Yarnbombing in Rowntree Park, York

Yarnbombing Area in Rowntree Park

Deborah New (textile artist & teacher), the Friends of Rowntree Park & the City of York Park Rangers & I are organising a Yarnbombing event in Rowntree Park, York this summer (date for your diary - Saturday 13 July 2013 from 2-5pm - Rowntree Park's 92nd Birthday Party).  So dust off your needles, grab your yarn and get knitting - or find your sewing kit and get stitching - either way, it'll be great!

 

Knitting on Catbells near Keswick

I've found you can incorprate some creative activity in the most challenging places.  Here I am knitting bunting up a mountain. So that leads me on to say that there is an "official" bunting pattern if you want to use it - it's not too tricky. 

You can find it here: http://rowntreeparkblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/knitted-bunting.pdf 

But you can knit squares if you'd rather - we're asking for 15cm squares so we can join them together.  
 

Knitted Squares & Bunting

I've been testing out the bunting pattern with different yarns and different size needles and here are some results.

Bunting in the Wind

Don't feel constrained though, you can let your imaginations run riot.  In fact we'd like you to - a bird or a flower would be just as good!  Or you may have a wild and wacky idea to try.  


Here's a link to the guidelines for the event:
http://rowntreeparkblog.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/guidelines-for-yarnbombing-event2.pdf

And here's some ideas from the yarnbombing at York Art Gallery earlier this year:
 

Knitted Pigeons

Knitted Umbrella

Knitted Flower

Yarnbombing Workshops

We've also got some workshops planned - come along and join in - meet fellow makers, become a maker! You don't have to have any crafty skills to join us but if you have that's great too! Everyone's welcome.  All materials will be provided.  You can try your hand at weaving, knitting, pompom making and finger knitting. 

Finger Knitting & Pompom

(I've used finger knitting to hold my bunting, and pompoms to decorate the ties.)

Then, leave your makes behind to be used for the yarnbombing event.


We've had some great yarn & fabric donations from local York craft shops:

(We're hoping to have some bird patterns for you to try with the donated fabric.)

Boyes, 35 Goodramgate , York, YO1 7LS
http://www.boyes.co.uk/

Castaway Yarns, Haxby Shopping Centre , Haxby, York, YO32 2LU
http://www.castawayyarnsyork.co.uk/

Craft Basics, 9 Gillygate, York, YO31 7EA
http://www.qype.co.uk/place/470270-Craft-Basics-York#reviews

Gillies Fabrics, 2 Peter Lane, York YO1 8SW
http://www.gilliesfabrics.co.uk/

Grace & Jacob, 1 Barleycorn Yard, Walmgate, York, YO1 9TX
http://www.graceandjacob.co.uk/

Hobbycraft, Monks Cross Shopping, York, YO32 9GX
http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/ 

Knit & Stitch, 11 Colliergate, York, YO1 8BP
http://knitandstitchonline.com/ 

Ramshambles, 46 Shambles, York, YO1 7LX
http://ramshambles.co.uk/ 

Viking Loom, High Petergate, York, YO1 7EH
www.vikingloom.co.uk/ 


(& Oxfam, 7 Goodramgate, York, YO1 7LJ also Oxfam Books at 69 Low Petergate, York, YO1 7HY & 46 Micklegate, York YO1 6LF
http://oxfambookspetergateyork.wordpress.com/).

If you want to donate any yarn, fabric or leave any finished items for the project you can leave it at any of the above shops (except Oxfam & Boyes) or the Rowntree Park Cafe.  

If you're local or visiting York go check out the shops in person and say hello and tell them how great they are!


After the event all the yarnbombing is going to be taken down and donated to Oxfam for sale so there's a great charity to help too.  Check out the good work Oxfam does here: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/ 

So here's your chance to get involved, meet people, have fun, (eat cake - especially at the workshops in Rowntree Park Cafe which sells the most wonderful cake!), help make the yarnbombing display fabulous and support a great charity.  It could be a life changing experience - don't miss out!

Paper Trail by Deborah Bowness & Students from York College

Following a conversation with an interesting lady in Gap I took myself off to the Bonding Warehouse in York to have a look at Deborah Bowness's wallpaper transformation of the building.  They are a fun trompe l'oeil (visual trick) which quite brightened up my day and forms part of a larger "Paper Trail" exhibition around York.  

