Surface, Structure, Stitch at Cit Lit: Week 3 ( on vacation)

 I missed the 3rd session of  Surface, Structure, Stitch   at City Lit as  I was on holiday for the week in Weymouth( our 13th visit).   I'd had a discussion  with Louise the previous week on  how I might approach adding handstitch to my   machine quilted piece so I'd brought lots of supplies with me to do my homework, spreading out on the dining room table  in the cottage.  My mum was an embroiderer  but my stitching so far has been  very plain, variations on straight stitch,   so  I spent time on the train studying  my mum's copy of  Anchor pamphlet ' 100 Embroidery Stitches' ( Price  6p!)  and a more recent purchase of  Constance Howard's  Book of Stitches ( which  cost rather more  than  secondhand )   

 A lot  of restaurants and pubs were closed during our  stay for either holidays or refurbishment  so we had several meals  at old favourites the Cove House Inn in Chiswell, Portland and the  Taste Cafe at Chesil Beach Visitor Centre overlooking the Fleet lagoon.  Spending nearly a whole day there   on  Ian's Birthday, we were aware of the tides and the effect on the screened views from the underwater cameras ( which I drew  in my sketchbook)

 On the Wednesday when I would have been in my class, somebody posted work on Instagram  at lunchtime  so I could share  in what  other students were doing  . Several were using embroidery hoops so   I had a practice on a bit of old shirt sleeve  of some  new stitches - I particularly  like the 'wave' stitch in different  types of thread .

I then had the confidence to add  these to the machine quilted  piece I'd started  the previous  week 

When I got home, I cut it down to 9"  square, the format for this year CQ Journal Quilts  which has to contain a piece of  something repurposed , having had a previous  life.  My theme was going to be  " Assemblage"  but " Scavenged Scraps"  might be more appropriate since most of the fabrics came from the wondrous  collections of  dressmaking offcuts  and recycled  materials in the  City Lit textile studio  scrap boxes.   

 I'm also taking  part in an invited   Facebook group  challenge posting  a year  of  daily black and white photos " Small Reflections  2020" which  certainly  makes you look at the world differently. 

Beyond Small Treasures

 

My  1/2 hour drawing sessions recording 'small treasures' has  worked well getting me back into  good habits  (  along with  the kickstart of City Lit  drawing class and sketching Tuesdays in Museums).  As with when I started making Journal Quilts in 2003, the appeal is   fitting something creative in  when  life is very hectic and larger projects are impossible. They provide opportunities to explore new materials and techniques and if they don't work, well you've learnt from it.  I like that they don't need to be for anything, just themselves,  and my observational skills ,  have improved no end.  I'm also currently in love  with the 5 1/2 inch square  Seawhite sketchbook I'm using.

 

So while away for the weekend on Portland, besides studies of some of the wonderful  pebbles on Chesil Beach ( which I carefully rehomed after I drew them - you're not allowed, quite rightly, to take them away ) , I moved on to recording larger views, while still sticking to the half hour rule.   



 

 



 

 The views from 'The Heights' over Chesil  were wonderful, especially in late afternoon, drawing from the  restaurant after a cream tea (me) and a beer(Ian)  

 

Drawing the West  Weares at Chiswell , first from a bench and then at Cove House Inn with a beer ( always have to be careful not to dip the brush in!) in hot sun   was  blissful. My kind of break

Among Drifts of Sea Thrift

 

 Back rested and revived from my few days away on the Isle of Portland. On arrival at Weymouth, the beach was packed with families enjoying the sun ( and a traditional  Punch and Judy show) - very different from when we visited in March! The first thing I did after I'd dropped my bags off  at the hotel was head out to the  Chesil Beach visitor centre. This was also busy with  visitors - you could hear the determined crunch of feet  heading up the slope from quite a way off. But only a few metres away it was much  more peaceful. The expanse of pink and yellow flowers was glorious and I found a sheltered spot to sketch crouched down among drifts of sea thrift, listening to the sky larks. 

Refreshed after a good night's sleep, I  walked directly from the hotel on one of the 'Legacy  Trails' of the old quarries including DWT King Barrow Quarries nature reserve.  More pinks and yellows including some of my old  favourites from my chalk grassland survey days:



 Polygala vulgaris ( milkwort)

 Hieraceum pilosella ( mouse-ear hawkweed)

 Lots of Common Blue butterflies

 Sculpture both natural wind blown trees and hewn from  stone  like 'Still Falling' by Antony  Gormley ( below) in Tout Quarry

Then a  walk down hill  to lunch at   Jacksons' Gallery with views out to sea and excellent soup, coffee and Florentines .

