tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40796597047582178382024-03-20T12:28:14.228-07:00The Adventures of Trixie Delitea journey of creative discoveryTrixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-41192778487864569582014-03-07T07:04:00.001-08:002014-03-07T07:04:51.256-08:00Skull-A-Day: 3D Quilted Skull<a href="http://skulladay.blogspot.com/2014/03/3d-quilted-skull.html?spref=bl">Skull-A-Day: 3D Quilted Skull</a>: I'm excited to see that my skull has been featured on the excellent Skull-A-Day blog!Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-1926095133610551062014-02-26T04:39:00.001-08:002014-02-26T04:50:16.802-08:00Psychopomp Skull<br />
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I came up with the idea of making a richly decorative 3D quilted skull during a meditation. Thanks Deepak! My initial inspiration for the skull was from reading about psychopomps (from Wikipedia: literally meaning the "guide of souls" psychopomps are creatures, spirits, angels, or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls to the afterlife). I intended to make a psychopomp skull for my beloved grandmother, to whom I was very close as a child but sadly she died 30 years ago. As the project progressed it emerged that it was more about transformation. The skull represents death and darkness - I made it in the depth of winter while feeling desolate and heartbroken after the end of a brief but intense relationship. As the warmth and light of spring approached and I found some acceptance for my situation, I created the flowers and butterflies which represent growth, hope and transformation. I was inspired by Carl Jung's theory of 'the gold in the shadow': his belief that what consciousness rejects is often the stuff of life that may give it its highest value. </div>
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"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious" - Jung. </div>
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I wanted to transform the skull (an object that is generally regarded as morbid and creepy) into a thing of beauty. </div>
<pre wrap=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtT8cTsY4wunM8teE0F_4Ik6hHHptPQBWYI19rFAKy8FMfkaHLPgg8Ff0-CPLPmjsOmyesDpAk4FlMQvwBcAWoPzt3WMZkwpaLQGFx7DYJD1meFpOK1zJzz9iddXIcEdZpzTERqk4O-EL/s1600/skull3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Psychopomp Skull</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Profile of skull</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close up of flowers</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><pre wrap=""></pre>
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Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-51862527241421581162014-02-17T08:26:00.000-08:002014-02-26T10:11:18.088-08:00Mini Quilts inspired by my grandmotherI haven't updated my blog for a long time but I have been busy creating.
Last year I enrolled on a year long textiles course at the City Lit in
London which I found very inspiring. The quality of the teaching was
incredible and I was lucky enough to be taught by a textile artist I
already admired, <a href="http://www.62group.org.uk/artist/louise-baldwin/" target="_blank">Louise Baldwin</a>. I stitched two mini quilts inspired by my grandmother.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Epitaph</td></tr>
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This piece was made from a selection of my grandmother's old fabric
scraps alongside some others I have in my extensive stash. I printed a
photo of her on a scrap of the nightdress I wore when I was in hospital
after giving birth to my twins. The embroidered text is from her
epitaph, written by my mother. You can find a larger resolution image on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/goatgirl/9174748000/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> page.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fragments of memories</td></tr>
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The mini quilt above was made entirely with fabric that belonged to
my grandmother. The hexagon fabric is offcuts of 1970s floral fabrics
left over from dressmaking projects, some of it Liberty prints. I used
copies of old photos from her photo album and postcards and letters that
I had received from my grandmother as a child as templates and kept
them visible instead of just using their shape and discarding them as it
usually doen with hexagon quilts. The hexagons were then sewn onto an
old lacy textile piece that I inherited. A larger resolution image of this is on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/goatgirl/9174743422/in/photostream/" target="_blank">Flickr</a> page.<br />
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There is an earlier post about my grandmother, Kate Frank AKA Omeli <a href="http://trixiedelite.blogspot.co.uk/2008/06/my-first-project-as-newly-recovered.html" target="_blank">here</a>. Yes it took me about five years to get around to starting on this project. It isn't the end either so watch this space!<br />
