09.12.09
Busy days
Very little time for blogging or sleeping these days... I am working hard on my school assignments and making new things for an upcoming Christmas market. Everything will be available in my Etsy shop in case you are not in Barcelona on the 19th of December... And on top of all that, the thing that makes me happier and stresses me more than anything else... I am looking for a new apartment in Barcelona, because my boyfriend is finally moving here very soon! Wish me good luck.
06.12.09
Embroidery inspiration: yellow
More pictures from a book on top of my wish list: Broderies.
05.12.09
Embroidery inspiration: white
Some pictures from one of the most inspirational book I've seen lately, Broderies.
25.11.09
Thai Textiles
I went to visit an exhibition about Thai Textiles in Casa Asia, a fantastic Asian cultural centre in Barcelona. Apart from organizing events and courses, they have a specialised library and media archive and three floors dedicated to exhibitions, all inside Palau Barò de Quadras, a beautiful Art Nouveau (Modernisme) building with a gorgeous view over the city centre. You can have a quick look at the exhibition and the building in this video.
18.11.09
Dionne Swift, textile artist
(picture from http://www.craftmaker.co.uk/dionneswift/)
My favorite artist exhibition at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Dublin was the one by Dionne Swift. The first picture is one of her devore works on velvet. She also sells kits to experiment this technique and teaches textile art workshops in her studio.
(pictures from www.dionneswift.co.uk)
These are two of her collagraphic prints on thick felt. Being used to see this kind of work on paper, I find that the surface of felt really gives it a very interesting dimension. Loved them.
12.11.09
A fibre loot
Last week I visited the Knitting and Stitching Show at RDS in Dublin. I dedicated a day and a half to the show, the first day to see the exhibitions and browse the stalls and the second day to buy things. I thought it was a good way to avoid rushing through the shops and buying on impulse (and spending too much...) Looking at this picture and considering this is just a small part of the things I bought I am not completely sure that I succeded on my saving plan.
But I couldn't resist buying this lovely shades of merino wool and silk mix. These and the beautiful yellow ochre wool come from The Yarn Room (online sales too, with free shipping in Ireland!). The two spools come from Texere Yarns, from which I bought some other merino fibre for dyeing and spinning/felting and some silk as well. Of course I couldn't give up on some fabric (at Rags for Linda) for future items for my Etsy shop....
And my visit to the bookshops couldn't be unproductive, of course. I got a really good book of history of textiles (that is one of my subjects at school at the moment) and a second hand book from the 70s about lacemaking (The Gentle Needle Arts), as well as a very long list of other books I'd love to buy in the future. These two come from the Embroiderer's Guild bookshop and Sew Good Books.
The next day after the show, when I was walking around in the city centre, I popped into The Yellow Brick Shop and I found they were having a fire sale, with many items being sold at half price... but that's another story. Let's say that fortunately I had a 10 kg limit on my hand baggage.
11.11.09
A taste of autumn in Dublin
I was back in the dirty old town for five days. I met my friends, went to my favorite places, visited the Knitting and Stitching Show, got dripping wet, then a sore throat and a cold, and ate some delicious carrot cake. I loved being there again.
23.10.09
Etsy favourites: autumn in the kitchen
1. Retro Hornsea 'Bronte' Tureen by RummageInTheJumble. 2. Mr. B's Yellow Teapot by ModernNest. 3. Saffron Hornsea Teapot by Ladiesandgentlemen. 4. Large Footed Cup by ModishVintage.
21.10.09
Street culture
Since I came back to Spain I am fascinated by the amount and the kind of things people throw away. All these things should be inside the rubbish container, but for some reason very often they are just left around the place... Every morning on my way to school I walk across Gracia district and I make new discoveries like this, so I keep my camera ready. I suppose it's the 'out of context' feel that attracts me of all these poor things abandoned in the street.
18.10.09
A day at the market
I spent all Saturday morning at the very popular flea market Els Encants in Barcelona.
They sell absolutely everything you can imagine, old and new.
I'll come back another day to buy some fabrics and trimmings. This time my only purchase was this packet of lovely oily and overly sweet churros.
11.10.09
Etsy favourites: olive green
1. Wool Wrapped Bangles by mysticfibers; 2. Meadowgrass under Floodwater scarf by easternsky; 3. Green Meadow Pouch by oktak; 4. Olive Green Crocheted Earrings by FebystanDesigns.
05.10.09
I was the lucky winner
This is probably the most gorgeous pincushion ever, and it was generously given to me by Mitch in a giveaway she organized on her blog in August to celebrate the summer. It's just perfectly made and smells of lovely lavender scent. If you want to make one for yourself check out this tutorial and for more beautiful stuff made by her don't miss mqsquare, the Etsy shop.
Thanks again, Mitch!
30.09.09
Ok, let's do something now...
I am new to Barcelona so I don't know if it is just this time of the year or here the festivals, celebrations and holidays are really non stop. Since I came one month ago I've been enjoying lots of outdoor events, the latest of them due to Barcelona's main festival, la Mercè. I don't have pictures of all the street parades, concerts and shows I've seen, but these two examples of the human castles in Plaza Sant Jaume last Sunday will give you an idea of it. Breathtaking, isn't it?
Some vintage posters of this celebration from the 50's, in a shop window.
Well, in case someone is thinking about the lazy Spanish stereotype let's say that the party is over and it's time for hard work now. At least for me. I am beginning a 2-year full time course of Textile Printing at Llotja school with very intense classes on drawing, printing, designing, weaving and history of textiles. I'm very excited about it. Here is the beginning of my first project on a vertical loom.
19.09.09
Spain coast to coast
Well, it seems that my life is going back to normal after a month of holidays/relocation from Dublin. I arrived to Barcelona two weeks ago and I've been so busy since then: I spent three days going around the whole city to view rooms to rent, then I had to sit the entry exam for a course on Textile Printing I want to attend this year (and I passed, yay!) and of course I had a pile of boxes to unpack. Anyway I managed to spend some time just wandering around and enjoying the last days of summer.
Before I came to Barcelona I spent a few weeks at my parent's house in Galicia, Northwestern Spain, and since my luggage was heavy and the flight tickets expensive I decided to travel to Barcelona by train: 1341 kilometres, 13 hours. Sounds hard but it wasn't that bad. I really love travelling by train and I think this route is specially enjoyable, although long. It goes from coast to coast, so in the morning you say goodbye to the Atlantic ocean and in the evening you say hello to the Mediterranean sea, and during the day you go through many different landscapes. I had a lot of time so I took pictures along the journey:
Bye bye Atlantic
The morning on River Sil
Goodbye to green Galicia
Lunchtime in Castilla's flatlands
Flatlands? who said flatlands?
Siesta time by the little church
Journey planners don't know what a straight line means... here we go up to the Basque Country...
And by dinner time we are in.... ehhhh... I don't really know... Turkey maybe??
oh, I hope this is not Barcelona...
And then it's too dark for pictures but the Mediterranean is there and the city is coming...
20.08.09
Sunny days and no internet
I am now in Spain, enjoying a real summer with high temperatures, picnics and trips to the beach. I don’t have an internet connection at the moment, so regular blogging will be difficult in the next weeks. As soon as I have my own place and proper internet access I’ll blog about these beautiful holidays. Today, just a few pictures of a picnic by the lake not far from here.
