2014 Here I come!!!

Time rolls on and here we are start of a New Year, time to think of hopes and dreams which may become a reality.  A reflection on previous year, thoughts of what to do better, explore further, yes even abandon or adjust, personally and art wise.
But I try to keep this for my textile life, so...

2013 saw a new development for me... a set of work, and not one but three, poss four, depends how you define a body of work!!
I always see my pieces as inter connected, but have never tried to make a cohesive group, so closely similar, before, nor to set out with the intent of X number in the set before a needle has been threaded.  And yes I did struggle with the spirit to keep going.  This is mainly because after making one, the itch is scratched.  One of these sets is 99% hand stitch, which will make some of my friends faint... they think I only use the sewing machine, whilst I think I use anything and everything I like!  Perceptions? Oh to see ourselves as others see us... scary.

To 2014 - and my arty plans

~ Exhibition for ERTF opening Feb - items already made, tick.
~ Exhibition at Textiles in Focus, Feb with The Material Girls - items 90% made, little tick!
~ Potential Art Trail submission, yes also Feb deadline, sigh.  Ideas, and possible items, not enough for even a tiny tick yet...
~ Further Art Trail submission, usually around May, ideas only.
~ Next topic for The Material Girls - in early research.
~ Me inflicted on my EG Branch - I've made lists!!!
(Look on the listing on the right of this blog for quick references)

If submissions accepted that will mean displaying work in June and Sept and any other adds ons as part of process.
There are other possibles... but at the moment I'm coming down on the No side.  I know I would like the project, can do the project, but think I need NOT to do the project!  Its not the doing of, or discipline needed, I'm finding hard, but the switching of my head from one thing to another, thought wise. I think I need to allocate time out and recharge a bit. Instead I need some fun input, things which really don't matter and provide joy in the moment.
After writing this in draft, twice in one day I came across similar ideas. One person said their New Year Resolution was

"Do Less - but Do It Better" 

Then there was the magazine article, taking the ideas from the 5:2 diet and applying to other areas of your life, restriction/cutting down on something for two days, be that internet use or watching tv.  Personally I can easily manage 5 days of cutting down on hoovering!  I go with the theory that if you squint you can't see the dust!  Heck just take your glasses off....
So to bring some fun, I made myself a Holiday project... and here it is.

A Boast of Bunting!

I hope you will keep me company, here or on my Facebook page, for another year of mixed media textile adventure.

Wishing You A Very Successful Happy Arty 2014
 





Tis the season...

for lost parcels - fah la la la lah, la lah la lah.
(In a time far far away I used to sing in front of people, now its a sound cross between crunching gravel and murdering cats)
The great parcel fiasco... well several actually.  A couple of small letter packets were delivered to the wrong house, not only that, the wrong street.  Then Monday, expecting 2 parcels, delivered 2 parcels, signed for 2 parcels.  Opened 2 parcels, 1 is not mine!  Very nice courier came back at 7.40pm to exchange for the right one!

One of my parcels was a light.... remember the saga of attempting to use the sewing machine at this time of year.  See this previous post.
Well I've strapped various lights to my machine, hung them round my neck, twisted angled, poised, and that's just me!
Now I have a new toy, expensive, but let's see if this is the answer.

Its an Ottlight (already own one which I have as a bedside light) The beauty of this is that its both electric and rechargeable battery.  This means I can put it wherever I want it, yeah!   No sockets where I sit in the lounge, which is partly why I never work downstairs.  It means I can easily move it from sewing machine to this table.  Next, needs testing, oh that means actually doing some work then?  Let's hope this is the answer, as seem to be gathering quite a collection of torches and lights etc.
This is why I need extra lights.... yesterday morning really thick fog here, this is the sun just trying to peep through at about 8.15 am.

See the house behing the telegraph pole?  Yesterday fogged rolled in and I couldn't see the house, not even an outline.  Another foggy day today, not so bad, but no hint of decent light yet, more hanging out of windows to take photos though....
Oh talking of windows, ha, via my personal Facebook page I'm adding a daily pic of  doors and windows for Advent, as I do seem to 'acquire' them - sky pics could last the whole year...... have just one or two, cough