All Things Considered

Mark Hearld in London

St. Jude's regular (and designer of our Doveflight textile) Mark Hearld is exhibiting in London from 5th-24th December at Potterton Books. Mark will be showing a range of prints and handmade collages. Contact Pottertons about the preview on Thursday 4th December.

Mark's busy on a new textile design for St. Jude's and will be taking part in our St. Jude's In The City exhibition at the Bankside Gallery (next to Tate Modern) in February 2009. If you'd like to receive details nearer the time, along with an invitation to our private view, please join our gallery mailing list.

Perfect Pad Norwich

Just back from the opening of a new gallery in Norwich, an addition to the Perfect Pad's design led store.

The opening show features the work of our friends Beth Morrison and Trevor Woods. Trevor has a number of paintings on show at the Perfect Pad, though his stunning 'The City Panoramic' can be seen at Doric Arts in Holt. For further examples of Trevor's work, visit www.twoodsimages.co.uk

Verandah - Norwich

Our friend Vanessa Burroughes and the other 'Verandah Ladies' have just launched a new website for their gallery in Norwich - the base for this collective of Norfolk based designers and craftmakers.

The gallery is run by Vanessa (one of her prints is pictured right), Jemima Pine (jewellery), Jenny Barrs (prints and embroidered textile images), Christine Burton (florist), Liz Clark (textiles and prints) and Sally Rust-Andrews (embroidery).

A new glass extension has just been added where you'll find a range of homegrown plants.

You can find the new website at www.verandah-norwich.co.uk or visit in person at 85 Upper St. Giles Street, Norwich NR2 1AB.

Lunar Cycles

I'll soon be taking delivery of a new bicycle - very similar to the one pictured here (though painted in two shades of warm grey).

A chance link from Underworld's excellent site led me to Lunar Cycles, who build beautiful single-speed bicycles, based on vintage steel frames which are stripped of unnecessary lugs, shot-blasted and then painted to order.

A short test ride along some quiet roads close to Hyde Park Corner and I was smitten. There's something incredibly elegant and immediate about a single speed bike - cycling at its simplest.

Lunar Cycles may already have a bike to suit you, or you might opt for a custom build. Find out more at www.lunar-cycles.com

Clothkits

I have fond memories of wearing clothes from the 1970's fashion label, Clothkits, and often wish my Mum had stashed my old garments away for me to reminisce over, and to later dress my children in. But this could all change, as I can now be the one to introduce the clothes and dolls to my girls, because Clothkits is back in business.

Clothkits first started in Lewes in1969. The simple concept behind the clothing kits, was that you were provided with the beautiful screen printed fabrics (which you cut to size), buttons, thread and anything else needed to complete the clothing, and all you had to do was stitch the fabric together.

I recently found an article about entrepreneur Kay Mawler's new business venture, and I was excited to see that artist Rob Ryan has been asked to become involved with, I'm assuming, fabric designs.

And if, like me, you loved the Clothkits dolls, you will probably love the new dolls pictured above. And if you have no idea what I've been rambling about, get acquainted with some Clothkits images at Flickr.

Aylsham, Banksy and Tesco

Not  necessarily three words you'd expect to see together in the title of a blog. But bear with me.

Secretive grafitti artist Banksy has just struck again - with this work on the side of a pharmacy in London's Essex Road (which, coincidentally, I used to walk past every day).

We assume that the image of two small children pledging allegiance to Tesco is tongue in cheek!

Tesco have recently started building their new store on the edge of Aylsham and only time will tell how much of an impact this has on the town.

But there are some positive campaigns going on in the town - the ongoing promotion of Aylsham's Cittaslow status and the recently launched project to make Aylsham Norfolk's first plastic bag free town as of 3rd May 2008.

We've always used paper bags at the gallery, but we're still pleased to be supporting the scheme - which for us is as much about the general principle of recycling.

Find out more about the project.

Hope & Greenwood

I came across Hope & Greenwood, 'purveyors of splendid confectionery', through an article in a magazine some months ago. At that time their site wasn't yet launched, so I had visions of them selling my childhood tooth decayers like Spangels and Texan Bars. Sadly they don't, as of course the manufacturers ceased production of these sweets years ago, but they do have a fabulous selection of other tradional British sweets: parma violets, flying saucers, rose and violet creams as well as a feast of other glass jar favourites. I think that having a bag of vintage sweets on your journey to your old fashioned farm holiday, could be a perfect time-trip hit. Read above....

The Perfect Pie

The friends behind Brays Cottage, Nell and Sarah, believe in quality foods, local produce and the Slow Movement. The rare breed pigs are lovingly reared in North Norfolk by Nell at Brays Cottage. Nearly all the meat from the pig is used for the pies, meaning you get hearty mouthfuls of succulent meat in amongst the crumbling pastry and onion marmalade.

So with fussy food critic Giles Coren exclaiming ... 'this was quite the most extraordinary pie I had ever known: deeply porky without any nagging gameiness, spicy without being peppery, firm and insistent in its flavour and very lean, and with just enough fat to lard the mouthful but not grease the palate', it admittedly makes me want one NOW.

This got me thinking about how great a parcel of pork pies would be to give or receive at Christmas, and because you can order them on-line either cooked, chilled, or frozen, it means that you don't have to pig out on them in the festive week! Apart from purchasing them on-line, the perfect pie can be found at the monthly Golden Triangle Farmer's Market, a number of Norfolk Deli's, and a few other locations. Click here to find the full list of stockists.

Christmas Card

We're delighted to announce that apart from a handful of copies at our gallery/showroom we have now sold all 1250 copies of the charity Christmas card printed this year.

For every card sold we're donating 75p of Maggie's Centres.

With locations across the UK, each Maggie's Centre is a place anyone affected by cancer can turn to for help. The centres are open to everyone - not just to people who have been diagnosed with cancer, but also to their families, friends and carers. Their Dundee centre was designed by architect Frank Gehry. Find out more >

Thanks to everyone that purchased the cards - you've generated £937.50 for the charity. We'd like to add to this, making a total donation of £1200.00.

Next year we'll have to print a few more copies! 

Ernest Race

Following an education at St. Paul's School, London, Ernest Race studied interior design at the Bartlett School of Architecture in the early 1930s.

Having spent time working in lighting manufacture and textiles, Ernest Race Ltd. (later renamed Race Furniture Ltd.) was set up to design and manufacture his designs.

He's perhaps best known for the BA chair (designed in 1945) manufactured from re-cast aluminium and the Antelope chair designed for The Festival of Britain in 1951. These designs were awarded gold and silver medals respectively in the 10th Milan Triennale in 1954.

In the early 1960s, Race became Isokon's design consultant and it was during his time here that he re-designed the Penguin Donkey.

We were really pleased to find a 3-pieces Wing sofa and armchairs a few years ago. It was in fairly tatty condition and the fairly complex re-upholstery (with its metal frame, everything has to be hand stitched) stopped it being the bargain we thought it was. That said, it should last for years. You can see the sofa in a couple of our St. Jude's press articles.

Race Furniture Ltd. are still operating, mainly producing auditorium seating for concert halls and auditoriums. Our friends a Retrouvius approach the company about re-introducing the wonderful Ernest Race rocking chair - which they are now producing in small quantities.

We're offering these in any St. Jude's fabric - see our furniture page for further details.