tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75807848775831043342024-03-13T21:58:46.467+00:00Linda KemshallWelcome to my blog - I hope you'll visit often!Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.comBlogger389125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-38578889489062766572019-03-07T13:05:00.004+00:002020-08-31T17:00:51.044+01:00<h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Where have you been I hear you ask?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I can only apologise for the unforgivable time that I've completely abandoned this blog! I hope no one has been waiting patiently for posts that never came! I've no excuses really other than, like everyone else life gets in the way sometimes and something has to give. I shall aim to do better! Of course, Laura and I have been busy as usual with Designmatters TV - I hope you all know about the regular creative videos on our website? What you may not have heard unless you visited DMTV over recent days is that we have a new recruit. We have finally persuaded my daughter Frances to join the team. She has worked behind the scenes for a while but we really wanted to showcase her making skills. Fran's first video shows step by step how to make a box bag. The image below is a ready made example from her online boutique maxandrosie.co.uk</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1381/2073/products/oriental-motif-box-bag-2_large.jpg?v=1553697686" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1381/2073/products/oriental-motif-box-bag-2_large.jpg?v=1553697686" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I've had one of these bags for a few years now and it's in daily use as my cosmetics bag. Laura uses hers to keep her current, small sewing project handy. The bags are fully lined and really capacious so I hope you might watch the video to make your own.</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">I'll be back soon with news of my latest quilt. I'm really excited to let you see how it's coming along!</span></span></h2><h2><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bye for now - Linda</span></span><br /></h2><div><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><h2><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Such a lot to look forward to!</span></h2>
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<span face=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(61, 133, 198);">I don't want to dwell on 2018, or even the start of 2019 - we're just happy that time is over! Now it's time for Laura and I to look forward to new challenges. We've decided not to take part in a major exhibition until 2020. We may do one or two smaller events but we want to focus all our energies on new work so we can be sure when we are ready to exhibit it will be the best we can offer! </span></span></div>
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<span face=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(61, 133, 198);">With that in mind I’m still making quilts! This one I’m calling ‘Twilight’. It’s about that time of day when the light fails and the creatures of the night come out to play. We often see a barn owl cruising along the field margins and sometimes swooping over the hedge almost touching our heads. But completely silent! I’ve only made a brief start to the quilting - just yesterday in fact. As ever it will be a crucial part of the piece and will provide the ‘bones’ I need for the painting that will follow. I'm intending that the quilting and painting will break through those rigid lines of the sashing and the border. I'll update you with my progress when I make some!</span></span><br />
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<span face="">In between quiltmaking I’ve been working in my sketchbooks as usual - here’s a recent pen and coloured pencil drawing of a woodpecker. I've used a Pitt Artist pen with a very fine nib. Now I need to draw the tree he’s clinging to and I may add a wash of watercolour to give it a bit of substance. I'm keeping a log of the different birds (and moths) we see in our garden - woodpeckers are one of my favourites although I have to say this fellow is lovely but the green variety are the best!</span></div>
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If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I’ve just finished a portrait of a Standard Poodle. My client saw it only this morning and loves it so that’s a big relief - I was quite nervous to show him what I’d done! I've not painted a dog for years but I really enjoyed doing this one. It's worked on a lovely wooden box panel which I primed with white gesso and then used Golden Open Acrylics and their glazing medium.<br />
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Thanks for taking the time to catch up with me here. I hope if you don't already subscribe to our weekly <a href="http://www.designmatterstv.com/" target="_blank">DMTV newsletters</a> you'll do that soon. That's where you'll find the most current info about what we're up to. Just provide your email details at the foot of the DMTV page and the news will arrive in your inbox every week.<br />
Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-27463693625494563892018-04-06T11:20:00.001+01:002018-04-06T11:20:26.837+01:00Tradition v Hi Tech - Embracing the Digital AgeI've been posting images of the latest moth quilts I'm making over on Instagram but there's limited space for much description there so here's a bit more explanation about a couple of them.........<br />
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You may remember this hand stitched hexagon quilt that I've been slowly piecing for some months now! You couldn't get more traditional if you tried and I think it's worth all the many hours it's taking! I love this quilt so much that I wanted to use it creatively towards a new work. I'll be displaying it finished just as it is but there's so much more I can do with it!!<br />
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So I imported the photograph of the hexagons into the Procreate app on my iPad and superimposed one of my moth images over the top. In Procreate you can alter the opacity of an image to allow layers beneath to become visible whilst still keeping something of the detail in the top layer. In this version I duplicated the moth image a number of times, reducing its size and twiddling with the colours too, to add a row of small moths along the bottom of the design. It's a great way to fritter away hours of experimentation because you can save what you like and discard what you don't! I decided having hexagons all over the quilt was too busy, so I erased those in the background, leaving only those that added pattern within the moths.<br />
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But of course I didn't want a blank white background so I photographed a page from a very old book about moths and butterflies and layered that behind the image I'd created. Here you can see the result being printed on a wide format digital printer.<br />
