means more storage space for threads etc - all the Valdani threads will have a home now.

Last night since there was no rugby to watch we sat and very much enjoyed the replay of the ABs vs Wallabies game last Saturday - very enjoyable.

When Helen was here she gave us a book (she said she knew I love books- how could anyone know this???) of Northumberland where they live. It looks fabulous and another place we should be visiting. Thanks Helen - hope you are having a great remainder of trip.


A few people have asked what a flimsie is? I have shown them before on my blog but they are a very fine merino batt which Jacinta dyes for us. This is my Indian Splendour one - the other was I was embellishing on was Kimberley Dreaming. We are low on stock after the show but Jacinta has sent a few more and more to come - this one was in the parcel this week so I grabbed it to play with. It is lovely to use as a base - it is a pre felt but I like to use it with srims and chiffon and all that stuff - very soft to use.




Now we are off to Fremantle for a drive to finish off a relatively relaxed weekend - although I have been still counting and sorting and ordering - nearly up to date. I have also managed to get into the studio to play with silk fibres and get working on my new book which is all on papers of various sorts.

Grant has just phoned from Heathrow - he is just off to San Francisco to sail in the 18ft Skiffs and being a mother I can also say congratulations to Bruce for finishing his Masters in Applied Linguistics. All that work always pays off!!

moving right along to Thursday

Everything is nearly back in order but people keep getting in on the pretext of needing one particular thing and then proceeding to 'shop' - that kinda holds up my progress. But as always with a big show, you get everything done in the end.

I forgot to take pics of Helen or her stand - very remiss of me - but today she sent me this pic from the airport just before they flew off to Uluru. This is a dodger photo - dodgers will know! Pam (who I haven't seen for ages and didn't get to talk to), Helen and me. Helen's display of work was lovely to see in the flesh - I think everyone enjoyed seeing her work. I hope you have a great time in NZ, Helen!

I snuck up to the studio for a little play this afternoon after packaging all the Quilting Arts - yes they finally arrived only 2 weeks late. If the printer could learn to get his act together....... I also noticed that along with all the other errors on the invoice he has written UK customs. No wonder Aust customs stop the shipment.

This is an embellisher fabric - using a sandwich of cotton scrim, flimsie, chiffon and jute scrim. If you look carefully you will see what happens when you work from the back extensively as well. I have only done this to half. I like it better where it hasn't been worked as it allows more definition of the scrim but on the other hand it makes for depth. My next class starts next Tuesday and they are all pretty chatty and enthusiastic. The embellisher is great for blending.

Val and Jim are back from their long trip o/s so we are off to dinner to catch up with them.

What a great show

Here we are back in action. The Perth show was wonderful - so nice to catch up with so many people - the workshops were good - thanks to those who came - hope you enjoyed yourselves. Helen and Sarah were super guests to have and I am sure everyone enjoyed seeing them at work. If you missed out on Sarah's book, there are more on their way and if you check our website you will see I will send you an extra gift if you order a copy before the 15th. Also lots more Artgirlz charms are already winding their way to Perth.



Here we are arriving to set up last Thursday - doing a show at home seems to involve more work than when you go away - this is because you have to do everything on the one day. When you go away, you spend time packing many boxes a week or so beforehand and once the palettes have gone you only have to fill the suitcases - here it means filling a van twice. Nothing like looking at an enormous space and making decisions. Plus it rained very hard all day especially every time we were carrying things, Have you tried balancing an umbrella and a giant heavy box?

So here is Ian - tables all out, cloths on book boxes all set but loads to do. Where to put stuff?

Here I am with the same dilemma - not much further on.

Lots of work later - we were finished by 8pm and off for a meal and into bed for an early rise. If only Mareene would start the show at 10am.



A customer in action.


The lovely Jaslyn obviously abandoned by us


Still abandoned. Thanks Jas - you did a wonderful job.


Her we are with the lovely Mareene who is the best show organiser we know - we love you Mareene even if you did run the show the same weekend as the rugby in Auckland which we wanted to go to........

At the end of Sunday with the help of Kazuko and Bruce (whatever will we do next year when they are not here...) we were packed and gone by 10 past 6 - and then unpacked back here by 7.15pm so we all went out to dinner and Ian and I slept like logs, leaving the answer phone on until Monday morning.

After two days everything is almost back to 'normal' but of course stock to count and orders to do - loads more flimsies arrived on Monday - that is Murphy's Law.

However, I may even get to play on my embellisher tomorrow. Busting to get into the studio and not just to clean and tidy stuff after the workshops.

