A Rather Delayed Update

Hi All

I haven't posted in ages ... I know ... but with one thing and another, life has run away with me again.

What's happened since October? Well, my husband started a training course at college which unfortunately brought the schizophrenia back in a big way. We knew it was a gamble but he was doing so well ... but sadly, it didn't work out so that has taken time to get him back on track again. And I've been busy organising an exhibition which my college group are holding later this month ... they voted me to be the Chairman - which I didn't want to do - but I got a do or die look from the tutor!! So organising that has kept me quiet too. Not that the group would say that ... they're probably sick to death of my emails ... I know I am!!!

Anyway ... as you know I'm working on handbags for my final show in June at uni. (Well, it's not actually my final 'final' show because I've still got another 2 years to go studying for the BA Hons top up, but it's my 'final' show as far as my Foundation Degree is concerned.)

So far, I've discovered that the razor blades handbag is going to look pretty good. I just have to motivate myself to blunt down and polish about 100 razor blades ... and it's a very time-consuming job! And tedious actually! But I need to add some 'glamour' to the bag in the way of beads or fringing otherwise it will look too 'gothic' and I don't want that ... even though there's probably quite a big market out there for that!

Here's a sample photo for you:

I'm really pleased with the way the blades are turning out ... but to get them this shiney, you have to polish each one about 10 times ... times that by 100 blades ... it's going to take ages and I just can't find the motivation at the moment!

As regards my rock pooling bag, we did a quick three week project at uni in November looking at 'Artists Books' ... not as in published books but as in pieces of art. Artists books are one of the hardest things to describe. Our tutor had trouble explaining them to us and now I have trouble explaining them to other people! Basically, an artist can create a piece of work that's a book, but doesn't necessarily look like a book. Err ... that's a rubbish explanation - you'll have to look them up on the internet, that's the best thing!

Anyway, I decided to make an artists book about rock pooling ... a mini experiment to see if the handbag thing would work.

I knitted a shaded blue purse in wool with a silk lining, sewed in some acrylic seaweed (made from paint) and fastened a clip purse fastening. That way, when you open up the purse, you have to put your hand through the seaweed, which actually feels quite life-like, to get to the other goodies at the bottom of the purse.

The other goodies inside the purse are an embroidered star fish, a knitted clam shell, a woven limpet shell and an embroidered prawn. I also placed some stones I've collected from Lyme Regis (the place we used to go rock pooling when I was a kid) and a bit of sand too so your fingers get a real sensation when investigating inside the purse.

The picture above is of the purse laid out in a box with other sea shells and stones I've collected over the years. I placed the purse in a box because that's the way my memories are filed away in my head ... in boxes. There's a box for child hood, there's a box for school years, there's a box for mum's death ... there's lots of boxes - some I (mentally) open up reguarly, some I leave closed.

Here's the star fish and the prawn:

Anyway, I think this purse worked out ok so will continue with the rock pooling bag - only with the handbag, the rock pooling items will be on the outside so that the inside can be used as a proper handbag.

That's as far as I've got with the handbags so far. It's been quite a busy time for me really, even though I haven't produced much practical work. I will say, however, that my theoretical work is coming along nicely. For some (strange) reason, I have found working at the computer on boring stuff more enjoyable than the practical stuff, for a change.

I've also set up my own website now. It's still in the newby stage with improvements being made all the time and I know there's a list of things that I need to work on which is building up, but take a look when you have time.

It's http://www.lucyadamstextiles.com/

There's still a lot to be done on it though ... but it takes time and peace and quiet at home, which at the moment, is not happening!!

Anyway, that's it for now. I've got to get back to organising this bloody exhibition again. I'll be glad when it's over and done with!

Speak to you soon, hopefully!

Lucy

Here We Go ...

Hi Blogspot

I need to type this up now so I don't forget what we've just discussed or the ideas that have come to me during the discussion.

We've just given our first 'initial ideas' presentation and I think we (the whole class) agreed that handbags would be the way for me to go. This is great. This is the way I've been leaning too - doing a whole collection of bags, each describing something that has happened to me in the past - an event or a memory.

Some of my ideas so far are:

A razor bag - re my wedding day

A rock pool bag - re memories of when I was a kid

A family tree bag - I do come from an 'interesting' line!!!

A travel bag - with Erol the scorpion featuring heavily

There could be lots of ideas ... I need to sit back and remember!

Another idea that came up via Sophie was to do a small booklet with each bag which can describe the story behind the bag. For instance, Erol would be really hard to tell, just on his own, but with a book I could explain the whole saga behind him. AND, my dad's still got all my original e-mails which I could potential screen print or include within the books.

Things I could use to make the bags are razor blades - and perhaps latex dyed to the colour of flesh for maybe the lining or even the outside fabric of the bag, or maybe to use the latex as part of the booklet to go with the story. I could use a map for the travel bag, highlighting where I've travelled - and with it being made of paper, I could fold or pleat it and stitch it in unusual ways.

We were also thinking that each bag should be different - not just on subject matter but also on style - so a travel bag would be different to my razor blade bag etc - and for the family tree, I could use a different type of bag for each person - so a pauper would probably have a scruffy, dirty jute bag, my GI auntie would have a going out bag etc etc - all of which could be included in one large 'family' bag.

These are just quick ideas that are floating about in my head at the moment. I'm writing them down now so I don't forget. But this project, I think, will be fun for me to do and fun for the audience to see - and detailed enough to keep me busy for a year.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm typing this up at school and if I stay on this computer for too long it will probably chuck me off and blow up, so I'll leave it here for now and carry on when I need to at home.

See ya ...

:o)

RWA Submission

Hi Blogspot

Well, today I've handed in my hat for the RWA 'Open' Exhibition which will go on show in November/December this year. Fingers crossed that it gets through the initial selection process and this time will get 'hung'. You never know, miracles do happen!!

Nikki has also handed in two of her hats so with any luck we'll both get selected and they (the RWA) can have a special sculptural hat section! Three hats are better than 1 ... hopefully!

Anyway, that's it for now. That's all I wanted to say. I have a busy day ahead of me today so I'm off.

:o)