How do you spend a creative afternoon?

Photo by me … beautiful stitches on the Christmas tree by me!

‘Would you like to come to a Crafternoon?’ my friend asked.

The word ‘craft’ caught my interest. I love all things craft and the timing of afternoon worked too, not too early and not too late in the day.  A novel way to spend a day off I thought. Usually, I’m the one who admires and buys the artwork of others.  I’m always in awe of artistic flair and creative pursuits of friends and colleagues.  But the idea of making and sewing, I hesitated.  Why?  Sewing! Even now the word struck fear and distant memories of a domestic science teacher, Mrs P, from a certain Grammar school in Ireland came flooding back. Okay, I confess, I was not the A star sewing student but I could make a mean casserole dish that could stave off hunger for a day or two.

‘Sounds like fun,’ I said, but please understand that I can’t sew!’ And there it was, I’d spoken my truth and wondered if this had jeopardised my chances of joining the creative group.

‘Not a problem’, retorted my friend, ‘lots of other craft activities are available’.

With reassurance from my friend that Crafternoons weren’t all about sewing, I agreed to attend. What a great time I had with several other ‘crafty ladies’. The event was organised to raise funds for Brake, the road safety charity that supports families who have been affected by road deaths and injuries.

We created lots of beautiful cards, labels and papers using woodprints and paint.  We made Christmas tree decorations with felt and thread. I found myself sitting next to lady who enjoyed travelling as much as me.  As we stitched and sewed (yes, actual sewing!), we shared travel stories about Australia and New Zealand.  We were both writers and keepers of journals too. The time whizzed by as each of us worked on our respective craft pieces.  Tea, coffee and glasses of wine were served at regular intervals by the generous hosts.  Well, crafting can be thirsty work, you understand.  There were moments of chat and laughter. There were times of focus and stillness too.  Overall, it was a very enjoyable and therapeutic afternoon.  We raised £200 for the Brake charity.

I was very proud of my handiwork and takeaway achievements.  I look forward to sharing them in due course. I doubt if the pieces will win any awards but I think I’ve done Mrs P proud with delicate stitching on my little Christmas tree decoration.  What a great way to spend an afternoon.  What a great idea for an Artist’s Date too!

Why visit Seamus Heaney's HomePlace?

 Seamus Heaney, Man and Boy.  

Original photographer - unknown. 

On a recent trip to Ireland I visited the new arts and literary centre,  ‘HomePlace,’in Bellaghy, dedicated to the legacy of poet and playwright, Seamus Heaney. Although, his poetry was very much rooted in the land of his birth, it continues to speak to people all around the world. His literary talent was recognised and acknowledged via The Nobel Prize for literature in 1995.  He was hailed as the greatest poet since WB Yeats and awarded for “works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth”. Did you know that it took several days to track down Seamus Heaney to tell him he had won this prestigious award?  Those were the days before mobile phones and internet! Heaney and his wife were eventually tracked down holidaying in Greece. Meanwhile, in his attic study in Dublin, reams of paper spilled from his fax machine with messages of congratulations.

Heaney took much of his inspiration from the landscape around him.  He wrote earnestly of folk, family and friends.  Many of his poems captured the everyday-ness of events and people who influenced him.  Sometimes it was at the work they toiled, places he was drawn to and political events of the time. Heaney was not afraid to tackle the emotional landscape of pain, grief and loss in his writing. At ‘HomePlace’, there is the opportunity to listen to Heaney recite several of his beautiful poems as you wander through the exhibition.  You may recognise other voices reciting his poetry, people like Stephen Fry, Bono and Bill Clinton, to name a few.

There is much to see, hear and read at HomePlace.  There’s a chance to ‘release your inner artist’, work with words and should you require a little nourishment, I can highly recommend coffee with cake at the Café. 

It’s well worth the visit and a great place for an Artist’s date too.