Chicken of the woods

It is that time of the year ... the hunt is on for Chicken of the woods. The most equisitely delicious fungus. Mind you I just love all wild mushrooms with a jealous passion. Jealous because I get very territorial when I find a patch that are not quite ready and furtively hide them under leaves for the next visit ... overly excited and heart racing when I discover a new delicious one somewhere unexpected, and I am ashamed to admit that I selfishly devour the lot THEN tell everyone of my conquest. I am not proud of these traits ...
But last week while out in the car I spotted a huge chicken of the woods growing just as it should on a deciduous stump, at the side of the little lane. It was in front of a cottage which was set back off the road. I got very excited and impatient to slice and fry! I decided to go back on my way home and pick it, though I had no knife with me. But on my return journey I spied the huge ditch in front of said stump, too much for me to scale, certainly, it would not be a dignified ascent, so hatched up another plan .... I returned with my 6' 4" son Will with legs as long and strong as you could shake a stick at. It was by then dead of night. We drew up in the car, the fungus glowing in the moonlight ... (actually it was pitch dark but it sounds better), but just as Will leapt from the car, a dog starts up barking like the Hound of the Baskervilles, and so we legged it like a couple of naughty school children. DAMN!
So for plan three .... before breakfast the next morning we were up, salivating voraciously fuelled by our hunger and drove off to the stump again. THIS time there was an old man in the garden of the cottage with his back to us cutting a hedge. But we were two hungry and desperate individuals by now and Will leapt the ditch sliced off the fungus and was back, breathless in the car in seconds, fungus OURS and I sped off with the beautiful aroma filling the car, so mouthwatering we could hardly wait. And in my eagerness I took no photos for you to see. There, told you I was selfish about fungus. I think only with my stomach at times like this. But I sliced it and fried in butter with salt and pepper then made a simple sauce with full milk and flour. I can't now speak of it as there is none left, and I am jealous of myself last week!
In looking up Chicken of the woods on google I found this lovely blog post from Hunger and Sauce and yes, the taste is essence of chicken, so incredibly savoury, and exactly as one remembers chicken as a child, when for me it was a treat on a Sunday, it is denser than chicken, packed with flavour, and quite, quite delicious and worth waiting whole years to find it's golden treasure ...


The hunt is on for another ....

Cooking and consuming Chicken of the woods ... in the wood

 Here is a photo of a previous years bounty, (those are not my hairy arms by the way)cooked in the woods on a little Primus stove.

Tree Bird Embroidery

 

Detail of bird

I have been reworking this embroidery this last week, though time for doing this work has been limited because there have been many orders to fill, thanks to the feature in Country Living. But here it is ... 24 cm x 25 cm ... silk, velvet, with rayon thread embellishment
All enquiries to info@nancynicholson.co.uk
I do love doing these again, but there have been many distractions these last couple of weeks, including my dear youngest boy Will who has been "helping" in the parched and desiccated garden. Having persuaded me to buy a lethal looking strimmer he is now occupied happily annihilating all in his path, but at least it stops him using the other garden tools for things they were not intended ... he needs topping up with food every half hour too, but it is good to hear the thrashing outside as I really have no time at the moment to compete with the growth out there. But love it too all ram shackled.

The next post will feature the newest Radial AND an exciting new venture which has also distracted me somewhat this week ... but wait and see.

Country Living Article SEPTEMBER 2013

Well here it is, more about the cottage than the business but very pretty none the less. This was photographed before I had even had the first prototypes for the kits printed. The Pigeon being started ... then it got put in a cupboard because everything started to get rather busy. But working on it again now, and I think it has found a home before it has even been finished! It does not look like this now, in fact so much has changed, and amazingly I do not live in this sort of lazy idyll at all, mooching about stitching in the garden! whatever next!

It would be great if this feature gives me a bit of a surprise one way or another ... I have already had one come to think of it. Last night my call for a Girl Friday was answered in the shape of Sarah who is coming to help me once a week! I am really excited about having her here and I think it will be great fun and certainly extremely helpful! I hope I can help her too, starting with learning to crochet!

Shed, and Pigeon embroidery production

I love working in the shed, it gives me the feeling I am actually going out to work rather than getting up and sitting down to it in my kitchen/studio with my tea and porridge and not stopping till the jobs are done. I NEED a girl Friday, any offers? Bored graduate who loves textiles and would not mind roughing it in a quaint, beautiful, no mod cons cottage for a few months .... get in touch!

