Pretty Patches Etsy Treasury

Here is my latest Etsy Treasury of items with a patchwork and quilting theme:-

'Pretty Patches' by FireHorseTextiles

Patchwork and quilting inspired gift guide

Plush Cat Recycled Fabric Do... KatkalandCreat... $48.00	recycled kantha patchwork ma... fairlyworn $20.00	Womens Tailored Fitted Patch... JUZOdesign $400.00
Japanese Vintage Kimono 2 Wa... kazuewest $98.00	Quilted Heart Potpourri Pill... PippaPatchwork $12.00	MAKE OFFER Vintage Handma... ATELIERVINTAGE... $75.00
Patchwork Throw Pillow Cover... CreationsOfSty... $35.00	Thank you card - Patchwork m... DarkroomandDea... $4.00	Patchwork Post Earrings, Pol... sleeplessinpa $6.00
A4 Art Print - Patchwork TreehugPapercr... $20.00	Abstract Metal Tin - Upcycle... CanOrCanNot $15.00	Patchwork Square Silver Earr... MoonYoung $41.00
2 x patchwork armchairs namedesignstud... $2990.00	Vintage Patchwork Quilt TheStrokeofTwe... $60.00	Wool Felt Coin Purse // Patc... LoftFullOfGood... $20.00
Scandinavian Patchwork Cushi... madebylisajane $26.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Brock at Samye Ling in The Snow

Rob, Brock and I went to Samye Ling today. The snow was a bit deeper here than at home. Brock enjoyed a romp around in the snow, and ate it like a giant snow cone. We had a walk round the site before enjoying some hot lentil soup and toast, followed by cake and coffee in the cafe. The shop was also open and we bought some soaps and book about Holy Isle, an island near Arran that is being turned into a new Buddist retreat.

Denim Blues Folksy Front Page

Yay! My 'Denim Blues' pinterest board made it to the front page of Folksy.com today...

Click here to see the original board, and from there you can click through to the original listings.

Denim Blues

Denim is such a hard wearing and versatile fabric that it can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a small selection from Folksy.com, that are either made from denim, or are denim blue, in colour:-

Hand Printed Craft Apron, £27.50 from The Folksy Collection.

 One of a kind Rag Rug Denim Cushion from (me!) Fire Horse Textiles, priced at £50.

Purse With Abstract Flowers, priced at £4.95 from 'Hand crafted loveliness by Malaikahummingbird'.

Blue Gemstone Necklace, priced at £19 from Phoebe Dreams.

Alice Handmade Crochet Skinny Scarf in Denim Blue, priced at £15 from Blueberry Barn.

Making a Textile Caricature

I thought I would have a go at making a caricature in fabric. I chose comedian Henning Wehn as the subject, because I enjoy his comedy and he has an interesting face.

I found some photos of him on his website and elsewhere on the Internet and amalgamated different aspects into a single drawing, before exaggerating some aspects of his face and body, for example, placing the eyes to the sides of the head, widening the bridge of the nose, shortening the legs etc etc. I redrew this until I was happy with it before translating it into fabric and thread.

The main part is done with free motion embroidery on the sewing machine, starting with the bottom layer and slowly adding more and more to the picture. Finally, the features on the face were hand embroidered and the brown colour on the trainers was added by hand.

The finished caricature was trimmed from its white background before being mounted onto black mount board with small stitches on the front and large ones on the reverse.

This piece is currently for sale in Fire Horse Textiles on Folksy, priced at £40.

Dumfries River Walk and Pictures of Brock

Rob, Brock and I went on a walk next to the River Nith in Dumfries. A similar walk can be found here.

Rob took some photos of the graveyard on this misty day, and of Brock with his rather amazing coat of fur that has appeared since we got him in September. Before that he had seemed to be fairly short haired with bald patches!

New Year's Resolutions

I made up a Pinterest Board representing some of the resolutions I would like to keep this year. They include spending more time walking, reading, being creative, travelling, having fun with friends, family and my dog, Brock; painting, drawing, eating good food etc etc

A selection from the board has been featured on the Folksy.com front page today. Here is a screenshot:-

Click here to see the full selection and from there, click through to go to the original listings. What are your New Year's Resolutions?

Lambley Viaduct Walk, Northumbria

Happy New Year, everyone!

Rob, Brock and I decided to start the new year with a walk at Lambley Viaduct near Alston in Northumbria. The viaduct is over 260m in length. It used to carry the Haltwhistle to Alston railway. The railway opened in 1852 to haul coal from the Alston mines, was closed in 1976.

The walk is part of the South Tyneside Trail. Click on the photos for a larger version!

A view from the path.

Views from the top of the viaduct.

The viaduct and footbridge.

We walked part of the way back next to the river.