Wonderful wonderful All Blacks

How could I have doubted them? Back in all their glory. We were working when the game was on but Bruce videod it, Jonathan played bluff (he is an Aussie supporter) and they won!!! Here is Jimmy Cowan - I reckon he is worth his weight in gold.

I have been AWOL I know but we have been flat out getting ready for the Perth show, it took all of Thursday to pack the van in pouring rain, do two trips to the showgrounds, unpack the van in pouring rain and then work Friday and Saturday so far. One more day and pack up and everything home to unpack, sort, etc etc. It is a fabulous show so far and the participants in my hands on - Ratty Tatty Papers, have all been wonderful. I am starting an online workshop in Jan - Ratty Tatty Papers - so this was a good little taster.

I have taken photos but Ian is sound asleep on the sofa with a smile on his face after the AB win so I will be back on Monday to show you a bit of the show.

In the meantime, Helen Cowans, one of our two guests, is running a workshop on making her fabulous towers - on Tuesday and Wednesday this week for any Perth people who would like to join in.

And next week I will tell you about next year's guest so watch this space,

The Wild Women challenge was wonderful and I will have pics and also the Art to Wear has been to die for - some fabulous work from students in the Perth area.

grungeboard and NZ Quilt Symposium

For all those who asked (and I have had lots of emails as well as the comments here)
Grungeboard is a flexible sheet of compressed composite material that can be painted, inked, sanded or grunged. It's pliable, inkable, paintable, embossable hand and machine stitchable, and generally grungable. Just pop the shape/pattern/symbol out and away you go. Grungeboard patterns come in many styles, fonts, sizes and shapes to feed your creative desires. Available in smooth and a variety of debossed patterns, grungeboard will allow you to choose the perfect texture for your projects. Use it on your layouts, your cards, journals and other art projects. Great fun for all sorts of things.

There is also a video with Tim Holtz on utube. www.timholtz.com but I like the fact that you can stitch into it and it seems to like Moonshadow Mists and Distress inks and Colorwash all of which I like to play with.

Re the NZ QuIlt Symposium in 2009 - Lots of people at the Embroiderers' Conference in Hastings asked me if I would be there or suggested I should be there. As that weekend is my birthday (a wee bit big one) and Wellington is my favourite city anywhere, Ian and I thought it would be a great place for a long weekend. Alas, apparently the trading section is full - no room for 2 Rollies and 2 tables so we will have to go somewhere else for the occasion. Never mind - good try.

I have spent the day packaging all sorts of fibrous stuff for the show in Perth, playing with papers and stuff for my hands-on workshop and thinking about writing the newsletter which needs to go out before the end of the month as we will be busy at the show. I think Gogos restaurant is on the cards tonight.

grungeboard playing and still raining

Poor Sarah - it has rained non-stop since she arrived and apparently going to clear up next Monday when she flies off. At least it isn't cold. I hope it isn't too wet down south for her trip.



In between getting ready for the show this weekend in Perth, I have had a wee play with Grungeboard. It's interesting stuff - very flexible. I have sprayed with Moonshadow Mist and hand stitched it to an embellished surface - a fine silk fabric I found lying around worked on some muslin - I am quite pleased with this stuff and Ian has spent quite a while today putting it all on the website. I have the letters because I am still playing around with letters and words but what better way to start than with your own name. I want to try a few other colouring means as well. I have also been playing with a couple of ideas for my on-line embellisher workshop - sorry Penny - I just have to add some new things but wouldn't it be boring if it was exactly the same as the first round. It starts on 12th August.

We Won't Mention The Ruggerby

What a depressing finish last night - well as soon as they brought on the replacements - I won't name names. The All Blacks will start losing support soon - we will hang in though (for the moment) And to think Ian had on his brand new AB socks and we drank good NZ champagne before the game. Shame.....

I have been packaging for the show but Sarah has been playing with various goodies we got - the liquid pencil which I am hoping to play with soon as I think they will go so well with my new Graphitints and Grungeboard which arrived this week. Sarah selected a pack of element designs and has been colouring and hand stitching -I have just chosen a sheets of D's and I plan to colour and stitch as well.

WIld Women Challenge and lots more rain

Lots of Wild Women arrived today - deadline day apart from those who have pleaded to be late.... why is it that we all work to the very end of the deadline? I thought I would show a couple - hope they don't mind. The first one is Ileana's and the second one Delys'



If you are coming to the show next Fri - Sun you will be able to see them all and lots more. Sarah has been spending her free time stitching away - I have only been doing boring stuff like packaging with lots more to do. Today we went exploring and I found some very interesting stuff for experimenting with - I will have it at the show. We also found some interesting pastels yesterday which we have been having a wee play with and some liquid pencil which I Know will go with my Graphitints but I haven't had a chance to try them yet.

