Sarah Homfray

Update

2011-08-30T16:51:00.000+01:00

Hello, thanks for visiting my blog. I have now moved to another space in this cyber world, please come and join me there:

www.sarahhomfray.com

It's busy in the world of embroidery, and there is alot to see on my website. I have a blog which I update regularly, and a shop with more items being added all of the time (I have just counted 98 different items on there, so why not have a look?). Check out the classes page to see what I'm teaching where, help yourself to some freestuff (on the freestuff page!), watch videos and browse the galleries for some inspiration. Oh, and don't forget my free newsletter out bi-monthly...hope to see you soon!

Lemba lady, shisha work detail

Where to catch up...

2011-01-02T14:07:00.000Z

This is everything I am up to and where I am up to it!

www.sarahhomfray.com

Visit to see:
Newsletter (out every two months)
Blog - updated regularly
Shop - Kits, accessories, gifts
Publications - Book out in May and more magazine articles coming soon!
Embroidery and art galleries
Classes
Free stuff
Guestbook
Contact form

Join me on Twitter to get all the lastest updates as they happen:
http://twitter.com/SarahHomfray

Visit my peg doll bog for everything peg doll:
http://dollypeg.wordpress.com/

If you love stitching why not join me on the 'Stitchin fingers' forum?Share itdeas, ask questions and post photos of your work.

Sari design

2010-10-13T17:24:00.000+01:00

At last I can show my sari design, although not the actual sari yet. It was supposed to be on display at the Knitting and Stitching show last weekend but it got held up in customs until Monday. Just too late for the 50,000 passing visitors to the show...

See my website blog for more info:

www.sarahhomfray.com/blog

Beach art...

2010-09-11T16:26:00.001+01:00

Had a mini artist reunion last week and met up with Clare and John, both of whom I was with in Cyprus.

It's strange to see people you know out of context, gone were the bohemian art college fashions and paint splattered clothes!

We met up down in Folkstone, not a part of the world I am familiar with despite living only an hour away. I liked it alot, although it needs an injection of something (people? Tourists?).

If it weren't for Johns local knowledge I would have completely missed the beach art:

This is a Mark Wallinger piece called 'Folk Stones' (good title), and consists of 19,240 'individually hand numbered' stones signifying the number of British soldiers killed on 1st July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme. For me, I could imagine each stone as a person lyng in the mud...

Then there was Richard Wilsons concrete beach huts, entitled '18 holes', made from a recycled pitch and put course. They looked alot better than the concrete beach huts 50 metres further along the sea front:

Even the pebbles shipped in to shore up the beach look like a work of art!

Lots happening in Folkstone art wise, unfortunately for the artists not many people there buying the art...but it does have a cracking fish and chip shop in the harbour!

Peg dolls

2010-08-11T16:10:00.000+01:00

Just a reminder to visit the following site for everything to do with peg dolls:

http://www.dollypeg.wordpress.com/

New examples and projects being added all of the time, plus a gallery of readers dolls

2010-08-06T15:33:00.000+01:00

Aurata Embroidery Newsletter

Click the link above to read my latest newsletter. There is lots to keep up to date with including information about embroidery and art (each goes so well with the other!), exhibitions at home and abroad, featured work, new items for sale, and the odd free project is thrown in too! This month learn how to do French knittting...

Stitch magazine article

2010-08-02T13:04:00.002+01:00

I have two articles in the new issue of Stitch magaine (Issue 66)! A project to make a summer bag inspired by oranges and an article on my blackwork tiger in the 'Sketch to stitch' section. To buy the magazine go to Stitch Magazine.

My embroidery blog is now on my website. Visit www.sarahhomfray.com/blog to read about what I'm up to in the embroidery world.

Getting there

2010-07-02T16:36:00.002+01:00

Have been tentatively out on the bike a few more times. I feel like a baby taking it's first steps! Had a good ride yesterday, felt a little more at ease although I'm still concentrating hard and Jon is still riding behind me which helps alot. Most drivers have been pretty patient, although L-plates seem to turn some people into demon drivers. It's flippin' hot when you stop though!