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Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-55533481280437296052012-01-16T12:19:00.000-08:002012-01-16T12:19:08.999-08:00Happy New YearI decided to start 2012 by creating a vision board to visually represent my intentions for this momentous year. I love collaging, as someone who struggles with crippling perfectionism I find it a freeing and inspiring way to work. It's something that anyone can do regardless of artistic ability (which is something I believe we all have access to!).<br />
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<br />Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-71446332904781290172011-09-30T04:19:00.000-07:002014-02-20T08:16:42.242-08:00Lost Gardens of Heligan<div style="text-align: center;">
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I have visited Cornwall a few times over the years and this year I finally got the opportunity to visit the magical Lost Gardens of Heligan. Here are some of my photos, with a bit of Photoshop witchery…</div>
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Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-35041039799176147082011-09-20T02:05:00.000-07:002011-09-20T02:05:26.126-07:00Wedding Cushion<br />
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I am often stumped when it comes to choosing wedding presents, so when my friend Tracy got married earlier this month I decided to make her something that was more of a sentimental keepsake rather than buy her a toaster or whatever. I believe it is much nicer to receive something handmade and I prefer to use my time making something myself rather than traipsing through shopping centres or trawling the internet. For my textiles projects I have made myself a rule that I can only use fabrics that I already have (as far as possible) so I dug out some shiny silks that I bought in India 15 years ago and matched them with other fabrics I had lying around. The middle heart is red velour, as is the cushion. My favourite heart is the one in the top right corner which was from an old shirt that got ripped. I ironed the hearts onto Bondaweb and bonded them to wool from an old grey cardigan that I boil washed so it wouldn't unravel. Then I machine stitched around the hearts and couched some recycled silk sari thread around the middle heart. Tracy's name is embroidered in chain stitch and Ali's using the machine. To finish it off I blanket stitched the wool onto a cushion that I cheated and bought. I was in a hurry and wasn't sure if my cushion making skills were good enough for a special wedding present!<br />
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<br />Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-90527616920085543582011-09-16T06:28:00.000-07:002011-09-16T06:47:42.544-07:00My Inspirations: Jessica OgdenAbout ten years ago, at the end of my first year studying Textile Design at Chelsea College of Art, I managed to secure a placement at one of my favourite fashion designers' studio - Jessica Ogden. I had first seen her work at Fabric of Fashion: a Crafts Council exhibition in 2000. I was struck by the earthy simplicity and inventiveness of her designs; she created dresses from vintage linen tea towels (back when the word vintage was far less ubiquitous!) and old 1970s Clothkits fabric. It was almost anti-fashion - much of her designs used recycled fabrics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiWU1HB94u0qXrQQ8L8DKqZqCuKleQ-AS58fjJJC_2O_28RHwFqhyJNzk4iwElON4bnhBxtZUpccR2Uqe-ipIwY5hlVcdcUuT8J5xcNqk4TGAhePXgpdz2S4h0Zy1Zu2IdKM8EcM1bdbT/s1600/clothkits+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOiWU1HB94u0qXrQQ8L8DKqZqCuKleQ-AS58fjJJC_2O_28RHwFqhyJNzk4iwElON4bnhBxtZUpccR2Uqe-ipIwY5hlVcdcUuT8J5xcNqk4TGAhePXgpdz2S4h0Zy1Zu2IdKM8EcM1bdbT/s320/clothkits+dress.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress made from old Clothkits fabric</td></tr>
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So I was delighted to spend the summer working in her studio. I don't think that I realised at the time what a huge influence her work would become. I sat there distressing skirts with sandpaper and then darning them, to give them the appearance of a WWII relic. I used a smocking machine to make a beautiful gathered silk skirt. Tattered old quilts were cut up and transformed into jackets. I was seduced by the character and history of these ancient textiles. I had just written an essay on sustainable fashion - which seemed to me to be an oxymoron, and came to the conclusion that the least damaging to the environment was to recycle old fabrics. The word upcycle was yet to be invented.<br />
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I helped dress the models at her fashion show and took some photographs...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhg23TBw0W8_e7-i-ml6Uo07-hGnXvdjkc2SDdEbPs6_uehyphenhyphenff0JVOHQUnNqr_Ub4OA-8-lpLGZ0QZyt9s3YKPXytLlr9Iduf9k2yqtqFcvcNYiitMS9crvgshfFZKOmd_lsS48NLMNrg/s1600/patch+skirt+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhg23TBw0W8_e7-i-ml6Uo07-hGnXvdjkc2SDdEbPs6_uehyphenhyphenff0JVOHQUnNqr_Ub4OA-8-lpLGZ0QZyt9s3YKPXytLlr9Iduf9k2yqtqFcvcNYiitMS9crvgshfFZKOmd_lsS48NLMNrg/s320/patch+skirt+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand stitched patchwork skirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress made from vintage patchwork quilt top</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleated skirt with hand stitching</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3RQKLgx4VgumeDgHFoVzmmR2G58NPgVhbyiXY6_VjXwkxjGb8tBRiXw1_pIKjd-JVgcRwhvh8eZbC-Q8g8gkM7xE9uIaa7mWr4-5LBwj0NfcoRdoTCJTi6yGt-faydxgUyGEFno3GLpk/s1600/wedding+skirt+detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL3RQKLgx4VgumeDgHFoVzmmR2G58NPgVhbyiXY6_VjXwkxjGb8tBRiXw1_pIKjd-JVgcRwhvh8eZbC-Q8g8gkM7xE9uIaa7mWr4-5LBwj0NfcoRdoTCJTi6yGt-faydxgUyGEFno3GLpk/s320/wedding+skirt+detail.