Fantasy Fish - Sales of the Summer

Fantasy Fish proving popular

After the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm was taken down, all the fish whirled in the washer, went "online" and then got packed up ready for the #FantasyFish sales.  

All packed up and ready to go

Not only were there all the fish but we needed plenty of tables too...

Tables, chairs and a very large fish

We used the big fish as our sign. 

Rummaging for fish

The sales were fantastic with lots of people coming along to buy fish.  We had to have sealed bids for these beauties...

A catch of mackerel

...and the winning bid saw them go to live with a local artist.  The goldfish in the bowl...

Knitted goldfish, knitted pebbles & crocheted plant

...has gone to be a carefree pet in the Ocean Room at the Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy in Strensall, York. A number of other lovelies are now swimming in their own bowls at their new owners too! 
 

An inseparable pair!

A bluefish in its bowl

The hammerheads proved popular.  One is now residing in a cabinet of awesomeness...

Peopleofyorkshire's hammerhead at home

But, what I'm sure you'd really like to know is how much we raised for the York Flood Appeal?  It was an amazing £600+.  So a big THANK YOU to everyone who made or bought fish or donated to the cause - a fantastic community effort.  And it's been a blast!

Fantasy Fish Sale & what to do with your fish!

or is it?  Come along to the fish sale and find out!

If you've been following the Fantasy Fish project you'll know that the first #Fantasyfish sale is on Saturday 27 August from 10-3pm.  This will be my first time as a fantasy fishmonger and you'll find Deborah New & I in Rowntree Park by the Cafe, selling fish.  All the money we raise from the sale of fish will go to the York Flood Appeal.

In case you're wondering what you might do with your fish purchases (and I do hope the plural is appropriate!), I've put together a few suggestions.  

First of all you could display your fishy in a little dishy...

Fish themed crockery from Frankie & Johnny's Cookshop, plate stand from Pextons - both on Bishopthorpe Road, York

or you could display them like this...

Display stands from Purepallets

or you could frame them...

Blossom Street Gallery & Framing, York offer a wide range of framing options

Some of the smaller ones would make nice brooches...

just add a brooch pin - The York Makery on Gillygate, York stock them

Or you could keep them as trouble free pets...

fish and plant from the display with added knitted pebbles!

Some of the flat ones could act as table mats or coasters...

fish table mat & starfish coaster

Then there's the recycling option.  This one's very topical - a mackerel tin (standing on a bottle top!)...

Canned fish

And, of course, you could have them swimming through the air like they did when they were part of the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm - outdoors or indoors!

I'm sure you'll have your own ideas too - but that's a different kettle of fish!

a very different kettle of fish

In addition to all the lovely fish - there will be some Hippystitch items of which 50% of the proceeds will be going to the York Flood Appeal.  There are some ceramic brooches, lino print cards & a selection of postcards...

Fantasy Fish ceramic brooches

Fantasy Fish lino print cards

postcards of the installation

If you enjoyed the display you can come and drop a donation in our very fishy collection box...

Donations welcome!

or until 31 August 2016, you can donate online here.  Please come along - we look forward to seeing you.  And let's hope for sunshine too!


 

Fantasy Fish Come Down & Go Online

Fantasy Fish all taken down

It was a bit of a sad day when we took down the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm.  It has been a popular installation but it was time to go.  I couldn't resist a few last photos though...
 

Carol's goldfish

Sally-Ann's Hammerhead

Heather's Stripey Fish

Sarah's octopus

Shadows

There have been lots of pics on social media using #fantasyfish - check them out on Twitter here and Instagram here.
 

Lots of lovely fantasy fish

So down they came and, after a month in the park - in the wind and the rain and the sun, it was time for a whirl in the washing machine.  Eight loads later, it was all done.  It took all my pegs and my neighbours' (thanks, Kate & Sue!) and a trip to Pextons for new pegs to get them "online".

my shark pegs seemed particularly appropriate!

and there were more to go "online" the next day:

#fantasyfish go online!

and of course there were the big fish too and the finger knitting...
 

catch of the day?

finger knitting drying out

So now they're all clean and ready for our two fish sales on:

Saturday 27 August 2016

Friday 2 September 2016

From 10am to 3pm we will be selling fish in Rowntree Park, York near Rowntree Park Cafe in aid of the York Flood Appeal.  Do come and say hello and buy fish.  We look forward to seeing you!


 

Fantasy Fish Statistics

At last - Fantasy Fish in the sunshine with the added bonus of ducks!

     
This is a quick round up of a few interesting statistics from the Fantasy Fish Yarnstorm.

