Scorchio!

 The morning started with a strange low cloud lingering through the dale. Very odd but beautiful. The promise of another hot and sunny day. 

 So sunny that I had trouble to see my stitches whilst sweating away at my sewing machine in the attic.

It really was too beautiful a day to be up in the hot, hot, hot attic, but needs must. 

The leaves around these daisies needing finishing off ready to be taken to the picture framer. They're part of a much larger piece but I can't show you just yet. Can you see a few twitchy whiskers sneaking into the picture! lol.

Till next time

love Fi x

Art in the Pen

Good morning! Don't look so shocked! 

Yes, this is me blog posting in the morning! Goodness gracious! 

Yes I'm on the ball this morning, well sort of. I've been rather hit and miss with my blog posting this year, but then this year has been quite different from other years. This year has been a bit of a steep learning curve for me. I've never created quite so much art work as I have this year or been so busy - which is all good. I just need to learn how to manage my time more efficiently and get into the flow of making, framing, ordering, supplying, BLOGGING etc.

For instance, take the picture above. The felt picture is a commission for a lovely lady who contacted me waaaay back at the beginning of the year.(The roses are from the garden and smell wonderful!) Now she did say that I had until September to make it but really! I should have had it done way before now. But then...who knows? She may have benefited from the time lapsed, my work may have improved or evolved slightly. Who knows!

This is one of the reasons I've been so busy. Art in the Pen. This year was the first at Carlisle although the event is in its 9th year at Skipton which is August 16th & 17th. This was also my first time but what a lovely experience.

Here I am setting up on the Friday afternoon. Wonderful Man is pretending to be David Bailey. There were over 80 artists all doing their best to transform animal pens at the auction mart into mini art galleries.

Hey Presto! As if by magic! 

I'm just adding the finishing touches in time for Fridays preview evening. Would you like

 a closer look?

 Starting on the left hand side. Lots of felted flower brooches pinned onto my mannequin Ethel Maude. On the table are a couple of small felt pictures and my hand embroidered felted greetings cards.

 Little Robin Red Breast, this one was hand needle felted.

Here he is free from his frame so you can see him properly.

 This one is a big one measuring about a metre square and is called 'Cow Parsley Mouse'. This one is wet felted and then free motion machine and hand embroidered.

 Here he is before framing.

After him is...

'Beagle Pup'. No embroidery on this one just wet felted.

You've already seen the 'Nasturtium Hare' at the top of this post but here he is again, just because he's my favourite piece to date. Again all wet felted with free motion machine and hand embroidery.

 Lets pop over to the right hand side.

Starting on the left we have...  

'Apple Blossom' (wet felted)

'Smile' Wet felted and machine and hand embroidered.

So called because I thought it would be rather nice to get out of bed every morning and see this. Surely it would make you smile? lol.

And lastly another Hare. (wet felted)

Have you had enough? 

Or would you like a little wander around some of the other wonderful pens?

I thought so ;)

I'll keep it brief.

www.bridgetwilkinson.co.uk

Stig Art

www.viviiennecawsonart.co.uk

sorry not sure who this is.

Sue Lancaster

www.amanda-mercer.co.uk

Kate Durdy

David Singleton

www.sketchbuck.com

Julie Gibson

David Brightmore

And lastly the lovely Diana Morrison who also supplies the one of the same galleries as me, Cherrydidi in Keswick. 

There were many more that I didn't manage to photograph including wood carvings, jewellery and ceramics.

 I've had an idea!

 Why don't you come to Art in the Pen at Skipton in August and see for yourself!

I'll see you there ;)

Till next time

love Fi x

And we're off!

Sorry for the lack of blog activity recently but I've been making felt ready for Art in the Pen at Carlisle. We going now this minute so I'll let you know how it went next week. 

Bye for now.

love Fi x

New Greetings Cards.

 Looky, looky! A lovely new delivery of greetings cards. It's so exciting, almost like Christmas!