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smocked and hand stitched wedding skirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUgJSXTTw9KMZ0lFve_U-hPMVTKt6pE2jYmY45FqQRXmIoRmGbyT-VOeBNlodSpd195fxxx-BvTkQQ9yb4SWxRU6PB3FLeXeRaVQisnO1fYtCKmK0xilFt5Ps1QiLGpKleVUI1quFeaaX/s1600/chantel+in+patch+skirt2+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOUgJSXTTw9KMZ0lFve_U-hPMVTKt6pE2jYmY45FqQRXmIoRmGbyT-VOeBNlodSpd195fxxx-BvTkQQ9yb4SWxRU6PB3FLeXeRaVQisnO1fYtCKmK0xilFt5Ps1QiLGpKleVUI1quFeaaX/s320/chantel+in+patch+skirt2+.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patchwork skirt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzat21zOsMd3fMWth_K94-htpe-m58dBolcy7FvXXwrItAmFcOTS5pKRyWo9nNat5BxibXCnkZc9HEJzGog-CK_0ninA94oioXm_oxB0tzVAnQeEPAmHk9ExDC6Qnb05wKMGDI0_04W9UA/s1600/quilt+top+%2526+pink+skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzat21zOsMd3fMWth_K94-htpe-m58dBolcy7FvXXwrItAmFcOTS5pKRyWo9nNat5BxibXCnkZc9HEJzGog-CK_0ninA94oioXm_oxB0tzVAnQeEPAmHk9ExDC6Qnb05wKMGDI0_04W9UA/s320/quilt+top+%2526+pink+skirt.jpg" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacket made from vintage Durham quilt</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnFMOMbsjZEpQLylXYBxWtacIlRIGT9GFkiRJbMB6HNvx2f8jjWLwQeMvJirtZWj_hk-EHDL7mNJ4HBQtulq794fxgpydkhrfQunsnB9BqxEybSN8lgRCxMUkLwneBNHLZLfspw8emRjq/s1600/osana.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYnFMOMbsjZEpQLylXYBxWtacIlRIGT9GFkiRJbMB6HNvx2f8jjWLwQeMvJirtZWj_hk-EHDL7mNJ4HBQtulq794fxgpydkhrfQunsnB9BqxEybSN8lgRCxMUkLwneBNHLZLfspw8emRjq/s320/osana.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dress made from vintage patchwork quilt top</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC7lfrC2R8JzD7VZrf3N_vdEbXbsPPCXsJquIOweo7N-Qui5bS18Ojs1WOURqQjM-Wa-oX2gi9-NGWZllmJRXNKf2r8EUqop3KH4eXrGWGzzfjFdXalHtjXHRnGGAOmfi-dwPUo0uVFM3/s1600/wedding+outfit+tweak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvC7lfrC2R8JzD7VZrf3N_vdEbXbsPPCXsJquIOweo7N-Qui5bS18Ojs1WOURqQjM-Wa-oX2gi9-NGWZllmJRXNKf2r8EUqop3KH4eXrGWGzzfjFdXalHtjXHRnGGAOmfi-dwPUo0uVFM3/s320/wedding+outfit+tweak.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jessica adjusting the wedding outfit</td></tr>
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<br />Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-1930322220188506232008-07-22T04:50:00.000-07:002008-07-22T04:57:12.451-07:00'Making Pictures with Fabric' workshop with Janet Bolton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9tV8AGy7lAUro1cUOnonc_vJH9C0Ymqrmb1W_U6lfyVsIby0VDGJLO3sMpEf8bKYy7qVdSKz2nPxPeKK9AET1DWhyphenhyphennvZV1nnjS5lpe7NhSa_7pBMpgH4leen9ydnYPbVFw1XLuogD1Go/s1600-h/IMG_0422.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii9tV8AGy7lAUro1cUOnonc_vJH9C0Ymqrmb1W_U6lfyVsIby0VDGJLO3sMpEf8bKYy7qVdSKz2nPxPeKK9AET1DWhyphenhyphennvZV1nnjS5lpe7NhSa_7pBMpgH4leen9ydnYPbVFw1XLuogD1Go/s400/IMG_0422.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225805736888103778" border="0" /></a><br />I haven’t managed to add anything to my blog for a while, a combination of lack of energy and inspiration, the end of my Artist’s Way course and the group we were going to form fizzling out immediately, and a much needed trip to Spain to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday. All of which has interrupted my creative momentum. But last Saturday I treated myself to a on day workshop with textile artist Janet Bolton. A series of synchronicities led me to the college hosting the workshop – West Dean College, housed in a magnificent mansion, which is a set in beautiful gardens near Chichester, West Sussex. I was really excited about the course, as Janet Bolton is one of my favourite textile artists; her quirky, naïve embroidered pieces reflecting everyday country life are delightful. However I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before and the long drive to West Dean left me exhausted before I’d even started.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsQNbGCpiAChmH5nyTfl6VLJtFes8Ke3oG1-fnQqUy8YLhYjPmFPyu4P0BDka11ReiIS0vz5fomoUvUvaUDfjUxMat1BI1Dz1WE8PjqYYopDvBuTwTGSCf6X_Wdd9pTwJxhKGs6QKw6UX/s1600-h/IMG_0419.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsQNbGCpiAChmH5nyTfl6VLJtFes8Ke3oG1-fnQqUy8YLhYjPmFPyu4P0BDka11ReiIS0vz5fomoUvUvaUDfjUxMat1BI1Dz1WE8PjqYYopDvBuTwTGSCf6X_Wdd9pTwJxhKGs6QKw6UX/s400/IMG_0419.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225805430158578930" border="0" /></a><br />Luckily Janet is a very experienced and enthusiastic teacher and I learnt a lot in one day. She was trained as a fine artist so pays a huge amount of attention to colour and composition whereas I think my talents are more concerned with decoration. I started a piece inspired by a photo of the pavement. It’s still a work in progress but this is how far I got during the workshop:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcCaj5FDI6gI_gG7MMKNMG9asELYE3zqIp5_zRT0JyAODBFqFKNrQfmbniA17p1RGMhG6HmuIyraz_Cyo9vAYU-wk9MIBsIRpWXziG7t3MgoAwP6hPJbE3GNEIJx7Z5vM0Sf6qnQoTPlQ/s1600-h/IMG_0417.