Go to Margate, to Entangled at the Turner Contemporary ...

... go as soon as you can, its the most wonderful exhibition of threads and making by an inspiring group of women from all around the world.

Here's a small taste of what's on display ...

from the studio of Marion Baruch

delicate work by Chrisiane Lohr

Work by Tatiana Trouve

The bonus is that the Gallery's cafe has great food (I recommend the vegetarian hash) and Margate has an buildings that more than hint at an interesting past, including The Royal Sea Bathing Hospital and of course, Dreamland. 

Here's the link to the Gallery so you can find directions and opening times https://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/entangled-threads-making.  Go soon, entangled really is a fantastic display of what can be made with threads and associated materials.   

While you're there do stop to look at the steps down to the beach and this amazing door which is in the wall at the back of the nearby car park. I think I may have found a stitching project!!!

Cornwall & London: poetry, art and lines

Catching up at home again after a week in St Ives writing poetry,  enjoying the beach and finding lines everywhere.

yes, Doris was forecast and passed by on her way up country 

some of Hepworth's inspirational lines 

sent out to write about what we found, and now have poems called Lines I and II in draft!  

I'll post more on the poetry retreat later this week ... I've been in London today at a wonderful exhibition of art by my brother-in-law, Andy Thornley. Its on for one more day and well worth a visit. Here are the details ... 

I ended my day at Tate Modern, and captured a few more lines!

Sometime soon something in my line photo collection will link with the fabric and thread and stitch ideas and become, well, I'm not sure what yet.  Maybe the place to stitch one of the Lines poems.

Another Wall Wears a Quilt

At last, the quilt made with fabric bought in New York in December 2014 has made it way to the finishing line ... a journey of two years, so about average!


The last stitch in the hanging sleeve for this quilt was made with good timing: no need to tuck it all into the suitcase coming with me back to UK today. There's enough in there already including, of course, the tea bag work in progress.

Just love the paper that emerges when these are emptied. 

This quilt is a first for me in terms of main and border design and quilting.  But I'm not fond of large projects and can't wait to work small and slow in a sketchbook on my next Inspiration to Stitch day tomorrow.   More on this later.

Long time no blog

but I'm here today with a few pics of a great week of birding in the Highlands of Scotland and Orkney, and some poetry inspired by a very lovely group of people and some even lovelier birds, flowers and geography.

Navigating in Bird

What's that? Where? Over there

attracts a withering look from our guide

and a plea to make use of the clock.

Midday is ahead, add distance, a height

and then when you spot a small dot

on a pine in Tomvaich or Brodgar,

wonder if that's an eider on the water,

when the Skua moves as your bins focus in

or a Puffin breaks the boil of summer sea

you call two o'clock, low, fifty, flying right,

four o'clock, five o'clock, going and gone o'clock.

On Orkney

Leaving the shore at Yesnaby

we cross the peat soft meadow

to look for Primula Scotica.

Under our feet, stars of spring squill,

ruby thyme, golden vetch

hug the ground, and our quest

nests between these common plants,

it's saucers of bright leaves the setting

for rings of fairy amethyst.

On the horizon

the feeding frenzy rises

a triangle of fin

Against the tide

a seal in grey water

head up, swimming

On the ledge above

the guillemots, three puffins

shuffle shuffle in the nest