Rowan Blind with Wood Cock cushion and throw

Final Kingairloch blind and cushion…with a distinctly autumnal feel. I love this blind. Rowan trees are everywhere on this island, especially in front gardens as they were thought to bring good luck to the homeowner. We recently had to cut one down that was only just surviving after three quarters had toppled in a storm and the rest was being fed by a half rotten thread of bark. I felt very uneasy at the prospect of death to rowan (obviously dwelling on the possibility of chainsawing all potential future luck into little rayburn sized pieces) but really (she concludes nervously) we were doing it a favour. I do hope the ancestors agree.

Anyhow, the rowan blind has vivid orange berries and shimmers with vitality and maybe it can be a much loved and appreciated memorial to the lost rowan of Ballimackillichan croft.

Rowan blind, not yet laminated or on mechanism

Latest blind for Kingairloch...not laminated or mechanised yet!

I didn’t arrive at the studio until at least 2:30 today. The morning was consumed with an activity sandwich…Bottom slice -  important phone call with lawyer. Filling -picking an abundance of out of control mint from the front garden and as many first fall apples as I could find with the intention of making mint jelly and I did make a banana cake. Top slice – meeting and discussing grants with the crofting adviser. I then cycled to the studio in scintillating sunshine, stopped briefly to check up on the children playing in the loch and managed to wriggle out of their pleads for me to swim on the basis that my stretch marks, grubby nickers and torn bra may put them off procreation for life.

Oatmeal fabric finally arrived enabling me to push on with the last three blinds. Davey courier, last seen under a pile of toppled logs has finaly recuperated enough to deliver again. I spotted a slight limp though.

Devil’s-bit scabious. What a bizarre name for a plant. How on earth did it come to acquire such a title? This is a  wild flower which peppers our meadows in August. It’s purply blue pom poms float like fat fairies among the green grasses.

I decided this was the plant that would work with the tartan strip which has a bluey, lilac, purple line. The original brief was for pink sea weed or heather, neither of which I could visualize in a blind format so DBS got the job. I’m pleased with it.

The devil's in the detail

Nest cushion for Kingairloch

Today was a day of quiet, even paced contemplation and activity in the studio. Sunshine bleached the deck, livened the honeyed scent of meadow sweet and warmed the studio to such an extent that I kept glancing at the iron thinking I must have left it on.

Quest for the day…nest and wood cock cushions and throws for Kingairloch. I had in mind my mother’s beautiful and vaguely remembered approach to nests both in quilts she had made for the grand children and in a painting remembered from when I was still a child. Lets see if I can find it in her website…Ah ha Got it!

Nest by Marjorie Campbell

What a beautiful painting. Now that’s one I wish had never been sold. I would hang it above a simple fireplace on a lime washed cottage wall with nothing else to distract from the quiet,  latent energy of the misted sun and three nestled eggs.

Back of the siskin panel for a cushion

Sometimes I turn a piece of work over and sigh. There is often something far more intriguing, fresh and frankly interesting about the unintentional back of a bit of embroidery. The back holds the design, but without the occasionally forced colour choices of the front or the cleanliness of the line.I also revel in the random spray of stray threads and I’m often tempted to leave them be. I’m gradually learning not to dismiss embroidery backs…there’s something there for me to learn about – allowing perhaps.

And now for the front.

and here's the whole bang shoot: Throw, blind and cushion for the Kingairloch Estate.

Bog Cotton blind, throw and Curlew cushion

Working on a lovely commission at the moment with the wonderful and inventive interior designer Jane Blanchard: Blinds, cushions and throws for a conversion of a steading into a B & B on the Kingairloch Estate. Each of the five rooms to have  distinct flavour of local plants and wild life. The image above is my first complete set for the Bog Cotton room…bog cotton blind (yet to be laminated and put on to roller mechanism), curlew cushion and a Kingairloch tweed throw with a couple of tweed balls as a throw in for Jane to play with and do you know what’s so lovely about this job? All my key contacts and the final resting place for the work is a stones throw away from home. Now this, for me, is a rarity but Jane’s in Duror and can run packages down to the ferry for me to pick up on this side and Kingairloch I can see through my binoculars from my study window nestled amongst the statuesque granite hills of the Ardnamurchan peninsula. Carbon footprint…minimal.

