End of the year - 2019

I just noticed that I almost missed December!
I haven't been busy but I have been doing some things. I just haven't posted. Must not have been any interesting dates in December.

So, what HAVE I been doing?
We had the exhibition at the Alcove, which went well.
I did warp up my loom in the hopes of starting a small tapestry for the AusNZ tapestry group. The new challenge is Wind in Motion. I am finding it a rather difficult topic to get my head around. I did have an idea, got all the yarns ready and warped the loom. Then I realised that I had warped it wrong, had several bits tangled and could not fix it easily. So I took the warp off. It all sat around for a week or so and then I put it all away. That was either late November or early December. (Just looked it up and it was early November!!) Maybe I'll get it out tomorrow and have another go.

In the meantime, I have had a change of mind about the image. Back to the drawing board. (It would be good if I actually did go to a drawing board for my designs, I tend to use photographs and then I have trouble getting abstract, which is what I prefer.)

I have been trying to only use what I have but I just loved these fabrics and bought them anyway. I can justify it by saying I have already used some of it and have ideas for the other bits. 

Wind drying the washing is one idea I have had. 

I was taking some time today to tidy up stuff that is lying around in my studio. While I was doing that, I came across some interesting yarns and embroidery threads and I had some tentative ideas for both tapestry weaving and machine embroidery. Only tentative at this stage though.

I saw a call for entries for Vision 2020 (I wonder if there will be a lot of vision themes in 2020, 20/20 vision being so good!). There are two components to this call for entries, one is due on January 10 and the other is due on February 20th,)
I had this idea of playing around with background colour and its influence on the colours being used, something I have played around with previously.

I found a sample I did in my textile course and thought I might develop an idea from that.

Butterflies appealed. So I made several, putting them onto different backgrounds. But then I didn't like what I was thinking of doing with them. So they are just sitting there at the moment.

Same coloured bits on different backgrounds.  I think the blue bits are missing from the bottom butterfly though. 

Actually, I did use one for a cloth book I have made as a first birthday present.

You can see the top of the wing sticking out on the right. 

So I suppose I have been a bit productive, just haven't posted. It has been that busy time of the year when Christmas is approaching, New Year follows quickly and the summer holidays are starting, meaning that things are winding up for the end of the 2019 year.

So farewell to 2019, welcome to 2020, which I hope is a good year for all.

Yet another bowl.

I have played with silk roving and made more silk paper, this time with some Angelina Fibre between the layers.
That didn't work perfectly as it tended to keep the layers of silk from binding, especially when I put in clumps. I decided not to iron the Angelina Fibre, to just sprinkle it in. After the silk dried, I ironed it and that seemed to help bind it.
But one lot of silk paper was a bit too fluffy and I thought it would not hold. I sewed a little pattern all over the silk paper and that seems to have worked.
Two new bowls! Not sure what I will do with them.

The angel bowl is made too!

Experimenting - maybe a bowl.

I found a site with a downloadable PDF that gave instructions for making a felt bowl using a variety of shapes.
It encouraged people to try their own designs. So here goes ...
It is coming up to Christmas. The Alcove Art Shop, of which I am a member, is having a Christmas exhibition. I have been playing around with silk paper. I have been playing around with bowls.
Today I played around with making an angel shaped bowl. I am not sure it is going to work but I have made 6 angels.

Having some left-over silk paper, I used a template I designed to make 6 little angels. I am not sure if they will make a bowl or not. If not, they may make small Christmas tree decorations.

It must be coming up to Christmas, our hydrangea is getting ready to flower!

Thank goodness we don't have Thanksgiving to cope with, it is enough to have morphed straight from Halloween (which is gaining traction here in Australia) to Christmas.

The first go was to try cutting some paper shapes to see if they would make a circle. Yes!

The next step is to make some of the angels. They are currently drying.

We used the oven for dinner, so one lot is in there as it cools down, hopefully drying and not cooking. (Impatient, me? Never!!)

Just out of the oven! Not quite dry.
I realised that it would be much easier to do three at once rather than individual ones as above.  Learning as I go.

