Another Month!! Time is definitely flying!!

It is almost a month since my last post. Not a lot has happened  but I have found some old works to put into a show called the Art of Again. It is about recycling and using that in our art. 

I have not made new pieces, I have used ones that I have made previously but that I think will fit the bill - they use scraps of fabric to make something new. 

The exhibition will be at Strathdon House, 449-465 Springvale Rd, Forest Hill. 

I'm not certain of the open days, it may only be Thursday to Sunday and be for two weeks. I don't have to help with sitting in the exhibition so I am not certain of the times. But I will definitely visit it. 

I am not sure that there will be room for all that I have put in so I'll have to wait and see. 

I have done my horse fabric collage, my Making Waves one and a couple of small experimental pieces as well as my Ro Bruhn fabric book that I recently finished.  (I just looked it up and when I did the workshop, it was 2021!! I have worked on it recently to complete the book.)

I could only find a picture of it in progress - but it gives you the idea. The sky is made using an old blouse of mine that has been used in other works too. 

By the way - it is 22/3/25. My inspiration for posting today!

Well, time is flying!!

 I was reminded that today is 25/2/25. I looked at my last post and it was early January! 

I have been doing some textile stuff, obviously not enough to inspire me to post. 

However ...  I went to the Handspinners and Weavers Guild today and gave them our Witch tapestry. It was done over a period of time that coincided with Covid lockdowns but we somehow managed to get it to enough people to finish it. The guild has recently had an exhibition up of works from their collection. It inspired me to contact the people who participated in the challenge. We have been wondering what to do with our group piece - no-one was especially keen to have it to themselves, so I proposed giving it to the guild for their collection. They accepted!! The guild accepted! Very pleasing. 

On another note, I am currently trying to finish a fabric book that I started in a workshop with Ro Bruhn. It has been lying in a box for a while (since 2021). I am trying, very slowly, to downsize and get rid of bits and pieces - it is very hard!! The Alcove Art shop is going to take part in an exhibition that is about repurposing textiles and this seemed like a great way to progress. I can, hopefully, finish the book and have something in the exhibition. 

So I am going through some old experiments and am trying to put them together to go in the book. It is satisfying, in one way, but also makes me see that I have a lot of stuff that I should/could get rid of.

I am also continuing to go to the small group that meets fortnightly to do some paper collage. I am trying to keep up but am finding my inspiration is not that high at the moment. 

I am also trying to do some more Zentangle/doodling and took a photo recently in the hopes that it will inspire me! It was of the sun shining through glass bricks - I was at the dental specialist so was happy to see something good to distract me!! (Nothing to worry about, at the moment, with the teeth!)

Still January

 I have decided to try to post at least once a month, very different from the once a week that I used to do. 

So here I am at the end of January. I have just finished a two day workshop with Ro Bruhn at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, which now has Australia added to the link so that we don't accidentally go to Canada!

Ro makes fabric books. And other things. The workshop was about the fabric books. It was a two day workshop with the two days a week apart. 

It was great to be able to get back to the guild rooms. There are Covid protocols in place but they weren't intrusive, especially as we do not need to wear masks indoors at the moment. Long may that last!

Most of the people at the workshop are hand embroiderers but there were a couple of us free motion machine people. However, I ended up not doing much free motion, I didn't set up my fabric properly for that so had to keep the feed dogs up - motion but not free. 

I had gone to the workshop to start making myself do something. It has been a very quiet year creatively. So I didn't really have a theme in mind. Not sure it mattered, it might have helped. 

Because I had lost my blackwork folder (don't ask!!! I have just done an intermediate course in blackwork embroidery) and had searched through all my folders, I had found lots of samples from past textile courses that were never looked at. I pulled them out and put them in a box. The lack of theme meant that I just pulled stuff out of the box and used them. So I suppose I do have a theme - stuff I had. 

I thought we had to make lots of 'pages' for the book between classes, not the case. This led to some rather boring pages. However, I was able to put together two pieces of fabric to make a signature ( two pieces of fabric stitched together to make a page). In fact, I made two. The class today was about how to make the cover and then put the signatures into the spine. I will be able to make more signatures and sew them into the book. Then I will have a book to put in a box, or on a shelf, full of stuff that was in a box. 

I has been interesting to get out samples, some of things I will never do again, and to utilise them. 

I will spend time this week (and in coming weeks) putting pages together and making more signatures for the books. AND I have finally begun using the sewing machine again!

All good. 

Back cover.

My cover has pieces of fabric that were used inside the book.

One 'page' sewn into the cover.

Another couple of 'pages'.

Front cover.