Montrose Textile

I've been a bit preoccupied since the fire.  It has taken ages to get everything sorted out - arranging assessors from 2 different insurance companies to visit, having the cleaning needs assessed and carried out, choosing replacement appliances and kitchen units, getting quotes from a joiner, floor layer and decorator.  The hardest things of all have been finding a replacement window blind and floor covering as we really liked the ones we already had!

This was only a small fire but the disruption has been enormous.  We still have to have the kitchen pulled apart to install new worktops, sink and a cupboard.  Never mind, we're getting there slowly.

Here's a piece I finished before Christmas but never quite got around to posting on here.

This fishy part was done using dissolvable plastic laid over the fibres before stitching them into place.  Dunking the fabric into warm water and watching the plastic melt away is fab!  I then stitched a few beads onto it for a bit of sparkle.

This section includes a piece of an old linen map (regular readers will know about my stash of these) showing Montrose Basin, the most amazing tidal basin which is just a few miles from here.

The third section is made up of various textures and was designed to complement the other two pieces.

Put them together and this is what you get, although the mount is actually now in a black frame (but it's impossible to photograph through the glass).

Important things I've learned recently

1. Large appliances can go wrong.

Last week our dishwasher suddenly burst into flames.  It has always worked perfectly and there was absolutely no indication that there was anything wrong with it.

Please, please never leave your dishwasher, washing machine or tumble drier on when you are out or in bed.  This doesn't make it less likely to catch fire, but it gives you precious time to react.  Fortunately this happened in the evening and we were all wide awake.  We noticed the strange smell and found the fire before the smoke detectors went off.

2. Most people don't have one of these.

If we hadn't had one, I doubt very much that we'd have any kitchen left at all, and we'd probably have lost the attic rooms and maybe the roof too.  Fire spreads incredibly quickly and, from the moment you dial 999 until the fire engines arrive, every second seems like an hour.

The one in the photo is a replacement for the one we used.  It cost £20 from Homebase.  Buy one. This entire sentence is a link to make it easy for you.

3. Panic and fear affect you in strange ways.

Ewan's first thought was to wet a towel from the bathroom to smother the flames, then he remembered that we have a fire extinguisher.

It was attached to the kitchen wall in our last house, but in the 7+ years we've lived here we had never got around to putting it in the kitchen.  Instead it has remained in the basement of Johnshaven Stores.

Ewan's fear filled brain told him that the 'kitchen fire extinguisher' was in the basement (and he knew exactly where) so he ran down to get it, passing THREE other fire extinguishers on the way - one in his office and two at the top of the basement stairs for use in the shop.

4. Fire Fighters are wonderful.

Our local fire station is staffed by reserve fire fighters.  They are paged at home, have to get themselves to the fire station and assemble together before the fire engine can set off.  They were super efficient, caring and kind.  I can't praise them highly enough.

Seeing them inside your smoke filled house with breathing apparatus on is a very scary experience.  Believe me, you don't want to experience it for yourself.

5. Lots of people run their machines at night.

Having posted about our fire on Facebook, comments from my friends have shown that putting a dishwasher on last thing at night is the norm in many homes.  There seem to be 2 main reasons for this:

1. Convenience - to be sure to include the last coffee mug or wine glass of the evening.
2. Cheaper electricity tariffs at night, combined with timers on the appliances.

The second of these really concerns me.  I read the following on the USwitch website regarding Ecomony 7, the tariff that gives you cheaper electricity overnight.  "To make the most of Economy 7 it helps if appliances like your dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer have a timer so that you can run them overnight, when your electricity is cheaper."  This advice is beyond irresponsible.

I am so angry about this that I'm going to write to my MSP and MP about it.

6. Fires in large appliances are not as rare as you may think.

Since posting about this on Facebook I have been shocked at how many friends, or friends of friends, this has happened to.  Dishwashers, washing machines and tumble driers are all causes of fires in the home.  One insurance assessor who came to look at the damage said that he's seen countless dishwashers that have caught fire at the back where the insulation material has overheated.  Our fire was entirely at the front electrical panel.

The following is taken from the Electrical Safety Council's website

Detailed analysis of the most recent annual fire statistics for Scotland has revealed:

• every week two families suffer fires in their home due to a faulty washing machine or dishwasher
• a defective light left switched on causes a fire in a Scottish home every ten days
• each fortnight a short circuit or other electrical problem with a television causes a domestic fire
• one in eight of all accidental domestic fires in Scotland are caused by faulty appliances or leads in the home

7.  Soot gets everywhere

Abso-blooming-lutely-everywhere!  Inside cupboards, all over the ceiling & walls and inside electrical appliances, thus turning them into fire hazards as well.  You can't adequately clean the inside of a toaster or the element of a kettle, and the carbon in the soot coming into contact with electrical parts of small appliances can be disastrous.

