Good morning and "Happy New Year" to you on this bright sunny day (at least here in Montgomery) and any respite from the incessant rain is welcome these days.

 

We've had a very busy christmas, a very busy November and December actually.  Tons of family and friends have decended on us over the weeks and it's been amazing, we've had nice meals, visits to local pubs and trips to see bands.  We ended the festive season all party'd out with a very welcome and quiet new year with just the two of us, a candlelit dinner, champagne and lots of laughs.  

 

I'm looking forward to this new year, 2012 seemed to be a continuous mish mash of half achieved goals and lots of spontaneous decisions that pushed all well laid and thought out plans out the window.  I'm hoping i've learned from that and have a better 2013.  .

  

So, with that in mind i wanted to show you this beautiful 'worn' quilt i recently purchased, it's the second one i've bought and is so fragile.  I have plans to use the fabric in some new artwork i've been experimenting with, i love the faded worn look and the neat little hand stitching holding each patch together, it tells so many stories.    

 

This is a piece i've been working on, i've used fragments of a victorian quilt to embellish it as well as paint and collage elements.   

I've randomly stitched the fabric before attaching it to the canvas and i've enjoyed playing with gold leaf on fabric too.  This piece is mostly an experiment to form other ideas on.

...and, of course, there's always room for narrative elements!

 

I've had the best ever christmas this year, despite being very busy and already having everything i want/need in life, santa still managed to bring me tickets to see Neil Young at the NEC in June...so excited about that.  He also managed to get me my favourite Jo Malone perfume and candle and these two exceptionally beautiful pieces of art work by Cathy Cullis as well as a few other things.  Cathy's work is so reflective and peaceful, i can't wait to frame these and display them.

 

"For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning".
~T.S. Eliot

"Little Gidding"