the patchwork dress

urban fox :: manchester

Just got back this week from Manchester, where I have been an urban fox for 5 weeks, working on "Mrs Biggs" a drama production at ITV Granada..  I loved being in Manchester, for a city it's got quite a relaxed vibe, very well appointed with shops and great transport i.e. the Metro tram network and free city centre buses.

It was quite a shaky start to the year with power cuts at home (we had more than 10, and my car exploding on the M6 and having to be RAC'd back home from Carlisle).  So let's hope it can only get better!

One highlight was meeting up with blogger Sue (Mouse) which was lovely, at the fabulous John Rylands Library - an oasis of calm in Spinningfields, with a rather gothic Hogwarts interior (and nice café).  

It was like a working trip or holiday, and the freetime I had, I used to explore the town and discover places like:

• the Manchester Craft + Design Centre - a covered market of little maker studios with its own café - I was rather envious of their handmade world and private/public spaces!
• Manchester Art Gallery + Museum - this was one of my favourites by Holman Hunt, and Grayson Perry's drawing 'Print for a Politician'
• The Trafford Shopping Centre (omg! - a mad Disneyland)
• Morecambe seafront

Needless to say I only took my 'works' camera which I forgot to take away on my days off, so hardly took any pictures except these 2!  

This is the view from our office at Granada - some mornings the tower blocks in the distance lit up with the rising sun, their windows turning to golden sequins. (Nic, I think you may have said that!)

It was a great location to work so close to the town, and open views with lots of light. (Un)fortunately the studios are moving to Salford to be beside the BBC and media village that is springing up there.  There was a nostalgic feel of working studios - years of Coronation Street, plus Countdown and the infamous Jeremy Kyle being filmed there!

7 : discovering Rumer

I heard about Rumer Godden's autobiography through "Simple Abundance" (see Dec 2nd), and immediately knew I wanted to read them.  They are the most enchanting and moving books I've read this year, if not ever - the life of a writer, who seemed perpetually on the move from home to home.. the books detail each stage of her life, the people, animals and family that shared it with her - as she moved between the UK and India.

The first book "A Time to Dance..." starts with her childhood in England, and ends with the amazing story of her dream move to the poet's Dove House in Kashmir during WW2 - without spoiling it, lets just say I shared her heartbreak when she was 'forced' to leave under unimaginable circumstances.  An amazing woman of independent spirit ahead of her time.

The second volume is the continuation of her life as a professional writer starting with her return to England just after the war. Everything about her life fascinated me during the 2 books - and quite often brought me to tears!

The title "A House With Four Rooms" comes from the Indian expression that the individual is like a house with 4 rooms - the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual - and RG's thought that all 4 should be visited each day.

Rumer Godden wrote "Black Narcissus" and many other books and children stories that were made into films or screenplays - the second book deals mostly with this part of her life.

I also discovered that she wrote the childrens story about a gypsy girl 'The Diddakoi' which had been made for Childrens BBC back in the 70's and was called "Kizzy" - one of the most effecting and memorable childrens drama of my childhood.

Both books were bought on Amazon in the "used" section under their titles for 1p - another simple abundance.

 

 

3 : simple abundance

Its taken me a year to read this book.  Now I'm in December.

I mentioned it back on this post in April.  My reading habit has been to read 3 or so days at a time, and then catch up a few days later.. but it has been a consistent companion on my bedside table all through 2011, and Sarah Ban Breathnach a wise friend I check in with every few days.

It's like following a daily blog.  I discovered this book in true Simple Abundance style for 99p in a second hand shop.  The journey of the book is to discover greater personal authenticity through different areas of life during the year - there are no exercises as such, and the depth of the writing is much further than on first impression.  Through osmosis and contemplation you do the journey too.

Written/published in the 1990's so there are some giveaways such as mention of shoulder pads and pot pourri as aspirations - but you get the gist - mostly the writing is timeless for any woman (or man?) on a creative, spiritually inspired journey who is concerned about time, career, family, home and how to keep a sense of self throughout the year.

I am looking forward to dipping into it all over again in 2012!

turning

It feels, today, at last, as if the season could finally be turning.

After all those weeks of enclosed grey, dark mornings and cold evenings I am desperate to see the sunlight again.  Today it feels like something has turned - the energy is on the up and the sun is shining.

I have even turned the radio off this morning to hear the frantic cheeping of the birds - they are definitely in egg mode.

