Forest Poppy in Peter Potter Gallery

Earlier in the summer I think I hinted at some exciting news (no I don't expect you to remember whether I did or didn't since I can't either........I could check back, I suppose, but am far too lazy busy to do that!).

Over the summer whenever I had 5 or 10 minutes here and there - and it rarely was more except for a couple of wonderfully peaceful half-days when John took the children off somewhere - I cut up and sewed back together lots and lots of pieces of beautiful fabric.  Some of them were transformed into baby blankets (small quilts really, I suppose) and the others became bibs.

I had a lot of fun using favourite fabrics - in the lovely fresh and bright colours that make me happy.  Many of the bibs are partly, or entirely, flannel - Anna Maria Horner and Cloud 9 too.  And everything is backed in snuggly soft unbleached cotton flannel.

The reason for all this sewing?  I had eventually plucked up enough courage to ask Peter Potter Gallery if they would be interested in stocking my work.  I had steeled myself for a polite 'no' (I find it really hard to do that kind of thing)........but they said yes!

A couple of weeks ago I took my blankets, bibs and a quilt along to the Gallery (all nervous again and worrying that they might have had a change of heart - I think I need to work on toughening myself up a bit) and handed over my carefully made goodies.

I made myself wait, not something I'm much good at, and after a few days, popped in to see how they looked on display.  I was delighted to see how beautifully they'd set out my work and how pretty the blankets and bibs looked in a basket alongside all the other wonderful hand-crafted work that Peter Potter stocks.

Then last Friday I walked past, on my way to the river to look at the ducks with Katie, and I nearly collapsed in shock.  My work was displayed in the front of the Gallery in the main exhibition area - visible to everyone passing by.

Very flustered I went in to say thankyou (and take some shaky photos on my phone).  The Gallery is between exhibitions just now and so Forest Poppy, and other people's work too I should add, is in the space.  Wow!

I'm not sure how long they'll be there but I couldn't be happier or more chuffed.  Thankyou Peter Potter Gallery and all the lovely staff.  And now..........after all that rambling, I'll leave you with even more photos.  

Sorry, but I'm quite pleased!  

Oh, one last thing.  If you are ever in Haddington Peter Potter's is well worth a visit.  I'm probably quite biased of course.  Not only do they like my work but it was always one of my favourite places to visit when I was little.  It is near the river in a lovely old building which, I think, used to be a coach house.  I remember going there once or twice for afternoon tea.  As a little girl that was a very big treat.  And on another handful of occasions I went there to choose books when I had been given book tokens.  I still have those special hardback books that I chose so carefully.  They don't stock books any more.  But they do have the most wonderful exhibitions, events for adults and children, lovely hand-crafted goodness and a peaceful cafe which overlooks the river.  The home-baking is delicious - I have probably sampled it more often than I should!