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And here you can see how I've added black borders to frame the image and provide space for some relevant text that I'll be adding next. The fabric has been screwed up in my work bag which explains all the creases - a quick ironing and lots of quilting will put paid to that!<br />
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When you are working digitally it means you can explore other options! I thought it might be a good idea to try a small quilt before launching into the big one. This is a detail of a smaller version of the same design - I'm part way through. This one has text stamped on the border on using copper metallic paint.<br />
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And you can see how I've hand quilted every hexagon with a Madeira Cotona thread and free motion quilted some of the background with Madeira's Aeroquilt. Today I'm hand quilting each letter and when that's done it will be back to the sewing machine with a variegated thread to deal with the rest of the borders.<br />
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I've counted up and discovered I have 5 quilts on the go and not a single one complete so no time to waste - I'm back to my studio as soon as I've brewed a coffee!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-32168250467338120272018-03-29T10:34:00.000+01:002018-03-29T10:34:01.104+01:00This Is Everything We AreI get really irritated when I visit a blog and only find apologies for why there haven't been more posts of late! For that reason we'll gloss over the fact that I haven't been here since January!! I have been posting on our DMTV blog so please check that out if you want to catch up with what we've been busy with recently. I also post on Instagram several times a week if you are missing me!!<br />
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Here's one of the projects that's been keeping me occupied. This is a small version of a much larger quilt already in the pipeline. We're working towards our exhibition at Festival of Quilts this summer and we've called the exhibit, 'This Is Everything We Are'. You can read our artist statement on <a href="http://laurakemshall.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Laura's blog</span></a> if you'd like to know what's inspiring the work we are creating for the show.<br />
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This particular piece is a digital print of a design I created on my iPad. I've superimposed a photograph of a moth over a photograph of a hexagon quilt I'm making and added a layer of descriptive text from an old book behind that. I've added smaller versions of the same image along the bottom of the design and tweaked the colours and transparency to make them more interesting. The three layers have been tidied up so that some areas are erased and then they are merged ready for printing. I'm hand quilting each hexagon with a Madeira 30 cotton thread but plan to machine stitch much of the background. The black border you can see is where I plan to add text.<br />
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Probably in much the same way as you can see here on another of the moth quilts I have in progress. The black border fabric is the same as the black and white fabric you can see in this quilt - it bleaches really well so some of my text might be discharged rather than applied with fabric paint. I have to sample that first to see how it works! There are three of these quilts in various stages of completion and I've posted more images on the <a href="http://www.designmatterstv.com/" target="_blank">DMTV blog</a>.<br />
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I have five quilts on the go at the moment. I don't usually work that way - I'm one of those people who like to finish a piece before I get diverted by something new and more exciting. I am finding though that it's making me more productive - I can have some hand stitching to kill time when I'm out and about and frantic free machine quilting when I'm in the studio and can focus. It doesn't look like progress is being made but all of a sudden several pieces are done - at least that's what I'm hoping! In between all that there's DMTV! If you subscribe to our online TV you'll recognise this chap. What you haven't seen though is his friend.<br />
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Yes he did get finished! I loved having a doable project like these kingfisher portraits and will certainly be making more. There's no shortage of subjects in our garden at the minute. It may still be chilly but the birds have decided it's spring and I can hardly get any hand quilting done as I'm distracted by their antics on the feeders outside my window!<br />
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Thanks for reading today. I'll be back again soon - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-55005657881260916752018-01-12T15:39:00.001+00:002018-01-12T15:39:56.858+00:00Mixed Media Moths<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hadn't planned to start a new mixed media panel this week but while I was tidying stuff away in my studio I unearthed some lovely paper bits and pieces.</div>
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These two sheets of handmade paper were some we had dunked in an indigo vat years ago and promptly forgotten about!<br />
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They'd been stashed away in a crate with some of my painted papers and some coloured photocopies of symbols that I had waxed for a project inspired by all things oriental.<br />
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My old favourites, the hole punches made short work of cutting a few squares in two sizes.<br />
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Then it was time to audition a few waxed paper moths that were also lurking in the bottom of the crate. Should the squares with their button details go in a column on the right or on top of the large waxed rectangle of text on the left??<br />
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On reflection I like them better arranged on the left and a layer of orange fabric brings a flash of colour that helps balance the composition. Just need to attach the moths now and it will be done. Amazing what you can concoct when you only intended to tackle some of the heaps in the studio but I have to confess - I never did manage to make the room tidy!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-65034523921869698112017-12-19T16:33:00.000+00:002017-12-19T16:33:01.062+00:00Landscape painting - moving on slowlyI should start by saying I don't do much landscape painting. I much prefer the solid objects of a still life or the fascinating features of a human face or a bird - subjects you can describe because of their definite shape and form. I think that landscape is much more amorphous and vague and that makes it hard for me to get my teeth into it but sometimes it's good to step outside your comfort zone and try something you don't find easy.<br />
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We've had such glorious sunsets and sunrises this last couple of weeks I really wanted to try and capture the light between the bare trees, especially since we also have a covering of snow which adds to the drama by creating beautiful blue shadows.<br />
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At the moment this looks like nothing on earth but you have to start somewhere! All I'm doing is staining the canvas with dilute washes of acrylic paint. I've used Alizarin, Cerulean, Lemon Yellow and Titanium White with a touch of Mars Black to darken the crimson. My normal painting style is quite tight and controlled but I want this to be more about the atmosphere of early morning in the garden than it is about fiddly detail. I'm using bigger brushes than usual and silly as it sounds, I'm favouring longer brushes so I am farther away from the canvas as I paint!<br />
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Because the bare branches are so fine and delicate without their leaves in December, I'm experimenting with a technique that may or may not work. I've put down large blocks of colour in the areas that are the darkest and when they are completely dry I plan to overpaint with the pale sky colours again. I'm hoping that will mean I can scratch through the pale layer to reveal something of the dark beneath. Fingers crossed it'll be OK!<br />
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It's a leap of faith and if it does work you'll see the results here soon. If it's a tragedy I'll paint over it and you'll never see it again!<br />
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Hope you are making time for yourself to be creative in the run up to Christmas!<br />
Bye for now, Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-62643790298138418332017-12-12T15:59:00.000+00:002017-12-14T10:26:01.953+00:00End in sight?I promised not to post any more wintry pictures on instagram because endless images of snow do pall after a while don't they? Couldn't resist sharing this one with you though....<br />
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That's the roof of my garden studio with some hints that a thaw might be coming!! Trouble is, it dipped to -13C last night so those icicles might hang around a bit longer yet.<br />
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Our country lanes are very icy and snow ploughs don't bother about us but being cooped up does mean I have time to finish some abandoned projects. Remember these blocks from DMTV? I've put them into the simplest arrangement and have decided to add a border, machine quilt it and then finish with a pieced binding. It's only small but with lots of stitch it should look pretty on a bedside table. That big empty space in the centre is just crying our for a lovely bit of quilting!<br />
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You might remember these blocks too. I made them for the DMTV video about establishing and working with a limited colour palette. I'm quite liking how those blue squares pop! I'm fancying to hand quilt this over the holiday. Always like to have something useful to keep me occupied when the only other available distractions involve overdosing on chocolate and trash TV!<br />
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I can hear snow sliding off the roof as I write this - perhaps the end of the siege is in sight! Roll on spring!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-86103038215174986712017-12-03T13:57:00.002+00:002017-12-03T13:57:38.277+00:00Painting glass todayWell, not painting on glass of course - just trying to paint glass in my sketchbook. Yesterday at the market I found this lovely ink bottle.<br />
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I usually look for green glass but this one is more blue than green - just as gorgeous though, especially as it only cost me £1!<br />
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I've got a growing collection of bottles and I rarely spend more than 50p or £1.<br />
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Some are housed in cabinets.<br />
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And I have ten green bottles lined up on a shelf in the loo. Several of these were dug up in our garden - there were no rubbish collections many years ago so refuse was just buried in a hole! Amazingly the bottles were completely intact when we found them and most have local connections that make them more interesting.<br />
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They all make great subjects for a very quick watercolour. No initial pencil sketch with this, just dilute watercolour to draw the basic shapes of the outline and the reflections. As you can see, this is still wet - I'll add a few more washes once it's dry and next time I'll try to make it fit the page!<br />
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Hope you have a Happy Sunday! Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-61282737095300597022017-11-22T10:16:00.003+00:002017-11-22T10:16:43.878+00:00Never too late!They say it helps to keep learning new things as you get older don't they? The concentration required to pick up a new skill stimulates the brain cells and slows down their deterioration.<br />
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With that in mind I've joined a ukulele band! The first session was last week and to be perfectly honest I just mimed most of the time. It was fast and furious and I had no chance at all of keeping up. Luckily, there were about 80 people there playing their hearts out and a raw beginner can get away with murder when the music is so loud! How anyone is expected to read words off the song sheet, look at the chord diagrams, find the right strings and strum and sing at the same time is beyond me at this point.<br />
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Since the first session I've been making time to practice a few chords. I would have thought my hands were quite flexible because of all the things I do with them - sadly it turns out that's not the case. That's F above - quite a stretch for me.<br />
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But G is much worse - I feel like a finger contortionist! 'He Who Gardens' has been playing guitar since he was 11 years old and is being encouraging. Apparently all I have to do is practice. I have already made quite a sacrifice - I had to chop off my too long fingernails so I could even reach the strings. Oh the things we have to do for our art!!<br />
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I'll let you know how the second session goes. Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-769219594493701462017-10-31T10:14:00.001+00:002017-10-31T10:15:34.748+00:00Are you shopping for Christmas yet?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I don't suppose it's escaped anyone's notice that it's November this week - time to start scouting around for special gifts for special people!</div>
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I realise this sounds like blatant promotion (and we normally avoid advertising in any form!!) but I wanted to let you know my talented daughter Frances has added a range of beautiful clutch purses to her online shop at <a href="http://www.maxandrosie.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Max&Rosie</span></a>.<br />
