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.