Paper Trail Roomscape - Deborah Bowness

Paper Trail Filing - Deborah Bowness

Paper Trail Suitcases - Deborah Bowness

Paper Trail Parrot - Deborah Bowness

Deborah, who comes from the York area and now designs wallpaper has had some help from students on the Art Foundation Course at York College who were invited to come up with designs for Paper Trail.  

It's a great way to liven up some empty spaces and the Bonding Warehouse isn't the only structure in York to be transformed.  You can email papertrail@deborahbowness.com to find out what else to check out (but you could start with the Leeman Road tunnel). 

Take yourself down there and take some pics - pretend to sit on the sofa, pick up a suitcase.  Go on - have a bit of fun - we did! (but don't wait too long - they're only temporary)

For more information take a look here:
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/features/features/10325554.Paper_Trail_exhibition_to_transform_York_city_centre_using_designer_wallpaper/
and here:
http://www.deborahbowness.com/

Yet More Embroidered Jumpers!

Fairy princess embroidered jumper

Yet again I have to apologise for the title - it isn't "Yet More Embroidered Jumpers" - it's "Yet More Embroidered Jumper".  

I think it's becoming a bit of a thing!  I now have a little stock of jumpers waiting to be upcycled & embroidered with some strange & wonderful(?) phrase.  

The cycle begins like this, first scour the charity shops for suitable candidates (in jumper terms that is - I like to buy pure wool ones in nice colours - which generally, for me, means anything that isn't brown), then await inspiration in terms of a phrase (this can be immediate or very slow - write them down when you think of them - then you'll have some to choose from.)  Next, plan out how the phrasing will look - capitals, joined up writing, one line, several lines, any additional details etc., draft it out exactly as you want it to appear on the jumper and get going!

I have just completed a lovely pink sparkly one with "fairy princess" on.   .... And no, it wasn't for a littley, it's with a large pinch of irony for a teenager.  Don't know what everyone else thinks but it's certainly keeping us entertained.  Although the next one in the pipeline probably rates as an "in joke" so I'm not sure whether it'll ever see the light of day.  Watch this space ...


Quick comment on this jumper - I won't be using the sparkly pink thread again - it made it very hard to thread the needle and from time to time the thread itself, which is like a continuous chain stitch, just all came undone and had to be finished off quickly to stop it affecting what I'd already done.  

If you'd like to know how to do these jumpers in more detail leave a comment.  They're a fun way to spend a few hours and you can wear them afterwards.

You might like to take a look at my other embroidered jumper blogs:

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/more-embroidered-jumpers.html

http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/happy-new-year-with-embroidered-jumpers.html

People & Places - New Range of Brooches & Rings Now Available on Folksy

Last year I went to Iceland - you may have seen my blog about it:
http://hippystitch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/icelandic-fish-leather.html 

People & Places Brooch & Vintage Map Pouch

It was a fabulous trip.  And with it's faults, volcanoes and plate boundaries (getting a bit more technical here!) it rekindled my love of geography.  That inspired me to get thinking about maps and then the people who inhabit those places and the things they do.  Inspiration for my new people & places range was born!





So - I have now finished planning & testing and have a new set of people & places brooches and rings - you won't find any two the same!  They had their first outing at the Selvedge Spring Fair in Chelsea where they excited alot of interest and there are now some available in my Folksy shop.
http://folksy.com/shops/SallyStone 

People & Places Brooch - Lady Shopping in Whitby

They involve a certain amount of recycling and upcycling as they use vintage maps and in the case of the brooches, bottle tops.  Each item comes in it's own vintage map pouch.  Usually the pouch relates to the same general area as the map included in the brooch or ring. 

Vintage Map Pouch for People & Places Brooch

 
Some of the maps needed patching as they were quite old and worn.  But this provided another possibility - adding a different geography to a place.  Suddenly an area of heath might appear in a forest - and I liked that idea.  So some of the map pouches are patched.

People & Places Ring

The rings have people in too - often seated - it gets very wearing standing up all the time - especially if you're chatting to a friend or reading the paper!





 

Pop over to Folksy and take a look!
http://folksy.com/shops/SallyStone

Wool House - Somerset House

Yarn & Needles

After exhibiting at the Selvedge Spring Fair (or visiting for that matter) what better way to relax than to visit the Wool House - a transformation of the West Wing of Somerset House into a showcase for wool presented by the Campaign for Wool.  (Several Selvedgees were spotted there!)