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<a href="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1381/2073/products/denim-bow-clutch-3_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1509026003" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="480" src="https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1381/2073/products/denim-bow-clutch-3_1_1024x1024.jpg?v=1509026003" width="640" /></a>She has lots of gorgeous cosmetic bags, scarves and brush rolls, as well as cases for eyeglasses, all in amazing, contemporary fabrics. Please take a look on the run up to Christmas. Frances only makes limited numbers of each design and when they're gone they're gone! Everything is individually made, with great care, here in England and she's happy to ship worldwide.</div>
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Frances tells me there is even more Christmas loveliness coming to her website soon although I expect these will be snapped up in the wink of an eye!</div>
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I hope a visit to <a href="http://www.maxandrosie.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Max&Rosie</span></a> might solve some of your shopping dilemmas and if a proud mom can't recommend her daughter who can?</div>
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Bye for now - Linda x</div>
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-52246059266257695932017-10-28T17:42:00.000+01:002017-10-28T17:42:08.756+01:00Back to the sketchbookI was catching up with last Sunday's newspapers this afternoon (OK, it's Saturday and there'll be another pile to start wading through tomorrow!). In the Sunday Times I read a really interesting article by Andrew Marr. He says he's always astonished when people say to him that painting must be so relaxing. He finds it glorious, exciting and infuriating - but never relaxing! I have to agree but what it is, is absorbing. I can lose hours of my day when I'm busy with my paper and paints!<br />
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During yesterday's stroll round the garden I took a photo of some white Cosmos, still in full bloom despite the lateness of the season. Last night, in front of the TV, I had a go at making a sketch from the photograph. It's difficult to capture the delicacy of the petals using a fine liner pen but it was all I could use balancing sketchbook and iPad on my lap!<br />
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Today, out in my workroom, I added a few shadows on the petals and a wash of watercolour around the flowers to emphasise their paleness relative to the background. As you can see, I was too impatient for the paint to dry before I photographed the page!<br />
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On the following page I took a rubbing from a very old, cardboard quilting template I had made many years ago. The rubbing was made with a solid graphite stick and I painted a deep indigo and olive watercolour wash around it.<br />
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I introduced a little interest in the wash by flicking water and rubbing alcohol onto the paint while it was still damp. Finally, I cropped the edge of the Cosmos page following the diagonal curvy line of the stems and I'm pleased with how the second page is partially revealed.<br />
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It may not be great art but it is absorbing. I recommend it as just the thing to take your mind off any worries you might have! Who needs therapy?<br />
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Bye for now - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-65693043628562097282017-10-27T16:15:00.001+01:002017-10-27T16:15:56.554+01:00Nothing goes to wasteJust because I haven't mentioned it for a while doesn't mean it's gathering dust up a corner!<br />
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I do pick up my paper piecing whenever I have a few free minutes and it's growing although only slowly, slowly, slowly. Good job it's not a race! What's interesting is how some new little patches are finding their way into the plot.<br />
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Do you see those checkerboards and the overprinted black, discharged fabrics at the top there?<br />
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They've come about because I've been joining scraps of fabric to make pages big enough for my fabric art diary and I can't bring myself to throw even fiddly leftover bits of lovely fabric printing away - if I can get a 3/4inch hexagon from it it's going in. So much for my carefully laid plans!<br />
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I even managed a bit of piecing in the garden this afternoon. It's been a glorious day today even if everything is looking forlorn and neglected. I made the most of the warmth by sitting on that bench beneath the huge beech trees for a while. It's good to make quiet time for thinking.<br />
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A walk around the garden in the autumn sunshine led me to these poppies - has nobody told them it's nearly the end of October? And look closely - there are more buds to come. Such resilience may have to find a place in my art diary!<br />
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Talk to you again soon - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-77785291064559943232017-10-19T11:16:00.000+01:002017-10-19T11:16:19.610+01:00Seeing spots before my eyesWe enjoyed Apple Day at the National Trust property, Dudmaston Hall, again last weekend.<br />
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This is the third year we've taken our own apples to be crushed and pressed to make juice.<br />
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And of course it's essential to do a little quality control!<br />
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The autumn colours at Dudmaston were as spectacular as ever and I'm sure these vines will be making an appearance in my new DMTV project - an autumn inspired fabric journal where I'll be recording events and things I see over the next few weeks. It'll be my new art diary using lots of techniques with fabric and stitch rather than in sketchbook form.<br />
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I didn't have to look far for journal inspiration as we had the weirdest phenomenon this week. Sadly my phone couldn't capture it at all but believe me, the sun turned the deepest red and the sky was a sulphurous golden colour. Apparently Storm Ophelia's winds carried particles from forest fires that were raging in Spain and Portugal all the way to England. The BBC said there might be some Saharan sand in there too.<br />
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I was in the middle of a printing session in my studio at the time so it seemed apt to record what was happening outside the window - these two bits will become journal pages once they have all their stitching.</div>