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBcCaj5FDI6gI_gG7MMKNMG9asELYE3zqIp5_zRT0JyAODBFqFKNrQfmbniA17p1RGMhG6HmuIyraz_Cyo9vAYU-wk9MIBsIRpWXziG7t3MgoAwP6hPJbE3GNEIJx7Z5vM0Sf6qnQoTPlQ/s400/IMG_0417.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225804948769340082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0cfgklCJsQjUzkJ9X28yGvNh56H7LfRM1eTR72oI2a68kMwQYIfsy62i_ECjpwMdf3IQEV1ySrfnteLMc1Ve7FoAPTunXuZ0DpZMzV5xz8WHuLHaeHuzbT0GeY4x7pmwElX7gnSqHMT_/s1600-h/IMG_0418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ0cfgklCJsQjUzkJ9X28yGvNh56H7LfRM1eTR72oI2a68kMwQYIfsy62i_ECjpwMdf3IQEV1ySrfnteLMc1Ve7FoAPTunXuZ0DpZMzV5xz8WHuLHaeHuzbT0GeY4x7pmwElX7gnSqHMT_/s400/IMG_0418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225805163020074018" border="0" /></a>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-28324797205802207342008-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:002008-06-30T12:29:18.638-07:00My selection of fabrics for my quilt<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Just a short post to say that I have sorted all the scraps of fabric that my grandmother left me and taken a photo to show you. I will start cutting squares tomorrow. I have never made a quilt before but here goes…<br /></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvqqpAPhnLmEbwF6QuVf7gGl2-VMeN-rFAKJcr-5GYkH0J4yCsuHdSS1fHiRnbESP9rJI6krLrDR5tpckGvDepzFMA3KO-0JChNtlGVj8a-im8YqPZx4MEnxda8rEkMyJIOVfz8uhtDNl/s1600-h/IMG_0329.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvqqpAPhnLmEbwF6QuVf7gGl2-VMeN-rFAKJcr-5GYkH0J4yCsuHdSS1fHiRnbESP9rJI6krLrDR5tpckGvDepzFMA3KO-0JChNtlGVj8a-im8YqPZx4MEnxda8rEkMyJIOVfz8uhtDNl/s400/IMG_0329.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217758439757311218" border="0" /></a>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-23912641424734124792008-06-26T11:47:00.000-07:002008-06-30T12:31:10.300-07:00My first project as a newly recovered artist<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">While doing the Artist’s Way course I wasn’t sure where it would lead. I had no idea what form my creativity would take. I did start a degree in textiles (until I got pregnant with my twin boys) but for my first artist’s date I decided to create an ambitious appliquéd cushion cover, and somehow although I loved the idea, I got bored after a few hours and still haven’t finished it. So I wasn’t sure that textiles was the right path for me. But towards the end of the course an idea started to materialise, I didn’t force it, it just lay in gestation and slowly formed into something meaningful and whole. I think it’s the first time I’ve let an idea bubble up gently without forcing it out. I love Julia Cameron’s comparison of creativity to birthing, I have always felt like creativity is a really painful process – like childbirth, but this time I let my baby of an idea grow until it was ready to pop out more gracefully.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I am going to describe what I want to do, to set the intention (and so I can’t wriggle out of it in fear of failure). The person in my family with whom I identify most with is my maternal grandmother. I was very close to her and unfortunately she died when I was only 17, so I never knew her as an adult. As she lay slowly dying of cancer, she told me about her youth in the 20s and 30s, when she was an avant-garde bohemian, way ahead of her time, who had all sorts of exciting escapades in pre-war Europe and hung out with the Bloomsbury set. It must have been an exciting existence, cut brutally short by WWII. My grandmother was Jewish and her parents did not survive the war, she only managed to through a few synchronicitous miracles. She showed me her beautiful photo albums from the time but I was only a teenager and I didn’t fully take in all this information. Sadly I don’t remember any of her stories. She left me her photo albums which my mother eventually gave to me when she trusted that I was mature enough to look after them properly. It took quite a long time for me to reach that level of responsibility!. The photos are delightful and some of them not what one would expect of one’s grandmother (who would have been 100 if she was still alive). I put some of my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/goatgirl/sets/763486/">favourites on Flickr</a> but I’ll reveal a few here.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/34482018_0ad41ff910.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/34482018_0ad41ff910.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/34482194_0e8bab6f56.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/34482194_0e8bab6f56.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/34493802_0c933ae2f6.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/34493802_0c933ae2f6.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">So I have decided to use these photos to make some textile pieces, probably in the form of art quilts, as for a long time I have been fascinated by the precious heirloom quality of textiles that have been handed down through generations and where women have taught their daughters to sew. When I was pregnant, my aunt found a pile of fabric scraps in her attic that were left over from dresses that my grandmother made in the 70s. There are lots of beautiful Liberty floral prints that I will use in these quilts. I am so excited to have finally hit on a project that I really feel from the heart. I will keep you posted on its creation.