My project for the new year was to teach myself to knit socks! I got this great book and new that it would be something to aim for, but first I just have to knit a pair of socks from this book to understand the technique.  It took a lot of effort to get started - first I couldn't find the weight of yarn specified in the pattern.  In fact the assistant in John Lewis wool department disappointingly didn't know what 'worsted wool' was - a good start, eh?

Next I couldn't find any stock of the needle size I wanted!  A few enquiring emails to Pebbledash, to see if she would be my sock guru.  Eventually, with patience I found some lovely merino wool here and needles here! It occurred to me that the more difficult it was getting, the more I was actually learning about knitting socks!

They may not be the greatest pair of socks ever - but last night I 'turned the heel' - the part I was most afraid of. Reading patterns is rather like gobbledegook - I just had to take each step at a time.. Another lesson I could apply elsewhere in life.  That plus a few videos on Youtube!

Consequently I have turned the heel following one of these videos, so it may be a bit different from my pattern.  I really just made it up as I went along - determined not to get any holes! I also noticed last night that I was supposed to have ribbed the heel flap - which I didn't pick up on at all until a bit late! Nevermind.

The foot of this one looks like it may be meant for a giant :) - but these are my practice socks - probably to be worn of an evening infront of the fire next winter!  However I am really happy to be learning something new that I can see progress in stage by stage.

The heel has turned - hurrah!

10: angel wings

don't grow on trees... Or do they?

and this is where they must hang them out to dry...on a barb wire fence.

a visit to jupiter

Hi there! Firstly, housekeeping... I had a lot of fun reading your number 1's from the previous post - now I have a sort of image of each of you, bopping away to your birth tunes!  We even took it a step further by finding out what was no.1 in the US at the same time - mine was Windy by The Association.  This tickled N, as he thought 'windy' and in 'need of love' was very apt for me...ahem... moving on!... 

Anyway... the winners of a set of cards each are the 2 Vanessa's  (guess who put 2 slips of paper with 'Vanessa' in the hat, and then had to decide again which Vanessa! - so they both win.. ) and Susan C came 2nd and gets the set of postcards.  

Thank you all for taking part, it was fun.. and I kind of wish I could send cards out to all of you.  However, the remaining card sets will be available through the shop for a while longer, for anyone who would like some.

Last week mum and I had a daytrip to Jupiter Artland near Edinburgh.  I first heard of it through Jane's blog, and have wanted to visit ever since.  

We were met by a very friendly spacecat, who checked our credentials.. we could proceed.  Perhaps it arrived in the silver spaceship below, fueled by cappuccino.

I cannot stress how unusual and well executed the whole site is - I won't spoil by posting too many pictures - so much of the charm is the element of discovery... but there are artworks by Andy Goldsworthy, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Antony Gormley, Charles Jencks and Nathan Coley to name but a few.

 

(Gormley's sculpture looks out across to a similarly structured Forth Rail Bridge - just glimpsed with white hoardings in the distance)

It's a little tricky to find, so take directions - but once there you will feel part of a different world... Jupiter perhaps?

 

the joy of ceramics

Some years ago my friend Karen introduced me to the phenomena of Potfest (which I have mentioned here before) - an eccentric ceramics fair held annually in a cattle market!  Over the years I have bought one or 2 pieces from there, and suppose in a way it was my inauguration to the idea of handmade - I was always amazed at the variety of items and styles that could be made from one medium - 'from mud!' as one of the stallholders exclaimed.

Everyday at work I use a mug I bought there a couple of years ago - it nearly always gets comments, and I love the way it feels in my hands.  Unique and individual because it was made by hand.

This year, Potfest moved south from its former haunt of Perth Cattle Market, to Stirling's newly appointed Agricultural Centre (complete with snazzy deli!).  My friend Susan and I took a whirl up on a Saturday morning.

I was surprised and delighted to see Julia Smith, who is a maker I had bookmarked on my Folksy preferences.  I didn't realise she was also based in Scotland.  I longed to buy something from her, so I bought this cereal and side plate which are to be used for breakfasts in the garden - my favourite thing to do on days off, if if is anyway near decent weatherwise.

I love the little detail of the signature, the way the glaze slips down the bowl, and the rough earthenware underneath.

I also bought this little rabbit.  He looks at home in this little collection - the little jug is by Tom Butcher.