Here are some pictures of my little garden studio/shed. Biddy loves it too and sleeps behind me on the futon. Though during the heat it was all a bit much for her and she kept asking me to turn down the thermostat, which I tried explain was not really up to me, which just made her sulky and bad tempered, and refuses a licky lolly. Ruby the dog next door likes to be hosed down, with much hysterical and excitable yelping. Does make me smile!

And here some pictures of the next piece I am working on, "The Pigeon" embroidery, on the go as an infant and as it grows. It is a large piece and is tiresome to get through the machine with all the twisting and turning necessary when doing these embroideries but a couple more weeks should do it! Then I will post it!

The Etzy shop is exciting too ... There I will have one off pieces and other things, just really an alternative audience source hopefully. I feel uncomfortable about putting prices here on the blog ... but the Swallow is £110 unframed but beautifully finished with a linen backing and edges. But on Etzy I won't feel so bad. It all feels a bit spammy somehow. What do you think? I will let the world know (!) when it is all spik and span and ready to visit!

Teaching tomorrow at The Sewing Space so if your coming along I really am looking forward to meeting you and having a great day!

The Pigeon being embroidered on hottest day ...

The small but lovely interior of my summer workplace!

My own and my father's old brushes he used for his oil paintings, and an lovely old anglepoise lamp

Cuckoo under construction

First stage of laying out the Pigeon pieces. Velvet, silk, prints, ready for embroidery...

Biddy complaining about the heat

The boxes of Rayon threads I use

Rain, heat, pleasure and Swallow embroidery

I am writing with the blessed sound of rain on dry parched garden, great big luscious drops and it is fantastic. Yesterday I found work so hard in the shed as there is a breeze most of the day but when the sun comes round it is like a microwave, and the most I sweated (pardon me using the word) the more the  ... thunder flies stuck to me until I was almost weeping with the irritation ... little tiresome so and sos (can one swear on blogs?) The rain is lovely and I have to say I am not one for heatwaves when there is stuff to do ...
But ... I have also worked out one of the things in life which gives me enormous PLEASURE ... not half naked young men, not chocolate, not shopping for shoes, but a piece of new equipment ... ahhhh yes. On Saturday I bought a reconditioned Pfaff expression 2048 to replace my tired 15 year old one ... in part exchange which I am drooling over since, everything WORKS, it has countless new stitches to play with, and I just love it. It makes work a pleasure, eliminates the swearing and curses and it is the ultimate in stitchery satisfaction. So as a result of this purchase I can work so much better .... also same day bought three proper bras for the first time in three years! That pleasure was great also. The lady in BHS was an absolute darling who I will never forget, and thank you dear Eileen who came to help me on a very hot old day. I now have a cleavage again and feel great!

Swallow

Now down to business. The Cuckoo has winged it's way off to New Zealand yesterday, Rachel, I hope you enjoy him! I am on a roll now and really loving getting back to this work again. It makes me want to do kits for each design which I am thinking of .... but here is Swallow, 26cm x 17cm a machine embroidery with some hand stitching also. Old (note deliberate lack of words "vintage" and "retro") velvets, silks and own printed fabrics. The next one is The Pigeon from our poster design which I have had half finished for months, and one day would love to make into a kit, maybe for Christmas ...anyway enquiries about this embroidery to info@nancynicholson.co.uk

And lastly Many Thanks to all at http://www.rachaeltaylordesigns.blogspot.co.uk/ for a lovely feature on this great blog, which has a weekly creative review on a Tuesday, which is such a fantastic idea ... so get over there and check it out!

Cuckoo embroidery

I have just finished this embroidery, just now this minute! Took my machine out to the shed in the garden to work with the breeze keeping me cool, as it is another baking hot day! Find I am secretly wishing for a little rain?

I was so pleased by the response to The Blue Bird and now it has a new home in Bristol ... that I have dived back into my other work which has been neglected this last two years with the stitch kit business, but I think the two will compliment each other.

So here we have Cuckoo, an old shape I love but larger and with more embellishment. It is 265 mm x 165 mm and like most of my machine embroideries is made in wool, felt, silk, and old velvets and stitched in rayon thread. I may add some hand embroidery tonight.

Hope you like it ... all enquiries via here or info@nancynicholson.co.uk

What to make with Whipped Running Stitch!

The first in a collectable set of six new downloadables. This is just one of 6 designs which can be downloaded and printed onto linen of any chosen colour and made into cushions, framed pictures, bags etc, etc.

Whipped running stitch is so easy and so quick, you can use one colour for the running stitch and the whipping or contrasting for the whipping to great effect. On this design I have used satin stitch for the berries which I will post a quick tutorial for shortly. The PDF comes with full instructions to print onto linen, and how to stitch the pattern.