</span><br /></span>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-85141856329967213842008-06-24T01:24:00.000-07:002008-06-24T04:52:54.670-07:00Screen Printed Poster Art<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">On Saturday night I took my rediscovered artist to a <a href="http://www.bragart.co.uk/home.htm">Screenprinted Poster Exhibition</a>. Ever since I dropped my first acid in a Grateful Deadhead's house and all the rose strewn skeletons and skulls popped out of the posters and waved at me, I have loved psychedelic poster art. I had no idea there was a group of graphic designers in Brighton who make this stuff still. Their work is all screen printed, resulting in a richness of colour and clarity of line that is lost with most mass produced prints. I was smitten by this print (ever since reading Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume I have adored the god Pan):<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bragart.co.uk/artists_images/dan_johnson/danj1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 593px;" src="http://www.bragart.co.uk/artists_images/dan_johnson/danj1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-68275593059285471242008-06-18T03:05:00.000-07:002008-06-19T01:44:40.136-07:00Books to feed your creative soul<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have a huge pile of books by my bedside, most of them are about personal development in one way or another. I only seem to manage one novel a year. I seem to have collected quite a collection of books on the creative process. I also have a penchant for coffee table art books. I would love to share my books with others and as my Artist's Way course ended yesterday :( although we are going to continue as a 'creative cluster', I think I will invite everyone round to my house to glean inspiration from my collection. By the way, tempting though it is to link to Amazon and cream off a bit of cash that way I urge to to try and find these books at your local independent bookshop if you can, please!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">These are my favourite books to awaken creativity and stimulate a joyful, juicy life:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The Queen of juicy living is of course </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/">SARK</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I discovered her almost 20 years ago when I was a spaced out young raver. Her childlike drawings and hand written pages mirrored my wide eyed wonder at the time. I still open them now and reconnect with that innocence and exuberance. I love that she encourages us to take loads of naps.<br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I have these books by her:<br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/creative_comp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 156px;" src="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/creative_comp.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_05.htm">A Creative Companion</a><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">How to Free Your Creative Spirit</span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /> by SARK <br /></span><span class="mainContentItalic" style="font-family:verdana;">1991, Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press, ISBN: 0890876517</span> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">This book is your creative companion. It will help you re-learn how to free your creative spirit. We all started out creatively free. Remember the sandbox? All you needed was warm toes in bare sand, and maybe a good bucket. Then you could build your own world.</span></p><hr width="100%" style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/insp_sandwich.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 119px;" src="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/insp_sandwich.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_06.htm">Inspiration Sandwich</a><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="mainContentBold">Stories to Inspire Our Creative Freedom</span><br /> by SARK<br /><span class="mainContentItalic">1992, Celestial Arts/Ten Speed Press, ISBN: 0890876789</span><br /><br />Stories to inspire your own special world.</span><br /><br /><br /><hr size="1" width="100%"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/sww.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 119px; height: 147px;" src="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/sww.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_04.htm">Succulent Wild Woman</a><br /></span></span><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" > by SARK<br /></span> <span class="mainContentItalic" style="font-size:100%;">May 1997, Simon and Schuster, ISBN: 068483376X</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />This book is my glowing invitation to you -- to live a rich, succulent life! I explore love, sexuality, romance, money, fat, fear and creativity. It's a little bit like reading my diary -- with permission. Succulence is powerFull! and so are we as women.