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And the next day I got really carried away printing more red suns for a DMTV video!</div>
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If it ever happens again I'll have the perfect dress for the occasion. I made this yesterday using a lovely jersey fabric I bought at Festival of Quilts back in August.<br />
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When I bought it I didn't have a pattern in mind and I found I didn't have quite enough fabric for the Ottobre dress so I've added a striped fabric for the lower sleeves and the neck band.<br />
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Just have to finish the hem and it'll be done!<br />
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Thanks for reading today - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-30341624820810925572017-10-12T13:21:00.000+01:002017-10-12T13:21:40.890+01:00Oh no - not again!Laura won't thank me for showing you this photo......as you can see she wanted to remain incognito!<br />
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After thinking she was on the road to recovery we had another alarming trip in an ambulance this week. The third 999 call in as many weeks. I have to tell you that seven hours in the middle of the night in A&E is no way to spend a big chunk of the weekend! Although we still don't have a diagnosis of the root cause of her illness we have discovered that Laura can't tolerate huge doses of iron. Luckily, intravenous fluids and anti nausea medication had her back on her feet and on her way home in a short space of time. There are more hospital procedures to come but in the meanwhile stopping the iron tablets has had a miraculous effect! Laura has to take things a bit easier in future and so don't be surprised if you see her sister's name appearing more regularly in all things relating to DMTV and Fingerprint. We're really lucky to have Frances to call on and share the load when we need extra help, especially with the website and social media - she's a real whizz at all that stuff and let's face it, I'm hopeless in that department!<br />
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In the midst of the drama, work continues on renovations to Laura and Jamie's house. Ideally the arrival of the workmen would have been postponed till she was better but when you wait so long for anything to get done it was decided to let them go ahead as planned. The next stage of work involves moving all the shop stock to another part of the building. On starting that yesterday we unearthed these two cushions that I made quite some time ago for a video we called something like, 'Button It' or 'Button Up', I can't remember exactly which. We make loads of stuff like this and it usually gets lost in the depths of the studio never to be seen again! We've added them both to the DMTV shop where you'll find lots of detail images listed under 'Linda's Work'.<br />
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We have a LOT of pieces that really need to find new homes and so we'll be adding them to the shop over the next few weeks. Let's call it a spring clean come early! OK, very early!<br />
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Thanks for reading today - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-15379860396175882002017-10-08T13:05:00.000+01:002017-10-08T13:07:25.933+01:00Start 'em youngAmelie thinks hand sewing is tricky - the dratted thread will keep coming out of the needle! She see's us whizzing away on a sewing machine and obviously believes that's the answer.<br />
She's been pleading with us to let her have a go for ages but at just 5 I think it's a bit early for that.<br />
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An embellisher however, well that's a whole different thing. Look at that level of concentration!<br />
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No thread to snarl up and a safety guard to protect little fingers! She had to stand to operate the foot pedal because she's not tall enough to reach from a chair. I may have to rig something up to make life easier next time.<br />
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Look what I've made.<br />
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And by the time we go back into the kitchen the cakes have cooled down enough for a little embellishment of their own! Not sure we needed quite so many sprinkles but who am I to say?<br />
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Hope you enjoyed your weekend too.<br />
Bye for now - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-58737323092901359362017-10-05T09:10:00.000+01:002017-10-05T09:10:28.525+01:00Did you know DMTV has a shop?We don't make a big deal about selling actual items. Other than buying subscriptions and archives you might not even know we have an online shop! It's really only a very small part of what we offer but we've decided to change that over the next few months. Yesterday we added a couple of my small works to the DMTV shop.<br />
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This one is an acrylic painting on a stretched box canvas. Rooks are very characterful and one of my favourite creatures to paint.<br />
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Laura thinks he has a mournful expression but I think he looks quite amiable.<br />
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The detail shows how textural the paint surface is - my way of suggesting the wing feathers.<br />
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And the nature of the cornfield he's standing in.<br />
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The second piece is a quilted and painted panel featuring purple poppies and seedheads.<br />
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You may remember me making this for a DMTV video. During the making of a video we usually have to show step by step examples of the thing we're demonstrating and there's a limit to how many of these different versions we can display at home or give as presents to family and friends. The first of my purple poppies now lives in The Netherlands - I wonder where this one will end up?<br />
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If you like the look of either of these pieces you can find details over in <a href="https://www.designmatterstv.com/shop/" target="_blank">the shop</a>. Just scroll down through the images until you spot one called 'Linda's Work'.<br />
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Bye for now,<br />
Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-57401112295648828452017-10-02T11:51:00.000+01:002017-10-02T11:51:41.521+01:00I'm back!For reasons you already know about we've been neglecting all but the essentials over the last few weeks. The garden has certainly suffered but stuff continues to grow regardless. After spending most of my time at Laura's house while she recuperates I've come home to what looks like a different season. I always say I find autumn a melancholy time but despite that I do love the colours.<br />