I just love the whole creating on the spot thing! Beats multiple Tweedies any day and, to be honest, beats the paltry wholesale margins hands down. CALL TO ALL INTERIOR DESIGNER…come and get me, I’m worth it!

La di dah

and another view

Now little crafters, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin. Building an access database needn't be so hard , once I've giving you your instructions it will feel as easy as laying an egg.

Self employed sole workers. Do you ever find yourself wishing, WISHING above all else that a computer savvy genie resided in one of your button jars only to emerge in a puff  when the lid comes off. Or that one of your creations might somehow come to life and tell you everything you need to know about running a business. I do…oh boy I do!

I have spent most of the last five evenings trying to figure out how to create a drop down list in an access database. I really thought I had a pretty good head for most software principles but database programming… I just can’t get my head round it. I feel as though my brain cells are turning from white to grey to purple with the sheer exertion. I feel like someone with Bell’s Palsy trying to smile.

By the way…the Lavinias (hens) above were positioned by Tina during an inspired moment in the studio. I’m glad she has an equally infantile sense of humour otherwise work wouldn’t be half as fun.

Clarris and co. sit to attention!

The last few months have been transition months. Like a child learning to walk I have been falling and then picking myself up. Frustrated, compelled to move on but at the same time fearful of entering new territory and leaving familiar zones. I have had to accept some stark truths about my business and how I run it and I am embarking on real, raw changes in order to make it work, and I mean REALLY work.

Firstly: Getting to grips with cash flow. After an enlightening session with Roger I now know how to create formulas in Excel. This has enabled me to draw up sheets detailing every expense, income, accurate costings, time sheets and charts and I am attending to them daily (brownie points overflowing). These charts make the business of assessing whether I can, could or can’t make a purchase so much easier because the answer is staring me in the face in black and white. Example: I realised with horror that my agent’s commission was eating up pretty much all profit on the tweedies. I either do without or reduce the commission. Phone call was made, agent understood and commission was reduced. Result! Now had I not written up the chart I would have been blissfully unaware that I was making Tweedies purely for charity.

Secondly: I need to sell LOTS, and I mean lots of tweedies in order to make a living which means I need to sell, market and design my products… not make! Enter…..Tina. Wey Hey I have acquired a fabulous sewer who has moved on to the island into a house which once was my studio and spends hours making tweedies in an exacting and methodical way, which I like. She also makes a great cup of tea and has reminded me how enjoyable company can be.

Levinias lounging

So all this change and structure seems to be, in a manifesting through thought kind of way, encouraging orders. I have just received an order from the…wait for it (drum roll…….) Scottish National Gallery !

Chuffed to bits

x Sarah

and just perfect timing too since I was wondering what to write about (accounts and telephone calls are not riveting). So, thank you Ness. I’ve to answer the following questions. Here goes:

What are your current obsessions?

Gotland sheep. We need to buy sheep to prevent our croft turning into a raggedy forest and my heart is set on this scrumptious Swedish breed with wool the weight of linen and the lustre of silk.  We have found an organic source and now I’m spending every spare moment trawling the web for info.

What are you currently reading?

“Starting with sheep” by Mary Castell and “The structure of Weaving” by Peter Collingwood and there’s a good fifteen half reads next to my bed. Lismore used to be the place I would come to escape the thumping clatter of life so that I could read from cover to cover. Now that I live here,guess what… thump, clatter, bang.

What’s for dinner?

Had it and it was good, though I say it myself! Feijoada (a Brazilian dish which I used to cook when I lived there) and brown rice. This  has become a firm family favourite and here’s the recipe.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS (serves ten-fifteen)

1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, tongue (optional) (OK I don’t really do this bit!)
1 lb. Mexican “chorizo,” “pepperoni” or Brazilian “lingi‡a”
1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or Brazilian “carne seca”
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)
short prayer (in Portuguese or English) that your “feijoada” will be edible.

The traditional “caipirinha” that goes with the feijoada.

PREPARATION

Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 4-5 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat. In a large frying pan saut‚ onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Saut‚ an additional two-three minutes.

Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary) Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.

Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired.

Where do you plan to travel to next?

To Forres, on  the east side of Scotland, to pick up our sheep. I also want to make some time to explore the other Hebridean islands but I’m a bit worried that one of them might nudge Lismore from top spot on my heaven on Earth chart.

What’s the best thing you ate or drank lately?

