Almost done!!

 I have 'sort of' finished my tapestry!! It is sitting on the loom, the tension released, I will cut it off tomorrow. Then the finishing off to do - cutting off the loose ends, etc. I might actually block it - not something that I usually do - as it might not be quite straight down the sides. I'll look at it more carefully tomorrow. 

It is done for the theme Fire and Ice - not an easy topic!! I was influenced by the volcanic explosion in Iceland. I didn't find any images that I could copy so I have 'interpreted' my ideas. 

I have found recently that I have an idea, draw up a cartoon and then tend to use it in a rather loose way - making it up as I go - but not quite that loose, I do use the images I have made and then interpret them - just don't follow my cartoon closely. It is part of the contemplative, meditative thing that I am finding tapestry weaving is offering me. 

I am hoping to enter it into the Bendigo Wool Show later in the year, It has been hugely important to me lately just as something creative to be doing - almost meditative. Life has been 'interesting' lately and my weaving gives me a time away from all the stressors. 

It's interesting to see the difference daylight and artificial light make to the piece, 

Now to find a new project!! I really need the creative challenges to take me into that meditative state, deciding whether the colours are right, the proportions, the texture, etc. No other thoughts intrude - usually. So the creative process is really important - not for the product, more for the process and the way it takes me into a different state. 

I am hoping to get my sewing machine back soon, then I will be able to try some ideas from the workshop I did with Dionne Swift. Hopefully!! 

April already - and well into it!

 How time flies, whether you are having a good time or not. 

I have recently been to a 5 day workshop at Ballarat Grammar, doing a machine free motion embroidery course with Dionne Swift. 

It was very interesting. The pressure was taken off by my machine deciding it didn't like the changes in tension and it stopped working on the first day!! Fortunately there was a machine available for me to borrow. It was not my usual type of machine (mine is a Husqvarna and it was a Bernina). However, I managed to make it do some of the things we were learning. 

We played with different thicknesses of thread and tension. Some of it looked like we didn't know what we were doing but others worked very well - we got some interesting results.

Our first exercise was to make a colour wheel using different techniques for texture. We played with varying weights of thread, different tension settings, etc. Using different tones created different colour wheels - not really a surprise. 

We also had some drawing sessions - not my thing really. I rarely draw. It's not that I can't but that I usually don't. But we had some fun doing the drawing - time limits changed my perspective quite a bit!

We did very abstract impressions of what we were seeing - then sewed them even more abstractly! 

I decided that, once home I would try to draw 5 days a week, for 10 minutes a day - that hasn't happened yet!! I've been home for about a week now but I am not going to beat up on myself, I'll see if I can do two days a week - soon. 

I am still doing my daily doodles but drawing scenes, using perspective and the vanishing point (an interesting  lesson we had) hasn't come into my daily practice yet!

Our final exhibition did not have all that much to show - we were lucky, there were only three of us in the class. There were some last minute withdrawals with meant that we had a lot of time from the tutor!!

But we were very happy with our results. 

Thanks Dionne!

24/3/24

 Well, I just had to post today! 24/3/24.

Not much to say, but I have been working, sporadically, on my tapestry. It is slowly getting there. I am using the so-called cartoon rather loosely, the drawing I did is an inspiration but I am definitely not following it. But ... it is turning out to be a bit of a life-saver (not literally) for me as it provides a place to blot out the real world and immerse myself in something that takes me away to a world where the small decisions are all I have to deal with. 

The advantage of having a piece of art that uses your thought and creativity and lets you escape from the immediate world for a while. 

Hot weather and trying to develop ideas

 We haven't had a very hot summer, unlike most of Australia. But last weekend was very hot - and spoilt many festivals. 

I went away for the weekend, probably shouldn't have, given the extreme fire danger rating - but the rating was for the whole state, so why not??

I took my current tapestry with me. It is a work in progress. As I didn't want to venture out into the heat, I had the chance to actually get in a few hours of weaving. There was nothing else to do, even the television was not working. 

The theme is Fire and Ice - I had a lot of thought go into this theme and have ended up being inspired by the volcano eruption in Iceland. Not that you will know that from the finished piece (not that it is finished yet). 

I found some interesting images but most of them had only land and volcanic eruption. I had been thinking of a volcano over an ice field but there weren't any great images that I loved.