Do you have a piece of ceramic you love to hold?

the 'right' belt

For a while I really wanted a plain leather belt to wear with jeans. Originally I hoped to rebuckle an old belt, but couldn't find anyone to do it.  I ordered one from People Tree, who I normally love - but wasn't happy with it - it was the wrong colour, stiff, and too short!

N suggested I try Etsy, and I found the Light Leather Company run by Anna Light.  Reading the profile sold this site to me - it's a family affair with her father and mother doing the leatherwork, and Anna manages the sales through Etsy.

I totally love this belt - the perfect width, colour and length ... it is SO well made, thick and supple.  You send your waist measurement and they punch 5 holes, with your size as the 3rd hole, so the belt will fit exactly.

It's the kind of belt you can wear everyday and will keep for life... and the prices are competitive with the mass produced flimsy belts you find on the High Street.  It is handmade, personal and made with love.

 

 

notes

This has been my first officially free day off, since I began the part time contract - so I had a clear out of my studio, literally my "creative space" to get things going again.  Organising and clearing.  Doing things I hadn't got round to, like changing a lightbulb, and swapping over a table lamp I've been meaning to.  Now there is much more space and light since I also got rid of a couple of pieces of furniture.  It was way too overcrowded in there!

Symbolic?

 

During the clearout I found birthday gifts from last year that were still wrapped up and fabrics from the quilt show in Birmingham, still in their bags!  Also this little stash of mini notebooks I have bought or been given.  

The top one came from Susan Green Books - it's tiny, but so cute.  I saw it a while ago, and when a colleague left work I bought one for him and one for me!  Hm, July was when I started this long run of work, and also Murphy came into our lives - he is taking up quite a bit of it ("that's some cat you've got there" my across the road neighbours have commented, the household next to that know him by name) - things just kind of went on hold.

A couple of weekends ago I was worried as Murphy was on the roof and looking down the chimney. Shouting and throwing stones and then cat biscuits would not distract him! After distraught phone calls, I managed to persuade N to go up and wire up the chimney pot opening.  The next morning we could still hear sounds like debris falling down the chimney and realised a bird must have got down, and would now be sealed in by the wire.  So N had to go back up again.  

(murph checks out a bag) 

Our neighbour came out to see what was going on, and offered to send a brush up his chimney, as we now deduced it was his flue not ours.  The brush came straight up, perhaps it had just been a mouse.  We'd just given up and gone back inside when there was a knock at the backdoor.  Our neighbour had found a starling in his fireplace.  I reckon it must have been stuck there for a few days as Murphy had been acting very strangely in the bedroom by the wall, miaowing - and then going up on the roof.  I think he was trying to tell us "there's a bird stuck in the chimney" - so although he was looking for it, he actually saved it's life!

I feel a bit rusty at blogkeeping - please forgive me and hope I can post a bit more regularly now.  Best go as Murphy is climbing on all surfaces, looking for some mischief!

 

some lovely things...

...in no particular order, some lovely things that came to me in the last while...

 

 - a leaving present from work. made by Gillian Kyle.  I notice she has a wee stall at the bottom of Buchanan Street. Glasgow on a Sunday as part of an otherwise odd little craft fair in the arcade there. - but I like her stuff, and she is also featured in this month's Country Living!

 

Spoils from another Glasgow outpost worth visiting - the new 'Welcome Home' which is positioned down a sidestreet by the new Tescos in Partick.  I heard about it through a colleague at work, and is well worth the visit for things that are a bit more off the beaten track - more delicate, arty and etsyish... the thing I loved most was the sticky tape with the fairisle pattern.

 

nice fabrics I bought at the Birmingham quilt festival from eternalmaker.com - who had some really nice modern, cute & funky prints.

 

a gift from Ginny - handmade beads made by her and her girls from magazine paper (to be kept hidden from small black cats!) and some poppy seeds..

In the background there is a pack of reclaimed liberty fabrics I bought from my favourite stall in Birmingham - worn and washed fabrics by Kim Porter.  I bought some more for a specific quilt I may share later.

 

and lastly, not leastly - a lovely package I received from my friend Barbara weeks ago!  She visited the Selvedge

shop in London and sent me these lovely ribbons, and foglinenwork  braids.  Too nice to use, just to look at for the moment! I was tempted to take them in to work to sit on my desk and remind me of tactile things - but as it was I hid them in an envelope (away from kittens who like to chase ribbon) and only just discovered them again, after hardly being near my desk at home.

hope you are all well. thanks for sticking with me during this time away.

My type text is playing up again on this post - so please excuse if it formats funny...