Been busy working, more stitching for the book and I have four classes and a magazine article to work towards (details on website) so things are a bit hectic. I feel like I'm juggling lots of balls in the air and I'm not sure which one is going to land first! This is Jon having a go at silk shading. He put three stitches in and will probably talk about them for years to come. I promised I wouldn't put this picture on my blog, let's see if he notices...

New toy...

2010-06-19T19:33:00.000+01:00

The big bike makes little baby bike...

Finally bit the bullet and bought a bike! A Honda CBF125, re-named Little Red. I've never named any of my vehicles (out of principle!) so I'm not sure what that says about me. Just been for my first ride on it with Jon patiently tootling along behind me making sure I was alright (which I was by the way). Bit nervewracking at first, being a learner again after so many years is a strange feeling. I think I'm quite a confident driver so suddenly not having any confidence is weird. I'm sure it will come soon.

Just looking at this picture, they look a bit 'his and hers'. Oh dear, we'll be wearing the same jumpers next...

Stopping for a break and a photo opportunity in Aylesford

Groovy...

2010-06-11T21:56:00.000+01:00

It's time for a background change, and this one is quite funky.
Been a busy week, I passed my CBT so I'm ready to buy a bike and get out on the road!

Had a bit of a scare with the cat, she had an altercation with the next door neighbours dog and in her haste to get away, jumped a six foot fence and bolted up the tree where she clung petrified. Not good when you have a heart murmur and you are 17 years old (and you are a cat!). She is not too bad now, although she is still limping with a torn cruciate ligament and is wary of going outside (I think it was our wallet that hurt the most after a late evening trip to the emergency vet).

Been busy in the garden. It has rained nearly everyday since we sorted out the seating area. Caroline came round and helped me plant raspberries, strawberries and pull up the weeds. Got some potatoes to plant also as soon as the rain stops.

The humble peg doll

2010-06-01T18:42:00.001+01:00

I've started a new site dedicated to the humble peg doll. It's really more of a hobby at the moment but I'm hoping it will expand. I'm planning some more kits which will go on the website soon and I'm always buying vintage ones from e-bay!

To visti this site click on this link: http://www.dollypeg.wordpress.com/

Don't forget, for everything I'm doing embroidery wise visit: http://www.sarahhomfray.com/

Eurovision Eurotrash

2010-05-30T14:35:00.001+01:00

We found a new game to play: Guess who gets douze point from who...it's a good test of your geography and history knowledge! No suprises to see Poland didn't give Germany (the clear winners from the score board point of view) a single point when everyone else was giving them 12. What a load of old balony, they should ditch the songs and just do the voting bit.

And suprise suprise we were last again! Our song was written by Pete Waterman, a writer who has produced over 20 number one hits across Europe. Britain produces some amazing music (and i'm not including Pete Waterman in that) so why do we continue to take part in a completely political competition? I feel sorry for the guy who sang it. I can't even remember his name, that's how banal he and his song were, but I admire him for standing on that stage at the age of 19 and doing his best knowing that we were doomed no matter what he did. Put the money to better use and support music projects on our own shores that's what I say!

And I know the picture is Moscow, but it was prettier than Norways...

Vrooommmm!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-05-22T18:23:00.000+01:00

Had my lesson this morning and it was great! Jon arrived to pick me up just in time to snap some pics of me:

The instructor Tarnya was brilliant and in less than an hour we were driving around on our own although admitedly we didn't get out of first gear. I booked my CBT which is quite soon so then if I get a bike Jon and I will be able to go out on little sojourns! I found there was quite a lot to think about but I'm ensured that it becomes second nature very quickly. They take you out on the road in the afternoon on the CBT, so it must be true!

Two wheels

2010-05-19T11:40:00.001+01:00

We popped out on the bike to get some embroidery supplies yesterday and ended up motorbike shopping! Jonathan is a bad influence I shall leave him at home next time. I have a free lesson on Saturday (there is a campaign to get people onto two wheels and off four, hence lots of centres are offering a free intro lesson: http://www.geton.co.uk/). The plan is to get my CBT (Certificate of basic training) then get a bike which I am allowed to ride on L-plates.