There are six designs to collect ... I am making them up into a cushion cover in natural linen but it will take a few weeks to complete!
Available here http://www.nancynicholson.co.uk/radialmotif.html

Tutorial for Whipped Running Stitch and French Knot

Whipped running stitch is so easy and so quick, you can use one colour for the running stitch and the whipping or contrasting for the whipping to great effect.
It is wonderful for following a line on any design, which you can draw with a vanishing pen, or lightly with a pencil onto your fabric. If you can follow a pattern with running stitch you can use this stitch to make it more defined and three dimensional.

Next week I will have a new download for you where you can use these stitches ....

Whipped Running Stitch

French Knot

 Also the Blue Bird has found a new home. Thanks Anna, I hope you enjoy him!

Blue Bird

I have not been idle, though quiet here for a week or two. There is much to do always, and many hats to wear ... designer, producer, packer, postmistress, business manager, blogger, self promoter, office dog walker, tea girl (most important job, photographer ... brain stormer ... well it does not stop.
Some days it feels as though I have achieved very little of any substance though the steps forward are great but not actually the show and tell variety. I do spend too much time on the computer sourcing, researching, emailing, and dealing with orders. But when it works it works beautifully and I would not be doing anything else. I wish I had more time to blog though ... will try to make more time.
But here I am this week think and starting to make one off embroideries again ... it has been in my mind to do so for a while and before the end of the month I hope to have several to put onto my new etzy shop ( not there yet!)
But here is my first for sale ... Blue Bird, 23 cm x 23 cm, appliqued in silks and vintage velvets also my own printed fabric scaps, machine embroidered in rayon threads ...
Please email me if you are interested. It will be unframed but packed beautifully ready to frame as you would like and a one off. Let me know what you think.
I will of course offer a free stitch kit of your choice to the purchaser!

Detail of Blue Bird

Happy Evening

My first teaching post op and had a lovely time at Hoop in Tenterden making those little bottle top pincushions! Vanessa has lots of lovely felts and ribbons and buttons and haberdashery sweeties for every craft crazy lady (or man of course!)

Happy couple of hours spent!

Grass

I have been asleep ... and more  ... then some more. It is 3 and a half weeks post op and still my brain feels incapable of anything more testing than working out what to do in the next 5 minutes! The district nurse who comes out twice a week says this is all normal but I worry that the inactivity has curdled everything and my lazy gene has taken over, numbing all thought and willingness to move around. Maybe she's right. The dog is very down. She mopes about looking at me disapprovingly, then gets periods of utter exasperation and gives me a good talking to but there is nothing I can do ...

And the garden! While I was away the grass grew ... to a foot or more, then got tired of that and spread into the flower beds and began climbing up bushes and walls and over windows. I can't help thinking of Sleeping Beauty except I am no young beauty with golden tresses .... but I do sleep a lot! I can't mow or tackle it as it has gone crazy madness and I am a little frightened of it now, hardly daring to set foot out of the back door ... except to take these photos. My friends promise to come once exams, end of terms etc are over, and Joe ( maybe the rescuing knight?) promises to come next week as long as he can hack his way through and free me from the ever encroaching vegetation.

And as for work ... I am trying. I am trying to work a new tutorial and design a new kit for a little stuffed dog to embroider, but I manage only a half hour at a time before sleep overtakes me.

But despite the moaning, the garden is also beautiful too, full blown and resplendent as these "before" photos may show. My dear friend Bobby came yesterday and cut the ivy and roses from the windows so I can get some light into the cottage, then she polished and buffed the glass till the light poured back in. Bless her!

Back "meadow" remember this when I post the "after" shots

Front meadow

At last I can see out!

The honeysuckle is wonderful and as I sleep with the windows open the scent wafts in gently

Inkjet fabric printing tutorial using Reynolds freezer paper

I want to get you excited by this wonderful technique if you have not yet tried it. There are ENDLESS possibilities ... I can give you tutorials but I want you to just play with it for your own purposes.
This tutorial is included in the Little Bird downloadable kit but here it is to comfort you and help you to see how easy it is. From the second we, as a family received a computer and printer into our home, I was trying to print onto fabric much to my ex husband's annoyance, ( we separated amicably not because of the printer incident!) as bits of thread invariably wound themselves around the rollers and whipped unfortunate lines of ink across subsequent important letters.

You can buy Reynolds freezer paper  at The Cotton Patch or on Amazon. It has many uses so it is worth getting a roll if you are an avid and insatiable crafter ... you can even wrap meat in it if it takes your fancy, what more could you want? When you have practiced this you will be ready to make the little bird and the other designs I am working on, to expand this side of the business.