Knitting and Stitching Show 2012 at Alexandra Palace

This is going to be more of a photographic blog post with a few words, but I think it's worth showing those of you who couldn't make it some of the best bits.

 

Apologies if I haven't written down all the artists names - please contact me if you would like me to update a credit and I'll happily amend it.

 

These are my highlights of 2012 K&S:

 

 

An Incredible needle felted Rhino Head from the Mr X Stitch stand.

 

 

Embroidered punched car/van door from Mr X Stitch.

 

 

Incredible (I think I'm going to use that word a lot in this post!) Mr X Stitch embroidered door, front and back. His website can be found here for more information.

 

 

These Cross Stitched and mini-quilt QR codes. I'm definitely going to try something like this for upcoming Mermaids and Seagulls events.

 

 

Janet Smith, author of 'Janet Smith Can't Knit', and some of her awesome creations.
 

 

The 'Knitted Village' and some of the very clever and bonkers contributions from W.I. Grannies up and down the country (I'm not joking - some of them had tags on showing which W.I. they came from).

 

 

Me & Mumsie particularly loved the overstuffed ones. It's like they spent hours lovingly creating these miniature masterpieces, and then totally Ruined them by ham-fistedly shoving kapok into them. I suppose they got to have a cup of tea and a good natter and sung 'Jerualem', and that's what counts, Eh?

 

 

The 'Unfinishable' Project had some interesting bits too, we couldn't work out why some of the items were deemed 'unfinishable' but I suppose this lovely Festival of Britain embroidery was a pretty valid entry. I mean, if you started something in 1951 and still hadn't finished it in 2012, you probably aren't going to finish it are you?

 

 

Cute black cat applique. Look Herman, you're famous!

 

 

The project was housed in an awesome tent made from Kaffe Fassett fabric. I want a Kaffe Fassett tent.

 

For more information about the Unfinishable project click here.
 

Embroidery Artwork from Jo Smith. Her work was so impressive I wrote a blog post just about her which can be found here.

 

 

The standard of quilting was immense: I snapped some inspirational pieces but forgot to write down all the makers. Sorry.

 

This was on the Tula Pink fabric stand.

 

 One of the mill stands - Sorry I forgot which one!

 

Beautiful Kaffe fabrics from Rowan.

 

Nel Whatmore - Nel Patterns on the Rowan Stand

I think these last two might have Karavan fabrics by Valori Wells but I'm not 100% sure.

 

Newly graduated knitwear designer Charlotte Ruffell - she was on one of the Hampshire College stands, either Basingstoke or Eastleigh I think.

 

And last but not least, this Giant french dolly from another college stand.

 

The Knitting & Stitching show will be in Harrogate 22nd-25th November so you can still catch a chance to see it. The Dublin show starts tomorrow. Their website is here.

To see larger versions of each image, click on it to open a new window.

People who's work I admire : 2 The incredible Embroidery of Jo Smith

I don't know very much about Jo Smith, except that she is the Embroiderers Guild Scholar in the 30+ age group for 2012, which itself is no mean feat. This very prestigious organisation only award two scholarships a year, one for an 18-30 yrs category, and one for 30+ so it's a big deal, and in my opinion quite rightly awarded!

I found her stand at the 2012 Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, and fell in love with her work immediately; particularly her Kitten pieces.

 

Jo herself kindly provided me with these photographs.

 

Jo's Alexandra Palace stand

 

 

This Kitten Bed piece tells the story of three little kittens Jo and her family were due to adopt that were sadly so flea infested, that they died from the viruses the fleas introduced to their systems, and the dehydration effect of having their tiny bodies sucked dry before they were old enough for Jo and her family to take them home. The fleas literally 'sucked the life' out of the trio. The 3 tiny hospital style beds each have a tiny helpless kitten lying on them, depicted in incredibly expressive embroidery drawing, whilst the border, which appears to be a decorative pattern on first glance is actually made from a repeated image of the fleas that sucked the poor little babies dry.

It will be hard to see all of the incredible detail in Jo's hand embroidery from these pictures, but if you click on each image it will produce a larger version.

The piece that really made me fall in love with Jo's embroidery was this portrait of the three kittens. It is not until you look very closely at the delicate white on white embroidery on the vintage looking doily that you realise the background pattern is made from repeated images of tiny kitten skeletons.
I think I love it so much because it reminds me of my favourite Alexander Henry fabric 'Osteology' (incidentally I was wearing my handbag made from this fabric at Ally Pally). As an embroiderer myself, I worked with drawing in stitch at Art College and know the skill and patience required to get results like these.

 

Another amazing piece is this embroidered mouse picture, framed with tiny genuine mouse skulls, which Jo apparently extracted from Owl Pellets! I won't be asking Brian at Folkestone Owl Sanctuary for pellets any time soon, but it is certainly an interesting idea! 



