Finally I get something finished!

I was feeling quite guilty after the last meeting- I hadn't a stitch done that was fit to exhibit.

So as Guilt can do what good intentions can't, I knuckled down and got stuck in. I'd been messing about with embellishing patches of wool fibre and waste threads into a backing fabric, using a hoop to keep it from buckling and warping.





I then overlaid it with machine stitching.

The scale of the thing is fairly large (for me) its about 30 inches by 18, and despite my best efforts it has warped a little- but its currently damp and drawingpinned to the back of the studio door so I've good hope of it smoothing out a bit.

The design is based is drawings I've made when walking in public parks- neat patches of grass and specimen trees...

I'm quite pleased with it all things considered- my camera and artificial light doesn't do the colours much justice

Just 3 more to go.....

Hillsborough

We got together on Saturday to discuss way and means for Strule . Its surprising how much fiddly detail is involved in just putting a clatter of stitched pictures on a wall! But its now all sorted and should be plain sailing ( except for the small matter of actually producing the work!)

The ladies brought with them some of the work accomplished so far- I think it will be a good strong show if this is a representative sample-

Jennifer has made some exquisite jewelery- as modelled by her glamorous assistant, Olive

Alma has taken her weaving off in another direction, pausing only to slash this sunflower

Catherine is doing something experimental with closeup photographs on linen



Lila made this lovely painted and stitched, layered piece 





Olive came over all experimental again

  



 





Ruth has created some  soft sculptured spirit figures- this one seems quite relaxed.....

Strule gets closer

Olive has sent some shots of her first piece for Strule

An exciting piece she calls "florish and fade"



Very Olive, its all burnt chiffon shapes , stitched and distressed. Shes doesn't tell me the dimensions but its looks like it could make a clear bright statement across any crowded room!

I hope we get some clear winter sunshine to show it at its best.

On the other hand I have only got 3/4s of a piece done so far- I may have to put in a little overtime in the sewing room.

If you need a little inspiration  I recently found this blog- This lady has a genuine eye for colour and takes some really ineresting pictures

See you all at Hillsborough

Olive has been busy

Olive has sent photos of some altered books shes been doing for a workshop

She says

" I have spent the last 3 weeks making books complete with embellishments for a craft weekend in Drumalios in September. The theme is 'gardens and the outdoors' so it has given me loads of inspiration for stitch - now I just have to do it. I have been doing a bit of mixed media stuff on canvas and then stitching into it. Will forward photos of those when I get them done.Unforunately I left it too late to book on to the Ards tour on the 7th so I am having to go on the 14th now - my own fault for leaving things too late.

Off to Italy this weekend for 2 weeks of sun. See you all when I get back"

Why men sew.....

Here's something to think about- 
I spotted an article the other day on a bloke who makes little embroidered patches .... see this

the designs aren't wonderful, .... but I WANT a solar powered sewing machine- it would would really help with the electric bill!
and this Another bloke didn't make just one nice embroidery of his dog, he made 16, in sequence , and animated them! (  he also animated the reverse- nice touch)

and this another blokes sewing project.

I've come to the conclusion that the blokes are only in it for the gagets!

A very happy midsummer.

Its been a month since my last post! Sorry Ladies - I'll try to do better in future.

 I trust we all slept last night with flowers under our pillows, and dreamt of our heart's desire......  At the moment my chief desire is more free time and a camera that works!

Six ladies submitted work to the Dromore Cathedral Art Exhibition. The work looked good- and from overheard snippets of conversation it was very well received.

 I hadn't seen Jennifers beaded lady before- I was so impressed!

 and Lila's fish pictures...excellent!









Carol had some lovely textured pieces (which I couldn't get a clear shot of- shame!)

and her minature quilt

You know, we're really quite a talented bunch- well done us!

further experiments

Spent this morning working with the injet printed fabrics I made last week ( Heaven forbid that I should ever have to go back to fulltime work!!!!!)
I embellished some threads and fibres on to a commercial felt background

added some clipped bits of printed fabric











a few stitches -

not bad .....(excuse the unclipped joining threads)

This has some potential.

