Valentine’s Day – Red, pink or maybe . . . ?

It’s just under two weeks’ to Valentine’s Day. Naturally, there’s plenty of red merchandise filling the shops, but I’ve noticed there’s more choice than ever and if red Valentine’s cards, red flowers, red boxes of chocolates, and so on, are perhaps too traditional, you can now find similar in pink.

http://www.agnesashe.co.uk/collections/long-scarves/products/maud-pink-luxury-twill-floral-designer-art-scarf

http://www.agnesashe.co.uk/collections/long-scarves/products/agatha-pink-luxury-twill-floral-designer-art-scarf

Currently, I do have several predominantly pink silk scarves listed on my online shop. However, perhaps a combination mixing it up – pink with accents of deep red is less obvious and slightly more memorable??

Agatha

Mind you choosing a scarf that is not overtly considered the traditional Valentine’s ‘colours’, say, grey (altogether more muted with the merest hint of pink), could be just the ticket!

Are we in tune?

Sometimes you feel totally out of step and then suddenly with one extra long stride you’re right back in time and notice that you’re also in tune and on trend. That’s how I felt when scanning through lines of photographs from the recent round of fashion shows.

(Photo Credit: Venturelli/Getty Images, i-Images/PacificCoastNews, gucci.com)

(Photo Credit: Venturelli/Getty Images, i-Images/PacificCoastNews, gucci.com)

Much to my surprise and pleasure there were pictures of large bows. A bit like . . . . .

Agatha Pink as featured recently in the Autumn 2016 UK Handmade Showcase!

And here are a few shots of the Agatha Pink scarf being painted.

Minimising waste – reusing and upcycling

I’m just embarking on another longer term project with the aim of making use of the silk offcuts that I’ve collected over the years. Not all the scraps are the colours I want for this new textile hanging, so I’ve been busy re-dyeing batches using a stovetop dye bath.

I suppose it’s not surprising that the colours I’ve been putting together are reflecting the fresh yellows, bright greens and varying pinks brightening up my back garden, and that’s despite the recent unseasonal hail.

Once I’ve re-dyed enough silk I will cut long strips ready for hooking. Then whenever I need a break from standing at the computer or standing at my painting frame, I’ll sit, dip into my box of silk strips, and hook a few more inches. It’s a time consuming process, but a few inches each day will eventually, eventually  . . . . .  result in a finished wall hanging.

The late and the last daffodil still standing. A resilient bloom enduring this disappointing cold, wet and windy April 2016.

 

 

 

Sheer – diaphanous yet elegant

Hand painted and steam fixed chiffon scarf Valeria lilac.

Valeria lilac

Silk chiffon is a beautiful fabric to work with and a luxurious fabric to wear. The sheer, diaphanous quality allows a scarf to appear fluid subtly changing colour as it passes over your skin, your shirt or your dress.

Valeria black

Hand painted chiffon scarf Valeria black.

Valeria black

A bright, eye-catching chiffon scarf can add an elegant, stylish accent too.

Soft lime and grey silk chiffon scarf Valeria lime.

Valeria lime

My colourful and somewhat quirky Lorina Words chiffon scarf has just been uploaded to my shop. It was inspired by the long, long needlework pieces patiently embroidered by Lorina Bulwer see previous posts ‘Words, words, words’ Part 1 and Part 2 for further details about her life and work.

Lorina Words chiffon scarf inspired by the Victorian needleworker, Lorina Bulwer (1838-1912).

Lorina Words scarf

And, finally, I’d just like to thank the fashion blogger, Catherine Summers, from Not dressed as lamb and her Instagram link up which prompted me to revisit ‘Sheer’.

Patience is a virtue

Ten years ago when I moved to this house the patch of outside space was mostly overgrown. There was a small patch of annual weeds surrounded by mountains of brambles punctuated with ‘vertical interest’ provided by the odd self seeded holly or sycamore sapling. I spent my first summer working my way round the plot clearing, clearing, clearing.

I have read in gardening books that you should leave your garden for the first year allowing any glorious unexpected plants time to be discovered. Well, that would have been a waste of year for me as apart from a fully grown, 40 year old philadelphus, I discovered a stunted apple tree supporting an ant colony and a pale pink peony in deep shade!! And, then there was this camellia, colour of flowers unknown, and no sign of flowering.

Patience is finally rewarded.

As I have mentioned before I garden in a region with low rainfall on very free draining soil, altogether not suitable for camellias, but here was a camellia. Yes, it was sickly and struggling, but surviving – so I moved it to light dappled shade, fed it and drenched it with rainwater in dry periods and 10 years later it’s getting into its stride. Gardening is a game of waiting.

The blurred boundary of changing seasons

As the year turns nature dresses and redresses herself in a succession of seasonal floral and foliage combinations. Mostly this is a gradual affair in my garden, but the boundary between winter to spring offers the sharpest of the mostly blurred, creeping seasonal changes. There is the fading of the scented, late-winter blossom of Viburnum bodnantense ‘Dawn’ whilst, at the same time, along the top of the fence Clematis armandii ‘Snowdrift’ begins opening into small cascades of white flowers as it weaves its way through a climbing rose.

Around the edges of the budding, deciduous shrubs the shy, drooping hellebores take centre stage for a few weeks pushing their way through between a dwarf hebe or two.