Three bike shops later and we narrowed the choices down to a Yamaha and a Honda:

Jonathan thought I looked good on the Yamaha (left) but I'm leaning towards the other one (right). They do100 miles to the gallon, £15 road tax, you can park for free and you don't get stuck in traffic!

We got to the embroidery supplies eventually about 3 hours later!

I'll let you know how the lesson goes...

Nearly a week later...

2010-05-11T23:24:00.000+01:00

...and we have a new Prime Minister!

For a moment we thought we were going to have the following scenario (from National Review Online):

"Instead, post-election, the "unelected" prime minister is now insisting he'll stay in office until he can make way for another "unelected" prime minister from his own party — the party which lost the election — once it has successfully concluded negotiations with the party that came third in the election. Meanwhile, the party that won the most seats throughout the UK, and a clear majority in England, will be entirely excluded"
British democracy in action!

Still it seems to be almost sorted now, and perhaps the new government can get on with the task of running the country and paying off our debt. There are some great pictures floating around of official handshakes with the Queen (who has seen 12 Prime Ministers in her reign) which are sure to appear in satirical TV shows! I like the efficiency of the whole thing; Gordon leaves 10 Downing Street, pops into the palace to say bye and on his way out passes David on his way in to say hi. David then goes to his new home/office and starts to dish out jobs there and then! And all within the space of about 45 minutes!! And the Queen settles down to watch Emmerdale...(although probably not wearing a crown)

In other news, I've just finished my latest newsletter which is on my website ready to open. Now my eyes are sore so I think it's time for bed. Lots of stitching to do tomorrow...

Busy busy day...

2010-05-06T22:06:00.001+01:00

I haven't stopped today, nor have I done any work! Visited the physiotherapist about a long running problem with my shoulder (brought on by bad embroidery posture, BEWARE all embroiderers, don't slouch!). She was very good and explained what was wrong then promptly stuck a big needle in the joint and injected it with steriods. Youch! Once these have kicked in, I have to do some exercises. It was a good excuse not to do anything manual today...

Then it was to the polling station to vote. It was good to see lots of people out obviously doing the same (clutching small pieces of white card in their hands!). Emilie Pankhurst did her bit, I believe in doing mine! This area is an important one, with only a few hundreds votes in it in the 2005 election. We are looking forward to waching the results come in.

Then it was off into town to sort out my broken mobile phone. No one seemed to be able to fix it, nor did the bits inside it seem to be compatible with any other phone so I had to buy a new one. We come to be so dependent on these devices that we think we can't live without them...

Big Ben has struck 10.00, I'm off to see whats going on in Westminster...

P.S. Don't forget my embroidery blog at:

www.sarahhomfray.com/blog

___________________________________

English tradition...Mayday celebrations

2010-05-03T20:16:00.003+01:00

Went to join in the Mayday celebrations at the Sweeps Festival in Rochester this weekend. There were Morris Dancers from the end of the high street all the way up to the castle! An interesting selection from girls with bows and flowers in their hair, to blackened faced dancers with animal skulls in their hats:

'In the 16th and 17th centuries in England people would make garlands of flowers and leaves for the May Day celebration. After becoming a source of competition between Works Guilds, these garlands became increasingly elaborate, to the extent that it covered the entire man. This became known as Jack in the Green.' He also made an appearance in the parade through the town:

It's great to see these traditions are being kept alive.

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A new location...

2010-04-28T14:24:00.000+01:00

Just reporting a slight change in my blogging practices. I have a new exclusively embroidery and art blog set up on my website, click below to be transported there:

Sarahs New blog

I wanted to have everything in the same place and now it is: Website, shop, blog - all in one! The website web-log will be embroidery/art based only. I might be completely self indulgent therefore, and keep this one about other topics. Talking of which, here is a picture of Alice the Cat making herself a bed in my felting wools. She was only allowed to stay there because she is an old lady and she looked quite sweet...