 

 Inspired  by  the current exhibition by Roy Winstanley , I walked down to Chiswell  and onto the beach for some sketching  and taking lots of photos of weathered surfaces and beach detritus.  

 

  With good timing, I was  in the area during the  ArtWey open studios fortnight so with the weather the following day being rather wet and windy , I headed inland  by bus to Upwey. Bit of a trek from the bus stop   but I was made very welcome at the Gallery on the Wey  ( particularly liked the etchings of Wendy Batt) .

I had a lovely lunch at the Wishing Well Café  after some purchases from Upwey Potters:

                                           Raku 'axe head'  by Bill Crumbleholme

   Dish by Laurence Eastwood

 

 

The Heights hotel where I stayed was a very different experience from our usual 'home-from home' of Ferrybridge Cottages  but perfect for a  brief breathing space . My room was comfortable  and the staff  so helpful and I spent hours looking out at this view  of Chesil from the bistro -  both at breakfast and evening meals I had a window seat. Spectacular. 

 

Running away to sea

We're not too far off putting our house on the market - painting finished, new carpet installed, blinds ordered  so when there was an 'open house' advertised for a  town house we've been tracking on 'Right Move', it seemed a good opportunity  for some further research in Faversham. The journey down was so much greener than last year ( all those apple trees) and there was wonderful local produce on sale in the market. It was a useful exercise   looking round the property - lots of space but   rather dark and a feeling of being hemmed in, so some revisions to the spec needed. After a late pub lunch  writing up my notes I wandered around to remind myself of why we want to move here: the creek, the  history, the countryside, the inspiration.



Then Sunday and Monday working in the garden sorting out the  crazy paving - some  refitting of the edges like a jigsaw puzzle and filling in the gaps with sand then pea shingle so it blends in very well with existing gravel area.   Ian was in Jonah mode about my methods: hearing "I'd love to be proved wrong" for the nth  time did not improve my mood so I did most of  the work myself.  I shouldn't complain too much though as he's been incredibly supportive including encouraging me to take some time off.

It's been  a hard, relentless few months physically, mentally and emotionally  and I really need a  rest,  so I'm off  for a few days on my own at the Heights Hotel in Portland. I'm taking  some books, my camera and some sketching materials  but no laptop or tablet and looking forward to  seeing the flowers and having some nice meals out. I know it's half term  but I know some quiet spots.

The final straw  was the long anticipated delivery from IKEA this morning  of various bits of  furniture.  The Ivar shelving I ordered for my workroom was all broken !!  I've  some  Ivar units in constant use for years but the quality has nose-dived out of all recognition. Any ideas about alternatives?
So glad I'm running away to the sea tomorrow!!

Chesil Waves and Sirens

Last Thursday in Weymouth ( a week ago now!)  we got the bus  across the causeway to Portland to have lunch at the Cove House Inn - special of hake  with chorizo, spinach and mushrooms was  delicious. Rather  more tranquil scenes to when we visited in February  (below)!

 A few days after we visited in February there were monumental waves  that engulfed the pub ( below image from news item). As it happened during our visit this time the pub was covered in scaffolding  and they were just putting the finishing touches to new storm shutters. 

 

After lunch we strolled in the sun  along towards the Chiswell Earthworks  a land sculpture by John Maine. Along the sea wall  the Environment Agency was out in force, providing information on flood defences while they  were  having practices of the flood sirens( very loud - as it needs to be)

On Friday we went  into Weymouth itself for our annual visit to the beer festival  -  lovely to see the tall ship 'Pelican'  in the harbour. Our  favourite was GIPA from Gyle 59.
Then after lunch at the Ship we  caught the 5pm train home - a bit tiring but it  meant I could go to the Quilters Guild Regional day in Vauxhall the following day ( talks by  Linda Seward and Liz Trenow about their books )

Just Being

After a frantic few days finishing things up at work (ordering chemicals before we transfer to a new finance system, joint union meeting, setting up new experiments) we're down in Weymouth again for a well-timed weeks break. We travelled down on Saturday with the football crowd, yesterday (Sunday) was our first full day and we soon got into the swing of doing not a lot. After the best Sunday lunch we've had in a long time ( apart from our own!) at the New Inn, Portland we had an afternoon siesta( got a lot of catching up on sleep to do this holiday) and then walked  a short distance from our cottage in Ferrybridge to the 'Painting Promentary'  near Smallmouth Bay at the end of the Rodwell Trail.  I've got painting materials with me with the intention of doing some mono-printing towards a little book and scraps of fabrics for composing some journal quilts. Meanwhile we were very content to send an hour sitting on a bench watching the changing light over Portland , hearing a lolloping labrador continually chasing after stones in the waves, just being.