So ... I got out my Inktense pencils and drew up a rough image. Initially, I had thought to do it 30cm x 35 but that didn't really sit well with the loom I have. So I have resorted to an A4 size, sort of. It is going to be A4 wide (about 29 cm) but I have no idea how high it is going to be. 

I have drawn a rough image using the watercolour pencils but then, as I mentioned, changed my mind about the dimensions. So ... (again) I am making it up as I go. I have used the initial drawing as my inspiration but it isn't in the correct dimension. I am also making up the colours as I go!

I was gifted some money for a significant birthday a year ago (more, actually) and finally got to the ATW to buy some wools. I don't usually use cool colours so had fun buying some.  Now I am trying to use them as the cool ice colours (and water). I also found some white silk that I have no idea where I got it from! It is now being used in the piece. It was extremely difficult to unwind and so I have ended up cutting it into smaller pieces - they determine the length of the colours I am using. The thread is controlling me, rather than the other way around.

As you can guess, my tapestry has an overall idea but I am not being too bothered by the cartoon (not sure I actually have one, having changed the dimensions that I feel that I can actually weave). It is a work in progress. But I am enjoying the process! Process is as important, if not more so, than the actual product for me. But I will enter it into the exhibition that had the theme, if I get it done in time. (Australian Sheep and Wool Show, in Bendigo.)

12/2/24 interesting date.

 Just noticed the date today, I had to record it for something or other and thought I 'should'  post. 

It is hot today, we are having a short run of hot days and nights - not unusual for summer but we have been lucky this year (in Melbourne, unlike most of the rest of the country) and have not had many hot days, so it feels like a bit of a shock. 

It is hard to get going in this weather, especially when I am between projects. I have an idea for a tapestry - the theme is Fire and Ice. I'm not sure what I will end up doing but I am playing around with some ideas from the erupting volcano in Iceland.

I am intending to do an abstract one, I think. I even got out the watercolour pencils and tried to draw my own image, not something I normally do. I am missing having Photoshop on my computer and I use it so rarely that I am not prepared to pay the monthly fee to download it. One of the reasons I use it much more rarely is, of course, that I don't have it. But that doesn't convince me to pay a monthly fee, 

I am also trying to do the daily collage challenge for February (@februllage). It is becoming quite a big challenge, to do one each day, according to a different theme each day. 

A recent one was Tangled and I had the perfect thing - some leftover threads from my sewing. I actually have a lot of them as I have this vague idea that I may one day do another thread bowl. 

Now to attempt the next one: Remember. 

                                                                                                                

Different experimentation

My Machine Embroidery group, at the EGV, has some themes for this year that are, hopefully, going to inspire us. 

Our first meeting was last weekend, with the theme Dyeing. I don't think anyone did any dyeing specifically for the day but there were a lot of past samples. I took along a cushion I did years ago. I made a log cabin pattern using different white fabrics, some with designs on them. 

I looked back through this blog and found it - 2013! White fabric image here.

I sewed some free motion designs on it also, in white cotton. Then I put the piece, and the back of the cushion, into a dyepot. The different whites took the colour differently and some of the designs on the fabrics didn't dye at all. Images here and here.

Actually, that is not why I am posting today! As this is my visual diary (searchable!!) I am wanting to note what I have done in preparation for next month's meeting. It is using long stitch on the machine. No-one has tried it and we may not really know what it is! I didn't let that stop me. I found a piece of old calico that I was about to throw out. It was used to try a screen print that I made in my textile and design course - it is probably from about 2009, or thereabouts. I was feeling tired and couldn't be bothered finding a proper piece to work on, mainly because I was not expecting great results and didn't even have an image in mind. 

So ... I used Guterman sewing thread top and bottom. I took the feed-dogs down, set the tension low and had a go! At first I used the pedal but found that I had a lot of trouble going slowly and keeping the same speed. My Husqvarna has a stop and go button which I rarely use (it is hard to take the hand off to push the stop button quickly!). Today I put the speed at its lowest and moved the hoop as fast as I could. Not great results but it was interesting - and now I know that I can probably do it if I find a need or image that calls for it. 

I even tried zigzag - but I was using a patchwork foot that has a little bar not all the way across and sometimes the thread got caught on it. I'll use a closed foot if I try it again. And I'l have to work out how to stop the fabric wrinkling so much. I did have it in a hoop with fabric wrapped around one part of the hoop but it wasn't enough - or I need to practise more. 