It has rained heaps today so not so much fun for Sarah having a holiday.

Just to remind everyone that there is a BIG rugby game tomorrow in Sydney.

Melbourne Quilt and Craft Show

We will not be at the show in Melbourne - in fact we haven't done this one for quite a number of years now - but do go and visit Jacinta and Rae - Spiral Dyed - on Stand C34 - they will have lots of their stuff and our stuff and Jacinta will be doing demos and Rae will be very efficiently working hard.

Sarah is sleeping in the studio - it must be strange in a building with lots of windows and no curtains and it might rain today

Tuesday

I got this book in the mail today - The Art of Felt - another treat from Francoise Tellier-Loumagne. What a tremendous source book for the embellisher and my work. No time to do other than flick through it whilst drinking my coffee. May have to rewrite the Embellish Stitch Enrich workshop which is filling up to start on August 12th. Only joking in case Ian is reading this - but certainly loads of inspiration for my work.

Grant and Jarrod ended up 2nd in the 14s as the final day of racing was cancelled - too windy. But they were pretty pleased anyway with 2nd.

I am also getting ready for my big give away - thanks to Maggie - but finishing a piece first which I shall give away as well. So you will have to wait until I have done the final bit of stitching.

Sarah Lawrence is arriving in the wee hours on the night so I have had to 'clean' and vacuum my studio so she can sleep there tonight - think I got rid of the spiders.......

Off to dinner first with Luigi and Martine

mixed bunch

Grant and Jarrod are sailing in the 14ft skiff worlds in Warnemunde - they won race 6 and are coming 2nd with one race to go. They will be pretty pleased with themselves. Here they are crossing the finish line first. It looks rather cold and bleak and I expect it is....



Last night the Wallabies beat the Springbox but next Saturday will be the exciting one - nail biting stuff I hope not. All Blacks vs Wallabies in Sydney.

The other exhibitions I saw in Wellington which I would highly recommend were at Pataka Museum. There were several exhibitions on - Amazing Lace, Sharing Stories,
Lightwaves, Muramura, All Fired Up, Tossed and Found. All very much worth a visit - and the coffee and toasted sandwich was okay too.
This piece of lace is by Jeff Thompson - titled Lace IV 2006 - screen printed steel. I was rather fascinated by his work. The lace exhibition was a mixed bag but we also enjoyed the lace coat hanger covers - our mother made plenty of these....

getting back into action

I nearly didn't get to NZ actually - I arrived at the airport in Perth after the gate for luggage had closed and the queues at check-in were mind-boggling. Pushed my way to the front of the Qantas Club queue and got verbally abused by people only to be told I had missed the flight. But by some quirk of fate (there must have been others as errant as me) I was told to go to a different counter where I could actually check in. I didn't see any others - maybe they felt kindly towards me. But then the flight was delayed an hour for something or another. One thing I did discover when I drove from Wellington to Palmerston North in the middle of the night was that the road was full of cars (and many trucks), there were loads of roadworks people working and all the way there were lights on in houses - now I know what people get up to when I am usually asleep (it was 2.45am when I arrived in PN).


For the return trip, Bev and I went to Te Papa to see the Rita Angus exhibition - fabulous and I would recommend it to anyone who has not already been to see it. We meandered through the first 2 rooms and then had to canter after that - no way I would dare chance my luck at checking in late. The catalogue will have to satisfy what I missed. She was quite a woman. The book was too big for the scanner so the S is missing. It was also very heavy in my backpack. I will tell you about the other exhibition we went to tomorrow.




While I was away, a delivery of Graphitints arrived and they are on our website but these are mine - wonderful pencils which I have been after for a while. They work dry on dry but when you apply a water brush - yummy. I am off to do some printing and colouring and playing sometime today before we go to Bruce's to watch the rugby - Wallabies vs Springbox.

back again

Here I am back home again - long day's flying and I could have got an earlier flight from Melbourne except that the girl on the counter sent my bags down the shute even though I asked.... Never mind.

