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!!

Going through 'stuff'

 We have been trying to do a bit of downsizing, nothing major, just to start the process.

Today I found a container full of fabrics that I have used in the past, as well as others that I screen printed when I did the Textiles and Design course, which I finished in 2011 - quite a while ago!!

I couldn't bring myself to throw out some of the fabrics - still!! But I have made up a pile of stuff that I have used and experimented with previously. Most of it is synthetic, not my currently favourite thing. 

But ... we have found a group (Upparel) that takes fabrics and sorts them into reusable, recyclable and tries not to have any landfill. So I feel better about just getting rid of stuff that has been lying around 'in case' I use it one day. And I don't have to decide if anyone might like it, whether it will be reusable or not!

I am not likely to use a lot of it. 

I have even given away a piece that I bought when I went to Turkey - not recently!! (If you search the term Turkey, you will find a few links.)

We sent off a 10kg box today but I reckon (apparently that is a very Australian expression) that I have another 10kg ready to go. Now to find a box that will hold that much. 

But .. again ... I have kept some of the 5m long screen printed fabrics so that we can put them over the plants that do not appreciate the summer sun on the 35°. There are several pieces that will be useful. We have used this practice in the past, some of those fabrics are getting a bit fragile now. 

I haven't got rid of too much (I hope, and am pretty sure) but I am feeling pleased about what I have done so far - and it is only one part of a large cupboard!

I just looked at the Upparel site again and noticed that MY TEAM, is involved with it! Feeling quite chuffed!v

Missed the dates!!

I missed 11/12/23 (11 plus 12  equals 23). 

Then I missed 12/12/23 - not really that interesting. 

But ... on the 12th, I went with some friends to the Mornington Art Gallery. 

There is a beautiful rose garden, run by volunteers, out the front. We had a wander through there - thankfully, they were in flower!

The foyer had a very interesting exhibition of thread used to make art. It was a very pleasant introduction to the main exhibition! As we are all interested in textile art, this was our favourite part of the exhibition!

I think the person on the desk got a bit nervous as we were so close to the works, looking at it so closely. It was hard to believe that it was thread, not drawings! 

Second labyrinth tapestry is almost there!

 I have done a little bit more weaving over the last week, often only an hour here and there. Today I have done some more, still plenty of hours to go but it is approaching the end, very motivating. 

As I had no colour plan I am having to make up the outside as I go. I am trying to stay true to the yarns I used in the beginning but I am also being rather random. Quite relaxing. 

Hmm, might have gone too far.

 I played around with the printed papers again today - not sure why I did what I did but it doesn't matter, it was me experimenting, not for any other purpose. 

Last night I added alcohol dyes to the printed papers. 

Today I tore them up and then pasted them onto a larger sheet. I didn't like the white paper showing through, so I found some discarded notes from a course, or similar, tore them up and made them the background - most of which is not visible. 

Then I glued the torn up strips onto this larger sheet.

Not sure what I might do with it now, if anything. But it is good to be feeling like experimenting again. Maybe it is the lovely early summer weather we are having, making me feel brighter.