Monday 10 February 2014

Flooded Out

On Saturday I drove South to Newbury for the weaving class, made good time and wondered when all this flooding would stop as it is inconvenient to me. Yesterday(Sunday)  I drove over to my daughter in Leamington Spa. A lovely sunny day with a blue sky and fluffy clouds. It took me the standard slightly less than an hour. Coming back (still no rain) and the Severn had risen and bridges everywhere were flooded. Worcester is a city under seige. The city fathers are saying please don't come in by car, you won't get here and there are the usual photos of the city's swans paddling about where cars used to park. They are talking of another 0.5 to 1.0 m rise in the water level over the next two days. It has already risen 5.3 m at Worcester. And it took me two and a half hours to get home. In other words, I am pretty well stuck in Malvern for the duration. I am supposed to be in Birmingham on Wednesday and I might make that because the trains go into Worcester over the Severn on a very high overhead bridge. But of course the railway track could be flooded elsewhere. Oh well, that means I just get on with weaving and bookbinding.

I am pleased I made it to Nature in Art in Twigworth last Friday. I was quite worried about getting there because it is very near the Severn and the access road has been  flooded and impassable in previous years. The BBC Wildlife Photography exhibition was on which, as usual, was excellent and the Museum was very crowded. There was a textile artist, Kathleen Matthews, in residence and her works were really first rate. She is a quilter - sort of. She calls herself a stitcher and there is a lot of machine stitching on her quilts. Very high class and she has been recognised as such. Exhibitions in the States, winner at the Quilt Show in Birmingham etc etc. No photography allowed and I cannot find a website for her. But if you google Kathleen Matthews, you will find lots of images of her work.

I have warped up a four colour double weave on the 12 shaft Meyer loom. This is another turned draft and the loom is actually threaded up in a straight draw in alternate colours of orange and blue. I have woven a first section using only an oatmeal silk noil (not two colours) and got the effect I wanted for Kalahari desert sand. I am about to start on a leafless tree in Theo Moorman technique. I hope to produce a series of pictures of African trees based on my photographs. There is not much to see yet but there might be a photo in a day or two.

2 comments:

  1. I was watching BBC Canada and I'm amazed at the storms plaguing the UK the winter!
    I'm looking forward to seeing your Theo Moorman trees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Please send some of that water our way! We've had only 2 inches this rain season (July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014) which is about 10 inches less than it should be.

    ReplyDelete

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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.