And, it wouldn’t be spring if there weren’t patches of light shade lit with clusters of pale sunny primroses.

From March into April the pace of new growth begins to pick up and everywhere new fresh green shoots remind me of the variety of perennials that will take their place in the limelight at some point all the way through to the Michaelmas daisies of November!

Summer potential – daylilies

Blue Mildred goes pink

Just thought I’d share my recent re-working of a design littered with medieval rood screen motifs. This time  the new colour combination is – pink!

I had originally painted a pale turquoise, mushroom and sage version (below left) and after a few sketches decided that a mostly pink with a few old gold highlights would make an attractive combination.

This scarf has now been steamed and is listed in my shop – Mildred Pink.

Tudor bows, but art nouveau colours

At the moment I am painting another scarf inspired by the Tudor bows seen in the stained glass from St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Bury St Edmunds. However, this time I’ve taken the bow motif and, with spring in the air, used some lighter spring pinks and greens.

Strangely, it was seeing this art nouveau ceramic tile that was the final push to make me mix up these seedtime colours.

Time to fill the gap – a summer rambler perhaps?

It is definitive – after a year’s grace my beautiful old climbing rose is definitely dead. Last weekend I spent a few hours cutting down and removing the old skeleton of tangled lifeless branches. This winter’s tidy up has revealed quite a gap on the east end of the pergola and dividing trellis.

Rosa Debutante in full glory in the summer of 2013.

Winter 2015 and the dead rose has left quite a gap.

Initially I had been considering another pink rose planted away from the site of the dead rose, but still trailing up over the pergola. There are hundreds of pink roses to choose from and it is a case of deciding what qualities I would like such as colour, scent, length of flowering period, height and possible hip production. And, also very importantly whether the rose will tolerate my impoverished, free-draining soil and low rainfall. But another pink rose?

Very pink, disease resistant but no scent. Rosa Karlsruhe

Delicate, pale pink, scented, but not that vigorous possible as short climber. Rosa St Swithun

Striking with strong magenta, fuchsia and paler pink stripes. Rosa Ferdinand Pichard.

Perhaps not pink then. How about a white rose (the neighbouring wisteria is white) or even a pale yellow?

Single, white with small hips and good scent introduced in 1946 Rosa Francis E Lester

Repeat flowering, reliable, gorgeous scent. Rosa Alister Stella Gray.

Of course, also, what about hips too for the autumn and winter months?

Also good hips from the wild dog rose, Rosa canina, but growth is too wild and natural for a pergola.

Medium sized hips on Rosa Alister Stella Gray.

But having a good think and looking again at some of my favourite colour combinations.

And, I think that the peachy apricot colour I’m looking for could be this rose, rosa François Juranville. It was first introduced in 1906 and as it is a Wichurana Rambler it will only flower once in mid-summer, but within a few years that should make a spectacular display for July. It’s the colour and scent that wins the day!

Sprays of scented double flowers, rosa François Juranville.

Pink kitsch – Victorian sentimentality and seaside souvenirs

After Christmas and the New Year we are all encouraged to turn our attention to holidays. During the Victorian era with the coming of the railways more and more people could afford to take a holiday. And, a stay at the seaside became a family treat. Great Yarmouth on the east coast of Norfolk with its beautiful long sandy beach rapidly developed to attract the ‘new’ holidaymaker. Naturally, at the end of their visit people wanted to buy souvenirs as little reminders of their stay, and a porcelain plate decorated with pictures of various seaside attractions made the perfect keepsake.

Printed transfers of ‘The Beach at Yarmouth’, ‘Town Hall Yarmouth’ and ‘Britannia Pier Yarmouth’ on a lustre pink souvenir plate. (Late Victorian)
Time and Tide Museum, Gt Yarmouth, Norfolk.

Plates, cups and saucers, mugs, jugs, and unusually, ceramic shoes were decorated with an appropriate topographical scene transferred on to white porcelain or earthenware. Coloured glazes then finished off the pieces. Glazes of pale blue and green were used, but pink was the most popular colour towards the end of the 19th century.

The popular Victorian preference for saccharin images of young children is used on this ‘A Present From Yarmouth’ plate.
Time and Tide Museum,
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.

However, a visitor didn’t have to buy the standard view of the seaside pier, they could always choose a ceramic adorned with the ever popular theme pictures of children.

The above pieces sum up in three objects so much about how we, in the 21st century, view the everyday Victorian and their questionable taste, but pause a moment and note that pink kitsch is alive and kicking today – not least in this pair of pink resin reindeers.

Two pink resin reindeers curtesy of the shop ‘Holy Kitsch!’, Sydney, Australia.
(I just couldn’t bring myself to post pics of any of the truly, truly kitsch reindeers currently available – plastic, fluffy and cartoony)

Squares, not boring, but tricky

Not my favourite job – photographing squares. Of course I mean square scarves not long scarves and certainly not people! Plenty of space, good natural lighting and hopefully a still day are my preferred conditions.

My best pictures are usually taken outside, but the weather has been so grey recently it hasn’t been possible. However, today it has been full winter sunshine and what a difference that has made – people are even smiling too.

Now just need to spend a few hours in front of the computer screen photoshopping and uploading – better done on a rainy day.