Show day on Shapinsay

Tuesday 6 August was show day on our small island.  Perfect weather for showing cattle, sheep, horses, ponies and poultry as well as family pets.  The Horticultural Show took place at the same time and the school hall was filled with an assortment of crafts, jams, cakes, biscuits, fruit and vegetables.  Sadly I forgot to take my camera.  I'll ask someone if I can copy their photographs.

I won four prizes for the following exhibits - three 1sts and a 2nd - fair chuffed.



This bag is made out of some wool I had spun and knitted into a jumper.  I wore it for a while but it was never quite right - the jumper that is not the bag.  I have used the bag.  I think the picture is a bit too bright.  I really must get to grips with a good editing package.

 

 

 

The hens featured in this batik belong to a my friend Sian from Graemsay.  Obviously they are not this colour but I took a photo, enlarged it then traced the hens.  Easy when you know how.   I made the batik when I was doing the Applied Textile Design course at Orkney College.  I embellished it with hand embroidery and beads more recently but wasn't sure what to do with it after that.  I did look at various frames but nothing seemed to work.  The Show spurred me on to do something and I ended up stretching it over an artists canvas.  It has worked quite well although this picture doesn't show it fully.  Sian has an interesting blog about life on Graemsay - I recommend you take a look.  http://sianthom.blogspot.co.uk/ You'll find pictures of her hens, cake, sunsets, views towards Stromness, more cake and Buttons plus much more.  Buttons has four legs. 

 

This bag was made from a long piece of machine knitting which was then felted.  My love of making things out of felted knitted wool began at Orkney College. 

 

My last offering was a watercolour of Domino (on the left) and Dindy, two lovely cats that are no longer with us.

 







 

I am already thinking about what I might exhibit next year.  I wont leave it so late next time.  Well I say that now...