Once they are ready, I will see if they can connect and what size circle will be needed to be the base of the bowl.
That may happen this evening or it might be tomorrow's adventure.

And another bowl

I am not sure why bowls are my thing at the moment but they are.
Today I tried another template. It was actually for paper people and had a little bit that could be glued onto the different pieces of the bowl.
I thought I wouldn't need it so cut them off my template.

I sewed my design. It is based on the Silver Princess but I decided that being precise was beyond me, especially given the size of the bowl.

I used some silk paper that I had made some time ago. (In the mists of time! I need to make some more.)

I drew part of the design and then transferred it to soluble fabric. I am only using one side of the silk paper with soluble. I have found that it changes the colour of the silk paper and wanted to minimise that.

I didn't cut out the pieces in between the sides of the bowl when I finished sewing but decided that  I really needed to.
I was feeling impatient so put it in the oven while it was heating up for dinner! Seems to have worked.

It is not a very big bowl. Because I decided not to use the flaps it is only sewn up on the sides partway. But that gives it the chance to open out a bit, which I think was a necessary design decision.

It is really quite small, so I am not sure what it could be used for, apart from simply being decoration.
Next time, I would sew more on the base to make it more substantial.

Yet another bowl

I decided that, since I am rather lacking in oomph at the moment, I would use some silk paper that I have had lying around and make another bowl.
I used the same design as previously but only put the soluble fabric on one side. It has made a difference to the colour of the bowl. The side with the soluble fabric is darker.

I don't think it is a problem, I just have to decide if I want the darker side on the inside or outside.

I left it to dry overnight, then started sewing the sections together.

I was interrupted and left it for most of the day. You can see why the sewing is necessary, it started to collapse.

Now I just have to see if I can find a use or home for it. Then I can lash out and make more!
It is quite simple and relaxing to make.

Trying another bowl

I thought I would have a go at another bowl.
It hasn't turned out that well, it is rather flimsy. It is probably because it is made of silk paper (fusion, as I have been finding it labelled).

But here it is anyway.

I drew my design on paper, using the cone shape I devised recently.

This time, I tried a different design for the image, based on some silver princess flowers I photographed.

Once again, I used soluble fabric to trace the design and to give added strength to the finished piece.

I rinsed off the soluble fabric and put it out to dry. I forgot that the it dulls the colours, so I will consider not using it at all next time, depending on the image I want to do, whether I can do it freehand.
I may have been better served to have ironed it a little before sewing it together, it is quite wrinkled. Something to try next time.

I am still struggling with how to make it stable. I have used the same circle around the base but I am not that happy with it. It will be ok in this instance as you could not possibly use the bowl for anything. But I may have a play around with other templates to see if I can work out how to have a more solid base.
There are plenty of templates around, I just have to adapt them to my silk paper and work out how to make it more solid.

Or maybe I should work on my previous bowl and see if I can design a better image for it.

Free motion machine embroidery group display

It is almost November! That is the month that our free motion machine embroidery group has its display. We have had the Farmyard theme this year.
I have tried to do each month's challenge and have, finally, done each one so far. December is working dog or cat - what is a working cat??
Anyway, I suspect that I won't get to do that one. Our display has to go up next Sunday and there is not much incentive to be doing the December challenge.

I have - finally - done a Sheep/Goat image that isn't too terrible. I have tried several times and they have all been disasters. This one isn't great but it is done!
It is based on wool - coming from sheep. I love the Hedrena brand of clothing. So do the moths!! So I have plenty of pieces of clothing with holes. I decided to use some of them for the background. And the layer beneath is wool too. The sheep are made using wool wadding/batting.

The image isn't all that good but it is what I have ended up with.

Then I realised that I have one for the November challenge, something to do with water supply or windmills. I actually made this image earlier in the year, thinking it would do for the machinery theme.

So now I have made one based on a picture I took several years ago, at a weekend workshop for tapestry weaving, at Tandwancoort. It was of an abandoned car and some equipment.