<br /><br /></span><hr size="1" width="100%"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/bodacious.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 163px;" src="http://www.planetsark.com/images/eshop/bodacious.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_03.htm">The Bodacious Book </a><a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_03.htm">of Succulence</a><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> Daring to Live Your Succulent Wild Life<br /> by SARK<br /><span class="mainContentItalic">May 1998, Simon and Schuster, ISBN: 0684833778</span></span> <p><span style="font-size:100%;">I wish for this book to catapult you out of bed and smack into the center of one of your dreams, or lure you back to bed, where you will lie helplessly laughing at all your mistakes and frozen moments. </span></p><span style="font-size:100%;"> I wish for this book to free the part of your soul that longs to write epic novels, recite Yeats by heart, play a musical instrument by magic, or perform in a play about your life that you create and design. Most of all, I want this book to give you a boost up over the fence that prevents you from moving forward and inward.</span><hr width="100%" style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Through </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> <a href="http://www.planetsark.com/">SARK</a> I discovered one of her proteges <a href="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/">Sabrina Ward Harrison</a><br />and was entranced by her delightful, scrawly, sensitive illustrations and moving poetry. I have just looked at her website and she has written one of my favourite ever quotes: </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Preface to Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to every one that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take off your hat to nothing known or unknown or to any man or number of men, go freely with powerful uneducated persons and with the young and with the mothers of families, read these leaves in the open air every season of every year of your life, re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body"</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/">Go have a look</a><br /><br />I have these books by </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><a href="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/">Sabrina Ward Harrison</a></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/images/uploads/truequestions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 168px; height: 171px;" src="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/images/uploads/truequestions.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">The True and the Questions: A Journal</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">by Sabrina Ward Harrison<br />"I journal to understand my life as I'm living it. I use my journals as a place to put the things that spill out over the edges of my life: photo negatives, scraps of paper, poems I have heard and loved, my sorrow, and epiphanies, the true and the questions. My journals have become guideposts for my life. Maybe it's the same way for you, and so I invite you inside my world. With this journal, you can create the book you most want to find." - Sabrina Ward Harrison</span><br /><br /><br /></span></span><hr size="1" width="100%"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/images/uploads/spilling.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 167px; height: 178px;" src="http://www.sabrinawardharrison.com/ee/images/uploads/spilling.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Spilling Open: The Art of Becoming Yourself</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">by Sabrina Ward Harrison<br />"Sabrina's work defines categorization...Once I turned the page, I discovered that her work was too elaborate to simply be called a book. Spilling Open is an intense, poetic and visually powerful diary...Sabrina Ward Harrison could be the offspring of May Sarton,, Henry Miller, Ritke, or Whitman. Or she could just be a regular girl like me. And that, for once, is what gets my attention." --Whitney Matheson, USAToday.com</span><br /><br /></span></span><hr size="1" width="100%"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The final book in my list is my most recent acquisition, guerilla artist (I love that job title) <a href="http://www.kerismith.com/">Keri Smith's</a> <b class="sans"><span id="btAsinTitle">Living Out Loud: An Activity Book to Fuel a Creative Life,</span></b></span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">a fun book full of fold out pages, games and stickers, guaranteed to tickle your inner child! Here's her blog, <a href="http://www.kerismith.com/blog/index.html">The Wish Jar</a>.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R4BZ9CXGL._SS400_.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R4BZ9CXGL._SS400_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-14209958025679647192008-06-12T02:21:00.001-07:002008-06-12T09:59:52.371-07:00What inspired me to create this blog?