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I promise these haven't been enhanced with photo trickery! They really are luminous and it's not only the plants that seem to glow at this time of year.<br />
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I can just about keep up with the tomato harvest......... this is a small selection of what I was presented with this morning!<br />
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What we can't eat raw I roast and pass through a sieve to make a lovely sauce that freezes well and keeps us going all through the winter. The oven will be on the go all day today!<br />
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But when I asked 'he who gardens' for a few chillies I didn't really expect this enormous offering. We may have to force a selection onto any and every unsuspecting visitor! Little does he know but I'm even keeping an eye open for the postman!<br />
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I have managed to escape the heat of the kitchen long enough to work into a new sketchbook. DMTV viewers will soon see more of these pages where I've used rubbing techniques to frame my favourite little birds.<br />
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And now that Strictly Come Dancing is back on our screens every weekend we can't ignore the fact that the countdown has begun and Christmas must be just around the corner! I'm working on our DMTV Christmas card - never painted a robin before but I'm enjoying it. The panel needs another coat of gold paint and he needs a few more details and he'll be finished and ready to print.<br />
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Thanks for dropping by today - I promise it won't be so long before I write again!<br />
Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-9801049262749749252017-08-25T17:39:00.001+01:002017-08-25T17:39:10.061+01:00The Tile Museum at IronbridgeWe had a day out at Ironbridge this week. It's a World Heritage Site with ten varied attractions. We have annual 'passports' that allow us to go as often as we like - on this occasion we chose to visit the Tile Museum.<br />
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I loved this display cabinet in the old trade showroom.<br />
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And the stores of tile molds were fascinating - every one numbered on its side to identify the design.<br />
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There are hundreds of examples of tiles displayed in cabinets as well as on the walls and floors of the buildings themselves. The floral designs were beautifully observed from nature.<br />
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And I particularly liked this nasturtium panel, one of about a dozen different plant designs on a Victorian washstand. Who knew what meaning it might convey?<br />
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I shall have to avoid scarlet geraniums now I know what they signify.<br />
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Back home, when I looked at my photographs I was inspired to draw a few flowers just for fun. I've got another of those little concertina sketchbooks just waiting to be used and the garden is full of nasturtiums!<br />
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They are at their peak and running riot at the moment so I could pluck a few without compunction! It's such a treat to sit in the garden and draw whilst enjoying the late summer sun.<br />
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It was very satisfying to have the real flowers to study but, referring back to the museum image I realised that why the tile design had been so compelling was the way it combined such a realistic depiction of the plant in combination with a highly stylised geometric pattern as a border. I loved the way the flower broke free of the frame too so I started to add a similar pattern to my pages. I may tone the border down with a wash of watercolour at some point.<br />
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Of course the tile had a dramatic black background too - I'm not sure if I'm going to give my drawing the same treatment yet. I might leave it for a day or two and then make a decision! Whatever I decide, it'll be another excuse to get out in the garden and enjoy the summer while it lasts. Small pleasures but none the worse for that!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-74834003797959398222017-08-15T11:13:00.005+01:002017-08-15T11:13:54.289+01:00Even more from Festival of Quilts 2017I couldn't possibly share all the photos I took at Festival this year - here are just a few more of my favourites.<br />
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Our friends on the Husqvarna stand getting ready for the show to open on Day 1.<br />
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Annabel Rainbow was in the Through Our Hands Gallery painting to transform this vintage quilt each day. I photographed work in progress on Day 3.........<br />
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when Annabel was eliminating some background colour and adding realistic eyes to the mask-like faces with acrylic paint. Generous onlookers who enjoyed watching the process showed their appreciation by contributing to the Save The Children collection bucket. The daily contributions added to the funds raised from the Portrait Shuffle helped realise over £2,300 for the charity!<br />
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I don't have space to include all 22 of the artists featured in the TOH gallery but this detail of a stunning piece by Genevieve Attinger attracted much well deserved attention from the visitors.<br />
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The EQA - Diversity in Europe exhibit featured a quilt from each country. 'Popular Traditions' by Maria Antonia Narro was the Spanish contribution.<br />
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And 'Les Cocottes' by Nicole Dibusi was the French exhibit.<br />
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Cherilyn Martin exhibited several of her Memory Cloth pieces. This detail of 'Paradekissen' involved rusting, screen printing and machine stitching on an antique, German pillow case.</div>
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This lady in the Tongan Tapa Cloth - Bloodlines Gallery was happy to explain how Tapa cloth was made from the bark of a tree.<br />
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'Falevai Pigs' by Sulieti Fiume'a Burrows and Tui Emma Gillies.<br />
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The best thing about Festival of Quilts is the breadth of textile work that is presented, both in the open competition categories and in the invitational exhibition galleries. I hope my photographs have given just a small taste of that.<br />
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Roll on FOQ 2018!!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-45510733132742089022017-08-13T12:35:00.000+01:002017-08-13T12:36:58.196+01:00More from Festival of Quilts 2017 I thought you'd like to see a few of my favourite moments from this year's show at the NEC.<br />