Dangling Field Mouse, Wool Painting

 I've got a bit of a 'thing' for field mice at the moment. This is my latest finished piece of felted artwork.

 This little chap is dangling precariously...

above the poppies.

I'll be exhibiting at Art in the Pen in Carlisle on 28th and 29th June. This is the first at Carlise although it is in it's ninth year at Skipton, which is in August (I'll be there too). 

There is a preview evening on Friday 27th by invitation only, so if you would like to attend the preview evening, email me at fiona@marmaladerose.co.uk and I'll  be happy to post you an invitation. Otherwise please feel free to come along on Saturday and Sunday; there'll be over 100 selected artists who'll transform sheep and cow pens into mini galleries to sell their original works of art.

Till next time

love Fi x

Mayday Fair in Kettlewell.

Heads up everyone!

Wonderful Man and I had a super day at the Kettlewell May day Festival. The tag line for the festival was 'Made in't Dale, Festival of Wool and Ale'

And that's just what there was, lots of it too! 

Come and take a look.

 We were up early on Monday morning with a car packed full of felty goodness.

 Our short journey took us through Bishopdale into Wharfdale.

 We arrived in the little village of Kettlewell (of Calendar Girls fame) spot on 8am ready to set up our stall. You couldn't ask for a more picturesque setting!

 Here we are in the corner all set up and ready for the day, lets take a closer look...

I can see a bit of photo bombing going on! Mr Marmalade thought I wouldn't notice! 

We had notebooks, hand felted embroidered cards, little fat owls, 2 types of felt brooches, printed greetings cards of my felty creations, the last felt handbag, tea cosy and kitten kits, art prints of my field mouse and 3 brand new original felt artworks. I'd been a very busy girl over the last couple of weeks I can tell you. lol. Anyway that's enough about us, lets take a look at some of the other lovely stalls.

 Okay, not a stall but who could resist these very fluffy bunnies...awe!

 And of course we couldn't have woolly goings on without the lovely Lucy of Attic 24 and her friends being there to promote Yarndale 2014! We had a nice little catch up in the sunshine and I bought myself a very capatious Yarndale bag. It's huge!

 Looking lovely as always, Edie Pebbles stall, full of gorgeous girly bits and bobs.

Hooked by Design, rug hooking.

 I'm afraid I don't know who's this is as I was snapping while everyone was setting up before the event opened.

 A very smiley stall holder with more rug hooking.

 Even more felted bits and bobs.

 The most gorgeous woven wools from Laura's Loom.

 This one speaks for itself really.

This is my was my neighbour Yvonne's stall, with beautiful felt scarves.

 Gorgeous machine embroidered cushions.

 And last but not least our other lovely neighbours, Lorraine and her sister Deborah with yummy silver and polymer clay jewellery. It was their first craft fair so I hope it didn't put them off being next to me all day, lol!

 Well, the sun shone and the people came. There was live music playing, a fashion show in the village church and a local art exhibition in village hall.

 There were pies and cheeses, hog roasts and cakes...

 Spinning, weaving and gun dog demonstrations. There were even 4 week old puppies to see! We know this because all our craft tents emptied when the announcement came that there were puppies in the demonstration ring, lol! Who can resist a puppy!

 The beer tent was also very popular or so I believe...we didn't get chance to participate as we were so busy chatting to lovely customers. 

 My little felt robin picture flew off to a new home with two lovely ladies within the first hour.

And we hand delivered the hare to his lovely new owner on our way home. He'll be living in the most beautiful old farmhouse a little further up the Dale.

But all good things must come to an end. At 5 o'clock we started to pack away as the live music played and the beer flowed on.

 We left Kettlewell feeling tired but happy.

 The weather had behaved itself beautifully.

And we collapsed on the kitchen sofa and had a much needed cup of tea. 

Our next felty foray will be on June 28th and 29th at 

Art in the Pen

at Carlisle. 

I better get some felt on the go!

Love Fi x
Edited to add... Liniecat, the hare's eye is not glass it is all wool! Thank you for your lovely comments ladies x