Tones of Yellow

 I haven't had much time to do any weaving but have been able to take some inspirational (I hope) photos of various yellows.

Cooler yellows:

Warmer colours:

Yes, I know these are not yellow but they do have some small patches with the warmer colours and they can inspire me to use other colours with the yellows. 

Autumn is providing some great inspiration! Now to actually sit down at the loom and get going. 

I prefer to weave during the daytime, using natural light, but the shorter days are making that a tad harder, especially the overcast days. I may have to get out my daylight lamp. 

Another month gone by!

 It being the 23rd day of the month, in the 23rd year of the century, I thought I should post.

I have done some sewing for the Reflections theme - just have to cut it evenly and decide how to finish it off and, possibly, mount it.

The image in silhouette is from 123RF, a site where you can purchase some images to use. Copyright here.

Then I decided that I really need to be doing some other creative thing: I have put in an entry form for 3 small tapestries for the Bendigo Wool Show. I have done two of them so far (here and here). I thought that I might inspire myself to actually do something if I said I'd do three. 

I have warped up the loom - didn't tangle any of the warps, for a change. When I had put in the floor and the waste yarn, I realised that I had not made it 20cm wide (which is the size of the other two). It is only 16cm wide. I am NOT going to undo the warp!!!

I have changed the design a bit, so it fits the new size. It is a very basic design that I can work on as I weave. I did this with the last two pieces. I have started by using leftover wool from the previous piece. I am going to try to use leftovers from both tapestries. 

My vague idea is to, once again, use yellow as my starting point. This time I am thinking to look at yellow as a cool and a warm colour, influenced by the colours around it. Here's hoping the idea works - and I get some lovely meditative time weaving. 

I have looked at some of the leaves in the garden, changing colour because it is autumn, and feel a bit inspired by the warm and cool variations. 

Reflection/s

 The Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, Australia is having its annual members exhibition in a few months. I have been rather uninspired, despite the seemingly wide-ranging theme - Reflection (or maybe Reflections, I can't actually remember). 

I have been looking at images here and there, including Notan art, using the positive and negative space. 

I came across an image on 123RF, where you can get copyright images for a small fee. 

(Copyright: <a href='https://www.123rf.com/ profile_movlievyevgenii'>movlievyevgenii</a>)

I cropped the image, printed it out to the size I wanted, traced front and back and then ironed the tracings onto Vleisofix.

Today I cut them out. Then I found some silk that I had dyed at a workshop with Julie Ryder, at the Ballarat Fibre Arts Forum last year or the year before (time has less meaning recently). The silk had been folded before putting in the dye so that the resist was reflected on each folded part. 

The fabric didn't quite fit the image so I used another piece of indigo dyed silk from the workshop in the middle. I had taken some photos of trees reflected in water recently and noticed that the water was not an exact mirror image of the sky.

I tried to replicate that using some silk roving that I had. I have only laid it on so far, no glues or other means of making it permanent, so I need to get to and sew it, hoping it will stay put! 

I have a basic design. Now to try to sew some extra onto it. 

I have decided that it will need some thickness behind it and have cut out a piece of heavy interfacing to back it. 

As I have mentioned occasionally, I use this blog as a visual diary. I was able to look up a past post and see how I did a previous piece. I have not done quite the same thing but it did give me direction and inspiration. It is easier than going through multiple scrapbooks looking for past notes and images. 

Ballarat Fibre Forum

Well, I have not posted for a month!! And today is 23/4/23, had to post. 

I did go away to Ballarat for the Fibre Forum workshops again - I think I have been going for about 10 years! It was fun, as usual. I did a workshop with Juliet D Collins. It was advertised as a drawing focus, then going on to use the sewing machine. 

I am not a drawer - I don't say I can't draw but I definitely choose not to! So the 5 days were quite challenging. We did a drawing exercise (or two!) every day - different styles of drawing. The one that appealed to me the most was using ink and a stick, I knew I couldn't get it right. Very freeing.

There was some sewing on the machine but, overall, I didn't do that much. And some of the sewing was of collage, mostly on paper, with a little bit of fabric if you wanted. 

We used a still life set-up that Juliet provided. I did some different ones but the two capsicums took over. 

My ink and stick drawing, very freeing.

This is our display - as you can see, there were quite a few pieces that used the fruits and vegetables. 

Mine is the one at the bottom left, using fabric and paper for my still life. 

How could I ignore the date?

 It is 23/3/23 - and very close to the equinox! 

I haven't done anything much lately, just working on my tapestry at odd times. I have some silk yarn that I have been including in the work. Not so much because it is perfect for the piece but because I have it!! I have been trying to use up yarns I have. I have no idea where I got them but they are beautiful. 

I have done about half the piece, I think. It is based on the same design as the previous one - maybe I am working on a series!! The idea for this one is that blue and yellow mixed will give us green. But that is about as far as the planning goes. I am just doing what seems interesting to me as I go. Hope it works out. 

I have also used sock yarn again. I am very unlikely to knit some socks. 

Hopefully you can see progress from the last post. 

Trying to do more weaving

 I have started another small tapestry. It is based on the same design I used for my last one. But, as the design in not very detailed, it is evolving differently.

 I have used a yellow warp again, mainly because I bought rather a large lot of it. Therefore, the beginning colour is yellow. But I have moved into a different colour scheme, using blue and green (blue and yellow making green). 

It is a work in progress, using stuff I have. I have some silks that I have no memory of where or why I got them. I am trying to incorporate then into the piece. 

I also have some sock wool that is working for me. 

I have only done about a third of it so far but I have hopes of doing a bit more this week, life allowing. 

I may even end up doing a series of this design - it being so non-specific. I have recently done an online course by Donna Watson, through Fibre Arts Take Two and one of the things that I have taken from it is to try do do a series, after working out what inspires me. I think it is colour and texture. So far, there is not much texture in the piece but I will see what evolves.

It is rather freeing, not having an actual vision of what the piece will be, or of what I want to end up with. And there is no call for entry or theme that is driving me. Very different for my usual practice!

Recycling fabrics and clothes

 I was at the Embroiderers Guild, Victoria, Australia last Sunday and was very interested in the display, Presented as part of the PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Fashion Culture Program.

I have some clothes that the moths have loved - almost as much as I have loved them. I have yet to throw them out as I keep thinking I could do something about the holes. So far, I have repaired a few by sewing them with the same coloured thread. I am not good at invisible sewing though, so they aren't my 'good' clothes anymore. 

I am almost ready to try some decorative sewing, seeing that mended clothing is a new trend lately. There were a few that inspired me. 

Plus a couple that used old tablecloths, doilies, handkerchiefs, etc. I have a few of those lying around too - can't bring myself to just throw them away. Some made by my mother, some by me, others unknown source. 

Something to think about. 

There were a lot of other ideas, including stools, seats, toys and soft sculptures. But it was the clothes that took my eye.