Colour: Yellow

The last primary colour is yellow..... sunshine!

In the UK at the moment the sun has been missing in rain for a very long time... we had a glimpse of it on Sunday.... but now we are back in a world of rain clouds and water....

So to cheer everyone up lets look at yellow as a colour!

Yellow is the colour of butter, bananas, gold and sunshine!

It is a colour that always makes me smile.

Like red and blue, there are lots of shades of yellow:

As a colour it represents reason, optimism, pleasure and happiness - you only have to think how to feel on a sunny day.On a sunny day the whole world feels like a much better place!

But it also has negative connections too. It is associated with cowardice, envy, jealousy and betrayal. Yellow as the colour of cowardice since the 19th century, but the exact reason it is associated with cowardice is not known.

In China it has major significance as it is the colour of happiness, glory and wisdom. It is a masculine colour.

Colour: Red

Module 3 of the City and Guilds is all about Colour.

I love colour and I am fascinated by the development of the colours we now take for granted today. How did the colour lilac develop? Where does Cerulean Blue come from?

So I thought I would start a series investigating colour, working from the 3 primary colours of red, yellow and blue, then looking at secondary and tertiary colours...

It will help me build colour ideas and palettes for my design work, a kind of online mood board...

So starting with red...

Red is the colour of blood, strawberries and ladybirds. It is a sign of danger - think of stop signs - all over the world. It is vibrant and represents passion, desire and energy.

When you think of the first world war it the red poppies that spring to mind and rivers of bed blood that flowed through France.

In Eastern cultures it represents happiness. My youngest came home from school yesterday with a red Chinese packet with sweets for the Chinese New Year. The red envelope symbolizes good luck and is to ward off evil.

Red is my favourite colour and used to be my mums. When she passed away she had a red coffin and everyone had to wear red to the funeral... that would have made her smile!

Gotta love a pair of red shoes!

The Power of the Needle and Thread

On Monday I had a meeting for a new project in Gloucester. It is going to be within a new environment to me and with working solely with men - another first.

In a world where people are disappearing into the cracks and there is more stress/pressure in all our lives, I strongly believe that stitching makes a huge difference.

Most days I work with communities where people are fearful of entering a 'class', their early life experiences have led them away from education. So there is a challenge to even get them into a classroom and to start the journey.

But I find once I have got them to come into the physical space they relax and they find that they can create.

I also find it is so much more than that. They gain confidence, they make friendships and they make connections. They talk about worries and laugh together. Their confidence builds with each new make. They change...

Recently my friend Gail Gibson sent me a newspaper article from the Oxford Mail earlier this month.

From Oxford Mail.

It talks about the link between sewing/crafting and maintaining good mental health. Building people's confidence and social skills through small sewing groups is a relatively new idea, but it comes from a long history of quilting bee's, WI meetings and craft groups that have been keeping people connected for many, many years.

More sewing/craft groups within communities would build connections and help the most vulnerable in our society to feel included - everyone can create. It is amazing to see the look of pride and enjoyment people have when they have created something for themselves. It is a amazing to see friendships blossom.

I found this video that highlights the importance of sewing in helping people to connect and improve their mental health. The Fine Cell Work group are amazing and shows just how the humble hobby of sewing can be used to benefit people in even the most unlikely of places!

This is why I love my job!

The hours are variable and the work can be famine and feast in nature, but I know the power a needle and thread can hold for people. This is why I pack up my car like sewing machine shop on wheels and drive into some of the most interesting communities in Gloucester!

My needle and thread are my tools for carving a little haven of happiness and joy for as many people as possible!