Summer quilt

On a whim. I sewed up this patchwork quilt top today. A ‘no cut’ quilt. I just ripped the fabric to size and merrily sewed away

I’m now officialy run out of orangey fabrics and really need to put in a dye order soon because I’m out of yellow (I go through yellow way faster than other colours). This quilt also made a slight dint in my pinks/burgandys, that fuchsia dye can be a real bitch sometimes.

This will be a nice couch sized quilt, good for reading under and possibly a decent picnic rug in time.

What else did I do today? Hmmm, Oh thats right. I printed some more fabrics, one of which went straight into the quilt. Here’s another look

I’m planning to quilt this very SIMPLY. I might even dust off the old walking foot.

I came across an interesting artist today Stephanie Levy who is an american living in Germany. She does beautiful little collages. I wish I made quilts that looked like this. Blocks of colour combined with line.

Posted in Knitting | 16 Comments

Plugged

 

 

 

The above image is taken from one of my little journals.. .the drawing is of the elecrical plug for my iron.  Have you noticed that these yellowy greens are a current obsession of mine?  I’m seriously besotted. 

I also worked on a painting on canvas today and I’m rather happy with it, there’s probably a bit more required, but I’m pleased with the direction.  I might buy some more canvases this week as I find it so much fun to work with paint. I’m in love with the colours more than anything else.

I haven’t been on the net much in the past couple of week but I have bookmarked some interesting artists who I would like to share with you.

Kate Blee is a British textile artist, I love the colours she uses. I can’t seem to link to my favourite pieces, but if you go to the link title Wall and then the link Vessel, you’ll see my favourite piece… that bloody green again!

Kirsty Hall has an interesting project going drawing on the back of envelopes, filling them with things, then posting them to herself.  A complex sort of set up, but her envelope drawings are facinating to me.   

Posted in Felt | 2 Comments

Hats

I have been making stuff. Just not blogging about it. I think this could be because Riscy and I have some stuff going on and I really want to share it with you, but I can’t. Probably for a few weeks. (not a baby for those who would jump on that one).

I’ve made more hats. They are addictive.

 

This one I made a couple of weeks ago and I’m happy to report that it is very wearable in wet weather. Like today. I spent all afternoon out in the freezing rain and this hat kept my head toasty and relatively dry. This is a nuno felted hat. Which means I felted the wool with an open weave fabric which gets nicely enmeshed with the wool as it is felted. I love the bobbly texture… the wool is the dark blue and the fabric a yellow orange cotton muslin (gauze or chesecloth for those using different terminology)

On Saturday I ran a mini felting workshop for some friends. It was great fun to share a creative day with friends. Cassandra made a spectacular, firey coloured scarf and Kate made a felted landscape which ended up with fabulous textured elements. I didn’t think to take photos to share here.

The first bit of felt we made was from some unprocessed wool which we carded up ourselves. The results were so nice that I’m thinking of using up the rest of that fleece on a project. I’ve just got to work up the energy for all that hand carding!

 

Posted in Journal | 10 Comments

Spring Cleaning

 

We spent this weekend cleaning.  The house is fresh and sparkly from front to back … and I have new cushions in the lounge room.  So it really does feel like we are emerging from winter.  The fact that I’m in a tshirt after 10pm could also be giving me this feeling LOL.

I spent a little bit of time on art, putting hanging things on the little yellow and grey paintings.  I hung them, but they are way off centre and look terrible, so I’m going to have another go.  Tommorow.  I also gessod over a painting I attempted a few weekends ago.  I maybe could have salvaged it, but I’d lost enthusiasm for the idea so decided to scrap it.

The above page in my art journal is pretty slap-dash, but I really love the colours and the scribbles.  Mien from Red Red Day has posted images on her blog of an artists book she made which inspired me to go down this track… though by no means does this scribble and blob come close to the beauty of her work.

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Grey Stripe

Remember the little grey painting I showed a few weeks ago?  It is now a grey and yellow painting and is one of three.  I’m definitely going to hang them somewhere.

It has been a crazy couple of weeks.  Last week was all about felting, I made another hat and spent many nights working hard at making a felted jacket, which ended up more as a felted jumper (sweater).  I haven’t got photos of either, but I’m rather pleased with both … even if the jumper is a bit too short and a bit too wide.

Last weekend we went skiing with our friends Wendy, Kim, Lauren, Anthony and Nathan.  I totally sucked.  What a contrast to just a month ago.  If we could find the camera downloading thingy then I could show you a little video that Riscy took of me skiing like crap (luckily he didn’t film the tantrum(s), me crying, me sitting halfway down a hill, me sliding down the hill on my bum or me throwing in the towel and chosing to carry my skis up a big hill rather than ski anymore). 

Still, we are thinking of abandoning our plans to go to India this summer for possibly skiing in Japan where I might regain my mojo.  Both options are appealing from a textile point of view, so I’m sort of leaning towards Japan.

This week I have been sick. A full blown cold. I’m a sneeze machine.  Hopefully normal creativity will resume shortly.

Posted in Books | 6 Comments

Felt Mania

I’m right into felt this week 🙂 Last night I made this hat… which was an utter disaster (think scull cap) until I started playing with the creases.

Now don’t go thinking that I’m original or anything, I am lucky enough own a hat by May Hvistendahl of Norway (my hat is the first hat on row 4/last hat on row 3) obviously it did inspire me to try manipulating the shape.

