Work by Chiharu Shiota from the Lost in Lace exhibition I managed to catch at The Gas Hall in Birmingham. Finishes in a couple of weeks, get along if you can.

Adore Maissa Toulet’s Curiosity Cabinets via Design Milk.

Also from Maissa above.

So unhappy that a New Year virus prevented me from visiting Grayson Perry’s The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman. Happily there is a wonderful book to accompany the exhibition. I love the page (above) entitled The gardener and the Bear (from a manuscript of The Lights of Canopus by al-Kashifi). The man has done the bear a good turn and in reward for the man’s kindness, the bear seeks to kill a fly on his face with a stone. The inscription reads: ‘A clever enemy is better than a stupid friend’. Delightful!

Hold your beliefs lightly indeed. The exhibition has been extended until 26 February.

I spend a fair bit of time melting silver these days, I can also be found admiring my tools, I especially like my ring mandrel and hammers. Pop back to see what the unprepossessing bit of metal becomes (if it works!).

I managed my first market after 2 years of making-hooray for me! I need to tweak my ‘look’ a little, too much going on all at once, but it was a happy experience. I am currently in bed with suspected glandular fever- not hooray for me! Back into things again next week with luck, emails, photo shoot and guests. Thanks for stopping by.

Thankful to have help from my sister Ali & her boyfriend, Mark. Can you tell that they have hangovers from the night before?

Thirsty work!

Ishi’s craft fair face, he really hates them you know. Don’t forget to pop along to the Magpie Market if you are in Edinburgh tomorrow, fabulous goodies and a few bits by LL&O on The Spider & The Fly stall. Details here.

My creatures for Plush You LA at Munky King have flown off to California. The show opens on 26th August at Munky King, 7308 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90046. As usual I find myself wishing I could attend, if you make it, take some pictures for me! I can’t wait to see all the plush excellence on display, I think it is going to be an amazing show. Above and below: Fish Boy-The Shaman, The Sad Fate of Mau of the Octopod Clan and Theodore the Stevedore.

Mau looked very different originally. Upright, with a little helmet, claw socks and gloves-she didn’t look right to me when she was finished. I think I made my pattern much too thin, tried to replicate the slightly wonky aspect of my initial drawing. I was so upset by my perceived ‘failure’ that I almost cried with frustration (it *was* gone 3am!) & then I decided to chop her head off & change her story. Gory, perhaps a little Grand Guignol, but she works much better for me now. In fact I feel very protective of her, I hope she goes to a caring home.

Isn’t ‘stevedore’ the most magical word, euphonious, easy on the ear? I’m pretty sure I first came across it in a song by The Small Faces, the tale of Rene, the docker’s delight! Theodore really couldn’t have had any other job, it fits him like a pair of claw gloves.

I came across this image of a Stevedore on the New York Waterfront over at the MoMA website. I like the look of this gentleman, he reminds me a little of my Great Grandad, whose name was Percival Varnum, a fine Victorian name, always shortened to Perce, never Percy! Perce had the prickliest mustache, like porcupine quills and the twinkliest eyes I have ever seen, roguish and full of life. As I mentioned in a previous post I have been tossing the idea of producing a winter collection around, thoughts of Perce are proving to be an inspiration. Think Alec Scudder in Maurice (below).

Probably the most famous Stevedore in popular culture, Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando) in On The Waterfront.

I haven’t written a thing about the Fish Boy, I guess he is self explanatory and I wanted to use those feathers so badly! Wish them all a happy voyage if you please.

Image heavy post alert! We visited The Spider & The Fly today at 65 Bread Street, Edinburgh, oh my what a wonderful space. Emily (Lost in The Forest & Magpie Market) has done an amazing job, the shop is packed with incredibly special handmade goods and has such a happy energy about it, a little parlour belonging to a lady with incredibly good taste. The Spider & The Fly is a welcome addition to the string of independent boutiques, galleries and bookshops that run from the top end of Bread Street, along the West Port up to Victoria Street and Candlemaker Row. You must pop along for a visit if you are in the area, I discovered some new to me makers and designers & even snatched up a couple of items. I was very remiss and didn’t take down the details of all the treats that caught my eye. Gives me a good excuse to return next week for a full list of vendors. There were many more favourites that I can’t include in this post as the light was a bit tricky and the pictures didn’t turn out well. I hope you enjoy the small sample of goodies I did manage to capture. There are loads more images here too! Owl Embroidery above by Angharad Jefferson , bear by Alice Gabb.