Lots of people made fish and other creatures, pompoms & plantlife

The installation was made by over 130 people of all ages. We held three workshops in May 2016 as part of Voluntary Arts Week & Craft & Design Month in The Winning Post, The Golden Ball and Rowntree Park Cafe.  Five groups took part - The Fairfax Court Yarnstormers, Sew Chatty, The Good Humour Ladies Club, Year 6 pupils from Hob Moor Primary School and the North Leeds Rebels Craft Collective.  Most #fantasyfish were made in and around York (#fishfromYork) but we had #fishfromafar swim in from Holme on Spalding Moor, Leeds, London, Cambridge and Berkshire to #increasetheshoal too.

Jellyfish

The fish range in size from around 7 centimetres to over 2 metres and there are about 530 of them.  And there's also over 30 other creatures including hammerhead sharks, jellyfish, starfish, octopuses, a whale and a seahorse.  Then there's the plantlife on show together with more than 50 pompoms on display.

Fish, seahorse, hammerhead, octopus and starfish

We used about 200 metres of fishing line to hang the fish, and about 30 metres of finger knitting for the text, arrow and plantlife.

Just taking a coffee break

Deborah hard at work hanging fish

It took 18 hours to put up and that's after most of the fish had been strung together (which took a couple of days and was finished to the sound of Coldplay at Glastonbury - but fortunately didn't involve squelching in mud).

And it's all still there to be enjoyed if only for a few more days.  If you pop along on Sunday 17 July between 1-4pm you can see them and enjoy the Rowntree Park 95th Birthday Party at the same time.

But please don't forget to come along to the fish sales which aim to raise funds for the York Flood Appeal.  From 10am to 3pm on:

Saturday 27 August &

Friday 2 September 

you'll find us near the cafe, selling fish.  Do come and buy or you can donate now here (please mention fantasy fish in the message box).  We need your support!

Maria Walker & The Lightfoot Letters

"A woman's work is never done" uses screen printed images of Maria's grandma - Maria Walker

  
Recently Maria Walker came to talk to the City of York Embroiderers' Guild.  Maria is a artist who works primarily with textiles and her talk was about her work based on The Lightfoot Letters.  This bundle of letters, about a working class family from Widnes in the 1920s, was discovered by Maria in an antiques shop in Cheshire.  They are writen mainly by the mother of the family, Ada Lightfoot, but also the father, Peter, to their daughter, Frances, who had moved to live with an aunt near Oldham.  They provide minute details of everyday life and gossip.

An extract from the Lightfoot Letters - Maria Walker

Work based on the Lightfoot Letters - Maria Walker

Initially Maria's work involved picking out particular phrases from the letters and combining these with old photos from her own family to make textile pieces that brought the phrases to life.

"I will have to use a knife and fork but I would rather have a spoon" - Maria Walker

In one letter, the Father, who was going to a hotpot supper, bemoans that he will have to use a knife and fork.  Maria has expressed this through a piece featuring disposable wooden spoons painted with a crackle glaze to look like old enamel with the text collaged on top.  Maria comes originally from Sheffield where her father worked in a cutlery factory and so the links to her own life resonate in the way she has interpreted this piece.  

"Make me a dress the colour of the sky just after a June sunset" - Maria Walker incorporating poetry by Angela Topping

During an artist's residency in Cheshire, Maria met Angela Topping, a poet, who it turned out was the granddaughter of the letter writers Ada & Peter Lightfoot and the niece of Frances.  They collaborated on an exhibtion inspired by the letters which incorporated some of Angela's poetry and actual pictures of the Lightfoot family.  

A hanging depicting one of Angela Topping's poems about her father (Frances' brother) skating, originally exhibited coming out of a typewriter - Maria Walker

"...the iron made it hurt very badly" - Maria Walker

A lot of the content of the letters relates to the difficulties of getting the laundry done and so much of the Maria's work is expressed through text and items of clothing made with fabric and to patterns contemporary with the period.

"... and would not be dressed without it" - Maria Walker

The techniques Maria uses in her work include screen printing, the layering of fabric backgrounds using vintage and modern fabrics and drawing vintage items she has found, in stitch, creating reverse applique with her fabric layers together with a lot of stitched text, which is sometimes cut out.

Various works - Maria Walker

Altered book - Maria Walker

It was fascinating to hear about the letters, their content, the coincidence of Maria and Angela's meeting, their subsequent exhibition and all about the work that came out of it all.  Thank you, Maria.

Maria Walker

Maria's more recent work has involved large scale textile pieces using old sheeting, stitched with an overlocker and looped exploring the concepts of memory, decay and continuity.  Some of this was exhibited recently at the Saltaire Arts Trail.