Author: Katie

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The Very Last Poppy at the Tower of London

The very last ceramic poppy was removed from the moat at the Tower of London last Friday and I was honoured to be part of it.

The very last poppy in the moat

The night before a last dashed email had been sent out asking for a final batch of volunteers to clear and tidy up the moat, ‘reply if you can make it’. I rearranged things and replied “YES”.

Friday was a beautiful day and the sun was shining. Perfect. The volunteers were split into teams to tackle the last two areas of poppies. I was first tasked to clear the poppies from around the pet cemetery near Traitors Gate.

The view from the path before the poppies were removed
The processing boxes & tables and the poppies at the base of the distant tower
It was so strange when the tourists started flocking and photographing us doing the clearing up
One of the first pets to be buried on the pet cemetery
The Poppies and their stems were dismantled. Poppies carefully placed into boxes
After the clear-up

Following the clear up we moved to the moat at Cradle Tower where the last poppy was picked by the youngest and eldest volunteer.

The youngest and eldest volunteer and the last poppy: Eileen (82) and Alexandria (18)
The latter part of my day was spent collecting money thrown into the moat at Traitors Gate. All money goes to the British Legion.

 

There is more money than you think.
Some coins have left their mark
Found Objects – thrown down by tourists, collected and displayed in the moat

 

 

So much mud ! Back to get washed up. What was a brilliant experience.
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I do love Vintage Blankets – but, when is one blanket a blanket too many? When you can’t find the floor!

Last week I was in a bit of a quandary about my sewing room – how much floor space do I really need for walking on and how much do I need for storing (or rather piling things) onto. All my cupboards and surfaces are already full of  ‘resources’ and PhD’s (Projects half done). I think you know what I mean.
I have a terrible weakness for vintage blankets. I love their textures, colours, stripes and most of all their labels.
BUT – I had to be realistic and have a sort out. I needed to reclaim back some of my sewing room floor from my encroaching stash! There are lots of projects I have in mind that I would like to complete over winter and I really do need some space. So… here are some of the treasures I have found new homes for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kaffe Fassett Exhibition 2014 at the American Museum, Bath

The colourful collections of Kaffe Fassett have been on exhibition at the American Museum in Bath all summer, in a detached building set away from the main museum at Claverton Manor.
When I visited in early autumn, the building was partly hidden behind a large tree covered in textile ‘lanterns’ and shrouded in mist. It was a mystical treasure waiting to be discovered.
Entering the building I felt an immediate assault on my senses of COLOUR!
The main theme running through the entire exhibition was colour, colour and more colour detailing the knitting, needlework and patchwork of Kaffe. His mind must be in a constant whirlwind of colour.
Although I found his large pieces stunning and the level of stitch and design involved in their creation fascinating, some of my favourite pieces were his mood board displays, detailing his journey of ideas, from initial inspiration through to the final designs and collections.
Here are some of the photos from the day.