Serendipity painting, acrylic landscapes and Poldark

I can't be the only, 'woman of a certain age' who's looking forward to Sunday evening with equal measures of anticipation and dread. What am I talking about? Why the return of Poldark to our TV screens of course. Ok, so the new boy is very pretty to look at but will he have the brooding presence of Robin Ellis when he played Ross back in the day? The BBC have been showing old clips from more than 30 years ago and I've been all of a flutter but it's sobering to see him again in a cameo role in the new version as a grizzled and bewigged old man. There are a couple of clips of the new series on the BBC website if you're wondering what all the fuss is about! Just go to the  BBCwebsite and search Poldark in 'entertainment'.

I try to avoid reading fiction these days because I get so totally immersed in the story that I forget about real life. A few weeks ago though I was feeling a bit stressed and in need of relaxation so I decided to re read the Poldark saga novels. What you may not know if you're unfamiliar with the books is that there are 11 of them. I read one after another barely able to put each down before devouring the next! Sunday nights are either going to be all consuming or a big disappointment!

Back in the real world I have finished my latest quilt, 'To the Brim'. I never ever recommend any machine, tool or gadget unless I've put it through its paces and found it works for me but I can't tell you how much I love the Pfaff PowerQuilter! Although I've had the machine for a few months now, this is the biggest quilt that I have made on it so far and it's coped brilliantly! I would have thought twice about tackling such a big piece (180cm square) on a normal domestic machine but the huge table and long machine throat are simply fantastic.

Lots of people stopped and watched when Laura and I demonstrated the PoweQuilter at the NEC last year but the machine was new to us both back then. Now that I have much more experience with it I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Just drop me an email if I can help.

Here's the piece complete and ready to be delivered to Bilston Craft Gallery.

I can't wait to start the next quilt which is destined for Festival of Quilts at the NEC in August but first I have to concentrate on finishing a collaborative installation Laura and I are working on for the same Through Our Hands exhibition at Bilston in a few weeks time. The work is called, 'This Is Everything That We Are' and involves many small talismanic pockets, each displayed with a secret thought held within. The pockets are constructed from paper, fabric and stitch, all very personal materials that we've created or modified in a number of ways. I have read that the magical and protective powers of a talisman are imparted to the object by the maker during the making process. We've used materials that have great personal meaning to us in these pieces and although they may seem insignificant when viewed individually, I hope they'll have great impact when displayed en masse.

This is just a small selection of the pockets so far. We plan to show around a hundred!

Who does that eye belong to - do you recognise yourself?

When we publish a DMTV video each week we never know in advance how it's going to be received. It's always a lovely surprise when viewers send us images of what they have made in response to our workshop demonstrations.

Thank you Anita for sharing your lovely landscape painted with acrylics! Laura loved what you did with her technique for serendipity paintings too - we'll show those next time.

Must stop chatting now and get on with stuff! Thanks for dropping by - Linda x