The wool is a ochre yellow fading to black at the rim, overlayed with silk which also fades from Yellow to a dark khaki/green at the bottom. I’m playing hat model here and Riscy took the pics (thanks Riscy!!).

I’m getting more ambitious. Now I want to make a jacket 🙂 Might do it tonight!!

This week I found out that Fulvia Boriani Luciano has a blog. Fulvia creates wonderful art quilts but has also been branching out into wool with some felting, spinning and knitting.

LittlePaperBird is the blog of Sarah from Leeds. Paper, stitching books, lovely photos … it’s all good 🙂

My Art Grows Around Me is the blog of Marjojo (aka Marion Michell) of London. Marjojo is an artist who is currently working on project which involves crocheting tiny little hairy dresses. If you want to see more, check out her webpage it gave me a wider context for her current work.

Posted in Journal | 10 Comments

Felt

I’ve been meaning to learn how to make 3D felt for years, this inspiring tutorial on the blog Homework got me very enthusiastic and excited to try it out.

The red slippers are the first ones I did. I made the leg bit a little too narrow (ie I couldn’t get my foot in), so they ended up with the U shape at the front. Which I now quite like! They are very snug and soft. I think they need a little bit more felting as the inner white fibres are migrating out into the red and pilling a little.

This is the other pair I have made. Thse have a wrinkly look because I added silk fibre on top. As the wool felts, the silk scrunches up to give an interesting texture. These ones are more generously sized and I can get my foot in and out no worries. I never realised my feet were so pointy until I felted theses slippers!

I have recently replenished my supplies of coloured fine merino wool tops. I order mine from Nancy at Treetops Colours in Western Australia. I have been ordering from Nancy for years and she has always given great service. This time I ordered the Colour Nuances Sample Pack which is 400g chocked full of great colours, just right for little felting and spinning projects. This is in preparation for the felting day I’ve been planning with some friends.

I’ve been home sick from work today. I’m a bit fuzzy in the head and achy… I hoping like mad that I have not got the lurgy. Perhaps I’ve come down with a raging case of hypochondria LOL.

I’m hiding these photos right down the bottom because the photography is very ordinary… but I wanted to record a finished quilt:

This is the Lines quilt. I can see lots of possibilities with printing and I want to do heaps more 🙂 Riscy doesn’t like it. Too much white at the top, he reckons.

I hung it in our bedroom. This is an insitu shot with my attempt at a little bit of interior decorating styling inspired by some of the home dec blogs I’ve been browsing lately (ahem!)

Posted in Journal | 11 Comments

Lines

I’ve been printing 🙂 I thought I’d show you my low tech set up. I use an old piece of glass from a cheap picture frame to mix the acrylic paint and roller it onto my little rubber roller which I then roll onto the print plate… in this case it is a stiff bit of cardboard (cut from a lever arch folder) and I have used rubber bands to get the lines pattern for printing.

Now, I reckon I’m playing a bit dangerously with that flimsy piece of glass, one day it will shatter spectacularly while I’m carrying it to the sink or while I’m washing it. I need to get a piece of reinforced glass with nice ground edges made up. Actually, I’ll call a glazier this week.

This is the ‘print plate’ after a fair bit of use

It is now totally destroyed as I wiped it down at the end of the session with hopes of recycling the cardboard for another session.

This is the fabric I printed, I’m sandwiching it up for quilting. It is is such a relief and joy, after a year of concentration on applique, I just love the quickness of printing 🙂 Sorry for the totally crap photo I’ll post a better one when I’m finished quilting the piece.

I’m feeling a little stressed tonight as I have been ringing around trying to get some accomodation at Mt Hotham for next weekend. Of course everywhere is booked out so we are onto plan B. Off mountain accomodation at Omeo.

Posted in Art | 6 Comments

Little Grey Paintings

My workroom is cleaned and I have done three little paintings (15x15cm). I’m a sucker for cute little things and these tiny stretched canvases jumped right into my hands when I dropped by a local art supply shop (when I say local…I mean the next town over, but it sure beats mail ordering these things!).

The other two are pretty much the same as the one above. I’ve been trying to photograph them together all week, but the light hasn’t been good enough or my photos have been tragically wonky and definitely NOT blog worthy.

I also mucked around printing paint onto some fabric using a piece of found plastic as a stamp. I’m definitely going to explore this direction more as I love the immediate results and the element of play (which has been sorely missing in my recent textile work, I reckon.)

The swirly quilting wasn’t a good idea, the swirls just didn’t work in the little nooks and crannys and I think it distracts from the printed shapes and the composition… which I really like. But, these little quilts are all about experimentation, so failure is allowed (sometimes LOL).

I have come across two more wonderful and inspiring blogs this week:

Desire to Inspire: Do you love browsing interior decoration magazines? I do too 🙂 This blog is a real treasure featuring all sorts of interior design photography, and has kept me drooling all week long.

Caroline Paintings Journal: The blog of Caroline Havers. Her large sparrow paintings grabbed my attention as sparrows are one of my most favourite birds, they are so hoppy and so friendly and bold. I like that Carolines paintings combine these bird images with a elements which scream ‘urban’ to me. Because sparrows are the most urban of birds.

Posted in Books | 7 Comments

Megan’s Show

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Yay!! In September my sister Meg is having a show of her paintings at Top Gallery at the Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart, Tasmania.

Posted in Paper | 2 Comments