100th Post

As well as blogging about the Trail, I am exhibiting in it again this year. And my, what a difference a year makes. This time last year, I was just getting properly well again, but this year, I am happy as well as healthy, and things really seem to be working out for me. I am so so thankful for that.

Setting up the exhibition yesterday morning:

The exhibition installed in our front window:

"Bellini Reception" to celebrate. ;)

P.S. This is my 100th post on Poesie Grenadine! I'm glad it's such a happy one.

To conclude, here's my most recent embroidery. If you'd like to purchase it, please let me know A.S.A.P. It's garnering a lot of attention already!

My first post for this year's E17 Art Trail!

Firstly, I must apologise for the number of posts/posts copied from other sources (but written by me) today. I've just been so busy lately! (Which is a very good thing for someone who's just graduated, but I feel I'm only going to get even busier from here-on.)

First things first before the main post: on Friday I got my degree results, aaaaand (drum roll...) I got a First! I'm absolutely ecstatic, it's like the final "Screw you!" to my Troubles.

So there has been much celebrating (and much drinking), but I have also just begun my first paid work since graduating; writing the occasional post about the 2012 E17 Art Trail for the offical E17 Art Trail blog!

Here is my first effort:

Day One In Awesomestow

Hello Trailers! Here's the round-up of Day One of the E17 Art Trail from "the other" blogger, Kate.

First up on my rounds was Walthamstow Library, where the E17 Puppet Project were putting on a shadow show entitled "Tortoise and Hare". As the title suggest, this was a re-imagining of Aesop's famous fable.

The target audience for the show was children aged 3 - 8, but I just couldn't resist a shadow puppet show, especially one staged in the round in a library, with the "theatre" made up of curved children's book shelves!

Once I was sitting comfortably (and many of the children very comfortably, on cushions and beanbags), the show began. The "players" were full of enthusiasm and instantly had a captive and captivated audience. The show was narrated by a lazy lion, and there was a real sense of fun to the storytelling.

The re-telling of the famous tale centred around the Olympics and our Great British Summer of Sport, but the morals of the story were all present and correct, with a few new ones added too.There was even something for adults in the use of well-known sports-themed tunes. Walthamstow Market had a cameo role, complete with cries of "Paaaand a bowl!", which went down very well.

The shadow show will play again (to a packed house, I'm sure), on Saturday 8th and Sunday the 9th, at 10:30 and 11:30 showings.

I then marched over to Wood Street, narrowly avoiding the EDL march. I must say, despite the EDL's best attempts to stir things up, Walthamstow really did ourselves proud yesterday, showing our solidarity, vibrancy, and creativity in the face of fascism.

On a more positive note, my first stop in Wood Street was Folly and Frill in the Indoor Market, where Louise has set up a very special postbox. Art Trail artists Anja Jane, Paul Lindt, and Danny Cope were commissioned to turn some of their works into special post cards. For a small fee, visitors to Folly and Frill's Awesomestow Postbox can post a post card to a loved one, or write a message to be sent to someone special (or even themselves!) in one year's time! The idea is to start writing about and celebrating our local heritage, whilst taking the time to slow down and hand-write a message. Often a challenge nowadays!

 Folly and Frill is stocked to the rafters with postcards sent from in and around Walthamstow, framed so the original message can still be read. Also available are prints of local landmarks and areas of natural beauty.

Here I am posting myself a message scheduled to arrive in the future!

The final exhibition on my route was one which I might be ever-so-slightly prejudiced in favour of; Significant Seams's Celebrating the Significant, in Images In Frames on Wood Street. Not only am I currently interning at Significant Seams, but one of my embroidery pieces is featured in the exhibition!

As I said, I may be slightly prejudiced, but I was blown away by the talent on display in Images In Frames. So many mediums were represented; mosaic, quilting, painting, photography, embroidery, and soft sculpture.

The real star of the show, however, was Harriet Hammel's life-size kebab shop soft sculpture!

Well worth a visit and a marvel at. Honest!

I've finally taken the plunge...

...and got myself a fancy new Big Cartel shop!

