Devon Cottage and Cottage Industry

So, it's been a while.

The children are now back to school and I can have just a bit more headspace...oh yes, and my son isn't attached by an umbilical cord to this computer all the time. So there may be a few more regular posts from me!

This little piece of stitching I did last week whilst we were having a short break in Noss Mayo in Devon. 

I prepared some cotton fabric to take some paint dye (Koh-I-Noor) by painting it with some watered down gesso and then drew the cottage opposite our window with Pigma pen. The painting dyes are the ones I often use in my sketchbook as they are quite vibrant and very easy to transport. I don't think they are colour fast though, so this little piece will remain in a book maybe.

I then added some stitch with embroidery floss. I think this is a nice way to work and will explore it further. The finished item measures 4" x 4"

This is a picture of the creek that is Noss Mayo. We stayed in the wooden bungalow to the right absolutely on the water's edge. The lapping of the water against the wall below was very soothing at night if the tide was in.
I thought these bright gig boats would be a good subject for a further piece of stitchery or a painting.

Last week I visited the Emma Bridgwater factory in Stoke-On-Trent. For anyone who doesn't know - there are now only two full time producing factories making hand made pottery in Stoke I think, which used to be Britain's centre for china until fairly recently. The tour was superb and showed how skilled the makers are at the individual phases of making the finished pieces, many of which have become collector's items. They are really up against the clock, too. I learned a lot about piecemeal work.

As you can imagine there is  a lot of lively banter on this shop floor where the men work with the castings.

The women's area is where the sponged designs are applied and is quieter - most listen to personal headphones. Speed and accuracy are vital to their pay. They don't compramise quality but they have to work each piece in a given number of seconds to get full pay, otherwise it's a percentage. The men on the top photo have a quota to get through on their shift otherwise they have to stay on to get the job done.

These items await glazing. Everything is hand dipped and hand painted. There isn't a conveyor belt or a piece of computerised or automated manufacture anywhere.
And still the Stoke sense of humour shines through me duck!

What's more...lunch in the cafe was gorgeous!!