Activities in my absence.

Well, after a pronounced absence Im back. For the past three weeks Ive been helping prep the outfits for a Queen Mary 2 trip to NYC. Then finally we set sail from rainy Southampton on April 26th.



Readers of this blog will know that Ive already done a Transatlantic crossing in Jan. And I wasn't particularly looking forward to seven days at sea. Despite the fact that you're one a luxury cruise liner, It's still work every day. Here we all are in wardrobe, and It's in this windowless room that fittings for the 4 singers and 12 dancers take place. We also mend and repair the costumes, sew up the tears in sweaty shirts and torn seams in trousers. I think on this particular morning we were waiting for our passes so we could get off the ship in New York.



The ship had berthed in Brooklyn and I particularly wanted to visit the small boutiques and independent shops that I'd heard so much about, but on the other hand I also wanted to walk along the skyline, but I also wanted to mooch around Spring St and by Canal St. We really didn't have much time at all so I ended up dithering about in Dean and Dulicia which is an incredible Deli just staring at the biscuits and custard powder! like a total numpty. I did buy a nice lipstick and some bits and bobbins and was almost the last person back on the boat. It was just so bloody lovely to stand on solid ground.

 


At the front of the ship stand these beautiful sculptural forms, which glint in the sunshine in their polished perfection. They are in fact spare propellor blades and I have tried to particularly arty by placing the Statue of Liberty between them but she's just a bit too small.





  Ive also started some beginners classes at My Little Vintage in Earls Barton. Beginners classes are the most popular class that I run and Its just so satisfying to know that they walk in the door not being able to sew and leave full of enthusiasm and can't wait to get home and buy a sewing machine. The rooms so bright and sunny and is perfect for a small group.





The beginners class is pretty intense and we romp through things at quite a speed with lots of sampling and note taking. We're also planning an intermediate class on June 1st for those who can sew but get baffled by patterns and want to know how to insert a zip properly.








We start right at the beginning with the basics but also cover gathers, turning corners, hemming, binding, bows. All of which can be made into a small apron - if you're that way inclined.

At last...A days work without my fingers falling off!

Finally, finally, finally I went to work and managed to think about other things rather than escaping and getting back home again. My classes for beginners have started at My Little Vintage in Earls Barton- which is a great village, with lots of stuff happening, good shops and a great community feel about the place. We planned to run just one session for beginners but have had to add another date and i feel another date will soon need to be added. Everyone wants to learn to sew! Im no longer a stitching freak in the wilderness.

I had a pile of skirts and alterations on the table at home for about 6 weeks and took them into work today. And after a mammoth washing up session, floor sweep and tidy up and then of course it was time for lunch I beagn to knuckle down. I usually work on my Industrial machine, which I love to pieces because it goes so damned fast and I can sit and make a dress in under an hour. Today, however I used this janome machine so I could sit closer to the fire when working! Its also a nifty little beast because It cost a mere £120 and comes with a free motion facility. I can honestly say that this is the best beginners machine for the price and also offers the free motion embroidery option as well. If you're thinking of trading up or starting sewing-GET THIS MOFO! You won't regret it. You can buy one from Sew... on the Wellingborough Road. See Andy or Gill, theyre both really knowledgable about machines and very helpful.

So anyway, I ended up making a series of motifs for my skirt which I appliqued and free motion embroidered and finally beaded (you know when you just can't stop) If anyone's going to hear me talk at pattishall WI you'll be lucky enough to see me wearing it.

On The Other Side Of The World.

At the beginning of January, whilst Britain was held in the grip of snow and ice. I went off to work and woke up on the other side of the world, in a tiny windowless room, behind a Bernina sewing machine.

It happened very slowly and toward the second week we began to lose an hour a day, for five days!

This made me very suprised!

Here are some photos from that time. I went to work on board The Queen Elizabeth helping to install the shows. I had a wonderful time but it was surreal in many ways. We got of in St Johns in Antigua and I took this photo of someones pants drying out on a rock. Very nice. I must start swilling out my bra and hanging it on the holly tree outside our house.

Here I photographed what looks like two tiny men washing an enormous anchor.

If you look very closely between the buildings you can see a giant visitor.

Merry Xmas One and All.

This year I have found the whole christmas experience very discombobulating. Last week I was in 4 different cities working on the cruise ship, came home, hit the ground running and did the whole Xmas thing. Im so used to working that Im finding this enforced holiday-ness wierd.

Mustn't grumble though.... I have enjoyed being with my wonderful children. Who, although being adults still manage to bicker and fight for kicks. They revert right back to the roles they had when they were little.

They look like trouble don't they?

My Northern Adventure.

Last week I had my first taste of life aboard a cruise ship. I went to work in "wardrobe" on The Queen Victoria which is one of the Cunard liners. She sailed out from Southampton and crossed the North Sea to Goteburg, Copenhagen and Hamburg. Previously I have only ever sailed yachts and in October this year sailed close by one of these monstrous gin palaces in Corfu old town. I told myself to reserve any judgements and to look at it all as an interesting new experience.