Yes, Poesie Grenadine embroideries are now available to purchase! 

I will add more over the course of the week. So excited!

A little grrrrl power.

Inspired in no small part by my trip to the Girls Get Busy zine festival on Saturday, and a welcome return to puns for me! More to follow shortly...

Afternoon Twee

I'm afraid this post is very text and image-heavy, but it's well worth a read/glance, I promise!

The past week was amazing. I honestly can't remember when I've been happier. I love my "job" (and my workmates), I've met new and very interesting people, spent plenty of time with loved ones, and I'm feeling hyper-creative (with an emphasis on the hyper!)

Saturday was a packed day - I took my cousin Emily in to Significant Seams with me, with the intention of us "holding down the fort"; perhaps fortunately, there was no fort to hold down, as Wood Street Plaza got all the foot traffic, and I didn't have any major disasters.

Emily the Entrepreneur

Slow day at work = sneaky photograph of my outfit

I had it far, far easier than my colleagues, in fact; Mark and Debs were busy demonstrating extreme knitting under a gazebo on the Plaza.

They had a captive audience of small children, but unfortunately I missed the younger knitters' efforts!

Em and I were then dismissed from our duties for the day, and after scoffing a venison sausage each and trying on dresses at Gigi's (me as potential outfits for graduation, Emily for shits and giggles - both equally dangerous, the owner is the most accomplished saleswoman I've ever met!), we proceeded to Lady V's for a cream tea.

As you can see, Lady V's is a veritable tiny, twee, chintzed-to-the-rafters paradise. It was even set off by menus bound in antique book covers and a gently tinkling toy piano track. It's well worth a visit if you're ever down Walthamstow way (it's located in Wood Street Indoor Market, as is Significant Seams). Lady V herself also hires out her bone china for films and parties. I may have to look on putting on a performance of some kind there with a few of my arty friends...

Having suitably lined our stomachs, Em and I nipped over to neighbouring Hackney to the Girls Get Busy zine festival. This was my first Girls Get Busy event, and it was absolutely fantastic. Although I was always very keen to go along to a GGB do, the main purpose of my visit was to meet the artist Hannah Hill, who I wrote about in my previous blog post.

With Girls Get Busy's founder, Beth Siveyer, and Hannah. I was a bit tipsy and nervous and made a bit of a tit of myself in front of Beth. Ah well. (Photograph courtesy of Roxanne Werter).

Hannah and I have decided to start a collaborative project together, which will most probably take the form of a zine. And that's all I'm willing to betray about the matter at the mo!

I picked up one of Hannah's cute-as-a-barrel-of-puppies Girls Get Busy t shirts, and a handful of zines. Here's my swag:

Photograph courtesy of Hannah Hill

It was so inspiring talking to the girls at the event; young women truly doing it for themselves, making things happen, and reaching out to (and supporting) one another. Definitely something I would love to get involved with, and will be going along to again in the future.

Yesterday was more family-orientated. I took Emily and family along to the newly re-opened William Morris Gallery, where Grayson Perry's Walthamstow Tapestry is currently being exhibited. It's so much bigger and richer in detail than I ever expected. I love Perry's subtle but biting sense of humour, and the busy-ness of his work.

Unfortunately I forgot to take along a camera, but I'm sure I'll be back soon. Fingers and toes crossed, Significant Seams will soon be working on a project in conjunction with the gallery, and crossed even harder, possibly I will too...

The rest of yesterday was dedicated to chatting, eating, drinking, making merry, and sewing, all taking place in our back garden. A large contingent of the Rolison (well, Swift; my mother's side) extended family was present, all having a jolly good time.

Some of my younger, more distant cousins became acquainted with my final university piece, On Being Soft:

The award for Cutest Moment of the Day goes to my little cousin Louis, who fell asleep wrapped up in the picnic blanket next to our dog, Rosie. She kept edging closer and closer to him for comfort!

And the award for Least Sociable Cousin goes to... me! For sewing/blogging/working through the entire gathering.

I'll post the fruits of my stitchy labour up soon. Until then,

Take care

K x