8. Friends are invaluable

On the night of the fire our children stayed with friends.  Knowing we'd be up half the night trying to deal with some of the mess, they also got them organised and sent off to school in the morning.  The same friends have let us use their washing machine (when they are at home, of course) until we have a replacement.

Other friends have also offered to do some washing and to roll up their sleeves and help with the clean up operation.  One friend has worked unpaid in Starfish Studio to give me time to order replacement items, and another sent the most beautiful bunch of roses to cheer us up.

I'd like to publicly thank them all.  You are all wonderful people.

9. These things don't just happen to other people.

Well actually they do... until they happen to you.

KEEP SAFE AND PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD

Box No.2

I enjoyed making the poppies box in my last blog so much that I've been busy working away on another one.

I took an absolutely gorgeous piece of shimmery silk and needle felted all kinds of woolly and sparkly textures to it.  I then stitched on lots of tiny beads in complementary colours.

Next I painted a pine box using chalk paint, waxed it and rubbed it to a lovely smooth finish.  The silk was stretched over a tiny canvas and fixed into the lid of the box, et voila!

Poppies

When I first bought my wonderful embellishing machine I made this poppy picture but was never quite sure what to do with it!  It was too small to stretch onto a canvas and I wasn't sure that it would look as effective from behind glass, so it has been lying in my sewing room for a few months, waiting for some inspiration to come my way.

That inspiration came through an art materials catalogue in which I found plain wooden boxes with a small canvas inlaid into the lid. 

So after carefully painting and waxing the box, I wrapped the poppies around the wee canvas and this is the result.
 

Another recent project has been the rennovation of a box given to me by a friend.  I think it's made of bamboo and the gaps between the uprights made it tricky to paint. 

I painted it using pale blue chalk paint and used a stencil to add the seed heads.  Then I waxed it and lined the bottom with some wadding and a complementary fabric.

I plan to put both boxes into the shop for sale, but I always struggle with pricing.  It's so difficult.  Do other crafters have a formula for pricing their work? 

The Enchanted Castle

At the weekend we went to the Enchanted Castle at the beautiful Crathes Castle near Banchory.  We've been here several times in the past but have never seen it quite like this!

At the entrance our tickets were exchanged for glow sticks to be worn as necklaces or head gear!

Unfortunately my camera is not good enough to be able to capture the castle in all its glory.  The entire tower was covered in continually changing light projections - fish swimming, fireworks exploding, multi-coloured patchwork sqaures etc.  There were fire ball swingers and fire breathers on the lawn outside the castle and a magician in the courtyard.

I've been painting castles in shades of red, pink, orange and yellow for years - it was good to see these colours on the real thing!

There was a walk around the grounds where the trees and pond were lit by colourful lights, and the walled garden was especially magical.

The only slight negative was the huge number of visitors.  We went fairly early and it was very, very busy.  For anyone who plans to visit next year, if you don't have young children with you I'd recommend going as late in the evening as you can.  It was open from 5-10pm.

Autumn

Autumn is definitely my favourite season.  Maybe it's because I was an October baby?  I don't know.  What I do know is that few things make me happier than seeing beautiful golden and red leaves on a crisp autumn day.

Last week, Kirsty and I spent a day in the beautiful surroundings of Haddo House.  We were there for their annual Christmas Craft Fair as well as to walk around the lovely grounds and park.

Kirsty took a particular liking to this gorgeous tree, and she feels inspired to create an autumnal textile piece. 

We took lots of photos and collected fallen leaves and beech nuts to provide inspiration back at home.

The ground was covered, and I mean literally covered, in silvery webs which you could only see at certain angles.  Unfortunately this amazing sight didn't work well on camera, but here's a close up of a web that Kirsty wants to incorporate into her piece.

Her project is still at the early stages, but hopefully I'll be able to blog about it once it's finished. 

Meanwhile, here's a wall hanging I made recently using various autumnal shades. 

 

Cafe O'Clay

Super-friendly owner Susie has opened her second branch of Cafe O'Clay in Montrose (the first is in Aberdeen) and I just have to give it a plug on here!

It's half cafe, half pottery painting, and is just the fun, modern, funky kind of place that Montrose was needing.  You don't have to paint anything if you don't want to - you can just go in for a coffee or yummy light lunch. 

The tiles in front of the counter show the handprints of staff, builders and early customers.  (I believe I've been added since this photo was taken!)  I've also painted a tile in the style of my quirky hills and sheep paintings, a number of which are displayed for sale in the cafe.

There aren't a huge number of options for children's birthday parties around here, but your little darlings can now paint their very own piece of pottery and have party food at Cafe O'Clay for £10 per head. 

You can also just pop in to paint something whenever you like - on a recent wet Sunday, I took the kids along and we had a lovely cosy, painting session.  I decorated a bowl for my breakfast cereal and my girls painted little boxes. 

Hand painted pottery makes a great personalised Christmas pressent, especially for grandparents, so if you're in the area, give it a go!