Thursday 27 July 2017

Brilliant Birds Fly Out of Rowntree Park

A selection of #BrilliantBirds

The Brilliant Birds in the Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York, really were brilliant and we had loads of positive feedback about them.  However, all good things come to an end so on Monday, Deborah New & I, with Lily's help, took them all down.

It went from this....

Brilliant Birds Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York

Brilliant Birds Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York

Brilliant Birds Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York

Brilliant Birds Yarnstorm in Rowntree Park, York
via this...

down comes that finger knitted text
Deborah takes down the final info sign
all packed up again!

to this...

the tennis court fence no longer has a tree growing up it...
and the birds have flown

in a few hours with not nearly as much rain as when we put them up!

The Brilliant Birds go on sale on Saturday 26 August 2017 at the St Leonards Hospice Shop, 5 Scarcroft Road, York, YO23 1ND - do go and buy some - it's a great charity to support.  If you can't re-home a bird but still want to support the project you can donate online to St Leonard's Hospice here - please mention Brilliant Birds.

You can still check out the #brilliantbirds on social media (twitter, facebook or instagram).

If you want to read more about the project, the details are here.  Click on the links for information about the workshops we held at Olive's Nest, Rowntree Park Cafe, The Golden Ball and The Winning Post. Or if you want to see our mention in Craft & Design Magazine click here.  However if your interest is more craft based you may want to check out the Brilliant Bird Patterns, read about the hula hoop woven birds, the big knitted owl or even extreme knitting a tree. You may also be inclined to read about the exploits of the Fairfax Court Yarnstormers - they have been great supporters of our yarnstorming projects since we began! And finally you may want to hear about the yarnstorm being installed on a very wet day in June - that's here.

Now don't forget that date for your diary - Saturday 26 August 2017 - #buyabird and support St Leonard's Hospice!


Friday 14 July 2017

Valerie Wartelle at City of York Embroiderers' Guild

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle, a textile artist from West Yorkshire, came to the City of York Embroiderers' Guild recently to tell us about her work.  Trained in textile design, Valerie has moved on from knitwear design through teaching herself felting and making felted products to creating felt pictures.  
 
Valerie Wartelle - early work

Valerie now works in layers with prefelt, photo transfers and screen printing, wool and other fibres and machine stitch to build up her pictures and add texture.  She adopts a wet felting process rather than using needle felting...

Valerie Wartelle


Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle

Valerie Wartelle


A new development - some wool and cashmere scarves with her designs printed on...

Valerie Wartelle - Scarves


You can find out more about Valerie here.


Monday 3 July 2017

Make Your Mark at Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk

Ombre Tubes - Kat Button

Make Your Mark, has just finished at Chapel Gallery in Ormskirk.  So if you missed it, here's a bit about it.  The exhibition wanted you to consider the ways in which artists make their marks and to encourage you to make some of your own.  Here's some of the artists' work that I enjoyed while looking round.

The Woolly Hut (Remade) - Kat Button

Kat Button's work crosses several disciplines and focuses on colour and experimentation.  It had a playful, energetic feel that I loved...

Kat Button

Amy Russell's scratchy paintings and collages were both witty and nostalgic...

Your Age - Amy Russell
Dear Lad - Amy Russell

Nathan Pendlebury's work was vibrant and energetic...

Look to the Rainbow 2 - Nathan Pendlebury

Sarah Jane Richard's landscapes suggested an element of decay...

Wanderings and Wonderings 3 - Sarah Jane Richards

It's always worth checking out what's happening at Chapel Gallery if you're in the vicinity.  Go see what's new!