Inspired to paint

2010-04-25T21:41:00.001+01:00

I visited the Society of Botanical Artists exhibition last Wednesday and it made me want to paint! So that's what I did. My efforts compared to theirs are a bit pitiful but it was good to put paint to paper again. I did some quick studies of a tulip from my garden that had been snapped off (I think the cat may have something to do with that).

At the time I didn't like the results and threw the piece to oneside annoyed with myself for rushing it, but there is nothing like a little distance from something to look at it more objectively.

The exhibition is over now, but you can see some of the amazing work at their website (click on the link below:)

http://www.soc-botanical-artists.org/gallery.php

Shop news

2010-04-10T00:19:00.001+01:00

My shop is now up and running! You can now buy your 'Critters on Canvas' materials pack online. Click the link below:

www.sarahhomfray.com/myshop/

Making a piece of history...get involved!

2010-04-04T16:23:00.001+01:00

Whether you like it or not, it's coming to London in 2012....yes it's the summer Olympics! My opinion is you have more to gain from joining in than you have from being a Victor Meldrew so what better opportunity for those of you with a creative streak than to make a piece of Olympic art?

The idea is to make a pennant for an Olympic athlete (traditionally in sport, competitors exchange pennants as a sign of friendship) and hopefully there will be enough to present every athlete with one at the end of the games. That's alot of athletes by the way (apparently there were 12,000 in Beijing)!

For lots more information and guidelines on how and what to make click on the link below to go to where it's all happening:

quilts4london

The pennants will be displayed in various exhibitions before the games kick off, so here's a great chance to get your work on show! If you're not confident with your skills, there are step by step instructions, templates and lots of images of pennants already finished for inspiration. EVERYONE CAN GET INVOLVED!

I think this is a fabulous idea and shall be making one and will display it here when it's finished...

Lots of new stuff!

2010-03-25T22:37:00.001Z

Well it's been a busy day! My website is now up and running again with a few changes. Visit http://www.sarahhomfray.com/ to enter my world of embroidery. You can see a gallery of my work, open up my latest newsletter and see items for sale on my Etsy site as well as accessing this blog.

There are a few tweaks to make and I will be working on the shop and adding more pages in the next few weeks so pop back to see the changes.

My 'Critters on Canvas' project is now available in the latest issue of 'Stitch' magazine, and it made the front cover! I'm very pleased with how it looks and hope anyone that wants to have a go at the project will have great fun doing it. Buy the magazine from good stationers or craft stores.

Just can't help it...

2010-03-23T22:14:00.000Z

...buying beads that is. Went to the stitching show at Olympia last weekend, and it goes without saying that I will come back with beads, I just can't help myself. I'm not a mad beader, I just like to get them out of their box every now again, shake the containers, run them through my fingers, hold them up to the light, plan lots of things to do with them in my head then put them away again. Having a box full of beads is akin to having a treasure trest. These millefiori beads are the latest addition to my hoard...

Not much spare time?

2010-03-16T21:19:00.000Z

Have a go at inchies! I first heard about these from a good friend of mine and with half an hour to spare one day I thought I would make a few of my own. The principal is simple, a piece of work that measures an inch square. I made 3 felt inchies...

It's a good way of trying out small samples, using up scraps and making something quick and it would be interesting to see how much detail you could get into one of these although I'm a little mystified what you do with them when they are finished! I guess they might look good as a set framed in a box frame but then you might as well do a larger piece...

Website

2010-03-13T14:23:00.000Z

Just to let everyone know, my website has gone off line for a very short while while it is being upgraded. You can get in touch with me and keep up to date with happenings through this blog for now and I will let you all know when then new site is up and running!

I'm sure the news that Jonathan and I got married has got round to everyone by now, but for those I didn't send the picture to I apologise. Here it is...

March Newsletter

2010-03-10T18:13:00.000Z

OK, here goes with the technology...hopefully you should be able to click on the link below and see my latest Newsletter! Any problems let me know...