These two portraits commemorate beloved family pets 'Stripe' and 'Twitch', who despite numerous visits to the vets and the love and care of Jo's family passed away due to ill health some years ago. They were the Smith children's first experience of being carers for another living creature, so I think most of us can identify with their loss. I certainly clearly remember the love and loss of one of my earliest family pets, a giant grey lop rabbit called Benjamin.

 

You may think that these portraits of dead animals are a little 'tasteless', but I think that the charm of Jo's unique embroidery and presentation style, and the numerous hours and skill put into the work show the love and care taken with these pieces. These are not done to offend or distress the viewer, far from it, and the subtle and delicate medium takes the edge off any thoughts about revulsion or 'shock'. I didn't even think of these things when I first saw Jo's work, but am mentioning them now because I'm aware that not everyone reading my blog will have the same thoughts on the artwork as me. From my own work, I'd estimate some of these embroideries took between 30-50 hours to complete, and believe me when I tell you that you don't embark on an intricate and complicated endeavour like that unless you feel really, really strongly about the subject!

 

These are memorial pieces, showing the love and affection, and sense of loss for the family of these beautiful creatures. I have included Jo's Artists Statement at the bottom of the page, which should help explain further her thoughts and motives behind the artworks.

 

Another piece from the show that makes me positively squeal with admiration for the Artist is this sculptural piece of a tiny disemboweled mouse, apparently brought in by the family cat, and respectfully buried at the bottom of the garden beside the beloved rabbits. I can't explain why, I just love it. The fine line between 'cute' and 'macabre' just ticks all my boxes! I'd be much less happy to find a real dead mouse on my carpet, but as a cat owner I can appreciate the little 'gifts' that our beloved pets bring us.

 

 

 

These last five pictures show beloved bunnies Twitch and Stripe as they battled the illness that killed them, and in Jo's words "wasted away before our very eyes".

 

To me, Jo's work captures and commemorates those tiny deaths that every family experience, but that go barely noticed in the rush and hustle of everyday life. These animals are portrayed carefully and lovingly, and Jo bestows them with the status that we would give the late Human family members whose photo's adorn our walls or mantelpieces. Memory and mourning entwine with a family's private moments to remind us just how precious and fleeting life really can be.

 

Artists Statement: Jo Smith

Two Brothers, Three Sisters and a Mouse

Small deaths in the domestic environment, this work tells the tale of the loss, sorrow and suffering of the animals buried beneath the foliage at the bottom of the garden. Two rabbits, three kittens and a mouse.

 

The rabbits were the first family pets we had and our children's first experience of being carers and guardians of another living creature, they were much loved and sadly missed. Losing the battle to ill health at the ages of just two and three years old, after numerous trips to the vets, they became gradually more and more ill. They wasted away before our very eyes; nothing could be done to save Twitch and Stripe.

The kittens were killed by fleas, victims of neglect at the hands of their carer, they were not properly looked after and their deaths were entirely preventable. They were due to come and live with us and just as they became old enough to leave their mother one by one they began to keel over and die, only one kitten out of a litter of five survived. We rescued one and rushed her to the vet; she survived overnight but died the next day, she is buried with her sisters.

 

The mouse, the victim of one of our cats, was dumped upon the carpet, terrified and injured and although we tried our best to save him he passed the next day and is buried alongside the rabbits.

 

The animal and human have here been merged. The rabbit sculptures have been constructed to the size of their human counterparts of the same age. There are portraits of the animals happy and healthy, as we would have pictures of our loved ones upon the walls, are here surrounded by bones. Chocolate box kitten faces stitched upon a delicate doily are encircled by skeletons, appearing alongside sculptures depicting the manner in which they passed.

 

The kittens dying in their sleep are here in beds surrounded by the fleas that killed them, the rabbits thin and wasting away, spines showing and the poor solitary frightened mouse is on the floor lost, alone and injured.

There is barely a home in the land that has not been touched by grief and sorrow at the loss of a loved one. If nothing else, death serves to remind us how precious life is, no matter how small.

 

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Update 01/11/12:

Jo now has a facebook page for her art here and a wordpress site here so follow/add her to keep up to date on news about work and exhibitions.

 

I'd like to dedicate this blog post to Ozzie the Bearded Dragon, Charlie the Chameleon and Moss the Guinea Pig.

The Power of Pets: A Street Cat named Bob and other stories

Sorry that I haven't posted for a while, I have a couple of blogs I haven't finished writing which should be up soon, one on The Knitting & Stitching Show at Ally Pally, and another on Image Theft - a subject that affects people I know and really makes me cross.

Right now though, what I'm going to waffle on about is cats.

I've just finished reading James Bowen's 'A Street Cat named Bob'

 

In case you haven't read it, it is James' telling of the true story of his meeting (or being chosen by) Bob the cat, nursing Bob back to health, and how Bob then returned the favour by effectively 'nursing' James back to health. James is very honest about his problems; recovery from drug addiction, estrangement from his family and his life busking and selling The Big Issue on the streets of London.
 