I had a great time - it was only bitterly cold one day in Palmerston North. The conference 2 market days were great - apart from there being no lighting on my stand, people were fabulous and went away with more than half of my luggage (never mind I filled it up with wine and stuff for Ian). It was super to catch up with so many people and I enjoyed staying with Bev and we spent one evening going through a big box of photos - some pretty awful but quite a few good old ones from the past. Here is me in my Princess Diana pose! This was when I was director of music in my previous life so I guess it was at a musical event - I used to conduct the choir. I hate speaking into a microphone. Weren't those glasses something? I had forgotten how huge they were.


Came back to a copy of ver Filzt Und zuge Naht where my Surface tension book is reviewed. The magazine looks great but I am going to have to borrow Bruce's German dictionary to be able to work out what it says - pictures tell many words and maybe I can even get Bruce to do some translation for me.


Very busy today with orders and sorting stuff. And it is raining.

Cape Leveque and off I go again

Ian has finally had his photos from Cape Leveque developed - lots of sea, red dirt and a good relaxing time. Here is Ian in the bush.

Further up the beach roaming the rocks.

Our first trek in a 4WD on the red dirt.



Our safari tent


the rocks at the other end of the beachthe other beach where we went to see the sunset - the wonderful red rocks


our safari tent close up - long gone the days of our early camping - real beds and a bit of bush luxury - highly recommended.

Today I am off to NZ to trade at the embroidery conference over the weekend and to catch up with my sister - she tells me it will do me good to experience real cold weather so I am wearing all my clothes as no room in the suitcases for those. Back on Wednesday. I land in Wellington in the middle of tonight - hope my hire car has a good heater. Ian is in charge back here.

fabulous photo

found a great photo from the final day's sailing at Six-fours
Here's a description, written, I think, by the photographer - (French translation unaltered by me)

'Black hull, gray veils, spinnakers black or yellow, the splendid SLAM s’ is logically imposed. L’ Australian Grant Rollerson, well-known of the international circuit for its devastating humour and its high silhouette of hairy surfer, n’ ceased progressing in l’ optimization of the adjustments of sound 18 feet new bright burning coal. Put at l’ water the first day of competition of the JJ International Giltinan Championship run semi February out of bay of Sydney, its skiff with the colors of SLAM seems to express aujourd’ today all its potential in the small airs'.

disaster

there are plenty of disasters in the world today but the biggest disaster for me today was dropping my entire collection of beads on the polished concrete floor in the studio - tomorrow brings a huge amount of picking them up but I think the sorting will have to wait somehow.

flower power some more

This is a little page for a new book I am making - bit of colour for Perth when I think we have just had our coldest overnight temperature that I recall - minus degrees. Unheard of, My possie gloves are getting good use.

Congratulations to Grant

WOW - Grant has won the 18ft European Championships - mothers and fathers are allowed to be proud of their children no matter what age they are. I read that Slam was showing devastating speed in the building breeze. All that hard work has paid off. Grandma would be proud of you, Grant. A glass or two of champagne is in order.

After lots of rain and cool weather for Perth, we have had a lovely day so some plants have ben planted and some tidying up has occurred, and a magic carpet has been nearly finished along with the start of a stand up book.

Excellent rugby - the All Blacks won and so did the Wallabies (it's okay for them to win unless they are playing the All Blacks). We are off to Bruce and Kazuko's to watch Maori play Australia A and then to dinner.

sailing, rugby and magic carpets

Just waiting to see how today's sailing in Six-Fours goes - the mistral arrived yesterday I believe but it was too windy for racing. Grant is in the lead by 4 points but of course anything can happen in sailing.

Then we are waiting anxiously for the first of the tri-nation games - All Blacks vs Springbox in Wellington where it sounds like the weather is a bit nasty.

I have been working on my magic carpets for lesson 6 of my workshop. Nice and colourful as all magic carpets should me (for me anyway)

Lots of rain here - last night we ent to the WASO for a very nice concert - Ballet Russe - I think the WASO is sounding the best I have ever heard it - and I have been pretty critical over the years. The winds were very good (apart from the very first chord) and the strings emitted a cohesive and good sound. At last....

in the lead in Bandon

The intrepid sailor had a 1st and a 3rd yesterday and is now in the lead. It's hard tracking down these photos - just as well I am a bit intrepid myself - that's Grant on the left.

1st equal

Wow - the intredpid sailor is coming first equal now with Yandoo so that's 2 Aussie boats in the European Champs. Actually I think the reason he rang was to see how we were getting on with the windows......

European Championships at Six-Fours

Here's Grant sailing in his new 18ft skiff - SLAM - at Six-Fours in the south of France. Today's race they came first so I expect they were pleased with that.