Tuesday Talent - Annie Montgomerie

 Annie Montgomerie is a wonderful doll maker from Dorchester in the south of England.  She is well known for her animal dolls, little anthropomorphic characters with stunning detail and intriguing personalities.  She upcycles lots of materials and her dolls are choc full of individual quirks and details.

Recently however I came across her rather lovely cloth dolls featuring lots of embroidery, applique and hand stitching.  Annie has a website at anniemontgomerie.co.uk, she has a Facebook page also, but to find these stunning fabric dolls you need to go to Pinterest.  There you will find so many different versions of these long ladies you won't be able to stop pinning.  I love these dolls.

You will find the whole world in these dolls - there are seaside dolls, piggy dolls or pastoral field - so many variations.  Sadly she does not seem to make them anymore, even her Esty shop does not stock them but I wanted to share them for the sheer joy they bring - really lovely.

The Fabric I Use - Part 3

I love all things William Morris and collect Morris prints and reproduction Morris inspired prints for my stash.

Original Morris fabric tends to be expensive and heavy weight but Moda, for the last few years, have run a series of quilting cottons inspired by Morris and designed by Barbara Brackman. They include most recently Earthly Paradise, as well Morris Tapestry, Morris Jewels, Best of Morris and Morris Apprentice which looked at the patterns of CFA Voysey

They are a lovely weight and a pleasure to work with. They deviate from my buy British thing but they are originally English prints and Moda make quality fabric. The earlier prints are now hard to find but the more recent ones are readily available and being from 2016 are quite often discounted.  Moda are producing a new range of Morris inspired prints this October 2017 in association with the V&A, so they will be worth a look.

I find I like them best teamed with black and grey stripy fabric and antique lace to give a doll that weighty Victorian feel.  My cats are all in William Morris by Moda and the fabric works well.
 

A Grand Day Out, Flora at Ruthin

Jan Beaney

 A lovely day at Ruthin on friday, my first trip out in quite a while so a real treat.  The current exhibition, Narratives in Making, covers a truly beautiful collection of work by Irish craftsmen and women, with wood, metal and ceramics being shown.  The second gallery features the third in the series of Language in Clay and here Anne Gibbs shows her eclectic ceramic pieces.

Flora, in Gallery 3, was wonderful.  All the work was inspired by flowers and contained prints, jewellery, stitch, clay and glass, as well the textile treasure of Jan Beaney. The work of Alison Stockmarr was a real find, her books are just so appealing and delicate.

The exhibition runs until the 24th September and makes for an enjoyable afternoon if you are in the area.

Alison Stockmarr

Vanessa Hogge

Vanessa Hogge