Reviewing past workshops for new ideas

The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, is having an exhibition in October, called A Secret Garden.
I have had ideas swimming around in the murky recesses of my mind, not really developing.

Today I decided that, as I cannot do my weaving once the daylight has gone, I should use the non-weaving time to be developing my ideas with some experimentation. As it is just after the winter solstice, there is quite a bit of non-daylight time at the moment. And today was particularly dark, due to rain clouds. Still, I can't complain about rain, we still need it.

I have looked at some Pinterest sites - too many things to look at!!

Then I came across a You Tube video of Kim Thittichai doing some painting of what she calls Bondaweb and we call Vliesofix, here in Australia.

It reminded me of the wonderful workshop I did with her at Ballarat a few years ago. I loved the workshop, did some more playing around once I got home and then forgot all about it - as is my wont.

So now I feel inspired to have a go again. I will have to tidy the studio again - it gets tidied reasonably regularly recently. I must admit that it makes it easier to keep track of things if I actually put them away properly - amazing.

I loved the process of tearing up paper, dyeing or painting it, tearing it up again, etc. I am hoping to make a background that will either be a door or a wall that is hiding the secret garden - a bit obvious, I know, but that is where my thinking is at the moment.

Then I had the thought of looking through a keyhole. I found some images on 123RF and have more ideas floating around, not really connected to previous ideas. I really need to actually start, then things might gel better.

Anyway, ideas are floating around - that is an improvement.
I am thinking of using some gardening type books as my base, maybe I can paint on the paper, rip it up, etc.
I will need to find all the equipment that is involved, that will make a bit of a mess, but it will be a productive mess, hopefully.

Here's hoping something comes to me.

Can't resist the date.

Just saw the date - 16/6/16 - have to post!
16/6/61 would be better but I'd be very old by then. So today's date will have to do.

So, what to post about?
I am actually working on a tapestry. I thought I had made a reasonably simple design … wrong!!
It is very fiddly and I am having trouble knowing where I am at. I haven't marked my warp as well as I could have, apparently. We had one of our group meetings recently and one of the participants noticed that I was having trouble. She told me to mark the warp all the way around and you don't lose sight of it.

I decided to give it a go - but it was taking ages. And not co-operating. Maybe because I already had some weaving done (probably not). And I wasn't feeling very patient. So I am persevering without the extra marking. But I will definitely take note of that tip next time.

I must have been in a strange mood when I warped it up, it seems to be too loose and I am having trouble making it tight enough. But I am soldiering on. And I think I have put the loom together crookedly. Oh well, it is all a learning process … as I am always telling students. I should be past these sorts of mistakes by now!

Fortunately, my piece is intended to have texture, so I can claim that any knobbly weaving is intentional. I am putting in some deliberate texture and I am also using some knobby yarn. Here's hoping it all works out.

Old habits

I took Penny out for a walk this afternoon. We returned to Warringal Park and saw lots of sights we have seen in the past. I still was inspired to take photos.

I'm not sure if you will be able to see it but I saw a frog face in the clouds.

I decided it wasn't that obvious so played around in Photoshop a little. Maybe it is clearer now. 

Then there were the birds. It was a very still afternoon and most of the birds were just sitting around. This magpie let me get quite close.

And the colourful bark. I am reminded that I could be doing some more dyeing of fabric.

A lone flower in a sea of dandelion plants. Another reminder of dyeing fabric, still to come, when the flowers are prolific.

Surely I could do something with this image!

Finally, a double rainbow, when I stopped to buy some things at the nearby supermarket.

Pretty plant, interesting date.

It is 1/6/16. How could I not post today?

Yesterday we took the dog out for her daily walk. It started off a cold day but was lovely by the time we got organised to go. So we visited a cafe near where we walk and had a bite to eat. Penny waited patiently under the table, hoping some interesting crumbs might fall - a few that resembled dog food did manage to get through the holes in the table.

There was a lovely grevillea growing beside us. It is such an interesting flower, I am sure I must be able to find something interesting to do with the images - one day.