Clouds

I went outside for a few minutes this evening and was just at the right moment to see some amazing clouds.
I came in for my camera and they had changed - they were almost gone by the time I had taken the photos. They moved very quickly.

It was dusk, so they are not all in focus. Decided not to care, they were so wonderful.

Birds

There is a 'display' (as opposed to an exhibition) coming up for a group that I am in, Birds.
I thought I should try to participate.

So, not wanting to be wasteful, I have used bits and pieces from a previous work and come up with a small (18cm x 13cm) piece.

I found some images on 123RF and have used them as my silhouettes. I am not particularly happy that the birds seem to be of different breeds but I am not too bothered by it.  It is a rather small piece, and birds of different breeds are allowed to be flying home at sunset!

Done!

I have been asked to demonstrate some folded books done in fabric at our Play Day at the Embroiderers Guild. So I have been playing around with ideas for a while. 

I have been trying to work out how to make the book strong enough to stand, to be able to fold and to show both sides - which means making both sides interesting. 

Well, it is done. 

I had a lot of little scraps that determined the colours because I wanted to use them up. (This War on Waste is rather demanding.) And who knew that you could make such a mess working on something that is only A4 size.

As the piece was only on interfacing, and as the machine zigzag cut that in places, I have put the piece onto some heavy felt-stuff (not actual felt, some synthetic thing). 

I then sewed the raw edge fabric pieces. The back looked very ordinary. 

I put some fabric on the back and then wondered what to do. 

Aha, I thought. I never use the built in stitches. I will see what they look like. I had fun playing with those.
So I made the back relatively heavily sewn. 

Now I have the finished piece. I have no idea what to do with it. Even the best way to display it can be a puzzle.

Oh, today is 18/8/18 too. 

8th of August 2018

Well, it is a week since the last interesting date. Now it is 8/8/18.
Not much has progressed.
I have been playing around with the idea of a fabric folding book but have stalled.

I have laid out fabric on the interfacing, sewn it on to the separate bits and am now trying to work out how to make it strong enough to stand.

Who would have thought that such a small piece could need such a mess!
I have used scraps from other projects and that has changed the way I envisaged it - I had not thought to use those colours at all. 

I am thinking of putting it onto some thickish backing but that will necessitate leaving gaps for the actual folding.

That is as far as I have got. I will try to do some more work on it on Friday, there will be no time tomorrow.

First of August, 2018

Well, I have to post today - 1/8/18!
I have been a bit busy, will try to be succinct.

I went to a few events in the last week or so:  the Craft and Quilt show, The Winter Warmers exhibition at the Alcove Art Shop, the travelling tapestry show at the Handweavers and Spinners Guild and ... The Buda bi-ennial textile exhibition. I put in two pieces and one of them got a certificate of commendation - very chuffed!!

I have also been playing around with some ideas for the upcoming Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, show - Art Deco Now!

I have been struggling a bit to come up with a workable idea. In casual conversation with another member today, I think I hit upon why it is so hard - I was saying that I don't want to do representational/pictorial images but that I have trouble not doing them. Then I realised that Art Deco Now! is a very NON-represetnational/pictorial theme and that is probably my problem. It is very graphic and design based, not something that I usually do.
Now that I have come to this realisation, perhaps I will be able to cope better. I hope.

I am also going to be the presenter at the Creative Play Day this month. I am going to be working on folding books. I am trying to meld that with the Art Deco Now! theme and it is causing some angst. But I have tried a few ideas.

Using tulle, so it will stand by itself, I have done some hand stitching on different layers to indicate a sort-or Art Deco design.

These are two ways of standing up a design that is machine sewn on interfacing. I don't know how I will develop it - if I do. That is still 'in development'. 

They are not great but they don't have to be, they just have to give the members some ideas. Whew!
I will continue to play around with ideas for a few weeks, till the presentation.

Who knows, one of them might become an entry for the actual exhibition. That would be good.