More experimenting with paper

 I am trying to come up with some interesting papers that I might be able to share with my collage group - we are trying various techniques this year and have been asked to come up with some ideas. 

So I have tried the alcohol inks, now I am moving on to tea-dyeing some paper. We have cups of tea from a pot, several times a day, and every time I throw out the tea leaves I think I could be reusing them. So now I have!

I came across a visual diary using 110gsm paper (Derwent, I think) and had used it to flatten some interesting flowers. A couple of the pages may have small prints from the flowers but they were very pale. 

I folded the paper (mainly because it didn't fit into the container I was using). I put the tea leaves into the folded bit. I got the tea leaves out of the compost bin on the bench. Then I made a fresh pot to get the liquid. That meant that I had more tea leaves, so I added them as well. 

It has now been over an hour that they have all been sitting there - I hope the paper hasn't disintegrated!

I had better go and take them out, leave them out to dry. I read somewhere that I should cover them with paper towel and something heavy to help keep them flat. Off to do that now. 

Well, one piece tore a little but I don't think I am bothered by that. I decided to put it onto some old newspaper rather than use the paper towel. Therefore I am not putting anything on top to flatten it. If I decide to use it for collage, I'll probably rip it up anyway. Hence the lack of worry about tearing one piece, 

Addendum: I just looked up my blog to see what I might have done in the past about tea dying paper - I didn't find that, exactly, but did come across one post where we had used tea as well as other chemicals to get some gorgeous papers. (I still have some, I found them when I was tidying up and putting together papers that might be useful for my collage group - never throw anything out!)

More playing with alcohol inks.

 I have finished my tapestry and had time to have another play with the alcohol ink. I'm still not greatly enamoured of my results but enjoyed the time. 

I bought myself a hand blower, from Zart Art, and it was much better than trying to blow the ink around with a straw - despite having the window open, I was taking deep breaths to blow and could feel it affecting me. Not so with the blower. 

I found some very shiny paper this afternoon - I actually managed to do a bit of tidying up of my collage resources (not that you would notice, it isn't better looking in the room, it is just better organised).  I don't know what the paper is or where it came from but I thought it might work. It did although it tended to curl a bit with the liquid. I also tried Yupo paper again and it takes the inks well. 

I still don't know what I am trying to achieve but I had fun. There was a vague idea of getting some background for the collages but, so far, I have no inspirations from them. 

I try to take notes but get too involved in what I am doing and forget. On some of them I sprayed the alcohol, some I just dropped some on, on others I used a blender which I bought when I got the blower. I also tipped the paper in different directions to get the ink to run. It dries very quickly and doesn't always do what I am hoping for. Note to self: check that you are putting the correct lid on the bottle - I got some mixed colours when I accidentally swapped the yellow and green lids - but I did have the chance to print some circles onto the paper, using the lids. I don't think they are particularly noticeable as the inks ran over them.

So here are some pictures. 

    

This is the shiny paper that I found. 

I am not sure if it is making the inks darker or I just used different colours. 

The actual graph.

 It occurred to me that I hadn't put in an image of the graph and the calculation/function that was used. Thought it might be of interest to someone. If only I understood what it is about! 

There are others in the very old book - it could be 70 years ago!

This is the orientation of the graph, suppose I should set my tapestry that way. 

Done!

Which way to turn it??

It doesn't look so much like a fish in the top one. 

And I suppose I could make it portrait orientation. 

Decisions, decisions. 

 I finished the small tapestry. It took me several hours to actually cut it off the loom, plait the warp ends, tidy up the small bits of wool on the back and then sew on a cloth backing. You don't tend to think of the time it takes to actually finish it off! 

And please, no-one look at the sewing on the back!! 

Similarly, the setting up takes quite a while - coming up with a design, choosing a palette, finding the appropriate wools and yarns (I only used wool in this one). Then warping the loom (my nightmare), putting in the floor and the waste wool. There go a couple more hours (not really counting coming up with the design). 

As usual, I could not bring myself to use flat colours, all the colours are blended. Not having an actual picture in mind and working from a graph, I had no idea what colours to use. I think it works but it could be done several times, using different palettes - not that I am going to experiment that way. 