Amy Sommerville's Mammoth Chair

Hooked, as I walked through the door, by the balls of yarn on the table, I had not yet seen the greater delights on view.  But feeling a little tired I relaxed in Amy Sommerville's Mammoth Chair & could have fallen asleep but for the polite but obvious queue to also try it out. 

Hats by Barbara Keal

The hats by Barbara Keal were quite something although I'm not sure I'd like to have bumped into their owners!

Hummingbird Wallhanging designed by Alexander McQueen

There was an impressive Hummingbird wallhanging designed by Alexander McQueen.




 

But one of my favourite pieces was Claudy Jongstra's Composition Blue & Composition Yellow (and the chairs were cool too and very comfy!)

Infinity by Zuzunaga

The runner lining the corridor was designed by Zuzunaga and was called Infinity and looked like a pixellated image - very effective!

 

Damson & Slate Moodboard

Damson & Slate Moodboard

There were some interesting moodboards put together by Damson & Slate

There were also 7 designer rooms. My three favourites were the Modern Room by Anne Kyyro-Quinn, the Nursery by Donna Wilson, & the Bedroom by Kit Kemp.

Curved Laine, 3D Acoustic Panel & Cushions by Anne Kyyro-Quinn

Donna Wilson Nursery

Pippa Caley Headboard in Kit Kemp Bedroom

For more info check out the websites:
http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual-arts/wool-house

http://www.campaignforwool.org/wool-house/

Enjoying the Selvedge Spring Fair

People & Places by Hippystitch

What an exciting time it was at the Selvedge Spring Fair! I had a very early start on Friday travelling down by train to London.  

I managed to get everything in a couple of suitcases and even managed to negotiate the tube and the local buses to arrive in time to set up my space and be open for business at 11am.   

Marea Mermaid Brooch by Hippystitch

Liberty Necklaces by Hippystitch

Selvedge Spring Fair

 
Friday was very busy all day with just a short break before the evening reception kicked off with glasses of fizz and (more) goody bags for the visitors.  Family and friends joined the throng to say hello.  It was all very jolly.

Selvedge Spring Fair

Saturday brought horrendous weather - snow, hail and wind so we say thank you to all those brave souls who turned out to join us and made the day a success.  

Hand Made Food at Selvedge Spring Fair

There were delicious morsels to sustain us over both days and fab coffee.








Altogether it was great fun & I met lots of interesting people.  I can't name them all but do take a look at these folk:

Becky Adams
http://www.beckyadams.co.uk/
Hen's Teeth Art
www.hensteethart.blogspot.com
Jess Quinn
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JessQuinnSmallArt
Sam Pickard
http://www.sampickard.co.uk/
Rob Ryan
http://www.misterrob.co.uk/ 
Clare Beaton
http://www.clarebeaton.com/



I also had some great help - so thank you very much to...

To check out all the exhibitors:
http://www.selvedge-drygoods.org/pages/exhibitions/exhibitors.aspx 
 

Getting Ready for the Selvedge Spring Fair

I've had such an exciting time recently getting ready for the Selvedge Spring Fair.  And here are a few photos marking the journey...

People & Places Rings

Part of the fun has been getting my new People & Places range ready - brooches and rings with little people set against vintage map backgrounds.

People & Places Map Bags

Each ring or brooch has its own map bag and I have finally managed to finish making all the map bags.  Hurrah!

The Spring Fair will be its first outing and I hope both the rings & brooches will be popular.

Fabric necklaces

There will of course be some Hippystitch favourites like the fabric necklaces - look at all those luscious Liberty prints.

Flower button bracelets

And flower button bracelets in a range of fab colours.

Resin button brooches

There are also some colourful resin button brooches and some hairclips for those with unruly locks.

Button hairclips

Mermaids & Divas are also to be found and for those who like all things sparkly - some pretty flower brooches.

Magical Mermaid brooch

Sparkly flower brooches

Oswald the Monster Egg Cosy

If your thoughts are turning to Easter and are egg related - how about a Monster Egg cosy.  A limited number will be available.  Take a look at Oswald here - isn't he a splendid fellow!

Hippystitch bags

I've also changed my packaging so there's been some work to do on that too. 


 




There'll be more besides so if this appeals to you and you can make it then do come along to stall C17 and say hello ...

http://www.selvedge-drygoods.org/pages/exhibitions/venue-information.aspx