My next page...

...is supposed to celebrate all the time I am going to have this summer whilst teaching has stopped for a few weeks. I was going to spend lovely hours doing some samples for next years workshops, tidying up, and lazing around watching the Olympics. Ha! The lazing around is mostly what I've been doing.

So, I have just realised that time is ticking by and I haven't really achieved anything much. I have planned some fabby days off though (days off from having days off?) and I will be going to the Festival of Quilts, The Autumn Fair Trade Show, and some days mooching around London and Brighton.

But of course all of these jolly days out are going to be very hard work (yep sure!) looking at new products and planning new mixed media and textile courses. So watch this space and see what's coming up!

Anyway...back to the time page...this is made with  tin foil and metallic card which has been embossed in the Sizzix Big Shot, coloured with inks and acrylic paints and then crackled with Viva Croco crackle. 

Olympics Hoorah!

On Thursday, the day before the Olympics started, Catherine and I went to the Polish Embassy as their guests and were taken to the Olympic Village to view the Flag Raising ceremony and present some Quilts 4 London pennants to the Polish Ambasssador who was going to pass them on to the Polish Athletes. 

It was such a thrill for us to be there on behalf of the Great British public to extend the hand of friendship and hospitality of the 17,000 people who made a pennant as a personal gift for the visiting athletes.

While we were there we were very proud to meet some of the athletes including some from our very own Team GB! 

Our thanks go to the Polish Ambassador and the Embassy for making us so welcome. It was so exciting to know that the very next day the whole wonderful event would be under way. 

Good Luck team GB!!

Also thanks to Irene from Woolsack for taking the photo. Woolsack are another fabulous textile project for the Olympics whose members have made 4,000 cushions using British Wool and filled with British Wool fibre.  You can read more about their project here:
www.woolsack.org

Fibre East and Quilts 4 London

Last Saturday I went with Catherine to Fibre East in Bedfordshire. We were representing Quilts 4 London and we went to present some beautiful Pennants, made by members of the Great British public to some of the Mauritian Olympics team.

It was a grey and soggy day outside but the smiles from the team as they chose their pennants would have brightened the dullest of days. What lovely people! I wish that the makers of the pennants could see how thrilled they were with their gifts.

I managed to get no useful photos of Catherine Hill because I don't know what I'm doing with my new phone, but she and Irene Heathcote are joint project leaders of this wonderful project which inspired the talent of artists of every kind to make over 17,000 pennants to be presented as a personal gift to members of the Olympic and Paralympic teams. There is also a dedicated team of committee members, co ordinators and willing? partners who really have worked tirelessly to make this project succeed.

You can read more about the adventure here:  http://www.quilts4london.org.uk/

Many of the makers, aged 2-90+, had not made any kind of textile art before and we were stunned and  thrilled by the array of amazing work which came to us. We really believe from the many stories we have heard, that most of these makers will be textile enthusiasts for life and have discovered skills they never would have tried if it were not for this project.

For us, we have had quite an adventure! We have met some wonderful people and made some really firm friendships along the way. It has been an amazing journey but we will all need a celebration and a good long rest when it is all over.!