Tuesday 16 October 2012

Hen Party

I have just had a very exhausting but fabulous weekend with my stepdaughter and her family and friends celebrating her Hen Weekend.  The venue was Goodwood Racecourse in the south of England.  

Before we get to the Races I'll show you the brooches/pins I made for all the racegoers.  (Well, not all the racegoers, just our party!)


Butterflies have a particular significance for Laura and I thought she might like that we all could wear this special symbol.  The brooches are made in a shabby chic style with 3 layers of fabric, a central bead and antennae made from wired beads.  I did start to make them from reverse applique (there's one in the bottom left corner) but I hadn't thought it through and that particular design needs a rethink, although the one I finished I was pleased with and Laura liked it :-)  I think it just needs the cut through shapes to be a little larger so the lower layers can be seen better.

Sunday, race day, dawned beautifully sunny but with a chilly breeze.  


From the viewpoint of the Racecourse you can see out to the coast just a few miles away.


The stands were packed but not as busy as in the Summer I understand.


The excitement of studying the form as the horses parade around the ring.


My beautiful stepdaughter (centre), her about-to-be mother -in-law and a friend enjoying a win.


The 'Tic-Tac' men and their 'Odds'.


An interesting sculpture in front of the Grandstand, sadly I don't know the sculptor.  

I don't suppose I shall ever go to a Racecourse again so this was an enjoyable and interesting experience.  There were some very stylish people around and not a little champagne and Pimms flowing.  Despite being a Hen Party we were very self controlled!  It was lovely to spend time with Laura at such an important time in her life and I can't wait for the wedding in a fortnight!

On the way to Chichester for the festivities I stopped off at the Knitting and Stitching Exhibition in Alexandra Palace.  It was probably a mistake as it added to the weekend's exhaustion but I'll tell you about it next time.


6 comments:

Su said...

Love the butterflies. Looks as though you had a great time, I've been racing once, at Newmarket, and loved the whole atmosphere. Hope you enjoyed the Ally Pally too!

pam said...

Looks like you enjoyed the Hen Weekend and had good weather. The butterflies were beautiful. Look forward to hearing about Ally Palli. Yeh a wedding to look forward to now.

Angela said...

The butterflies were lovely and very poignant. Sounds like you had a great time.

Heather said...

Such a lovely idea to make the butterflies and glad you all had a great day. Hope the weather is kind for the wedding though you might need thermals under your finery!

imac said...

I'd give it evens - bound to be a winner,lol.

Linda Vincent said...

Well you certainly had an exciting weekend Julie! Hope you're managing to get a rest this week ;-) xx