I did try and photograph this to give an idea of scale, but have managed to lose all perspective. It's about the size of Northampton Bus Station, but fortunately doesnt cater for the same type of Customer. I was part of a team which instal the shows and work with the singers and dancers. Most of the work is altering outfits, mending,repairing and maintaining the costumes. I took this photo in Goteburg when I left the ship to buy some black trousers for one of the singers.

We went to Copenhagen, which is an absolutely beautiful city and reminded me a lot of Amsterdam. This cruise was primarily for the Xmas markets. Although we worked the contracted hours and sometimes stayed in the cabin unpicking into all ungodly hours, we still had time for a swifty whistlestop visit for photos and cake.

On the first evening we went for a stroll around Goteburg, visited a Supermarket for mayonnaise (because you cant buy it in this country!) and Glogg a spiced mulled wine. We visited a bar and paid sixteen pounds for half a beer and a bottle of beer. I know that a lot of my friends had complained about the price of alcohol in Sweden but I was truly stupified. Truly. These were the Xmas windows of a wonderful store in Copenhagen.

This was home for the week. The theatre was lovely out front.

And just a little cramped behind stage. The singers put their make up on here when I wasn't sewing. I sewed inwards facing the mirror and there are no windows. Not the best place to be when crossing the North Sea and it's rougher than a bear's arse. Which probably explains why I decorated the carpet on the second day. (I took my tablets after that)It hasn't put me off though and Ill be back out there in Jan.

Happy Xmas Stitch and Bitchers.

We had our Stitch and Bitch party a bit earlier this year as Im working away on a cruise next week, in the wardrobe department. There are many folks out there who would claim that Ive never been a great success in the wardrobe dept. But that's just because I wear all my favourite clothes at once.

Following on from last years Crap Quiz, the crazed fools begged for more. So this year they had to draw the human body, draw and label the organs and stick them on the body. Genius! Most peoples organs resembled old deflated party balloons. The nurse amongst us got very competitive and had to be sedated with Haribo.

Sadly the winning team didn't get their prize as someone had put it on the buffet table and it had been eaten! We had the usual Secrat Santa but this year the presents were in the Bootsale drinks globe ala Peckham's finest Del Boy and Rodney.

And of course pass the parcel was played. i like to crank the party mood up a notch or two by adding some extra prizes between the layers of newspaper. Like bags of macaroni, socks, a bar of soap and my own favourite a tube a gravy paste. I made sure it was vegetarian.

Next year we have knitting supremo and Yarn Yogi, Emma joining us. So many folk have asked me to teach them how to knit and crochet and I just dont have the extra time as well as help the class sew. Emma helped us tonnes on the Lionheart/geurilla knitting project earlier this year so is the ideal candidate to skill up the ladies.

Stitch and Bitch will be 5 years old this May. Not bad for a project which was only supposed to be running for 12 weeks. I still look forward to Thursday evenings, helping everyone out, catching up on projects and of course welcoming new stitchers into the fold. We're back on Valentine's day 2013.

SELVEDGE FAIR-CHELSEA TOWN HALL.

Although the cost of Selvedge Magazine makes it a real considered purchase. I do enjoy the in-depth articles on a huge variety of textile related subject. Also, the paper smells wonderful! and there's nothing I love more than cracking the spine and flooding my olfactory senses! Although sometimes I do find it quite London-centric, which can be irritating. I was fortunate enough to get a pitch at their November Fair, in the new location at Chelsea Town Hall. And despite a baggy-eyed early start and a long drive in the rain, I did have a wonderful day.

Selvedge had organised a posse of adolescent porters to help with loading and unloading and if anyone has experienced setting up at a fair you will know what an absolute godsend this is, especially having to cross the busy Kings Road laden with boxes and rails. Not only that, but volunteers came around with tea in the morning- a genuis touch, and the same volunteers were on hand to man the stalls for a loo or lunch break.

On arrival some blaggard had nicked my place! but luckily I managed to set up beside the lovely Janine Pope and her friend Pamela. They're both regulars at my Stitch and Bitch classes. Janine uses her Danish heritage to influence her work, she incorporates beautiful tweed, wool and leather to make "perpetual notebooks" as she calls them. Journals where pages can be added, these pages are often printed with delightful images on a range of textured papers. She was best newcomer at Contemporary Applied Crafts and her work is delightful.

The good folks of Chelsea were queueing down the road to get in and it stayed busy throughout the day. I met loads of wonderful people who were interested in my work, tried on my clothing and brought from me. So thank you to you all!

Chelsea Town Hall was the perfect location to host a Selvedge Fair. The range and variety of talent on show was very inspiring. When I began making this my "proper job" years ago now I held the work of the Folk artist Julie Arkell in reverence as she typified everything I loved about craft and making. Last Saturday we were selling under the same roof and I felt my career had reached it's zenith. Im looking forward to March next year so I can do it all again.