Aurata Embroidery March 2010 Newsletter

It should look like this!:

If you would like to subscribe to this newsletter please send me an email to sarahhomfray@yahoo.co.uk and type 'sign me up please!' in the subject box.

Well worth seeing....

2010-02-26T21:22:00.000Z

Made a trip down to Portsmouth to take in a few sights last week, namely the Overlord Embroidery and HMS Victory. For anyone who likes embroidery (and indeed even those who don't particularly!), the Overlord is well worth a visit. Designed By Sandra Lawrence and made by the Royal School of Needlework, it tells the story of Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings of Normandy by the Allied forces in 1944.

The embroidery measures 83 metres in length and is split into 34 panels (it is longer than the famous Bayeux Tapestry). Techniques include applique, couching, shading, goldwork and surface stitching. I had seen many images of this embroidery (and indeed a practice sample of it in the collection of the RSN) and was still more than impressed by this piece of embroidery. If you are in the South East of England, stop by!

The Embroidery is housed in the D-day museum in Portsmouth, follow the link below for more information:

D-Day museum and Overlord Embroidery

We also went to see HMS Victory:

It was comforting to see Admiral Lord Nelson's bed was covered in hand embroidered hangings to give him some privacy! Especially surreal on a ship thats only purpose is too fight..

Visiting this historic ship is fabulous, you can see every deck and go right down into the bowels of the ship. There is a piece of the original mast complete with shot damage and a plaque marking where Nelson fell and where he died. You spend most of the visit bent double as the decks are low so don't go if you are claustophobic or have a bad back! For more info click on the link below:

HMS Victory

Competition finalist!

2010-02-22T18:34:00.000Z

Just thought I would let you know, I entered the 'Bridging arts: British Sari Story' competition and my design has been picked as one of the five finalists! I am very excited about this as the Sari will be made up and I will get to see the design for real. Can't give too much away at the moment, but the design is something to do with the weather. Here is a picture of previous entries on display at Canary Wharf:

Click on the link below to see more about this competition:
British Sari Competition

Critters make it to print..

2010-02-03T21:56:00.000Z

Look out for my 'Critters on Canvas' canvas and stumpwork project in the next issue of Stitch magazine, which is out on March 25th (ok, I know that's a long way off but it was exciting to flick through the magazine and see it!). I guess the cuddly toys are critters also....

More embroidery training!

2010-01-28T17:27:00.001Z

Been enjoying making stuff for my Etsy shop. It's nice to make small stuff that is creative and doesn't take hours! Made some egg cosys in needle felt and hand embroidery.

I am in the process of signing up for a distance learning course in Indian Embroidery which I am quite excited about although the joining process is a little convoluted. I've picked which technique I'm going to start with (mirror work, no suprise there!) and have returned the application form, now I just need to work out how to pay and they can send me all the stuff.

The school I will be learning with is Mridula's School of Embroidery and Fashion Design, based in Tamil Nadu in India. See more about them at: www.mridulas.com/. Can't wait to get going. See a piece of my mirror work below...

Getting creative again

2010-01-23T18:44:00.000Z

Got a few things done and out of the way this month, so now I can relax a little and do something creative again. Still needle felting although I broke my needle last night maing a toadstool! Luckily I had a walk down into Rochester earlier in the day and happened to stock up with another one. Also got some new fabrics for doll making (it's terrible, I have two baskets full of fabrics and I can't help buying more!) so look out for new kits on Etsy.

I have also just finished a couple of articles for Stitch magazine so look out for those also. I think the first comes out in the April/May issue and the second in the summer issue. It was good to work on a summer project in winter, very cheering!

I have also started a newsletter the first issue of which came out in December, and am working on the Jan/Feb issue at the moment. I will try to work out if I can upload it somehow so you can see it...watch this space!

A little sheep

2010-01-12T22:58:00.000Z

In needle felt...

Still playing with needle felting. It is very sculptural, made this little fella in a few hours. It's also very theraputic....

A new year

2010-01-05T10:26:00.002Z

Happy new year to all my readers!

