How Things Develop

The machine embroidery group I belong to has a Farmyard theme this year.
This month's is buildings and fences. Not all that inspiring, I thought. But at least it is a theme and I can think about it.

Having thought about it for several weeks now, and having taken some extremely boring photos, I decided to bite the bullet and start today.

I had looked at some people's work on Pinterest. I especially like Cinde Hoppe, a new to me textile artist.
After browsing her site I thought I might pull out some fabrics I have dyed in the past and see if I had anything suitable.

That was yesterday, and the day before, and the day before. Finally, I got into my, relatively tidy, studio today and was about to start looking at said dyed fabrics.
I don't know what made me look down at the box on the bottom shelf but I did. There were some bits and pieces left over from my Cas Holmes workshop that I did about 10 or 11 months ago.

I pulled them out. I laid them out. I radically changed my mind about what I thought I was going to do!

Now I have a piece that I think is going to be 12" square - just because that is the size I have been working on lately.
I made the image. It is rather more abstract than I had anticipated. I was influenced by a book I borrowed from the library: Art Quilt Collage by Deborah Boschert. I haven't really done what she is teaching in the book, but I was definitely influenced by reading it.

I also had a bit of sewing I had done on soluble fabric which I had done it for the Secret Garden exhibition in 2016. It was still on the soluble fabric, I had not used it but I had put it on my pinboard so that I wouldn't forget I had it. Today was the day for soaking it and pinning it out to dry.

This is it, drying in the sun.

Then I noticed that the bag of offcuts from doing the Unfinished Business challenge (2017). They went into the mix tool.

After I placed the bits and pieces and sewed them onto the background (a drop sheet from the Cas Holmes workshop), I decided I wanted some quilting-type texture, so put a cotton batting on the back. Then there was some not very planned free motion sewing.

I laid the trees in the foreground and sewed them on. 

I have cut away some of the backing, where the edge of the image is going to be. There was a slightly frayed, raggedy edge that I didn't like as it was too white. 

(I think I am going to sew it over a piece of foam core, as I have done with my other pieces recently.)

Then I remembered that I treated myself when I was overseas visiting friends late last year, by buying some Inktense Pencils. I have coloured the edge of the fabric and will hope that it has done the job. 

I needed some new foam core for the required size and it was too late to go to the shops, so I will have to work on how to present it tomorrow, after I buy the foam core.

Busy, busy again.

Well, I missed the interesting date of 6/10/16 but that was because I have been busy!

This week I have helped to set up an exhibition and gone to three openings.

The first opening was at The Johnson Collection, on Tuesday evening. I have a small piece of work in it.
A group of eight tapestry weavers, from our regular Saturday group, got together and worked towards the brief. It was either to focus on Christmas or Mr Johnson.
We decided on Mr Johnson and his collection of Indian paintings and some images of the man himself.

You can see the edges of some of the Indian images on the right. Then there are two tapestries, the elephant and Mr Johnson behind a privacy screen.

There are many artists involved in the exhibition and each room is completely different from the other.

There was quite a large crowd and I will be going back on another day to see it all in a less crowded and more leisurely way.  But it was very exciting to be there, despite the crowd, or is that because of the crowd?

Then on Wednesday I went along to the opening of an exhibition, Triple Stitch at Bolin Bolin Gallery at Bulleen Art and Garden. As it is part of a nursery, there was a botanical feel but it was not all botanical. As I knew all three participants, I had a lovely time catching up as well as admiring all the lovely works.

Friday evening was the opening of A Secret Garden at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria. I have been involved in setting this one up.  I was extremely pleased to be part of such a wonderful event. The quality of the work was amazing and inspiring.

Just before the official opening of the doors.

Secret Garden continured

Ok, the date 6/9/12 deserves a post!  (Oops, got excited about the numbers, forgot that it is now 2016.)

I have been working on my Secret Garden idea. I had done the background.

Then I did a free motion piece on soluble fabric. I thought I had made it the right size but when I dissolved the fabric it shrank. I seem to make this mistake often. But … it was the right size in one direction.

We had a day learning about Tyvek at the Embroiderers Guild play day recently, so I used that inspiration to try making a wall.  I knew I had a pack of it somewhere, I bought it at least 5 years ago but hadn't even opened the packet. After some wondering where it could be now that I have tidied my studio and knew I hadn't seen it while doing that, I remembered where it was.

So, Tyvek painted, some rough free motion sewing, a bit of heat from the iron and voila - a wall.

Not so secret garden

I thought I had better try to come up with a piece for the upcoming A Secret Garden exhibition, seeing I have become involved in the organisation of it.

Continuing on with my small pieces of fabric collage theme, I have made a small garden. It started out slightly smaller than A4 and will probably shrink a bit with the sewing.

Just laying out scraps, very small in some cases, onto some fusible interfacing.

Even smaller pieces that have had Vliesofix attached and were then ironed on.

Free motion sewing to add some texture. 

Now to work out how to make it 'secret'.
I have an idea but it remains to be seen if I can get it mounted in the way I am imagining. Time will tell.