By the way - I  hot ironed, then washed an offcut of this fabric.

the blue colours were NOT fixed - but it made an interesting negative image

Just after I wrote the above the post arrived- and with it my copy of Stitch -Page 26  had an article with this  - it could be what's  needed.

messing about with expensive equipment

 I had an idea in the back of my mind to try inkjet printing on fabric.  The ready- prepared fabric  you can buy is good but limits the type/texture/colour of fabric you can use. So I thought I'd have a go at preparing my own.

All the information on this I could get from the internet recommended using freezer paper which cannot be purchased locally for love or money. Now, the whole idea of the freezer paper is to  stick to and stiffen the fabric enough for it to go through the printer rollers without buckling and snagging. So this morning I assembled a whole group of products to see what else would work .

Bondaweb, fabric glue, spray on photomount glue....( and some screwdrivers in case I had to dismantle the printer to unclog it)
Long story short.....  I didn't even try the other stuff

this won hands down!

I sprayed a very light coating on to ordinary printer paper and stuck it to the very well ironed cotton fabric.  I smoothed it out so there were absolutley no bubbles or wrinkles, trimed the fabric to the exact size of the paper, and spent a moment pulling off any stray fraying threads etc. I made sure the leading edge ( the one that will go into the printer first) was securely stuck to the paper,
put it in  the printer fabric side down ( most printers work like this) and ....... clicked Print

well- this was not a bad first go. I tried again and

Brilliant!

Dizzy with sucess -I tried slubbed silk

muslin- gave a beautiful ghost image

and some rather nasty blue polyester lining fabric









which gave a really crisp print that was equally clear on both sides of the fabric

I was really getting into my stride when the printer ran out of ink!

The fabric peeled off the paper with ease , leaving the glue on the paper not the fabric!!!!.
The feel of the fabric isnt affected, and I am assured that a hot iron will fix the ink.
I haven't tried washing it yet, though.


Off to Cartridge World- did I mention that the only fluid more expensive than vintage champange, pint for pint, is inkjet printer ink?

finding things

I've been test driving the new workspace.....Very pleased with it- particularly the way I can find things when I need them.  While sorting it out I  found a number of half finished projects I'd forgotten about, and it turns out I own 5 pairs of scissors and about a dozen stitch unpicks!!!  not to mention a packet of fabric carbon paper -Strange - don't remember ever buying the stuff .

A book from the 1920s on how to draw trees turned up and a badge that declares us members of the  "Cloud Appreciation Society"

I also came across a bit of layered felt and fabric snippets that I'd embellished.
A sunny and cheerful thing

So  with a few hastily freehand stitched"sun" sketches and an off-cut of brown velvet

I 'll have a case for my sunglasses I can actually find in the depth my bag - when I sew that button on....

Like buses , 3 at once......

I know that I've been a bit slack about posting, but I've dedicated this evening to clearing the backlog!

-the reason for my slackness???? Home improvements......

Have a look at this sheer lovelyness! my adored brother William ( well, he is now!) put up shelves and levelled desks  and  rebuilt my cramped workspace into this - a proper working studio

all my threads and drawing materials readily accessable, behind me my fabrics and books are neatly ranged on bookshelves.....

All I have to do now is find the time to work in it

Bloody computers!

After a brisk tussle with this damn machine technology I managed to open several little  packets of e- mailed wonder sent by Olive

First- the missing collages from Saturdays workshop

Olive went to the Embroiderers Guild weekend at Drumalis which this year was tutored by Angie Hughes. She really enjoyed it – foiling techniques – made what ended up as a stitch sampler which she's quite pleased about. She said " It wasn’t really what it started out to be – but you know how it is – go with the flow and all that."

Once Olive gets started she's hard to stop- I know this because she also sent pictures of one that she made later with the same techniques

Beautiful work !