Hot weather!

 We had a very hot day recently. Fortunately for us, the weather has changed and is not so horrendous. Other parts of the state are still suffering extreme heat and some bushfires. So I will try not to dwell too much on the awful heat. It is much worse around the state and other states as well.

We have had some plants suffer greatly in the heat and some have survived, seemingly ok. 

Despite almost being burnt, this hardy plant is still flowering!

I had hoped to get on with some cleaning out of old notes from various classes, or do some hand sewing or even finish off my very small sample from a recent tapestry workshop. 

So far, the only thing that has happened is a very small bit of weaving. I have been spending much time in trying to keep plants alive - with some success. 

The notes for the class were to bring colours that are opposite on the colour wheel. I had no idea of what image we were going to try. Turns out it was based on a work of Joy Smith's (the tutor) so I put in waste yarn afterwards and then cardboard for stability and have started. It is based on a bowl, a bottle and another clear bottle. I hope it works out but am not too bothered, I will try to come up with a design of my own - someday. 

The date!

 I met someone this morning who was excited about the date, it being 26/1/26 tomorrow! We had a lovely discussion about our mutual interest. 

So now I have to post something, even though the interesting date is tomorrow. 

We are having some very changeable weather - extremely hot, a couple of cooler days, extremely hot. Bushfires, flash floods also - fortunately, these events have not been in my immediate vicinity but they are very disturbing anyway. 

I have planted some sunflowers again, being part of a Facebook group that shares the interest. I planted them a bit later than some of the others but they are going to be looking good soon! If they survive the extreme heat forecast for Tuesday. 

It has been interesting to watch which way they face as they grow - east to west. The first flower was more east-oriented but I think a couple of the others will be more west-facing. 

We also have some day lilies and it has been fascinating to see the different flowers each day. I think they may have finished flowering now. 

As you may have noticed, there is very little mention of textile work!! I have attended two workshops in January, one was a two day one about using the element of line in designing a stitched piece. I really enjoyed the drawing exercises but have struggled with the hand sewing. 

Then I attended a tapestry weaving workshop. I enjoyed that greatly too - I knew most of the attendees and everyone knew at least one other person, so it was relaxed and friendly. 

I have tried to do a bit more since and am hoping to hunker down in the heat and get more done - trying to avoid having to venture outside (except to water various plants and put beach umbrellas over some of the more exposed plants).

Post Christmas - and some hot weather

 It has been sunny and hot for a few days, is forecast for a few more, then some relief again. But it appears that summer is definitely here!

I thought I'd take advantage of the sunshine and do a bit of sundying. I haven't done any for ages so I decided just to try a few small pieces of fabric to see what I would get. 

Not great results! The fabric has dyed - not that I have washed it yet test the fastness. 

I just grabbed a small stash of little bits of cotton, some of them quilting cotton with designs in white on them. 

This is the back of one of the pieces seen above.

I have just remembered that I tried dyeing some white fabric years ago, with different designs on them, using the same dye (not sundye, from memory). It gave me a great selection of different colours - I think I had made a block using the log cabin design, the pieces were all white and I dyed it all together. It gave me in interesting outcome. As usual, I saw that it would work and then did no more! I tend to do that, see if something will work, or how to do it, then not doing any more. 

Anyway - I have some coloured fabric pieces. I put some of them under bushes that were throwing down beautiful shadows. Nothing was visible on the fabric - I'm not sure if that is because the shadows were above the fabric, rather than touching it or if I just used too many colours so that the sun effect isn't clear. 

I did one slightly larger piece (I think it is some calico rescued from a plum pudding from a couple years ago). I put the leaves on the fabric this time and there are some barely visible designs. 

                                                     

I have no idea what I will use them for, if anything. But I can now go into summer with some hope to achieve something creative. 

Christmas!!

 I nearly missed the date! 25/12/25.

I haven't done much textile work lately but I am hoping to do a couple of workshops in the summer school for the EGV and the HWSG. It is an attempt to make me try something slightly different - not totally different as that would be too daunting. 

The hollyhocks are flowering again - I am still collecting them - just need to actually use them!! I have a few days coming up with no appointments so, perhaps, I'll give it a go. 

It was overcast a lot today and cool for Christmas Day. It's supposed to warm up next week, so I'll see if I can get myself organised. 

I am also thinking about doing some sun dyeing. I saw a gorgeous plant in the garden a day or so ago. It is actually a weed and has thorns but it has beautiful, fragile-looking leaves.  So I rescued a piece from the green bin and it is waiting for me to get myself organised. 

I love thy way the stems  grow horizontally.

That time of the year

 It is coming to the end of the year - Christmas, Boxing Day, New Year, the summer holidays.

It's a strange time - trying to catch up with people. finishing off some regular things, getting ready for the big events, getting ready for a quieter time of year!

I have finished a small tapestry - not needed till February but I am going to do a tapestry workshop in January and will need to the loom, so it is done already.

The theme was From Above. 

My thoughts were first about messages from Above - thou shalt not kill, love thy neighbour as you would love yourself, etc. But, given the state of the world, I decided that I would get too depressed. 

So I have worked on a piece inspired by a photo taken while walking through the Fitzroy Gardens recently.

The water is coming from above - not very much above, it is not a very big waterfall.

It was good to be working on it as it takes all my concentration. But it is rather small, given the size restriction of the challenge. 

It is done and looks much better from a distance. The photos are more close-up than I would like but it is not too bad. Maybe stand back from your computer/iPad/etc and it might work better. 

                                                       

It isn't wonderful in itself but it did give me focus and purpose. 

Working on a small tapestry

 Thank goodness for groups that set themes and have due dates!!

I'm working on a small tapestry (no bigger than 20cm square) and I have set myself the task of doing at least half an hour every day. It usually goes to an hour but my body doesn't like it much - ahh the joys of getting older. 

Admittedly, I could do half an hour, do something else and then do another half, or even an  hour! But the impetus seems to leave me after about an hour. 

However, I am getting there. 

The theme is From Above. I had all sorts of ideas, many to do with messages from 'above' (love thy neighbour, thou shalt not kill, etc) but I found I was getting too depressed about the state of the world. So ... I have taken a photo of a small waterfall in the Fitzroy Gardens. I rarely go there but had the time to walk through recently. The gardens are wonderful - peaceful and restorative. 

Water is coming down from above!

I have taken a few photos of the tapestry as I have gone along - mainly to prove to myself that I am actually achieving something, 

I can't believe how many bobbins I use for such a small piece!!

Today I was across the room and saw it from a different viewpoint and am actually quite happy with it. There are some things that I would change if I had the time and energy but they won't matter much. I have done what seems to be my usual thing lately, make it up as I go! I am putting some marks on the warp from my images but I am not doing it prior, I am doing it as I go - it is rather an interpretation rather than an exact copy of the photo. 

An indication that Christmas is approaching

 The hydrangea is starting to develop flowers, always an indication that Christmas is on the way.

                                  

The pink is from another plant, the hydrangea is still developing.

The weather has been rather changeable but that isn't too unusual for spring - it snowed on Mt Donna Buang last week! It only rained and hailed in my part of the world. We were tricked by one very warm day just prior but that is forgotten now! 

I have been thinking about the new theme for next year's challenge: From Above. I had all sorts of ideas but have finally settled on one that is rather ordinary - and I may not be able to do it to the required size - no larger than 20cm square. I think there might be too much detail in my photo but I will persevere. 

I took lots of phots of flowers that were on the ground - I was looking from above, I eventually decided to do a small waterfall I saw in the Fitzroy Gardens - the water is falling from above.