The Flax Gallery

"Linen at the Mill"is on at The Flax Gallery, Mossley Mill, Newtownabbey , and continues until 28.12.12. If you can't make it... here are a few pictures



A bit of handwork- out of my comfort zone!






Carol Mackey  drawnthread work


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Joanna Macmahon

 

Olive Rodgers












 

an afternoon of messy play

The Ladies got together at Hillsborough for an afternoon of messy play- Unfortunately I missed it but -Christine sent this 

On Saturday 29th Sept 2012 Artist Helen Sanlon provided a two hour workshop on Thermofax screen printing. Helen, who designs her own screens, showed us a selection of her printed images, both on paper and fabric. The detail with each print was amazing.

After talking to the group on the process and mediums used Helen gave a quick demonstration using acrylic paint before letting us loose to have a go ourselves.
A very effective way of printing onto a surface. This was a very enjoyable couple of hours although we could have done with a longer session.
Thanks to Helen for travelling to us at the Hillsborough Village Centre on what was a very busy day on the roads.

 

In this photo of Joanna and I, we are preparing thickened Dyes as a medium to print with.
 

Dying

Olive says ....

I am on a roll at the minute - running in from work to set up dye baths between doing the ironing etc!
.

I  did some dying last night - mixed results. Thought I would dye a colour wheel - in some cases dye took very well - yet in other where I had used a different colour of blue dye - it just washed out????? Does procien dye go 'off' in powder form? I Must admit my dyes have been lying around for a couple of years. However still managed to get some really interesting coloured cloth. Also tried using my 'doughnuts' that I got at the quilt show. You simply fold the material and clamp it between 2 rubber clamps and dip in dye bath - voila- circles dyed onto material.

 

 

Olives Birmingham trip

Olive says....

I went to Quilting show in Birmingham and came home wanting to dye, rust,batik, laminate, screen print fabric. My head is spinning and I don't know where I want to start. Did manage to set up some sun printing today at 7am so that it would have a chance to 'cure' whilst I was tied up with other family commitments today. Really liked the effect - particularly with the keys and the letterset. Now to find some things that I can get  to rust into fabric.

The show so far

We've had a lot of positve feedback from visitors to Titanic Belfast...and the Demonstrations have been very popular....

Heres a few pictures, with thanks to Olive and Christine

For Titanic

I thought that as we were exhibiting at the Titanic building a few sea-themed pieces may be appropriate. These were inspired by some photos we took on a walk at Helens Bay

Stormy Sea

 Rain at sea

Calm sea

Our Great News!

 Our good news is that we have been asked to exhibit in the Andrews Gallery at the Titanic Experience . This is quite an honour- and a source of stress- as we have had only 6 weeks warning!

But  there's no challenge we can't meet- and on Saturday 11.08.12 we will be on display!

Have a wee look here    http://titanicbelfast.com/- its a very impressive building ......

I made a heartfelt plea at our meeting on Monday for pictures of "work in progress" from the Ladies , and the very next day these had dropped into my inbox- It 's a sneaky peak at what will be on display .

first- a wall hanging by Irene -handmade felt and free-machine embroidery.

 I don't know whose  hands are holding it up.....but they give a fine indication of scale....

I also got these from Alma  - a tryptic  exploring a young girls voyage into the world to better herself

 

beautiful detailed work!

AND more good news ! we have  a new member

WELCOME and happy stitching to Anne Hardcastle .

lovely things to enjoy

Olive has sent a few images of her work - Some beautifully executed handwork , a few of her more experimental things-  and a proper detailed image of her "Shawlies".....  Just take a few moments to enjoy ....... then have a look at the last 3 images- Olive tells me she has been dabbling in watercolours for the first time.... Of course , being Olive she the added printed text, fabrics and stitch, etc to produce some fabulous delicate images.

Going round the shows

Olive and I went to have a look at   "Stitching the legend"- an exhibition by Textile Art Forum exhibition at Mossley Mill. - The Forum is a cross border group of 4 women , with some really interesting and individual approaches to their subject.

Amanda Northey tackled fashion- with 4 panels exploring the big designers -Schaparelli and Dior etc- I particularly liked these

Esther Kiely's delicate and etherial tree hangings, with links to Irish legends were lovely

Frances Sawaya and Jan Blair both went to the movies for their Legends

Jan Blairs "Wizard of OZ quilts and panels were beautifully done, the "mice to the rescue" hanging an unusual take

Francis Sawaya 's panels exploring the cinema were interesting as well. 
















I really was glad I got to see the show- good stuff , well done!

Of course  the trip also gave Olive and I a chance to see the space we'll be hanging in come November- A good size, not enormous but well lit and a display cabinet for 3d things....So now The Textile Forum have shown us what they can do- we'll have to meet that (friendly) challenge!

WE also took the oportunity to run out to Lisburn and see Michelle Stephens  "3T" exhibition- we were lucky enough to catch the opening and meet the artist. Her work is both simple and unbeliveibly complicated- thread pin panels- a sort of follow on from weaving. The panels were intricate , delicate things- starkly contrasing her heavy bent metal sculptures.  The show's on till 21st July and well worth a trip out.  

Snatching triumph from disaster

Well thats a bit dramatic...but this

was the mess i made when I tried to transfer a pattern to some vilene.
I'd drawn the thing on tracing paper, so when it tore I was a bit stumped (and pressed for time as always) when it hit me

I photocopied the tracing....

and  put the vilene through the printer, printing it directly to the Vilene

Genius!!!  This I'll do again!!!!













And heres the bag I was trying to make.... I'm pleased with it.

And a peek inside......

Printing on Fabric

Olive attended a "print on fabric workshop" with the Embroiderers guild, organised with Seacourt print workshop

 She says  "I think I could get hooked on printing. The embroidery guild had Seacourt along to do the workshops this weekend and I signed up at the last minute on Saturday morning. - Boy did I enjoy myself - I could get hooked very easily on this. Managed to do some intaglio printing, screen printing and relief printing - all on the theme of linen of course. The thing is now what do I do with these wonderful prints.

At least my family didn't say 'what's it meant to be?' when I came home this time."

  

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