Well the new year is here and it's time to get down to work again. There always seems so much to do, how are you supposed to fit it all in in one lifetime? I've made a plan, now all I have to do is stick to it!

I allowed myself some play time over the Christmas period and I've been messing around with some felt making. Below is a felted panel of roses:

The before and after effect are quite different. The colours seem to mix when the fibres are laid out then separate again once the piece has been felted. Felt is great to stitch on, there is no grain to follow for a start! You can bury the ends easily, you can gather it up by pulling the stitches tight and it looks lovely embellished with beads and sequins which are a real contrast to the soft fuzzy look of felt.

The above is a sample I made some years ago of the garden where I used to live. It is wet felted then embellished with machine embroidery, hand embroidery and shisha mirrors. I have also just discovered needle felt (I know, I'll get there in the end!) which I'm very excited about. It is much easier to control than welt felting and much more sculptural. Here are some beads I made in this technique:

Seasons greetings!

2009-12-23T20:40:00.000Z

Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas and all the very best health for 2010.

A white Christmas?

2009-12-18T15:18:00.001Z

A snow covered tree, Jonathans bike and my car (after some of the snow had melted!)

I know we have all seen snow, but I don't think I've seen as good a fall as this for about 5 years. I always seem to be somewhere else! It was supposed to be my last day teaching at the RSN before christmas, but when they announced they had shut the main road out of Chatham at 7.30 this morning, I went back to bed!

When the snow started to fall yesterday evening, we also had thunder and lightning. I have never experienced that before...

And the winner is....

2009-12-08T09:42:00.000Z

Richard Wright, winner of the Turner prize:-

An excert from a review in one of the newpapers sums it up well in my opinion:

"And here’s a sentence I never thought I’d write about a Turner Prize winner: the result is so damn beautiful you stand transfixed in front of it."

It's almost that time I'm afraid...

2009-11-19T15:37:00.000Z

...time to buy those christmas presents!

I have lots of new peg doll items for sale! They are hand made and original and would make great stocking fillers. Buy something unique for someone you really care about...

Lavender Scented Sachets:

These peg dolls are scented with lavender and can hang in your wardrobe (hanging ribbon attached), or lie in your drawers to keep your clothes smelling fresh.

They come beautifully packaged in cellophane to keep in the scent until they are ready to be used. They are completely hand made, and all clothing is stitched and not glued so they won't fall apart. The faces are hand painted. Some have painted hair, and some have embroidery thread for hair.
They stand 10cm (4 1/2 inches) high and available in the above colours.

Mini peg people

These mini peg dolls are only 6 1/2cm tall (2 1/2 inches)! Each is hand painted and the clothing is again all stitched and not glued. They are supplied with a fastening of your choice from the following options (please state which when ordering):

(L to R: Charm, Brooch, Silver coloured keyring, Swivel clip, gold coloured keyring)

Check out the new range on http://www.sarahhomfray.etsy.com/.

To purchase:

Purchase from Etsy(see link above) if you are outside England

If you are in England please contact me though this blog or through my website (www.sarahhomfray.com/contact) for prices in sterling....

Something to ponder....

2009-11-05T11:57:00.001Z

I was looking at results of the Hand and Lock 2009 prize for embroidery on their website. The idea behind the competition is as follows:

"The aim of this prize is to promote the use of hand embroidered surface embellishment within fashion, costume and soft furnishing. All in the hope that contemporary design and other fresh approaches will be inspired to embrace hand embroidery, to acknowledge and value its quality and expertise."

This prompted a discussion on one of the points of the brief:

"Ensure that the finished product is both practical and commercially viable"

Many of the designs (the winning one included) used mainly forms of bead embellishment, the quickest and easiest way to cover a piece of fabric. So my question is, in the age of machine embroidery and cheap labour from the east, can hand embroidery (and not bead embellishment) truly be practical and commercially viable?

This is a great challenge indeed, and maybe the only way to find out is to enter the competition. I was interested to see that many of the entrants, from my point of view I hasten to add, seemed to have missed this point completely. Although only 5 marks were given for commercial viability, the whole project was based around this idea. Many of the entries were very beautifully embroidered, but were not commercially viable and I think it was that reason only that they didn't win.