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Laura's quilt, 'Falling in and Out of Love' looked very dramatic in the Fine Art Quilt Masters Gallery. We think she is the only person in the world to be using this technique. I know I'm her mother and obviously biased but she's always one to take risks and break new ground with her work!<br />
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The judging panel choose this quilt ' Birchington Breakwaters', by Margaret Ramsey as the winner of Fine Art Quilt Masters. Many congratulations to her!<br />
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What I love about the show is the diversity of quilts on show. There really is something for everyone to admire. The Quilters' Guild of Great Britain stand included this beautiful antique coverlet from their collection. As I've recently been happily piecing little diamonds in silk it really appealed to me! Funny to see that the maker didn't place the tumbling blocks consistently - gives a lively sense of movement across the quilt though doesn't it?<br />
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It's always good to know something of the history behind these precious survivors too.<br />
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At the opposite end of the spectrum I found this contemporary quilt by Constanze Botel very amusing. Constanze has called it, 'Thank You To All Quilt Angels' and yes, that smiling figure is actually part of the quilt and physically holding the corner back (with white gloves of course) so viewers can see the quilting on the reverse! Great to see quilts with a sense of humour!<br />
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The SAQA exhibit is always stimulating - I was particularly drawn to this piece, 'Pallbearer' by Margaret Abramshe.<br />
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And I loved 'Morning Mist' by Linda Anderson too.<br />
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Back in the Through Our Hands gallery Laura made a start on her double portrait on the first day and despite spending lots of time chatting with onlookers.........<br />
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was managing to make good progress by the second day.<br />
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Here's a detail of Amelie's portrait at the end of Day 3.<br />
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We'll have to wait and see how the finished painting looks by Day 4. That's this afternoon so there's still time to go and see everything for yourself if you're quick!<br />
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Thanks for dropping by today. I have lots more photos and will post again soon.<br />
Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-52752686042848307412017-08-10T18:49:00.000+01:002017-08-10T18:49:23.951+01:00Festival of Quilts 2017I'm just home, weary but happy after a day at the National Exhibition Centre where the Through Our Hands exhibit is looking fantastic.<br />
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The show takes over three large halls at the NEC and you really need more than one day to see everything. Luckily I'll be there again tomorrow so I'll take more photos to share then.<br />
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Here's Annabel Rainbow in full flood chatting with visitors to the TOH exhibit. You can just see her beyond those incredibly delicate pieces by Eszter Bornemisza.<br />
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And here's Laura painting a double portrait of her and Amelie 'live' on the stand. That takes some doing when you have an audience - I don't think I envy her although I was tempted to pick up the paintbrush and have a little go myself when no one was looking!<br />
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The 'Dementia Darnings' by Jenni Dutton are stunning and drew the crowds all day.<br />
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And I was happy to see my quilt 'Every Thought a Question' finally finished and hanging in the space.<br />
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If you're visiting tomorrow come and say hello but if you can't get there I promise to post more images very soon!<br />
Bye for now - Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-87881482792471803462017-07-29T17:45:00.000+01:002017-07-29T17:45:40.315+01:00Portrait PaintingIt's the school holidays and that means we get to spend a bit more time with our granddaughter.<br />
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Today's activity involved lying on a large sheet of cardboard while I drew around her with a black marker pen. Then the good bit - lots of paint!<br />
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The finished portrait is standing in a corner of my office until Amelie visits again to paint the back. It's very startling when you walk into the room having forgotten it's there!</div>
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The face isn't very angelic is it? Looks to me rather like Dennis the Menace!<br />
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Out in the garden these monsters are ripening nicely.<br />
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They'll never win a beauty contest but I bet they'll taste great. We're having the first one tonight with a nice mustard dressing and lots of torn basil. Yum!<br />
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I've got one blank page left in my concertina sketchbook, I might make a drawing of it before I slice it up!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-18726936671812908402017-07-27T13:09:00.001+01:002017-07-27T13:09:14.077+01:00A reminder about Max & Rosie in CheltenhamJust thought I'd remind anyone near to Cheltenham this weekend that my daughter Frances is having a stall at the <a href="http://www.thesuffolks.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Suffolks Sunday Market</span></a>, on Suffolk Parade in the lovely town of Cheltenham. Frances and her partner Matt will be there with her beautiful hand made wares between 11am and 4 pm on Sunday - please go and tell her I said to say hello. Of course it would also be wonderful if you bought something!!<br />
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If you can't get to Cheltenham on Sunday you can always visit <a href="http://www.maxandrosie.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Frances' website</span> </a>to buy her gorgeous accessories online. Frances uses original, digital prints produced by my other daughter Laura, in the Fingerprint studio she runs with her partner Jamie. As you can see it's a great family collaboration! I'm really lucky to have two such talented girls!<br />