<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Until last weekend I don’t think it had ever occurred to me to create a blog. I spend too much time in cyberspace anyway and I recognise it as a block, something passive I do to procrastinate. But over the past few months I have discovered some amazing crafty blogs showcasing women’s (it always seems to be women) creations and documenting what seems to me to be an unachievable but idyllic earth-mother lifestyle of sewing, knitting and baking. Obviously not in the Stepford wife domestic slave style of previous generations but in the spirit of reclaiming these things that the feminism of the 1970’s tossed away to be the same as men.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A couple of weeks ago I paid a lot of money to a nutritionist to be told for the umpteenth time that I needed to avoid gluten (and probably dairy). Every time I am told this I stick my head in the sand because I am one of those few women who has a healthy relationship with food. I am lucky enough to never have had an eating disorder and I eat a fairly healthy diet although I do have a weakness for Green & Blacks Almond Milk Chocolate. Generally I don’t consume food with guilt and am fearful of getting neurotic about what I eat if I cut gluten and dairy out of my diet. But it also hit me that it’s ridiculous to carry on throwing money at nutritionists and ignore their advice so this time I thought I’d give it a go. I decided to search the internet for some good gluten-free recipes and the first website I found was <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/">Gluten-Free Girl</a>, an uplifting account of becoming gluten-free after being diagnosed with Celiac disease. I loved this woman’s positive, joyful voice and almost immediately ordered her book. Now I usually buy books and let them gather dust on my bedside table for a few years but this time I devoured her book as hungrily as a bar of Green & Blacks during a blood sugar dip. And on a rare day when the sceptical, cynical monkey on my back (also known as my inner critic) was silent, I suddenly had the urge to start a blog. A couple of months ago, before starting The Artist’s Way course I don’t think I would have felt I had anything to write about. But the course has so inspired me (and reminded me that I have a strong drive to inspire others) that I thought it would be a fabulous way to document my creative adventures as well as motivation to continue this artistic journey once the course is finished. So here I am. And thank you <a href="http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/">Gluten-Free Girl</a>, for inspiring me with your ‘glass half full’ enthusiasm and your delicious recipes.</span><br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.beneficialdesign.com/glutenfreegirl/banner_9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.beneficialdesign.com/glutenfreegirl/banner_9.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-73026010348179889922008-06-09T04:37:00.000-07:002008-06-12T02:21:01.444-07:00The Community Food Project<span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >OK, It’s the eighth week of my Artist’s Way course but I’m on week 10 in the book (it’s a 10 week course but the book is 12 chapters long, so designed to complete over 12 weeks). For my Artist’s Date this week I chose to photographically connect with nature using my new digital camera and had intended on visiting a beautiful garden somewhere in Sussex. But at the last moment I remembered that I’d been meaning to visit <a href="http://www.thefoodproject.org.uk/">The Community Food Project</a>, a huge allotment space on the edge of Brighton that is open to volunteers on Sundays (and Thursdays). So I got into my car, blasting out an old Dubtribe CD that reflected my mood perfectly, full of joy and anticipation, and drove towards the telephone mast that towers over East Brighton in Whitehawk. What looked like an industrial wasteground soon made way for a tranquil oasis of pastoral beauty on a hill overlooking Brighton and the sea.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGkOnOUokaVjEnsQgFqxamvIQ7HNkxld7tK9iDPu0p8XyMSQUEc6gZNOw8IVgcYv_FJJH4xXUQTAZDQsQzfePC3ssCrzdCDOqh8cIXD1xXisqAr_mJPFdxXiXWJAUcdUcN3Hc_u-hrP_/s1600-h/IMG_0252.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwGkOnOUokaVjEnsQgFqxamvIQ7HNkxld7tK9iDPu0p8XyMSQUEc6gZNOw8IVgcYv_FJJH4xXUQTAZDQsQzfePC3ssCrzdCDOqh8cIXD1xXisqAr_mJPFdxXiXWJAUcdUcN3Hc_u-hrP_/s400/IMG_0252.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209845602616080674" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">I took lots of macro photos of plants and a few to attempt to capture the peaceful and grounding atmosphere but you have to visit the place to experience that, even a photographic genius couldn’t record it. In return for some help on the vast allotments (which grow a large range of fruit and vegetables using organic, biodynamic and permaculture techniques) volunteers can hang out, drink tea (mine was made with fresh mint and lemon balm) and take some produce home. Yesterday people were picking strawberries and as I had brought some chopped pineapple with me we made delicious, juicy mouthfuls of strawberry, pineapple, mint and lemon balm. It was a beautiful day, nourishing for the soul and I’m sure to be back again next week with my children.