I then tidied up the wools, (put them back in their containers), put the leftover wools that were on the bobbins into the compost or into a collection of wool pieces that I might use 'one day'. 

As I was leaving the room, I noticed a thread on the floor - it made a lovely face! It said Done!! Not too joyful, just satisfied. 

Almost there.

 I have worked, sporadically, on my small tapestry. I have had to pull out sections to get the different parts to line up. Who would have thought that such a, seemingly, simple design would give me grief? (Ha, I never seem to not have problems!)

Anyway, I have worked on it today and am approaching the finish. I think I will title it This is Not a Fish - except that the call for entries is Between the Lines and I have decided to enter it as Colour Between the Lines. Hmm.

Not to worry, it doesn't really matter what I call it, I have enjoyed doing it - the main point of the exercise. I will add a little thing to the back, explaining where I got the idea, that is the personal part for me.  

Once I have finished it, I will have to start looking for ideas for my next piece. I am thinking to try for the Bendigo Wool Show again - it isn't for several months yet. The theme is Fire and Ice, nothing is coming to me at this stage. No rush, and no actual need to enter the show!

A Small Tapestry

 It is time to be working on a small tapestry for our online group - it is really a challenge to make a small tapestry that can then be sent around the country for others to look at and enjoy. I realised recently that I have been participating in this challenge since about 2011!! 

Anyway, the theme for this year is 'Between the Lines'. I made a small tapestry about Walking Between the Lines - a finger labyrinth. 

But I have since decided to make another, This one is a bit more obscure - or less obvious. I found some graphs that my brother did many years ago. It uses some mathematical equation that I totally do not understand. (I have looked it up, it is a Gaussian function, whatever that means!). It gave a curving line in the graph - there were several graphs. I chose the one that gave me more room to do some weaving. It looks a bit like a fish, depending on the perspective that you view it.

I am weaving it in the orientation that does look like a fish because I think that suits the weaving better - I will hang it differently.  The line up the centre is a bit of a nuisance but it is one of the axes of the graph so I feel that I ought to include it. The other axis will be horizontal, I haven't got that far yet. 

I just made up the colours but did think of the fact that my brother is colour blind in the red-green perspective. I have tried to not use those colours - but there is definitely pink and purple. I hope it doesn't matter to him. 

This is my interpretation of the theme: Colour Between the Lines. It will not be obvious to viewers but I will  know what I meant. I hope my brother will know also. 

I am trying to be true to the graph, which means that I need to have the axes of the graph in line. I hope I can manage it. It looks like a fairly simple image but the fact that it is a graph makes it harder - for me, anyway. 

Playing around with alcohol inks

 Happy New Year - 2024!! How amazing, I remember 1986 quite clearly - or parts of it. 

Anyway, I have decided to experiment with alcohol inks. I am a member of a group of lovely people who get together fortnightly to cut and paste paper to make collages. I am not really a collage artist but I enjoy the company and stimulation very much.

This year, we are going to try to experiment with different techniques - I am currently trying alcohol inks to make a background (or usable in another way) paper.

So ... I have just done a first experiment. I have looked up various sites that have given some information and now am playing. I found this one very useful.

I bought some rubbing alcohol from the local pharmacist and found some very old bottles of alcohol ink - I have no idea what I may have used them for in the past. 

I bought some paper specifically for alcohol ink - Yupo. I also had a pad of paper that is bleed proof, not sure what is if for, or why I bought it. 

So, after reading several sites, I started playing. Of course, I didn't take much notice of what I was doing and have used techniques from several places. 

The obvious outcome is that the Bleedproof paper curled. But, apart from that, it was ok. 

TheYuko paper (which I cut into A5 size) worked better. 

A lot of the sites said to use a hair dryer (they didn't mention what heat to use but I assume it is cold). I didn't use that as I was only starting to play. I used a straw. 

Warning: you inhale a lot to blow, be aware of the alcohol in the air!! I am hoping I won't develop a headache (as one of the sites warned).

One thing I noticed, the inks dry fairly quickly. 

I am not sure what I will do with this paper, if anything. But I will experiment a bit more tomorrow. 

It might be useful as a background or I could cut it up and use it in my collages, time will tell. I am just glad to have started experimenting again!!

I may use some of the papers to do some doodling - or not. It is that time of year when you have some ideas but may not follow up on them. I am just glad that some ideas are coming up!!