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Here at home I've been working on our Summer Stitch-Along book wrap. You can find all the latest details in the 'News' section at <a href="http://www.designmatterstv.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">DMTV</span></a>. We'll be posting this week's instalment later today. (That's Thursday 27th July). I hope you're enjoying working along with us and will post photos of your book wraps in the gallery once you're done! Mine is going to transform an old photograph album and I'm liking how it's coming along even before I do any stitching.<br />
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I've also set myself something of a challenge with my latest project. These tiny hexagons do take time to put together but I love the results I'm getting - despite all the raw edges I think even the back of the work is lovely! DMTV members saw how the colour palette was selected last week and very soon I'll reveal how the quilt is coming along. I was thinking this would be a small throw for the back of a sofa but I'm enjoying the piecing so much it's given me some very much more ambitious ideas - we'll have to wait and see how those pan out!<br />
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Thanks for reading today. I hope whatever creative thing you're doing it's giving you satisfaction and pleasure.<br />
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Love Linda xLinda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-51070165531053576812017-07-13T10:54:00.000+01:002017-07-13T10:54:59.770+01:00Another Year Older........I had another birthday this week and celebrated it just how I like to, with family and friends and lots of good food. The champagne went down quite well too. You certainly need some kind of anaesthetic when you reach 66!<br />
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Although I always say please don't make a fuss, of course they do. And I'm so fortunate that they know exactly what I'll love.<br />
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How about this wonderful antique evening bag my mother found for me? My daughter Frances has her beady eyes on it so I'll have to make sure I get to use it at least once before she sneaks it away. With its gorgeous purple velvet lining it's just her style! By the way, Frances will be having a stall at the Suffolks Sunday Market in Cheltenham on July 30th. She'll have a selection of her gorgeous hand made <a href="http://www.maxandrosie.co.uk/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">items for sale</span></a> and if you are in the area between 11am and 4pm I know she'd love to see you!<br />
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After the fun of the party we're back at work. This little garden posy is providing lots of inspiration for our latest project - are you joining in? Make sure to read the <a href="http://www.designmatterstv.com/the-blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">newsletter</span></a> or click on the image in the sidebar of my blog to find out more about our <span style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://www.designmatterstv.com/summer-stitch-along/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Summer Stitch Along</span></a></span><br />
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Don't forget to let us see your work in the gallery - we love to see what you create!<br />
Talk to you soon - Linda x<br />
<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-52896683530941230122017-07-12T10:54:00.001+01:002017-07-12T10:54:31.227+01:00What the hard work is about.......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summertime is when a walk up the garden path reveals the reason why 'He Who Gardens' perseveres every year against unpredictable weather, marauding rabbits, squirrels and pesky pigeons! </div>
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We're spoilt for choice when it comes to dinner time. Will we have courgettes, broad beans or French beans tonight? Maybe all three and a salad with fresh chilli, wild rocket, mint and coriander for good measure!<br />
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No question about pudding - with all those raspberries and gooseberries today it has to be a crumble made using both and served with custard of course. Another reason why I'll never be thin!<br />
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With dinner taken care of I can return my thoughts to things creative. On one of our regular visits to my mom recently I photographed the lovely hexagon quilt she made for her guest bedroom. It was finished a couple of years ago and was no mean feat for someone who's now 89. It was English paper pieced using 1 inch hexagons.<br />
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I thought it looked so beautiful I couldn't resist starting a new quilt of my own. DMTV viewers will be able to see how that's going next week. I'm using a very different colour palette and the set of the hexagons won't be traditional like mom's lovely rosettes in a diamond arrangement. I'll explain all the inspiration that has influenced my choices in the video meanwhile I need to get back to tacking all those bits of fabric to the papers!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7580784877583104334.post-25945587853128848652017-06-29T10:34:00.001+01:002017-06-29T11:51:16.278+01:00Sewing for me and for DMTVWho could resist a few hours out in the workroom when, even on a dull day, it looks so appealing?<br />
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I know how lucky I am to have a little sanctuary out on the garden where I can forget the woes of the outside world. Some days I have to be prised out!<br />
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If you peep inside you can see I've been dressmaking today. I don't have any fabric shops nearby so I had a bit of a spend online at Minerva Crafts last week.<br />
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This is their very dark navy and white jacquard jersey. It only takes 1.5 metres to make yet another version of the relaxed dress from last autumn's Ottobre magazine.<br />
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The stripes are actually rows of knitted diamonds. I know I'll wear this a lot - all it needs to finish it is the for the hems to be turned. My daughter Frances says I should find a different pattern because this one is so well used it's beginning to look as though Laura and I wear a uniform. I might have to agree because I've made eight dresses between the two of us so far!<br />
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In life there must be balance so dragging myself away from my overlocker I've started a project which will be entirely hand sewn. You may wonder what Modigliani, Hans Memling and hexagons have in common. DMTV viewers will find out very shortly.<br />
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In the meantime I'm loving having some therapeutic hand stitching to keep me contented!<br />
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Bye for now - Linda x<br />
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<br />Linda Kemshallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05575184486327210185noreply@blogger.com3