I used the eucalyptus oil image transfer that I tried recently. The image didn't transfer all that well this time. It may be because the calico I used may not have been washed properly and may have still have size on it. Or I may not have done it properly. Or it just didn't remember how it worked last time.
Anyway, I have done some heavier machine sewing than I intended but it is ok.

I have framed it and tried to do a mount board frame around it. It is a while since I did the framing course and it didn't turn out all that well. But, as it isn't for sale and no-one else has to deal with it, I am just going to go with it as it is.

Random stuff

It being 19/10/19, I have to post.
I was at the second last day of the Embroiderers Guild's Members' Exhibition, so no  textile photos from today.
So ...
Here are some images of the lemon scented eucalyptus. The first picture is from July, the others are today. Different light makes such a difference!!

July 

July

October

The fruit bats are visiting it overnight, it is in bloom. The rainbow lorikeets are here during the day - along with many other birds. We seem to have quite a variety visiting at this time of the year.

Also, it is spring, allergy time! But there are some gorgeous flowers around.
This is one example of many rings of flowers at a local park. Could be inspiration for a textile bowl, they form a bowl-like structure with the leaves, then the flowers come later.

It is also time for the sunflower seeds to be planted. I had some last year but they didn't grow, probably not helped by the fact that I was away for all of November. So we are trying again. 

They have a grid over them because the birds like to dig and see what is there!

Demonstration piece

As I mentioned earlier, I was demonstrating at the guild today.
I thought I would combine two recent ideas: the thread bowl and the silk paper.

This is the thread bowl on the soluble fabric, I don't seem to have a photo of it put together. 

I copied the template for the thread bowl onto some soluble fabric and laid it over a piece of silk paper that I had. It just fit.

I finished the sewing while demonstrating - and talking a lot with the many visitors.

After I got home, I cut it out around the edges, put it in water and dissolved the soluble fabric. It provided some extra stiffness to the bowl.

The template depends on the edge of one section being sewn to the edge of the next piece. So I cut out the piece of silk paper that would have stopped it meeting properly and now I have another bowl.
The silk paper shines beautifully in the light

I seem to do a lot of my work at night. I will ry to take a photo during daylight and see how that looks. But I am happy with the result so far.

A silk paper bowl

As I am demonstrating machine free motion embroidery at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria tomorrow, I thought I would have a play with something a bit different - for me. It is our annual members' exhibition.

I took some old works when I demonstrated on Sunday and people were interested to see all the things you can do with free motion embroidery.

I made a little bowl for the Challenge, Altered Art, and thought I would try something similar. I also met the person who bought my thread bowl from last year's exhibition. I tried making another on Sunday but it hasn't turned out quite right, I think I needed to do more sewing on the upright bits. So I may choose to try another tomorrow, see if I can work out what went wrong.

But I also tried something different today: I had some silk paper that I had made recently. It was just big enough for the template I had for making a fabric bowl.

I put it in the hoop, with the design drawn on some soluble fabric, and did some freehand drawing. The soluble fabric helps to stiffen the bowl a bit too.
I thought I would need to disguise the seams of the sections so make them into tree trunks. It has worked but I think, if I do another, that the trunks need to be a bit slimmer.

Still, it was a challenge for me and I am moderately happy with it. It is not very big as the silk paper I had wasn't very big, nor was the template.

The thing I like about this technique is that you can see the sewing on both sides of the bowl and the bowl is a little bit translucent.

I may try a slightly different template, see if I can get the tops of the sides to flare out a little more.

Getting ready for an exhibition

29/9/19.
Today was the day for handing in works for The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria's annual members' exhibition.

I am on the exhibition committee so was privileged to be able to see many of the works as they were handed in. One of the huge advantages of this is that you get to hear the stories about the making of the pieces, as well as admire the works, of course.

It is also eye-opening to see the variety of techniques that people use. And the high quality too. It is a little daunting to see how wonderful some of the entries are. But then I think that it is also encouraging for new and prospective members to see the range of designs, techniques and that not all the works are of equal quality  - and no-one cares. It is just a great chance to work to a theme and deadline and to have your work displayed.

The are over 160 entries this year. We are going to spend the rest of the week hanging it, ready for the opening night on Friday.
The exhibition opens to the public on Saturday.

I have said I will be one of the demonstrators on Sunday, I'll have to come up with something to be working on! I have finished my latest ones so I could put them in the exhibition.

Something to think about tomorrow.

Missed the date!

I thought to myself, I must blog today, it is 19/9/19. That was a few days ago and was as far as I got.
But it is not that much later, so I can say I have been working on a piece since that date (I can't remember if that is actually true or not, I just know I have something that I have been working on for a while).

Anyway, here it is:
I had thought to try a teapot based on Clarice Cliffe's images. I have done a couple recently so I thought I could give it another go.

Then I thought about what I wanted to do and why:
The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, is having its annual members exhibition soon and the works are due to be handed in on Sunday. I entered the challenge (you can put in entries before you have made the pieces, something I like because then I have a deadline to work towards - you can also withdraw with no penalty, not even a tsk, tsk). The challenge is called Altered Art and is not allowed to be any larger than 15cm in any dimension. This seemed a bit small for my teapot idea, too fiddly.

I also attended a demonstration at one of our play days in the recent past (that means sometime this year) and we made silk paper - I think that is what we did, or did we just talk about it??
No ... there was a workshop on at the same time as a meeting I was at and they were making and sewing on silk paper!  Anyway, I was inspired to make some silk paper afterwards, with no purpose for it in mind.

This inspired me to make my teapot out of the silk paper - then I realised it would not be particularly strong and I would have trouble putting all the bits together.
I have now come up with the idea of a bowl inspired by Clarice Cliffe.
I found images of bowls and plates that I really liked.
I chose the design from a plate (Windbells) but wanted to make the conical bowl.

I played around with cardboard first, to get the proportions and sketch the design.

After I got the template organised, I looked at the silk paper I had lying around and the image. I realised I had some of the appropriate colours, so decided to lay them on the base too.
As the silk paper isn't very strong, I thought I should put it into a hoop. However, I didn't want to get a mark from the hoop so decided to use soluble fabric to hold it in place. Then I realised that I could lay the other coloured bits of silk paper on the base and the soluble fabric would hold it down.

I did this on both sides and then sewed it. I didn't bother sewing all over the fabrics as I thought the soluble fabric would glue it together and I was right!

I wanted to make the base she had made, which was like a cross but I just couldn't manage it, especially not with flimsy silk paper. So I have ended up with a circular base.

Here it is, drying in a funnel.

It was a bit tricky to sew as the silk paper kept falling into layers.  Then I realised that this bit of silk paper had not had the soluble fabric on it and would be strengthened if I painted some on, after I dissolved it. I painted it after I hand sewed it on. I also layered a few pieces of the coloured silk paper, which I had pulled apart to be a bit more filmy. I caught them with a few stitches but am relying on the soluble fabric glue to hold it on securely. It is currently drying, so I hope it will work.

I might try for a better picture once it is dry and complete - or I might leave that till I have one of it at the exhibition. If it tuns out ok and stands up!

Inspiration

Thanks goodness for interesting dates! Otherwise, I might not post at all.
9/9/19.

So ... what have I been doing?
I have just finished a piece for a group that has the theme Mood. I didn't really know what to do. I had done a piece that was about struggling with life and seeing some way through the difficult times. I called it Light at the End of the Tunnel.

Then I thought I would do a more positive one. I looked up labyrinth image and came across a few that were interesting. I adapted one to use and have made a piece that is quite textured. I like texture - in case you hadn't noticed.

You have to follow the coloured path, not between the pieces, to get in and out. Most labyrinth patterns use the pattern to walk between, as in hedges, but this one you use the textured parts to run your finger over it and that takes you in and out.

Then I found one that I had a really strong reaction to - it was an enclosed maze. It made me feel very stressed!! No way out. Endless circling.

I may use it in a future work, or I may not. I will see how the Mood takes me.