New Sheep Brooches and Other News

Been very busy since the Open Studios weekend fulfilling orders and commissions and coming up with some new ideas.

I'm delighted to be able to share this commission piece with my customer's permission.

I was sent photos of this beautiful crofters cottage on North Uist and asked to make a felt picture featuring the cottage, a rainbow disappearing into the sea, some wee sheep and a bit of artistic license with the background and sea.

Struan Cottage

I'm delighted with how it turned out and so is my customer and the recipient.

The cottage has been in my customers family for years and she feels that this piece will become a real family heir loom.

This is one of the photos I worked from. The cottage is available to rent for holidays and I really hope to go their maybe next year. After our visit to Harris last summer, we are really hankering to visit the Uists and to stay somewhere like this would be amazing! Beats a tent any day!

As well as working on commissions I have been rebuilding my stock after a very busy time at Open Studios. The sheep pendants continue to be popular and I have made a few more available in my Etsy Shop. There is a whole section there for Sheep Jewellery.

 

I often get asked if I make the sheep pendants as brooches and I'm pleased to say that now I do! More shapes and sizes coming soon but these are the first designs hot off the work table.

The Orkney fibres in this one above make the landscape look like a wild Scottish mountain covered in heather.

 

Sheep Brooches £15

3.5cm in diameter

 

So as well as new brooches, I have some new card designs in the pipeline and hope to get some framed pieces photographed and listed later today.

 

If you are in the Angus area this weekend, look out for Open Studio signs all over the place as Angus Open Studios runs from today Thursday 24th to Monday 28th May 2012.

We have planned a route and hope to visit some potters, jewellers, textile artists and other designers. Looking forward to visiting this collaboration of three artists who have set up a rather splendid tent in a garden on Dishlandtown Street in Arbroath! Makes me think of a make believe land from a children's story book!

 

 

Makers Market Saturday 9th June

 This is the next event I will be exhibiting at. Hoping to have a few new things ready as well as a selection of Pictures, Cards, Felt and Textile Jewellery and Tweed and Felt Boxes.

Open Studios 2012-A Great Weekend!

Open Studios 2012 was a huge success! We had such a busy weekend and enjoyed every minute of it.

We had over 400 visitors to the studio over the weekend. Thank you to everyone who came along.

Here are a few photos of our studio space for those who were too far away to visit.

Many people ask me why I don't use this as a studio throughout the year and the simple answer is that it just isn't practical. I enjoyworking from my cottage and do a lot of work in the evenings sometimes and with children to look after a nice garden to go out into, I just prefer working from home.

We have access to this space whenever we need it though and although it was a bit of an upheaval moving production from home to here, it was enormously beneficial for an event like this and really nice to be able to display all my work to it's best advantage.

 

As well as the main room with my work space set up and most of my work on display, I used a secondary room as a Seascapes Gallery.

We had the sound of the sea on CD playing in the background and we served tea and coffee in here.

We also left a weekend newspaper for the men folk that weren't that interested in textile art and craft and nick named this room the 'Man Creche'.

It was so busy on Sunday afternoon that it was like a cafe in here with standing room only!

The response to my work was wonderful and it was nice to share some ideas and techniques with other fibre art enthusiasts as well as give demonstrations to other interested visitors.

So now it's back to work replenishing stock and fulfilling orders and commissions.

 

My online shop has reopened today and I will be adding new pieces over the next week or so. A great way to keep up with what's new from me is via facebook so if you are new to my website here and are a facebook user, do come over and say hi!

Also Open Studios North Fife is not finished yet. Many of the studios are open for a second weekend on 12th and 13th May. Look for the little orange 2  on the brochure entries. www.openstudiosfife.co.uk

I won't be open myself but you can check my events listings on the right hand side of the page here to see where I will be exhibiting next.