Hmm, did I forget to mention that you can see (and buy!) some bits and pieces by Lou Lou & Oscar too!

It was wonderful to see some of the embroidery work of Cathy Cullis in person, truly exquisite.

I bought this bird pillow by Heart Zeena & some notecards by Alice Gabb, upon who I have a pretty serious craft crush!

Above and below some new pieces, yay oval and metal hoops, I made for The Spider & The Fly. Speed along to check them out if you please.

I finished my pieces for Plush You LA last night, there were almost tears and an actual cat plush decapitation. Oh, the drama. But that is for another post. Kisses kittens.

Above and below, my pieces for Lost at Sea.

I am so excited about the show, it opens next week, here are all of the details, if you happen to be in New York go and check it out.

Lost at Sea: daring fiber artists delve into the deep, May 6 – June 11 2010, Gallery Hanahou / 611 Broadway, Suite 730, NYC / Opening reception: Thursday, May 6, 7-9 pm RSVP info@galleryhanahou.com

Artists include: Anna Hrachovec, Annie Aube, APAK, Becky Stern, Cindy Steiler, Coco Howard of Softlife, Cotton Monster, Diem Chau, Dixie Darling, Erin Paisley, Heidi Kenney, Helle Jorgensen, Hine Mizushima, Jenny Dubish, Jenny Harada, Jenny Hart, Jessica Marquez, Jill Bliss, Joetta Maue, Katya Usvitsky, Kristen Rask, Lou Lou & Oscar, Margaret Oomen, Melissa Sue Stanley, Moxie, mummysam, Nicole Licht, Pamela Davis, Sara Lanzillotta. Sayuri Sasaki Hemann. Snaggs, Yoko Nomura, Zoe Williams

“There is something about the malleability and textures of fabric, thread, and yarn that speaks of the sea and its many mysteries. Curated by Kristen Rask of Schmancy and “Plush You,” “Lost at Sea” gathers 32 exciting artists who share underwater visions of items lost, creatures forgotten, and life that struggles to stay with us. The show will feature a broad array of amusing and uncanny works in embroidery, plush, and other materials.”

Looks super cool huh!

I had planned to send some ‘products’ along with my pieces but the move and my sinuses got in the way. So, look out for some prints and postcards hitting the shop in the next few weeks.

While I am here I should really let you know that we made it to Edinburgh in one piece despite volcanic ash and lurgey bugs, I am currently deaf in one ear which is highly amusing (for others) and disorientating for me, I am out of love with my sinuses, the cause of the deafness. It is amazing up here, I have found some interesting bookshops and galleries and will make my first foray into the local art/craft scene tomorrow with a visit to the Morningside Makers market. The market is conveniently located one street down from our new place, I have booked a table for September so it will be a bit of a fact finding mission too. I hope to get the camera out and begin collecting some images of our new stamping ground, we are still surrounded by boxes and need to put our book shelves together. Oh, and I have learnt that parquet flooring, tiny hands and breakable objects do not get along! It is so nice to be back, I missed you.

You can read a mini interview with me over at Calm Air All Ice ahead of the exhibition Fifty Two. I have just worked out that ‘Calm Air All Ice’ is an anagram of the names of the two curators, Claire and Camilla. I feel a little dense now!

I love this sad ghost guy by Marcel Dzama.

I love 100000 Years of Revenge too. I may never have discovered the work of Canadian artist Marcel Dzama if it weren’t for an exhibition I am taking part in next month.

Calm Air All Ice are curating the exhibition entitled Fifty Two which will run from 28th of March- 3rd of April at Room 212 in Bristol. I am so excited to be taking part in my first show based in the UK! The premise of the show is quite ambitious, Claire & Camilla have invited Fifty Two artists and makers from around the world to take part. Fifty two, that is going to be a lot of work to hang, especially as the gallery is the smallest in Bristol! I read the mini interviews with some of the artists taking part over on the Fifty Two blog and clicked a link to Dzama’s work. I confess that I haven’t written my interview yet, soon, soon. Pop on over to Calm Air All Ice, you may discover a new love too.

I had some postcards made of the fish boys and the two wall hangings pictured above and below. It was so exciting seeing my work in a new format, I think I am going to make some prints next. Oh yes!