Going GREEN At the Oscars - 2013

Skyfall actress, Naomie Harris, wore a stunning dress to the Oscars last Sunday night. It was hand embroidered by embroiderers based at Hampton Court Palace, London, England. According to the news from the embroidery guild, more than 600 hours were spent making this dress. Read more about it here and here.

This dress won the Red Carpet Green Dress contest .

'The dress was made of a Global Organic Textile Standard certified organic silk crepe de chine, embroidered with vintage glass beads and chocolate candy wrappers, and dyed with golden rod and humble camomile, a renewable and biodegradable plant source. No water pollutants or chemicals were used, and the Royal School of Needlework in the UK spent a total of 680 hours hand-embroidering the gown with organic cotton thread. Not using machine-embroidery significantly reduced the dress’ carbon footprint, which is the amount of greenhouse gases emitted during its production.'

Rather stunning, wouldn't you say!

Ai Weiwei: 100 Million Sunflower Seeds

The Tate Modern was one of the places I visited while in London. The Ai Weiwei exhibition of 100 Million Sunflower Seeds was of particular interest and is on exhibit until May 2, 2011. At the time it was possible to walk on the surface of the work, which I did. However, a couple of days after my visit, that part of the exhibit was stopped. Apparently the dust from the porcelain was proving to be a health hazard. Now visitors can look upon the sunflower seeds from the Turbine Hall bridge or viewed up close from the edge of the exhibit. These photos were taken by my friend. In the last photo, I am holding some of the 'seeds' in my hand. The whole room in the second photo is covered with the porcelain seeds.

To learn about this extraordinary work, go here.

#3 Textile Art from Knitting & Stitch Show, London

Here's some more art work from the Knitting & Stitch Show, London. These photos were all taken with my Canon S90 camera.
The first piece of textile art was made with layers of sheer fabrics that were dyed/painted and stitched. I just love the vibrant colours.

The second piece was felted.
Various techniques were used in the other pieces.

Ginkgo Tree

I saw my first ginkgo tree in London, not far from my hotel. Its fan shaped leaves are very beautiful. I can see some future art on the horizon - maybe! Until now, I didn't feel like using the ginkgo leaf as it wasn't from my own experience. That is not the case anymore.
Apparently the ginkgo is the oldest known species of trees on earth. Check out the links for more information on these magnificent trees.

bark of Ginkgo tree

Some art using the ginkgo tree for inspiration:
Nancy Cook
Gladys Love (scroll down)
Denna Hardin
Fabric pile 
Ann Fahl 
Stained glass / quilt pattern  (scroll down)

England in the Fall

Alexander Palace

Well, it is confirmed that I will be heading to England in September on a Quilting & Needlework in England in the Fall tour with McCarthy's Party! For awhile we weren't sure it was going ahead but while I was on vacation, I got the good news. My friend and I will be staying in London for an extra week after the tour. One of the places we will visit on the tour, is the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexander Palace, London. This show is one of the major textile events in the UK. I'm looking forward to this one as I've read about it over the years in various quilting/stitching magazines. I've been to the International Quilt Show, Houston, Texas and that was fantastic!
Another stop will be the Royal School of Needlework based at Hampton Court in south-west London. In the morning, there is a tour of the Embroiderers Guild collection and explore the Palace (somehow, I can't see doing all that in one morning - maybe a second visit might be the thing to do) and in the afternoon, a private tour of the Royal School of Needlework is planned.

Victoria & Albert Museum

At York, we will visit the Quilters Museum, headquarters of the Quilters Guild of Great Britain. A special 'behind the scenes' tour has been arranged with the Museum Curator.

Sistine Chapel

While in London, we will be visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum. Apparently at the V & A  there is a special exhibition of tapestries from the Sistine Chapel. This is the first time ever in the UK for such a show. Of course, we will also see some of Princess Diana's wardrobe. 

That's a few places we will visit. I am hoping to meet some quilters and embroiderers while in England. I think that would be fantastic!

Needlework Shops and Fabric Stores in London

I will be visiting London this fall as part of the group going on the 12 Day Quilting and Needlework Tour to England. Of course, one of the things I want to do is visit some needlework shops and fabric stores. While exploring the Works of Hand site, I came across Vincent's London vacation. His list, which came from members of Stitching Fingers, is great. You can visit his site (with photos) or check them out here:

• All the Fun of the Fair
• Broadwick Silks
• The Cloth House
• Soho Silks
• Liberty & Co of London
• Sewing & Knitting - John Lewis
• MacCulloch & Wallis
• The London Bead Co. / Delicate Stitches 

 Other places I found:

•  London Quilt Shops ( The London Quilters Guild)
• Tikki Patchwork  (Kew Gardens, London)
• Quilt Related Links to UK sites (lots to check out here)!
• More Here!
• Quilters Cloth (Cambridge) 
• The Knitting & Stitching Show - London (one of our tour stops)