Tiny Dancers, Textiles and Travels

Last weekend we visited a Coin and Collectors Fair in Riga.

The Fair is held monthly in a school and is a sometimes strange mix of items. The majority of the stalls sell coins and stamps, but then you get two stalls together selling such odd bedfellows as military equipment and china figurines. The Fair takes over the whole school building so there are people setting up their stalls on the stairs as well as lots of trading going on in the entrance to the building.

Plenty of inspiration here for jewellery, but I was particularly taken with these tiny dancers

Aren't they cute? A couple of them might just have found their way into my hands in exchange for some Lats!

Walking around Riga Old Town at the weekend I discovered a poster for an exhibition by the Latvian Textile Artists Association that was taking place in a beautiful old church. Needless to say I hotfooted it straight there, as it was already the last day of the exhibition. As I had gone out without my camera I press-ganged my husband's camera, but it was a poor substitute. On leaving, however, I discovered that the exhibition had another day to run so I was straight back there the next day and this time my camera came too.

I have entered Rikka's Ring your Neck scarf challenge so was looking for inspiration. This took my eye

and in close-up

I just wanted to stroke it but managed to refrain!

These were also inspiring

The artist entitled this piece Drops of Emotion.

This, however, was my favourite

It is entitled My favourite scarecrow

and when I looked at the title label I discovered that it is by a textile artist called Edite Pauls-Vignere, whose work I have seen exhibited several times before. Every single time I have visited an exhibition where this artist is exhibited, without realising I have always picked one of her pieces as my favourite. If only I had the bank balance to match my taste!

When you read this the packers will have arrived and I shall be watching my sewing equipment disappear into the back of a large van, to be seen again who knows when. To keep my mind off of this state of affairs I have been busy cutting out fabric for more Saaremaa Star blocks for the journey home.

There hasn't been much progress on the WIP list this week but I guess that is not unexpected :)

Ongoing

• 7 blocks of In Color Order HST BOM ( 3 blocks behind schedule)
• (Almost) Irish Chain quilt basted
• 9/24 Zakka-style SAL projects completed
• Teatime quilt pieced, backed and basted 
• 5 blocks of NY Beauty QAL completed and fabric cut for remaining 5 blocks
• 14 blocks of Craftsy BOM completed (2 months behind schedule) 
• 12 Sunday Morning Quilt Bee blocks completed (on schedule)
• 4 Star of Africa Bee blocks completed and sent (on schedule just!)

Waiting

• Indigo and violet rainbow cushions
• Last block of Sampler quilt
• Holiday Cushion Blog Hop
• Hoop-la-la swap  
• Ring your Neck scarf challenge

Hope you have been having a productive week.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday