After our “Out in the garden” exhibition last year, what were we doing and where were we going as a group this time?
It was suggested that we did an exhibition at All Saints Church in Grasby as part of West Lindsey Churches Festival.
Although the Festival is over two weekends in May, the Grasby Church and our exhibition are open only on 11 and 12 May, 10am-5pm.
As for “what”, we took a new title of “Botanicals”, which has been interpreted completely differently by each of the six of us, as always. In the end, my pieces were inspired by this photograph of hydrangeas that I took many years ago.
We’ve all done a piece in a black frame called “Putting the garden to bed”, based on taking down the “Out in the garden” exhibition last August. Some of the pieces are from “Out in the garden”, but will look completely different in the different setting.
Jean gave us all a lovely piece of vintage linen tablecloth with a pre-printed design, and even with so much the same starting point, we have six very varied finished pieces of work.
We all had 8-plus labels for our own work at the last meeting, and there is also a large communal piece to see, that we’ve all contributed to.
Local ladies are providing refreshments (but there’s no loo, so don’t drink too much tea!). We are taking turns with the stewarding and answering any questions about the work. There are fabulous views over the Wolds from the church porch, and if the weather is clear enough you can even see Lincoln Cathedral.
This week I have been flitting about from one thing to another, my head all over the place with ideas for new projects. Have I finished all the old ones, the WIP, the UFOs, the PHDs? No, no and no.
But we did have an outside meeting of the Grasby group last week, and the current project for Grasby is finished. We have an Exhibition that has been the goal; there were a couple planned for last year which, of course, got cancelled / postponed. All being well, the Exhibition will go ahead later in the year at Epworth Old Rectory. Watch this space.
We have a new topic to start, and ideas have been buzzing around my head for several weeks now. I’ve not settled on anything yet, but ideas for other projects are coming too. Words, images, ideas come to me in the middle of the night, often going round and round in circles, loops or spirals stopping me from sleeping until I write them down. If I don’t write them down, they have often disappeared by the morning, sometimes to return in the middle of another night, but sometimes just lost.
Some of my best ideas come as I am in that half-awake state as I come to in the morning, and at the moment there is rarely a need for an alarm clock to disrupt these thoughts.
Processing these thoughts and ideas takes time, and mundane household tasks, like folding clean washing and putting it away, can help sort the chaotic jumping around from one thing to another in my head.
So there has been some curating of “la maison musée” going on this week. I came across a glass-lidded sectioned box I bought a couple of years ago in Topsham in Devon, when we were staying for a couple of nights at a hotel (The Globe) run by an old family friend and her husband. It was a lovely couple of days, good food, a beautiful place to stay with a warm and friendly welcome.
Box of curiosities (lid down)
The little town had some interesting little shops, including an antique shop and a couple of good charity shops. I can’t remember which the box came from, but it was too good a price to walk away from, in spite of having no idea what I would use it for or put in it.
It has finally found a home, on the lounge coffee table, which has been totally (cleared and) rehashed, starting with an old table-cloth that my mum bought in the 70s; it’s an orangey red linen, and the label has on it “Barker Textiles, made in Finland”. Mum would never have believed that her grandson would go to Finland to do his Master’s degree in European Forestry nearly fifty years later!
I have gathered various things together to fit the compartments, still seven to go. It was only after I got it home that I realised why it was so cheap: when the lid is down, part of all the edge sections are partly hidden. It isn’t such a problem on the sides, but the top and bottom are going to prove more of a challenge to find things that look right.
All that was in it when I came across it were the dried hydrangea petals, the purple and orange boxes with the glass “marbles” by Frances Beresford (I’m sure they have a proper name), and the yellow box with the Japanese Yubinuki thimble that I made with Rosemary Cousins. And very fiddly it was, too. The boxes had the lids underneath, and it made them all sit a bit low to see properly; sitting the lids on the bottom the wrong way up, and the box on top raised them up so they are more visible. This gave me the idea to stand some of the other things on empty cotton reels.
Skeleton of hydrangea petalDried hydrangea petal“Marble” by Francis BeresfordClose up of “marble”“Marble” by Francis BeresfordClose up of “marble”Japanese thimble
I came across various other things that would fit, the crochet sunflower that raised money for Lindsey Hospice when a friend died several years ago. Her daughters and some of their friends made several hundred of them, and we were all given sunflower seeds to plant at the funeral, something bright and cheerful to remind us all of her sunny personality.
Crochet sunflower
Colin’s mum was the Treasurer of Scunthorpe Canine Society for many years, alongside her job of chief tea-brewer and famous chocolate-cake maker.
Not sure who earned this medal in 1906 / 07 that was awarded for one year’s perfect school attendance by Lindsey County Council Education Committtee, but love the patina of it.
1906 / 07 award for attendanceLindsey County Council award
I also like the rusty dome below, not sure what it was, or where it came from, but I’ve stood it on a plastic cap, so it not going to damage anything else. Colin thinks it might have been a lid of some sort, it has what looks to be part of a hinge on one side, and part of a clip on the other. I just like the textures and patterns on it.
The little black cat on red felt he thinks had something to do with his dad, some sort of emblem on a cap, maybe. I’ve been frightened of cats since I was a baby and used to wake up screaming when I could barely talk, saying there was a black cat in the wardrobe or coming in through the window. So, I don’t generally have cat things around, but something about this appeals for some reason, maybe the stitching against the bright red.
This sparkly brooch of Colin’s mum’s is slightly damaged. The fastener is broken, and it’s not something I would wear anyway, but it fits nicely in the box.
Nanna’s brooch.
This little pyrography box was what Miles’ and our late black Labrador Truffle’s teeth were put in for the tooth fairy to find and exchange for cash!
Miles’ tooth fairy box
I think this little porcelain flower was my mum’s, as was the cotton lace little butterfly brooch.
Cotton lace butterfly brooch
This organza brooch was in my birthday box a few weeks ago, perfect colour with the tablecloth. The name badge at the top was one I did at Scunthorpe Embroiderers’ Guild several years ago. I went years without a name badge and we were challenged to do one at another group I went to around the same time, so I ended up with two, one green and one orange, so one or other goes with nearly everything I wear.
Organza brooch
The tortoises were also my mum’s. There are several others, but they don’t fit in the box. The way I’ve put them facing one another, I can fancy that they are having a conversation. Perhaps reminiscing about the things in the box, or discussing what else can go in the empty compartments!
debbidipity 