Grow Your Blog Party 2015

AN ORCHID IN THE VILLAGE WILDFLOWER MEADOWS

Hello to any new visitors, come in, you are very welcome .....

let me introduce myself. 

I'm delighted to be involved with this fun event again this year and I can say that I found many exciting and interesting people to stay 'in touch' with in blog-land last year and also gained some new followers, which is what it is all about really.  I am always surprised that people out in the world wide web find my ramblings interesting!!

Before I get going, I want to thank Vicki of Two Bags Full and her behind the scene helpers for making this fun event possible.

My name is Gillian Salmons but due to the fact that there are people called Gillian or Gill in my village and some of the groups I belong to, I have now become known as Gilli. 

I live in the United Kingdom, Great Britain or England - whatever title you choose to give our little island and have been living in Somerset, a county in South West England for almost 7 years now. I moved down here with my husband, who sadly passed away in October 2014 after a short but spirited fight with cancer, and my youngest son, Andrew. We came from Sussex in the busy South East of England. I retired from nursing in public health in the community in 2006 (due to rheumatoid arthritis).  I live in a cottage built around 1800 which has thick 18 inch walls, a little inglenook fireplace with an oak beam; the whole place is just so cosy and the village is very small with a river, wild flower meadows, church, thatched pub and a wonderfully supportive community. 

I have always been interested in handicrafts and was taught most of the basics by my Nanna; we would sew, knit and crochet. My Mum was also a dressmaker and made my wedding dress and the dresses for my five bridesmaids, along with all the trimmings!

I dabbled with all sorts of sewing and knitting for the home and family and also got caught up in the 'cross stitch craze' of the late eighties/early nineties. 

Gradually I became bored with cross stitch and started to look for something else to do. My answer came from a visit to one of the Knitting and Stitching shows at Alexandra Palace, North London.  I saw an exhibition of work by a lady that had just completed City & Guilds Creative Textiles. My adventure in C & G world was started in 1998, with Part One completed by 2000, and Part Two by 2003.  I loved the challenge of learning design techniques in Part One and became particularly interested in the historical studies necessary for Part Two and gradually started my ever increasing collection of antique and foreign embroideries from all over the world. 

Which I really should photograph and feature here from time to time - mental note to myself to start this!

I have continued to develop my love of textiles with membership of the Embroiderers' Guild, West Country Embroiderers (which is a break away group from the Embroiderers' Guild formed in 1973 - and is based in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset only). I've also been a member of various exhibiting groups; I attend a group for developing skills with the embellishing machine but mainly explore and experiment with techniques and ideas with my friend, Maria and our antics are described in more detail on our 'joint' blog, Stitched Together.  We are also taking part in the 'Party'. 

http://stitchedtogethersands.blogspot.co.uk/  

I love hand and machine embroidery, I enjoy traditional and modern techniques and I love to use mixed media whenever appropriate and I do it all because I LOVE it. It's a passion and has now become my therapy too, as I now learn to live my life 'alone'. I enjoy creating pieces and find it fun when people ask 'How did you do it?'

I blog because I enjoy sharing my ideas and reading about other people's and it is useful to get comments when I'm stuck with a piece of work. Blogging lets you have 'penfriends' everywhere without the postage cost.

I really hope to find some new friends, to follow some more interesting people and maybe inspire some readers enough to want to follow me and my textile life. 

NORTH SOMERSET COAST