Hand embroidery by definition is never going to be as quick as machine embroidery. So it boils down to, how do you get someone to appreciate the skill and quality of something made by hand? I guess if we knew the answer to that, all embroiderers would be millionaires!

The theme for the 2010 competition is Militaria and you can choose from different briefs. If anyone is interested in answering my question, you can follow the link below:

http://www.handembroidery.com/prize-conference/prize-2010/brief/

I little bit of restoration....

2009-10-28T10:37:00.002Z

This is a peg doll I bought off E-bay. Unfortunately his highway man days looked like they had seen better days so I thought I would put him right. He had been glued, and the glue was showing through. The jacket has also comefree as had his hat and the base,

I took everything off that would come off easily and remade a waist coat in a new piece of felt. I remade the piece exactly and sewed it back on instead of gluing. In hindsight I should have given the new waistcoat more felt to give myself something more to stitch into. I sewed the bead buttons onto the jacket to secure them (also glued on), then redressed him. He had only one pistol remaining so i fashioned another one just like the first out of a matchstick.

The finished result:

A busy time

2009-10-22T21:21:00.001+01:00

I came back from a successful trip America to go almost straight to Winchester to teach Jacobean embroidery for Embroidery Now.

The level of experience of the 8 students was quite high, but I think everyone went home with some new knowledge. Took the opportunity to have a look around Winchester and was lucky enough to see an embroidery exhibition and separate quilt exhibition both on in Winchester library (Winchester Discovery Centre). There were some fabulous old quilts including one reported to have been stitched by Jane Austen:

Jane Autsen is buried in Winchester Cathedral, and while there it is worth checking out Antony Gormley's 'Sound II' art installation in the crypt:

To see what else is being taught in Winchester, have a look at http://www.embroiderynow.co.uk/. Classes are soon to start in Brighton also if you find yourself in that neck of the woods.

Greetings from the US of A!

2009-09-24T07:23:00.000+01:00

Well it's been a busy few weeks and I've finally found the time to catch my breath.
Spent a week teaching traditional samplers which was great fun and very creative. Everyone came up with such original ideas and really unique designs. If anyone is reading this and would like to show off their work send me an image! Thankyou to Lori and all my students for a great week. You all worked so hard and it shows in your samplers. Below is a detail of Adam and Eve from my own sampler:

I spent the weekend with my friend Erin from Cyprus. We went camping for the night to Astoria on the Oregon coast which was brilliant fun. We managed to talk our way into a sapce on the fully booked campsite which was lovely and despite the rain we managed to stay dry! This is us on the beach with the Pacific ocean in the background:

If anyone is in the area, the trails in Fort Stevens State park have the most incredible moss covered trees. Just pay attention so you don't miss the turnoff (who would do a silly thing like that?)

I am trying to start drawing again. I was so good in Cyprus doing some nearly everyday, and my drawing improved no end. Since I left I have been very bad at keeping it up. I am now in San Fransisco staying with my friend Lucy and we popped into a shop called Flax Art and Design in Downtown San Fransisco. I bought a small sketchbook (there is nothing like having a new sketchbook to inspire you!) and have decided to do a drawing everyday. It's only a small book so there are no excuses. Today I even managed 4 drawings. I was really taken with this design of Quails from an old childrens embroidery book that Lucy found for a bargain price (doesn't she always!):

That's it for today. Perhaps I will post more drawings as an incentive to keep sketching.....

Art for sale

2009-09-09T23:18:00.002+01:00

I have added some of my botanical art to my Etsy shop. This is a watercolour painting of 'Morning Glory' vine, painted when I was in Cyprus.

There is also some new jewellery on there with more to come....so don't forget to check back regularly! follow the link to my Etsy shop at the side of this blog.

I've got 4 weeks of teaching coming up next week so it's going to be a busy month. I'm teaching goldwork, embroidery design and intensive CC for the RSN. I believe there are also still places left on the Jacobean course in Winchester in October. Visit http://www.embroiderynow.co.uk/ for more details.

I'm still interested in peg dolls and have bought some beautiful vintage ones off E-bay. I will take some photographs and post them here. You will be amazed what can be done with a simple wooden clothes peg!

Watch this space....

Smallest peg doll in the world?

2009-08-30T18:59:00.001+01:00

While searching the world wide web, we came across a small wooden doll someone had made out of a matchstick. Not to be outdone when it comes to detail, Jonathan announced he wasn't that impressed and could do one much better. So it was that while other couples where out partying on a Saturday night, he was

peering under a magnifier creating this little sailor. The match stick it stands on is a normal everyday matchstick in case you were wondering making little sailor peg 7.5mm high.....

The Guiness Book of Records will no longer accept anything under the genre "The smallest....." as apparently it gets ridiculous and things end up so small they don't actually look like the thing they are meant to represent. We however, think this could possibly be the smallest peg doll (and by this we mean actually peg shaped) in the world. If anyone knows otherwise please don't let us know as I will have to spend another evening on my own while Jonathan makes a smaller one....

He is available for commissions!

New shop!

2009-08-28T23:43:00.001+01:00

My kits and other embroidery items are now available on Etsy, a website selling all things hand made (see the link on the right hand side). It is an American website, so all prices are in dollars. If you are the same side of the pond as me and would like to buy any of the items you see in my Etsy shop, get in touch with me directly through my website or this blog.

There is a lot more stuff to add, including some watercolour paintings so keep checking back if you would like to see more!

Follow the link: http://www.sarahhomfray.etsy.com/

Back into the swing of things

2009-08-25T10:34:00.006+01:00

A new class:

I am running a Design for Embroidery class soon which is a good excuse to do some more drawing, something I have not been very good at keeping up with since I got back from Cyprus, (It doesn't take long to get back into old ways!) By the end of the class (5 hours) I'm hoping the students will have an original design complete with stitch plan and colour ideas, having just taught them basic drawing skills, composition and tone! I'm hoping I haven't been too ambitious, we will find out soon. I'm also teaching a traditional stitch sampler for a week and a one day goldwork class.

For anyone interested in Crewel Work, I'm running a one day Jacobean class in Winchester in October. More details can be seen at: http://embroiderynow.co.uk/

I also have an entry for the British Sari Story Competition to complete and I'm setting up a shop on Etsy for embroiderers across the pond. Busy busy busy!

Something new

2009-08-17T21:49:00.011+01:00

I have been interested in peg dolls since I was little girl. I have a collection of the small wooden keepsakes which I add to occaisionally with a design of my own. I thought it would be nice to share these in the form of a selection of new kits.

A lot of peg dolls can be a bit crudely made, so I have attempted to make one that was simple to do, but high quality at the same time. The result are these 3 figures below:

Included in each kit: Peg, pipe cleaner, felt, fabric, ribbon, beads, sand paper, comprehensive instructions and pattern pieces.

Make the peg unique by drawing on your own hair and face and choose the length of the skirt you would like. There are 3 colours currently available. Flower Power, Opulent Orange and Beautiful Blue (see below):

They are suitable for the young and the young at heart and are available from e-bay for an introductory low price or buy now from me for £5 each (e-bay prices will soon rise to this price).

Send me a message or get in touch through my website via the link to the right.

I'm doing some research into this subject and would be very interested to hear from anyone who has peg dolls from their childhood! Please get in touch.

New blog for new times....

2009-08-02T18:59:00.002+01:00

Although the creative journey isn't over, the blog of the same name is not so relevant, now I am no longer in Cyprus! Hence a "new blog for new times."

Here I hope to continue the journey but more focused than the first time round now I have a better understanding of my work and the direction I would like to go in (did I just say I knew which direction I wanted to go in? Er...I do?).

A little bit of wisdom for you from Pablo Picasso as I, as yet, have none so profound:

"Two boys arrived yesterday with a pebble they said was the head of a dog until I pointed out that it was really a typewriter" - Pablo Picasso

It''s all about how you look at something...