Bob's role in James' life is pivotal. The responsibility of having another mouth to feed, however small, and the love and companionship Bob provides, give James the sense of purpose and motivation to get free of his addiction and to earn a wage in a relatively safe and legal manner (as a Big Issue vendor). As a result, his attitude towards life in general and his relationship with his family improve greatly, with amazing results; he even takes a trip to Australia to see his mother for the first time in about 10 years.

I wouldn't want to be as crass as to equate my problems with James', I'm certainly not homeless or addicted, but I can identify hugely with how a cat can make such a positive change in a person's life.
 

After struggling for as long as I can remember with mental health problems (from at least 9-10 years old) and having been Misdiagnosed as 'depressed' for the last eight years, I have within the last month been given a proper diagnosis, and will be able to access the treatment I need to manage (it is not possible to 'cure') my condition.

The link between homelessness and mental health problems is well known (this BBC article estimates a third of the homeless have 'serious' mental health issues such as personality disorders and figure as as high as 8 in 10 can be given when mental issues such as anxiety and depression are included) and the condition I have been diagnosed with gives a built-in predilection towards addiction and substance abuse; something which I can't claim I am entirely innocent of. I also (like James and many who are homeless) have some spectacularly poor family relationships, so when I read a story like his, it really is 'but for the grace of God go I'.

 

I decided almost exactly two years ago to get myself a pet - against the advice of friends, one of whom said "FFS! you can't even feed yourself let alone an a bloody cat!" James had a similar reaction from a friend when he wanted to take Bob the cat in.

 

I can't count the number of times over the last two years when I have looked at the cat and said "It's OK, I'll find a way to keep a roof over OUR heads" or stopped myself doing something stupid or harmful for fear of what would happen to my pet if I wasn't about (being kept in a pound, starving to death, or worse - being forced to eat my dead body to survive! My brain can be very melodramatic at times).

I'm useless with money, usually something bounces, either the rent or bills, and if those do get paid then there's not quite enough money for food or I have no phone credit, and then the 'unauthorised overdraft fees' or whatever come out. I'm impulsive, reckless, sometimes downright stupid. I have a lousy temper, useless memory, Insomnia or constant drowsiness, severe depression. People often don't know about the physical effects a mental illness can have on a person, constant headaches, sickness, low immune system. I often hardly have the energy to get out of bed, and no it's not laziness. It's hard to keep a job down, even harder to organise my finances or muster the energy or enthusiasm to deal with problems like the rent or bills.

But whatever happens I always have my little fuzzball; he'll cuddle up when I'm feeling lousy in bed, or he'll tell me it's time to get up and feed him (usually by sticking a claw up my nose). I make sure that whatever happens there is always enough cat food & litter for him, and this in itself requires a sort of organisation. He's company, he's comfort, he's motivation to get up and deal with the day, he's motivation to sort myself out and keep a roof over my head. What I'm trying to say is that he keeps me going. Even at times when I would have given in and given up, my cat has given me a reason to keep fighting. Sometimes I don't think I would have done if he wasn't about.

At one point in the book James describes Bob as his 'Baby'. I feel the same about my cat, life with him makes all the difference and the bond and love is as strong as anything.

If you haven't read this book, I suggest that you do.

For another incredible story about the healing difference a cat makes in someones life, read Cleo by Helen Brown (and if you can find it elsewhere but Amazon, please do: support your local independent bookshop).
 

Support your local Big Issue seller - they really are helping someone help themselves. The recession has hit vendors hard so if you can, forgo 1 cup of coffee a week or a gossip magazine and buy the Big Issue instead. It's full of great stuff.

If you are local to South East Kent the Folkestone Winter Shelter is in it's 4th year and desperately needs your help. The project no longer has it's own van or storage facility and locals are fundraising for this - read Barcode1966's blog  here for more information. Fundraising events and other ways you can help will be on the first link above.

If you live elsewhere in the UK, have a look at Shelter's website for ways to help the homeless, or for help if you are facing the prospect of losing your home yourself. The Salvation Army also do incredible work in Folkestone, and up and down the country. Find out more information about their Hostel and 'Lifehouse' projects here.

This Christmas maybe you could consider making a charity donation on someones behalf instead of buying them a gift. I used homeless charity Centrepoint and the RSPCA's Animalternative last year (the RSPCA provided Bob with much needed veterinary care) amongst others, and there are a variety of virtual charity gifts you can give to different organisations. Money Saving Expert suggest a few here. It is a 2011 list but most of the links still work.

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A quote from 'Cleo' by Helen Brown:

'People persuade themselves they deserve easy lives, that being human makes us somehow exempt from pain. The theory works fine until we face the inevitable challenges. Our conditioning of denial in no way equips us to deal with the difficult times that not one of us escapes.

Cleo's motto seemed to be: Life's tough and that's okay because life is also fantastic. Love it, live it - but don't be fooled into thinking it's not harsh sometimes. Those who've survived periods of bleakness are often better at savouring good times and wise enough to understand that the good times are actually great.'