A Doll and a Daughter

Meet Rosie...

She’s three months old now and discovering new things that she can do each day. I can safely say that Rosie and her big brother are my two best ever creations, even if my body did go through the mill whilst I was pregnant.

We have been showered with many gorgeous gifts and good wishes. We feel so lucky to have such generous friends and family. One of my favourite gifts for Rosie has to be her ‘Curious Clare’ (mummy!) doll commissioned by Jo Cushing from talented local maker, Sally Leigh. Sally is the owner of Folksy shop, Betsy Boo and Gracie Too, where she sells her ‘unique cuddlers for the unique dreamer’.

The doll is beautifully made and perfectly captures Curious Clare’s style, from the tiny bird in her denim jacket to the brightly patterned Desigual skirt. I just love it and I am sure that Rosie will too when she’s old enough to play with her. 

I’m just hoping that Rosie doesn’t stick pins in the doll when she’s a teenager and we’ve had a heated disagreement. Ouch!

And here's the first 'Curious Clare' doll knitted for me by my lovely grandma when I was a little girl. Oh what fun we're going to have playing with these two dollies!

SGS Explorers - Hydrotherapy Arts Project

Earlier this year Gifted and Talented Sale Grammar School students in Year 9 and 10 were commissioned by Lime, one of our Trust partners, to produce art work for the Hydrotherapy Arts Project at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.  The Therapy and Dietetic Department was in the process of being refurbished by Lime artists. The overall theme was based around the idea of journeys and sea voyages to reflect both the funding from Thomas Cook children’s charity and the hydrotherapy area within the unit.

The Secret Treasure Map that the explorers are next to is by Dawn Prescott and located in the Waiting Room of the Main Reception Area

Lime took inspiration from Thomas Cook’s round the world tours and aimed ‘to create a sense of journey of discovery and wonder for everyone who visits and works in the Therapy and Dietetic Department’. The theme runs throughout the unit and art work was especially created for corridors and changing areas to treatment rooms and the pool.

Our students were given the brief of creating art work for the waiting room and treatment areas. The work had to be suitable for the patient age group (1-16) and fit into a small box frame. I decided to tackle the brief by showing students the work of folk artists such as Julie Arkell, and challenging them to make an ‘explorer’ each. The students worked on the projects on several Saturdays from January to March, starting off with a wire and papier mache base and ending with stitched or knitted costumes. Each explorer was mounted on top of a map inside the box frames. The students also produced an account of the journey that their individual explorer was taking. The resulting accounts are humorous and imaginative.

The students’ work is absolutely outstanding and sits very comfortably with the commissioned pieces by artists Helen Kitchen, Brian Chapman, Rob Vale and Dawn Prescott. The project has afforded students the unique opportunity of a live commission and has made a significant contribution to our local community. It is now a bright, fun and interactive environment for all users of the unit– from patients to staff. You can see an overview of the transformation of the unit by clicking here.

Samantha Bryan’s Fairy Workshop

On Saturday 20^th October I left the busy city behind and went into the beautiful autumnal Nottinghamshire countryside to the Hope and Elvis Studio for a workshop with Samantha Bryan. Hope and Elvis is run and owned by textile artist Louise Presley and is situated on the idyllic Welbeck Estate. The Hope and Elvis studio is spacious, light and airy and is a treasure trove of textiles ephemera old and new. I went on a bag making course there a few years ago and have been eager to return to such an inspirational and welcoming space ever since.

Samantha Bryan is the creator of wonderfully humorous fairy sculptures. Louise had organised for Samantha Bryan to help us produce ‘fairies’ in her whimsical and quirky style. Her work is inspired by ‘victorian gadgetry and invention’ and is constructed with great technical skill and attention to detail. The sculptures are fashioned out of ‘wire, leather, found objects & collected materials’. Some of my favourite features of her work involve tiny roller skates made from buttons and ear muffs made from acorns! Samantha took us step by step through her fairy making process and was happy to let us work at our own pace, giving extra tuition whenever it was needed.

It was a fantastic day and I relished the opportunity to work with a contemporary craft practitioner. Both Samantha and Louise were extremely generous with their ideas, materials and time. The atmosphere was relaxed throughout and it was brilliant to see a range of different ages happily working together. There was even the added luxury of tea on tap and easy access to delicious confectionery – a must for keeping creative minds going!

I documented the experience throughout the day in the hope that it will give you an insight into Samantha’s methods of working. Samantha’s fairies usually take her around three days to create and she works on lots of different fairies at the same time going from heads and hands to wings and feet.

I love the fact that my fairy evolved organically from scraps of leather and found natural materials. I had a loose idea of what I wanted to make at the start of the day but let the materials on offer and the making techniques lead the design.

I didn’t manage to complete my fairy at the workshop but have thoroughly enjoyed finishing her off each evening this week. My favourite part of the whole process was working with such soft and richly coloured leather. I also loved accessorising her and have got carried away with knitting tiny leg warmers and weaving a miniature scarf complete with pompoms.