Everything served at this fantastic restaurant in Harrogate where food ordered before 7 was half price . A huge hoard of British Craft Trade Fair exhibitors descended upon its chocolate leather sofas each evening and glutted out on sea bass, braised Tuna, aromatic duck starter and cheese cake. Yum Yum. Don’t you agree snapdragon?

What is your dream career?

The one I’m in…but with money added!

What is your favourite film ever?

Babette’s Feast (directed byGabriel Axel) and an Armenian film called The colour of Pomgrannates (director, Sergei Paradjanov), both slow moving, gentle but visualy unforgettable.

Care to share some wisdom?

Listen…LISTEN!

Where would you rather be right now?

Drinking a beer, under the cherry tree, in the courtyard, within the house to be…on our croft!

What is your desert island disc?

Bach cello suites played by Yo Yo Ma.

If you could be any animal other than human, what would you be?

This is the question I’ve added because I wonder aboout this endlessly. Personaly I think the life of a seagull would be a pretty good one.

The rules are to answer the questions, replacing one and adding another, and then to tag eight other bloggers to do the same.OK , here’s my eight suckers, I mean bloggers. Eva Bakkeslett, Moona Wolfmurray, Snapdragon Jane, Gigibird, Pipany, Monika, Brittany and Lynne

x Sarah

Has it been a month? even more maybe…and it’s not as though life has been so intolerably boring that I have had nothing to right about. I’ve had LOADS to write about but havn’t because I fell out of the habit. That’s it, I just fell out of the habit like a shrivelled nun.

So many beautiful, not so beautiful and eventful things have happened since I wrote last that I’d be here until Sunday making up for lost time, rambling on and honestly I don’t think you’d really want to read for that long… so I’m afraid I’ll have to start fresh from today.

Who goes there?

And fresh it is. Without a shadow of a doubt spring is my most favourite time of year on the isle of Lismore. The primroses lift their pale faces to the sun and pepper the road verges and mossy hillocks with soft, sugary yellow. The spring buds emerge in every juicy shade from duck egg to green so acidic it makes your mouth pucker. And the lambs…the lambs are the BEST. They are so unbearably gorgeous. They’re either looking as dithery and dissorientated as drunk teeneagers. Or they are leaping and skipping with wild and blissful abandon. I spend a lot of time talking for them, a bit like Johnny Morris on “Animal magic” I can converse for hours as a small lamb.

Oh Guess what. I did get in to “Origin“. Now that has blown me over. I  never in a month of Sundays thought the craft council would tolerate tweed! But maybe I’m fronting the great craft of tweed rennaisance along with Ardalanish (Mull weavers) and Eloise Grey

Mull weavers organic tweeds

Jubilation and merriment. My tweedies are now…finally, legal.

The sweet news came in just in time…hours before sending a bunch of tweedies to shops around Scotland where they can now sit happily and confidently in the toy department (assuming there is such an area) with their CE mark proudly emblazoned upon their manila tag.

The quest for CE (I like to pronounce it Que? as in Manuel from faulty towers) was not without it’s headaches. The first hurdle was simply finding a testing body amongst the tangled forest of information on the web. Finally my scientific prince in shining armour was found at Shirley technologies and the rest was  a little more straightforward if not, at times, heartbreaking and certainly button breaking.  As you may have guessed, the button eyes had to go. No amount of back strapping, double sewing, reinforcing could stop my button eyes from pinging when pulled with the weight of small bus. However, a flexible substitute was found  in the form of small fabric daisies.

Go on...eat me!

Secondly…wayward lavender flowers in the stuffing was a no no…the lavender is now well and truly sealed in a small muslin bag so that, in the event of tweedy destruction the small child can now eat the bag in one whole, angry gulp. (actually it’s a little too big and dry for that). I have this vision of a small mischievous child like Max from ‘Where the wild things are’ tantruming over my tweedies… pulling their legs with all its might, blue in the face with teeth gnashing and head banging all over my Lavinia and after all ire has subsided Lavinia sits up, fluffs her tweedy feathers, crosses her legs, looks rather disapprovingly but intactly at Max and says…

Are you quite finished?

So now my newly indestructible and utterly uncontaminated  tweedies can grace the toy section of Not on the High Street once more. Tomorrows task is to put them  there. Actually no…tomorrows task is giving a lecture on commissions and design for the Oban and Lorn needlework group. Hmmm!

x Sarah