Helen Cowans ~ Designing - Creating - Inspiring

I have work in an exhibition at Coldstream this month.  Beautiful gallery with some gorgeous artwork. Exhibition ends 2nd April.

I repositioned a few pieces and added in some darker voile.  Which do you prefer?

First attempt;

Today; – looks a bit wonky here, I wonder if it really is?  Must go and check.  I think its better without the darker voile.  Maybe….. not quite right yet.  I took out the three squares at the top…… maybe I should have stopped at the first impression?  but then I really like the continuity of the layers in this…… plus it has to fit into an Ikea frame 20×29cm aperture so that limits me and the squares were right at the very top.  Will go and pin it up on the armchair and stare at it this evening.

What else today?  I had to open a new roll of wadding – so heavy I could only just lift it onto the table.

I turned up a tunic that’s lovely, but the company seems to think everyone is 6ft tall.  Long tunics on 5ft tall woman make them look even smaller……(if that’s possible).  I am still loving that Pfaff for plain stitching.

Did I say I was going to do 5 Towers for FoQ?  Make it 7 for luck.

And hassles with neighbours have started.  This afternoon the whole house was invaded by this dense smoke and it still stinks.  This is the view from our kitchen window.  DS had to come in from the garden as it smelt so badly you couldn’t catch your breath.  Oh what fun.

Glad you liked yesterdays picture.  Kerry said >You were born a 100 years too late.  You look straight out of a Victorian profile. <

Well, I’ve always said this.  Can you imagine my curves and cleavage in a corset?  There is a corset maker in Paris (I forget the name) who makes custom corsets for the likes of Dita Von Tesse and Helen Bonham-Carter, if I had the money I’d be there getting measured.  I love the pre-Raphaelites and I could easily be there – think of the pictures with the embroiderers, knights in shinning armour, castles and suitors…… *sigh*

I love wearing long skirts or dresses with boots – not that I do that much these days, but I used to and when I loose weight I’ll be there again.

So what’s been happening in the unit?  Well, I do find it hard to get going on work – and can’t face larger, complicated projects just yet.  A few weeks ago I got a pack of fabric and challenged myself to see what I could do with it.  Here’s the start.  I wanted to bring it home to start stitching – but most of my pins were in the house so I couldn’t move it – see how little things are frustrating.  These pictures were taken last Friday and I haven’t been able to get back to the unit to work so far this week.  Will be there tomorrow afternoon (Thursday).

I’m also determined to finish my History of Art course.  I had a shock when I realised I’d started it in 2005.  Must get it finished before the 21st April as that’s when I start a new course.

Look what DS just found – must be around 1995.

I remember the dress – Monsoon, size 14, possibly a 12. 
Pure silk, wore it to a friends winter wedding with a long jacket and a 20’s style hat.

Notice the hair – long and no colouring.
Those were the days.

Yesterday I finally motivated myself to get working again.  It was hard.  At 1pm, I was wandering around feeling lost, at 3.15pm I was running around trying to finish and get home before the school bus.  Isn’t that just typical.  I sorted out a beautiful piece of hand dyed rayon cloth to hand stitch. 

And did you say how tidy it was looking?  Not anymore!  Back to normal.  I took my little netbook with me yesterday but I couldn’t receive emails – only send.  Very odd.

I’ve moved the room around – the sewing machine table was under the window and it was freezing!  The unit is SO cold for the first hour and then it warms up.  But it is generally –3C overnight and only gradually getting to 4C during the day.  We are all fed up of this cold weather.  We still have loads of snow in the garden and the hills are white over.

I had long sheets of bondaweb painted with acrylics and the paint was starting to flake off everywhere so I had a bonding session with the iron.  Next stage is to make some Towers, but as I want them for the Festival of Quilts I can’t really show them here first.  I will have to show tantalising snippets.

OK, have a good day – I’m off to Newcastle for a haircut and colour and some retail therapy!

Clockwise from top LHS; Alkanet (didn’t work, need to extract with alcohol), Sticklac (lovely pinky purple), Safflower (disappointing), Walnut leaves (lovely green colour but needs a lot of leaves)

Excuse the plastic bags, but here are the results of a weeks worth of dyeing.

What else can you do?

The new bathroom suite money is converted to Bernina’s, horn cabinet (delivery May unfortunately) and various accessories.  The Bernina’s arrived today but I can’t find the enthusiasm to unpack them.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday is my “local” needlework show in Newcastle.  The Textile Forum have a stand and if you make it you’ll see some of my work (if there is space I wasn’t at set up today).  There are also Artgirlz charms, Texere yarn variety packs, Angelina and lots of colours of Sari Yarn. 
All space dependant of course.

Impressions 4012

Impressions 4013

Impressions 3009

And if you are waiting for an update on the studio – well lets just say this;  Don’t ever trust anyone (especially not a man) to read the policy correctly.  Make sure you do it yourself, insist on seeing the paperwork.  I have no idea what comes next.

More snow for us, not too much this time.

I find myself fascinated with the mark making of animal tracks.  I must transfer these to my art somehow.

We had a bit of an adventure today.  Not a welcomed one.  On a Sunday we take DS to an art class with a friend of mine – in Rothbury, which is not too far away, but up a steep road and over the moors for a short distance.  We went to collect DS and the road was clear and then 10 minutes later on the way back the road was covered and slippery as hell.

We were following a 4X4 going up the hill, over the top and then down and going really slowly and lots of distance between us – then coming down the hill there was a car in the ditch and the 4X4 stopped to look!!!!!  (no need there was already another car helping).  We couldn’t stop.

Luckily nothing coming up the hill so Ian swerved around, missed the 4X4 by inches and managed to straighten up (I thought we were going into the ditch too).  There was another car coming up and I was frantically flashing the lights to get him to slow down (he did thank goodness, but he did look a bit worried!)  Then another car in a ditch on the left just before the main road junction  – and then on the main road another car well and truly in the ditch at a right angle to the road.  It was totally mad and utter chaos.  I phoned my friend who runs the art classes and told her to get the kids out and get home asap!

I do hope the police got there quickly because there were going to be more accidents as the road was just a skating rink and with the sharp gradients it was just impossible to control the cars….. I took these a few miles down the road when it was safer.

Back here at home (about 7 miles) there was no snow on the road at all.

I’ve said it before – roll on Spring please.

How perfect is this?

From the Liberty blog

A fitting tribute, looks as if the Union Jack is crying.