I am very excited about tomorrow-it is going to be a good day! In the morning, I'm having my hair coloured (ok that part is a bit boring, sitting still for ages! There are only so many Hello magazines I can stomach), meeting two lovely friends in the afternoon, then in the evening Mr Dotty and I will be rubbing shoulders with some arty types! I had a piece selected for the Open Contemporary Art Exhibition at Stockport Art Gallery and I can't wait to see all the wonderful art.

Sneak preview of my mixed media piece, "Home from Home 2". I am always very grateful for how well received these pictures of Skye cottages seem to be.

I have been busy working towards my next exhibition with the Ten Plus Textiles Group. This is a quilt I made four years ago for an exhibition at Little Moreton Hall, a stunning tudor house in Congleton.

The "strips 'n Curves" technique by Louisa L. Smith is quite challenging. I created a fabric by piecing together black and white strips, then cut these up to make the patchwork- lots of seams to match up!. I quilted it very simply with circles. It is quite striking, but I'm afraid I found it...well, dull!

So, my brains were wracked for ideas on how to recycle it (or is that "upcycle"?) I'm beginning to explore the shapes of leafless trees.

I love the ones in Skye- short and gnarly, and leaning against the harsh elements.

So, I appliqued a bold, bright, bare tree onto the quilt. The curves of the branches echo the curves of the patchwork and the tree looks as though it is offering up the moon. I requilted it with orange thread-it was originally blue- and added some black satin stitch circles to draw the eye. Then I had great fun handstitching and voila!

I don't want to reveal the whole thing just yet as it is going to be on show in October.

Right, off into the kitchen to make the second Christmas cake of the year! *smiles smuggly*

Where Fairies Dwell

I didn't want to post while the Royal Wedding was on as I had no relevant photos and there are millions of them out there, but it was all lovely, Kate is beautiful and I wish the Royal couple every happiness!
So, from real life princesses to mythical fairies. My very favourite place in Skye is the Fairy Glen in Uig.

 We spent a wonderful day there while we were on holiday. It is very peaceful and has a farytale, "other-worldly" feel. There are many legends and stories and many believe that fairies really do dwell there. Whilst that isn't my experience, it is very easy to imagine that they do. I like to sit awhile and watch the eagles soar!
It is also fun to run up and down the little conical hills.

Or follow the little pathways through the trees.

The Fairy Glen was the inspiration for this mixed media piece that I made and exhibited with Ten Plus Textiles (www.tenplustextiles.co.uk).

I bet the fairies' houses can be seen there if you look hard enough!

Woodland Walk

This is the lovely Rubha Phoil woodland walk near Armadale in the south of Skye. The path was created by a small community of volunteers that have created a permaculture garden and an eco-campsite. It is a beautiful, peaceful walk through the trees, to an otter hide.

These are some of the things to see along the way.

This chair had been built onto the rock and the tree formed part of the structure. It is a great place to sit and look at the fantastic view of the bay.

Skye Holiday

I haven't been around for a couple of weeks and I haven't been near a computer in that time or accessed the internet. I have had a wonderful, relaxing family holiday on the Isle of Skye. The weather was great, the views were stunning and I felt like I slowed right down and lived in the moment. (Oh and I ate quite a lot of cake!)

This is Elgol, one of my favourite places. The view is perfect, there are lots of rocks for the kids to climb on and on a previous visit we saw a basking shark, calmly drifting around the bay.

There are lots of abandoned crofts on skye. Some date back to communities that were removed as part of the Highland Clearances and others are more recent. We walked a couple of miles to this cottage. In spite of the glorious blue sky, we had to shelter inside from a heavy downpour of rain just after I took this picture!

The dog had a fantastic time. He loved the beaches and the fresh air. He looks a bit "trussed up" in this picture. Last year at this beach he managed to wriggle out of his harness and chased a couple of sheep across the shore. Thankfully they were better at climbing than he was! We were mortified! This time we opted for a "belt and braces" approach.

Over the next few days, I'll include a few more views and maybe dream a little about being there.