first I would like to say thank you to the many people who commented on my last post in a supportive and understanding way, your comments are very much appreciated, I am very aware that many people have difficult conditions to garden in and many only have very small gardens, I am constantly grateful that in later life I have been able to have a large garden area, I am even more aware of those people who have no garden and do understand how they feel as I had no garden for most of my life, it comes as no surprise to me that the 2 comments that lacked understanding and support came from gardeners with large well cultivated gardens they have had the luxury of enjoying for several decades,
last year I sorted out my City and Guilds Embroidery and Quilting folders, I threw away most of the written stuff as I will not need it again but kept the many samples I had worked as I thought I might be able to make some of them into cards, I also have lots of painted papers and found I had these bookmarks I had forgotten I’d bought, so made a few bookmarks,
and some cards,
and found this snowdrop embroidery, so I have snowdrops of a different kind,
I had made 3 and after hunting on my computer found a photo of the other two which are long gone,
©Copyright 2012 Frances Caple. All rights reserved. Content created by Frances Caple for Island Threads.
What lovely work Frances. Gorgeous textures on these pieces. Did you make printed copies of cards from photos or are those all individually made textiles?
thanks Marguerite, they are all textiles, I did some C&G courses in the 80s and 90s and we had to make samples to show we could do the various techniques, so I am reworking them as cards, Frances
Wow! Your Craft work is lovely…especially like the cards.
thanks Bridget, Frances
What industry! These must be very time consuming crafts.
thanks Lucy, they were time consumming when I did them but now I am just re working them into cards and things instead of just throwing them away, Frances
Hi Frances, please let us see more of your work. I loved the snowdrops.
Christine.
thanks Christine, there is quite a lot in the achives of the blog but as most of it was done before I started using catagories it’s hard to find, Frances
Frances I so love your textiles and what creativity with cards, bookmarks and those cute snowdrops…I have no talent for sewing or working with any textiles…and I have tried…I hope thing shave turned a bit for you in the right direction…we have snow and cold with howling winds gusting to 50 mph but nothing like yours…frozen and flooded again but I think tomorrow we are warming to the 40s…I am looking forward to seeing your beautiful lupines this year :)
thanks Donna, I might get stronger winds than you but I never get the cold, snow and freezing you have, 50mph is no fun and with the cold the wind chill must be very cold!! I planted some lupin seed in 2 other places too so I’m hoping they grow but we will see, Frances
It can be hard sometimes reading and commenting on garden blogs, people dip in and out and dont’ always get where you are coming from. I find your blog fascinating as you garden in such harsh conditions – keep up the good work
thanks Helen, Frances
You are a true artist, in so many senses, Frances. I love to look at your textile art, too. Maybe I’ll delve into your archives deeper and take a look at more. I’ve always wanted to make a “crazy quilt” like my great grandmother made (and handed down to me) with bits and pieces of her family’s clothing as the material. But alas I’ve never gotten organized to the point of doing it. I still kind of hope I will some day. I love things made out of pattern and fabric.
thanks Bex, as you followed me on the BBC island blogging you will have seen a lot of the work in the archives,
Bex don’t think quilt as the thought of something so large can be off putting just think one block at a time, you’re retired now so no more procrastinating ;o)
I have work made from fabric left over from clothes making and my mum and an aunt gave me their scrapes the quilts made with these might not be the most stylish but they are the ones with most meaning, Frances
Beautiful designs and creations, Frances. I never worked in textiles mainly because sewing and embroidery etc. are not a talent I have at all. My mom could do these things wonderfully. She was a seamstress. I really like your cards, they are very special. I read your post below too on gardening and am glad your crafting projects will tide you over until the weather gets a little more agreeable.
thanks Donna, you are brilliant at photography, we can’t expect to do everything, Frances
Hi Frances, well your definitely not a one trick pony. Now as you can imagine after reading your current post I just had to see what I missed on the last one. Well, talk about laugh, cmon you know what I mean, we Scots are at our best when we are whinging either about ourselves or others unfortunate enough to live in the warmer sunnier climes down south. Why don’t you move to the drier sunnier and less windy east coast. I know, its colder here, well so they say but the weather forecast for the whole of the Winter has suggested differently. I think tomorrow I will spend the whole day tending my Spring plants in the comfort of the 17c temp which is expected. Now don’t you go falling out with me or I will regret this comment for the remainder of my life.
thanks Alistair for you comment on my cards,
I’m not laughing, no I don’t know what you mean and perhaps that’s because I’m not all Scot but have a mix of the 3 Welsh/English/Scots, I’m not whinging, if I wanted to whinge I could write a post everyday in that vain, I don’t though and only write when something happens that pushes me over,
I was born and grew up in *that* south but didin’t realise until I moved here how much the media is centred in the south as if the UK doesn’t exist north of Birmingham, just thankful there is a BBC radio Scotland,
I’m not falling out with anyone but it would be nice if people who have had gardens for a long time, gardens that are well cultivated either left a possitive comment or by passed my post, when I say positive I don’t mean telling me I should move or see my island through their computer screens,
as I said it comes as no surprise to me, Frances
Oh Frances, you have created your own beautiful garden with your find of the embroidery…lovely. Although the temperatures have been milder than most winters, we have still had those cold snaps–however short. This weather has been very unsettling, and I am still trying to find peace with it.
thanks Michelle, I’ve noticed from blog reading that the more northerly part of the north American continent is flushing hot and cold must be playing havoc with some plants and wildlife, I hope you will have peace soon, Frances
Beautiful work! I especially love your cards with the yo-yo circles on them… I began a yo-yo quilt years ago for my first daughter, she is almost 6 now and I hope to have it done before she is married in 20 years :) I am not a diligent or accomplished quilter, but I enjoy it from time to time.
I hope that spring soon shines on you in earnest~
Julie
thanks Julie, lol I found when sorting out last year some blocks I’d made in the 70s for a quilt for my daughter she is now in her 40s! Frances
I was intrigued by the title with your blog, Frances. It read “The first hummingbird of the Season” I came to the conclusion that it wasn’t your title…..
is that on blotanical? sometimes the feeds get muddled up, I used to report it to Stuart but don’t bother any more, no hummingbirds, Frances
these are so lovely Frances and the kind of thing that takes my fancy at Craft fairs. Just wondered if you ever sold your creative projects – or even bartered them with the plant stall?!
thanks Laura, I take a few things to a craft shop on Harris, Frances