Field and Fence Panel - Grouting

After much painstaking work it was finally time for Carole Miles and Lucy Anderson to grout the Field and Fence panel. It is also at this stage it's very easy to think ......

"Oh my goodness, where has the all the colour gone!"

as the tiles temporarily disappear beneath the layer of grout. Because it was such a warm day it was also important to work swiftly and not allow too much excess grout adhere to the surface. Once they had checked that all the gaps had been filled, the grouting team set to work gently removing all the unwanted grout from the panel whilst ensuring that they didn't remove too much from between the tiles.

After the washing down was complete and the grout had had time to set, it was time to do one of the most pleasurable jobs, buffing and polishing the surface. It is at this point the tiles reveal their individual and collective beauty. 

Ta Dah! 

Field and fence - panel number five is complete!

Detail

The aftermath - tools and gloves soaking

Lucy and Carole checking diaries to see when work could continue on the remaining panels. It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago Lucy had never worked with mosaics before and now she is raring to get on with another panel. Bravo team!

Puddle Jumping Panel Begins

Ros and Carole have begun work on Puddle Jumping a panel inspired by a trip made to Brampton Halt by children at Priory Lower School during the Tracing Our Tracks project in 2012. You can read about the children's visit and their time with Carole and Word In Edgeways storyteller Allan Davies here.

Even though the visit took place in the month of July there had been heavy rain the day before which resulted in plenty of very large, rather muddy puddles which just had to be explored! Carole was inspired by the children's delight at wading or jumping through puddles, in many cases, for the first time, hence the title of this panel! 

Shednology stalwart, Lucy had a burning question ...

"If I get the tiling finished today can we grout it tomorrow?!"

Carole had hoped to involve the children at the school in the making of this panel but unfortunately there was a mix-up and on the day she went to start work the children were away at their Sports day and there wasn't another date available before the end of term. However we are sure they will feel proud to know that a day they shared with the Back To Books team has become part of this project too! It's early days for the Puddle Jumping panel but we will keep you posted on it's progress, we're liking the look of it so far though!

Free Concert - Coronation Park July 27th

Come and see the fabulous, inspirational Barb Jungr, the mighty Head of Snakes, the awesome Gareth Fuller and the very excited Corby Community Choir who will be performing in Coronation Park on Saturday!

Back To Books Shednologist Lucy Anderson - Fields and Fences Panel Progress

The Field and Fence panel has become something of a passion for poet Lucy Anderson and she has been a regular shednologist in Carole's studio this summer.

This is Lucy's first experience of mosaic making

every week the panel grows a bit more

During the course of the afternoon there is much tea, talk, a bit of singing and if Carole is very lucky, some new poems to enjoy!

We can't wait to see it when it's finished.

Carole originally intended this sheepdog

seen resting along the Valley way to feature in the panel

but later decided to edit him out in favour of  a simple slice of coutryside. 

If you would like to read some of Lucy's poems, visit the Made in Northamptonshire Shop before July 26th where her work responds to the drawings of artist Minnie Teckman in the collaborative exhibition drawn from Minnie's Project Dogwalk. Here is a link to a blogpost about the exhibition. There are also many lovely things to buy in the shop made by artists and craftspeople in the county.

Litchborough Panel Continued in the Studio

Here is an update on the Litchborough group's panel which is now back in carole's studio and almost complete.

Stevie Way Panel continued in the Studio

Here's a progress report on one of the panels begun at Stephenson Way and continued in Carole's studio.

Shusha Walmsley came to help

and found the experience

relaxing and engrossing!

The panel also took a trip to Alstonefield were Carole was involved in a walking residential.

The completed panel then returned to her studio and is now ready to grout.

Litchborough Back To Books Group Panel

We made a welcome return to Litchborough Village hall to meet with some of our members at the other end of the county who wanted to take part in our Brampton Valley Way mosaic project Marking A Fine Line.

It was fantastic to meet up with members who had taken part in Invisible Threads, Felting the Landscape or who  

had come on some of the photography walks of 2012.

Mosaic making was a new art form to most of the group

but they were soon nippering tiles and applying them to their section with gusto!

A brief lunch break

It was another enjoyable day in a beautiful part of the county with a fantastic group of people. Many thanks to artist and member Sonia Hawes who contacted the participants and booked the hall on our behalf. Sonia always makes sure that people in her area know about our events, is a keen walker, social historian, gardener, writer, reader, workshop leader who has a huge passion and commitment to the countryside and the arts! You can find out more about her activities, workshops and adventures here

The panel is off to a flying start!