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4xYwCPdiP6OFO6MnU3WaSeoFMRRERVQRbDb0yZiFtjghyOy6sSwm71m6auUIrVaPJhBslWdG5Cnki1fJN0aajvyfNoZKuS9zDi0rbI-yHtd6tdKF0NydWhYRT5BunF24v3sRTOpdvXA5/s1600-h/IMG_0268.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4xYwCPdiP6OFO6MnU3WaSeoFMRRERVQRbDb0yZiFtjghyOy6sSwm71m6auUIrVaPJhBslWdG5Cnki1fJN0aajvyfNoZKuS9zDi0rbI-yHtd6tdKF0NydWhYRT5BunF24v3sRTOpdvXA5/s400/IMG_0268.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209875472100861538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ahmp0R74MAEzBxNxFb73ScJkNNaGIe4yGue9xlWaXAeyrx53pXo-QJgXnlCbFqFKIUZ9lbL1z99Q54GN-dB87wY-NfQO6Qm-ltPQ8iCIwPhmsdD1gSyWmG5Cqen8tqcotU0xaaGEt6p1/s1600-h/IMG_0280.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ahmp0R74MAEzBxNxFb73ScJkNNaGIe4yGue9xlWaXAeyrx53pXo-QJgXnlCbFqFKIUZ9lbL1z99Q54GN-dB87wY-NfQO6Qm-ltPQ8iCIwPhmsdD1gSyWmG5Cqen8tqcotU0xaaGEt6p1/s400/IMG_0280.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209847814310551890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIbOn-BJTfOfjuZU6z7W16fTEuwN90JisWae92TAi7cFNtutO3APmuQsCV7lZkc9wPyzEGMhk9HPoAUEH-xw9diVAixQFjw-3PeWx3GSLFq2O3mX8d3cyFVVATsneC5bfCLDVK7mYmA5G/s1600-h/IMG_0272.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIbOn-BJTfOfjuZU6z7W16fTEuwN90JisWae92TAi7cFNtutO3APmuQsCV7lZkc9wPyzEGMhk9HPoAUEH-xw9diVAixQFjw-3PeWx3GSLFq2O3mX8d3cyFVVATsneC5bfCLDVK7mYmA5G/s400/IMG_0272.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209847272253270050" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">More photos on my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/goatgirl/sets/72157605499796800/">Flickr page</a>…<br /></div>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4079659704758217838.post-35533115037453722622008-06-07T14:39:00.000-07:002008-06-12T02:34:43.117-07:00The beginning…<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoXx3euEwHGeF4SoNewOwRbtMzAUd-ZpYEC50kV8WBHcm4JtOabbqIItM_Vq5vu0GGAB5cGkC-5ip1CHQb3pfbvds6a0NUUgnjSaH9dHlOI5X22ozhZ-OGPrsJK-SnkoFbNih0Zu-cIS9/s1600-h/IMG_0226.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRoXx3euEwHGeF4SoNewOwRbtMzAUd-ZpYEC50kV8WBHcm4JtOabbqIItM_Vq5vu0GGAB5cGkC-5ip1CHQb3pfbvds6a0NUUgnjSaH9dHlOI5X22ozhZ-OGPrsJK-SnkoFbNih0Zu-cIS9/s400/IMG_0226.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209262983133573730" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;" >Some years ago I decided to give up my career as a web designer to follow a lifelong dream and study textile design. I spent a year working very hard at Chelsea School of Art in London where I specialised in Stitch. However the universe had other plans for my creativity and during the summer holidays I found I was pregnant with twins. I had to leave Chelsea and so I moved back to Brighton where I gave birth to two boys in 2003. It was the start of a very bumpy ride as I had some mysterious and debilitating health problems which turned out to be MS. I was quite heartbroken to have abandoned my dreams of living a creatively fulfilling life and as much as I wished to fill that hole with motherhood, I yearned for more. Two years ago I became a single mother so I had very little time to indulge in anything artistically, particularly as any free time I had was spent looking after my health. That has been a journey of discovery in itself and I have become very involved in personal development as well as meeting all kinds of amazing healers on the way and finally getting a yoga habit. My twins started school this year so I eventually gave in to my creative hunger and decided to enrol in a course on The Artist's Way in April this year, even though I had no idea how I would find the childcare or time. But I trusted that things would fall into place and magically they did. And I haven't looked back. The floodgates of my creativity are still only just ajar - I have so many ideas but not much free time, but I am looking forward to the artistic adventures I am sure to have, whatever they may be. Right now I want to sculpt from clay, paint, draw, take photos and of course make beautiful things from fabric, but I have no idea where all this will lead and it's the not knowing that is an adventure. I am starting this blog with some photos of my embroidered textile designs from my degree course but I intend to record my weekly artist's date as well as anything else I conjure up. The Artist's Way isn't solely concerned with artistic pursuits, it is about leading a vibrantly juicy life, identifying and following one's dreams and injecting some childlike joy back into the stressful lives we adults lead. It's about noticing (and creating) magic and synchronicity, which is an adventure in itself.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyfk00Ryg-wB_138j2rbxq4rVDsOjYqjya_3gNpgk3cfxiwiHv6TiWFYRMHXTJp17e6_c2HMkpM8Ch2-bJkUyR2P5XPmq0QMtoiya7_ehfIDxR87eiW3TWDaNpxJv33h26gf389UFLWbC/s1600-h/IMG_0228.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcyfk00Ryg-wB_138j2rbxq4rVDsOjYqjya_3gNpgk3cfxiwiHv6TiWFYRMHXTJp17e6_c2HMkpM8Ch2-bJkUyR2P5XPmq0QMtoiya7_ehfIDxR87eiW3TWDaNpxJv33h26gf389UFLWbC/s400/IMG_0228.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209260466282738258" border="0" /></a>Trixie Delitehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04347633714893031544noreply@blogger.com0