Clare Wilkes

A fabric wrap made with stripes of patterned fabric ranging from dark to light blues through white to pale then dark reds, reflecting the climate stripes depiction of changing global temperatures, from 1903 to 2024.

The back of the wrap showing where the Mobius strip starts and finishes with a dark blue (1903) next to a dark red (2024)

Image from the Climate stripes website showing the data used to make the wrap

Climate stripes (as developed by @edhawkins.org @uniofreading.bsky.social ) displayed as a wrap in Liberty fabrics. It’s a Möbius strip so it's continuous from the darkest blue at the back for 1903 to the final dark red next to it which is 2024.

#showyourstripes

Three long strips of crossstitch stripes, one for each year 2023, 2024, 2025. Two columns on each strip, one for the daily high temperatures and the other for the daily lows. Rainbow spectrum of colours with each colour corresponding to a three degree temperature range.

Three years of temperature highs and lows in my Cambs garden. This December had a warm start with some chillier temperatures at the end. The temperatures warmed earlier this year than in previous years, and cooled more slowly. The Met Office have said that 2025 was Britain’s warmest year on record.

Halesworth is a super place. My Dad attended some of the events and has come home feeling positive about converting to a heat pump, which he wasn't before.

No I checked that and it's fine - thank you ❤️

A fabric sleeve stitched to the back of a quilt

That's the hanging sleeve stitched to the back of my quilt for display at the Festival of Quilts at the NEC in a few weeks' - hoping I've followed the instructions correctly! #quilting

My own temperature sensor in my garden near Cambridge didn’t go below 21°C last night. But as we only reached 27°C on Sun I believe that means we are not in a heat wave as we’ll have had two pairs of two days over 28°C, not three is a row - is that correct?

White cloth banner with coloured lettering saying VISIBLE MENDING, and two white letters preceding, IN, to turn it into INVISIBLE MENDING. Letters are appliquéd on or show through the letter-shaped hole, with some hand stitched and others machines stitched using a variety of stitches

Another banner... this is to advertise mending workshops a couple of us are running at work and illustrates that mending can be visible or invisible. As always nothing new used - base cloth is a doll's cot blanket my Gran made, letters are from scraps. Machine and hand sewn
#mending #visiblemending

Excellent, sounds like a great prof!

Today is 200 years since Faraday's discovery of benzene! I made these hexies for a maths community quilt (with the maths being in the bond lengths of single and double bonds and the aromatic structure). I don't believe ever got made, so it's nice to have an opportunity to post a picture of them! 🐡

Thanks Sharon, I agree - it’s a good discipline, though this is so quick to do compared with a scarf that I have to admit I usually catch up at the weekend. I did a scarf in 2022 and managed to do that most days. I’d recommend it.

Three pieces of cross stitch with stripes in a rainbow of colours, depicting temperature highs and lows in 2023, 2024 and 2025

Three pieces of cross stitch with stripes in a rainbow of colours, depicting temperature highs and lows in May 2023, 2024 and 2025

May's temperatures (at last). Another warm month - warmer than the last two years as you can see from the orange colours, though chillier nights (more purple) - I'm guessing that's because of the clear skies and lack of rain. #temperatureembroidery
#sciart

Banner with blue flowery fabric on pink and white striped background staying TRANS RIGHTS MATTER

My second banner. Posting for Cambridge Pride today, and in support of all those affected by the Supreme Court ruling.
No new materials used - just leftovers and an old pillowcase.

UK AIDS Memorial Quilt | Tate Modern

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in London from 12 June in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall. It’s a thought-provoking tribute and reminder of the power of community and compassion.

I hope Londoners get a chance to visit and reflect on this moving exhibition ⤵️

Tell the UK Government to End the Destruction of Our Marine Havens Bottom trawling is one of the world’s most destructive fishing practices. By dragging weighted nets along the ocean floor — some up to 240 meters wide — bottom trawling devastates coastal habitats, ki...

