above & below

And this is the updated photo. Not quite the whole sample; but most of it.

This is one of the samples I'm making. Fabric collages. This one is called 'My Family' and the fabric comes from my dad, and my brother. It has frayed edges. Lots of frayed edges. That we regularly find in families.

 As above......

.........So below.
The sky in March was spectacular. Not today though; we've had 3 days of pollution warnings, and grey, grey skies. Like being stuck in a gloomy November. It feels like a time machine; we're in April, and heading towards spring, yet the world feels as though it's winter....brrrrrr.
Those daffodils were caught on a day of brilliant sunshine. The daffs are almost gone now; but other plants are coming through. I've planted seeds; peas, beans, lettuce, courgettes, tomatoes, peppers. Some are in pots, and on windowsills, some directly into my raised bed, and protected by glass. I'm looking to the future; yet aware of the past.
My mum would receive daffodils from the Mothering Sunday church service. It was Mother's Day last Sunday. I took flowers to the grave where her ashes are. I put some daffodils in. She still had them, for Mother's Day.

heart

Stitch on tweed.
Hell to photograph!
The patterns on the tweed play havoc with the pixilations of the digital camera-phone. In 'real-life' as opposed to digital-life, the scarlet stitching stands out much better.
I started this after the 14th of February, Valentine's Day; after seeing lots of images all over the web. And thinking about the samples I'm working on currently; how they're actually telling an oblique story. So I decided this would be less oblique, and more obvious. It's not completed; but it will tell a story that includes words, and it will make reference to recent life-events. All this work will go in an exhibition for Wakefield's November Artwalk. It feels quite uncomfortable to be making work which will (for me) be so revealing.
The heart in the stitches is whole. The work is about heartbreak. The tweed comes from my dad, who died 20 years ago. Passed onto me by Rob, after my mum died last July. Weaving connections.

cake....& eat it too

For my mum's funeral tea, I asked my friend Pauline to make a cake in commemoration, and celebration.
I think Pauline's classy white icing, and silver writing looked good. It went down a treat! Mum would've enjoyed it; she had a real sweet tooth!

Mum's garden

On the day mum's house was emptied, I stood in her garden, and took this photo of her day lillies; the shadows on the parched grass. Some day lillies have come with me, and been re-planted in my garden. Lots of watering to get them established.