Quilt progress is happening a bit too slowly but at least Im working on it

Really struggling at the moment as Im in the middle of a difficult and upsetting family situation - cant talk about it here as its "gone legal"

Im supporting a relative and Im so thankful for the support of my lovely man - thanks darling I just couldnt get through this without you

Trying to stay positive and be creative but its hard

I shed a tear watching a shocked and emotional Jermaine Jackson announce his brothers tragic death to the world 

I am so sad for the family and so sad for the fact that the world has lost a unique musical genius but mainly for the fact that Michael Jacksons life was so troubled and filled with pain

His troubled childhood obviously had a massive impact on his life as an adult and I will never understand why he didn't receive more help for his problems

But I do understand his pain

People with "normal" childhoods and loving parents find it so hard to comprehend the trauma suffered by survivors of childhood abuse

His death has got people talking about child abuse once more and I welcome the debate but please remember that not all abused are also abusers - there are millions of people struggling to cope with their past whilst living healthy wholesome lives

Whatever he did or didnt do in his private life I really hope that his legacy will be his music and the happiness it continues to bring to so many people - that is how I choose to remember him

Rest in love, Michael, I hope you have finally found the peace you deserve

If you are an adult struggling to come to terms with an abusive childhood please seek help http://www.napac.org.uk/

The sun in all her glory - revealer of secrets, exposer of darkness, all seeing and and all knowing

Watched an excellent TV prog the other night hosted by Cerys Matthews

It was all about celtic poetry - I enjoyed it so much I wanted to watch it again straight away!

As a result I have rediscovered my love of the wonderful Irish poet WB Yeats

This is one of my favourite poems and has given me inspiration for my next piece

Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

WB Yeats

OK so the fairies took a lot longer to stitch than I imagined!

Sorry the photos arent great, the silver thread doesnt photograph well

Flower Girl has started spreading flowers and joy!

Sometimes when we have a bad day its easy to forget that others may have greater challenges to deal with each day

Please watch the attched video - it puts everything back in perspective

Not feeling great today - Ive come down with some sneezy virus - uck!

Anyway I can still sew - its nice snuggling up on the sofa with the quilt

And talking of the quilt - I would like to invite you into my fantasy world and start introducing the characters that live there

The little girl is Flower Girl "where she goes, flowers grow" so there will be lots of flowers around her soon

For those of you old enough to remember the old Cadburys roses advert and the slogan "ooo roses grow on you" - thats where I got the idea as it was always on TV when I was a child!

Flower girl is kind, beautiful and clever, she brings joy to whoever she meets and leaves flowers as a sign of her happiness

She has a trusted friend and sidekick called Mr Fox - more about him later

The marmalade cat is based on the many ferral cats that lived in the woods near my childhood home - he is their spokescat - the cats are keepers of secrets, they hide and evesdrop and are flower girls informers

Some of the ferral cats work for the bony drama queen , flower girls arch enemy and are not to be trusted

The latest characters Im stitching are The 3 Busty Bopas (Bopa is the Welsh word for a special auntie)

These are 3 mature fairies who work with the fairy godmother to protect Flower Girl from the bony drama queen

They each have a magical creature as a pet

Blodwyn has a bluebird

Myfanwy has a merbird ( it looks a bit like a seal with wings)

Gwyneira has a  (well Im not quite sure yet!)

OK Im off to stitch - hope to show you the completed bopas tomorrow

As an artist not yet selling my work I have to do a few days a week of paid employment to help with the bills

If things work out right in September I may have some regular teaching work but for now I am a checkout girl at an electrical store

Its so different from my "other job" and I really enjoy it - working from home is a solitary occupation and its great to get out and meet people and get a different perspective on life

So before my shift starts let me explan about the cat I posted yesterday

He is part of an embroidered art quilt I have entered for this years Festival of Quilts at the NEC

I still have quite a bit of work to do on this quilt yet and its what I will be mainly working on during the next month

The title of the quilt is "Then I learned how to fly" and is the story of an abuse survivors journey to break free from her childhood

Hi and welcome to my blog

I am a UK Textile Artist/Designer working in the medium of embroidered textiles

Ive just completed the first year of a 2 year part time MA course and finally feel as if I have some breathing space!

Its been an interesting year - ranging from emotionally draining to inspirational and exhilarating

My reasons for wanting to do the MA were to try and find myself, my style and my place in the Textile Artworld

Its the first time I have taken the time to really focus on my art practice and discover what was important to me

I have rediscovered the joy of drawing, designing and translating my ideas into reality using my favourite medium, fabric

My current work uses patchwork, embroidery and quilting to tell stories in cloth

I have researched how every world culture includes amazing textile works where the maker has told traditional and sometimes personal stories in cloth and thread

What was the story I wanted to tell?

I instinctively knew from the beginning of the course what the story would be but avoided the subject as it was so personal and emotional

Fate decided the matter for me when a close family member needed my help and support when a problem we had battled with for years resurfaced

I had a head start on my journey to healing and it has been an honour to have played my part in setting her on the path to hers

I felt it was time to stand up, be counted and tackle the issue head on

Adult survivors of emotional, mental and physical abuse have a hard time finding the help and support they so desperately need

Unfortunately, as with so many things its all about funding - or the lack of it

There is a lot of help (quite rightly) for victims of sexual abuse and rape and those who have been so badly affected by their past that they need urgent help

But there are, so Ive come to realise, so many people like my self and my relative who have "coped" for years in their own way

But the deep emotional damage caused by a childhood of abuse will eventually "catch up" with the best of us manifesting itself in depression, anxiety, panic attacks and a host of physical symptoms such as bowel and stomach problems, neck problems, asthma and insomnia to name but a few

It is at this point that most people seek help through counselling and therapy

My work is cute, cosy and safe but has a deeper meaning telling the story of my childhood fantasy world where I would go to escape the pain

I want to tell my story while also bringing peoples attention to the issue

I'm no longer afraid to admit that I am a Survivor

If you are also a Survivor I would love to hear from you

If you need help the best place I can send you is NAPAC, a wonderful organisation where you can be directed to the help you need

The National Assocciation for People Abused in Childhood  http://www.napac.org.uk/