...send an email to Government so they know of your support act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-...
Steve Reed (Sec State for Env) will be at the UN Oceans Conf this week - an opportunity for the UK to lead the way in acting - let's make sure he does! Tag your MP too! @charlotte-cane-mp.bsky.social

Banner reading PROTECT 30% OF OUR OCEANS, made from an old pillowcase and leftover scraps of quilting fabric donated by friends. Fabrics depict various marine mammals. Most are in shades of blue, with one section depicting a sandy shore, and some in coral pink. No materials are new except for the bondaweb and fabric glue used in construction.

🐡 Today is World Oceans Day. The take-home message from Attenborough's Ocean film is that if we protect at least 30% of the oceans, esp. by banning bottom trawling, marine wildlife and fish stocks will recover in a much wider area - it's not too late just yet! Please share this banner and...

The Science of Acrylic Paint- Phthalocyanine Blue As the Director of Science at a local Secondary School, and as an artist using acrylic paints, I often find myself thinking about the different chemical compositions of my paint and how they were crea...

Some Sunday morning reading: One of my friends has recently started writing about the chemistry behind acrylic paints, starting with phthalocyanine blue: open.substack.com/pub/devonpai...

#ChemSky 🧪

A rainbow over Glen Coe last Friday

Found this little snow bunting singing away on top of Ben Nevis last week

A set of eight rectangular cookies arranged on a square white plate against a dark wooden background. Each cookie is inspired by a wallpaper design by Morris & Co. The patterns represented feature different floral and leaf shapes in shades of baby blue, soft pink, leafy green, mustard yellow, cream, and dark grey.

Today is National Biscuit Day, and it’s about time that I populated this account with biscuit (cookie) sets from the past few years. Here are some of my favourites. 🧵

First up, a set inspired by the delicious designs of William Morris and John Henry Dearle.

I have learned something about Australian trees - thank you!

A range of colourful key fobs made from ribbons and webbing: rainbow, Dr Who, Star Wars, super heroes

That was a good stash-buster! Some of these will be on sale on Parker's Piece this Tuesday as part of Hills Rd VI Form social action week, in aid of Mind, and others will be sold by Winter Comfort at Cambridge Pride in June.

A cushion cover with a variety of stitches and some school photos

A cover of a school book titled A Nature Diary with illustrations of birds and a mouse

Lovely to visit my old primary school in Suffolk for its 150th. A reminder of all the needlework we did, and the dreaded nature diaries; we had to record sthg every morning & I clearly remember making up a one-legged robin in desperation 🤣. But we did leave with a good awareness of the natural world

So good to hear someone say they boycott Amazon - most people think I'm barmy for even a partial boycott (strictly no books and only very occasional other use). Thank you!

100,000 signatures to ban fossil fuel ads and sponsorships — thank you to everyone who signed ! Now onwards to a debate . . . govpetition.uk/700024

Screen at Royal Festival Hall showing title screen for film Ocean

I was fortunate to see David Attenborough's new film Ocean yesterday. It's hard-hitting but ultimately hopeful, IF governments act together to protect our oceans. Pls email our gov to urge their action act.for-the-ocean.org/act/protect-... (and see the film on a big screen - sea life is amazing!)

Congratulations to the youngest member of your family - a temperature blanket is quite an effort! Love the warm colour scheme

Here in the UK, following a warm, dry and sunny March, we have had the sunniest April on record and 3rd warmest April. Here is a #dataviz with the summary of the weather/climate for the last year.

This year reminds me of 2020 when the silver lining to lockdown was daily walks in lovely sunshine and lots of al fresco dining. I wasn't recording temperatures at that point but it would be interesting to know how the two years compare.

Three strips of striped cross stitch with colours denoting temperature highs and lows

Section of a striped scarf with colours denoting daily temperature highs

A warmer April than we've had for some years: temps reaching 25°C today and three periods topping 20°. Night time temps stayed cool on account of clear skies. Less yellow and orange in '24 and esp '23 shows they were both cooler, with the start of April '22 (scarf) being distinctly nippy (blue) 🐡

If you'd like to write to the Prime Minister's office about the Supreme Court ruling, you can do so here - contact.no10.gov.uk - 1000 character limit. I have just done so!