Inspiration Wire

Posted on August 5, 2007 by

I’ve been inspired by Mav of Port2port to put up some inspiration wires in my workroom. I’ve put up a combination of my textile stuff, pictures ripped from art magazines, and there is even a little painting by my sister Meg up there (on the top second from the left). I’ve changed a few things since this photo was taken. I don’t know how often I’ll change things around. But I like the idea of clearing it off completely every couple of months and starting again.

This may replace a scrapbook I started a while ago. I never look in there, so it doesn’t really serve as inspiration. Doh! This is a page out of it… I wont show some of the really good ones as I can’t credit the work I’ve stuck in there, though I’ll probably scan a few in, print them out and use them on my wire at some stage.

I’m meant to be cleaning my work room today but I’ve been distracted by making a bag and dreaming about some printing I want to do… once I’ve cleaned up my workroom. A vicious cycle. LOL

I’m getting back into blog reading and internet surfing so I thought I’d start up my little link feature again:

Red Red Day is the blog of Mien. Printmaking, sculptures, painting, drawing. Lots of directions going on here and all of it is interesting 🙂 I love all those different mediums, she seems to have a similar way of working to me, especially the ‘wanting to do everything’ part.

November Moon is the blog of Cathy Cullis. Textiles, printing and soft sculpture. I’m expecially enjoying her stitched collages.

 

Posted in Paper | 9 Comments

More Little White Quilts

Posted on August 2, 2007 by

Well. That was quicker than I thought it would be. These quilts were based on some drawings I did last week in a little moleskine book. Suprisingly, I really enjoy drawing over the grid and combining the grid into the drawings.

These little white quilts have been very fun to do, fast… they suit the limited time I have for creativity at the moment (things will slow down soon… wont they?), my desire to develop my quilting skills and break out of the little applique box I had put myself into and to focus more on ‘line’.

 

Posted in Knitting | 8 Comments

Highs and Lows

Posted on August 2, 2007 by

 
The skiing at Hotham was wonderful.  I didn’t want to leave.  By the end I was going very nicely, parallel skiing down the easier blue runs and dealing with mogols without too much fuss.  🙂
 
Riscy took the photo above from the top of the Summit Run at Hotham looking towards Mount Feathertop.
 
It was a 6 hour bus ride for me to get to Hotham on Friday night, I was working in Melbourne late last week, so couldn’t drive up with everyone else on Friday morning. I got in at quarter to midnight, just in time to hire my skis and boots before the hire shop closed so I would be ready to burst onto the slopes as early as possible on Saturday morning.  We were very lucky to have our friend Wendy skiing with us, she is an excellent coach and had us really flying by the end of the weekend.  I’m keen to go back as soon as possible.
 
There were 14 of us staying at the apartment in the village, it was so much fun and lots of great food too!  To top the weekend off, two of the girls saw my felted scarves and are really keen to learn how to felt, so I’m gonna have them over for a feltmaking party one weekend soon!! 
 
I’ve got some rare time in my workroom tonight, so I’m hoping to have some more white quilts so show in the next day or so. 
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Snow days

Posted on July 23, 2007 by

Me at Mt Baw Baw with the West Gippsland Plains in the distance

Me at Mt Baw Baw with the West Gippsland Plains in the distance

Riscy took this photo of me yesterday. I think I look pretty glamourous even with massive hat hair… Its those big sunnies. (bloody useless though, I’m gonna wear my crappy old polarising sunnies next weekend as my eyes are killing me today)

We were skiing at Mount Baw Baw, which is a two hour drive from our house. We were practicing our skiing skills in preparation for our visit to Mount Hotham next weekend with a group of local friends.

The snow was perfect, soft and crumbly, not much ice at all. The sun shone bright all day and I managed to master tow lifts (which is all Mt Baw Baw has)… I only fell off the Tbar once, on the dismount 🙂

Today I am not feeling too good, I think my body is in revolt. I lasted 1/2 a day at work today, then came home and spent the afternoon on the couch sleeping and watching Stage 14 of the Tour de France.

On Saturday I did this painting… apologies for the worst art photography ever, I’ll try and get a better shot at a later date.

Mountain Painting

I might even hang this one somewhere in the house.

Posted in Spinning | 4 Comments

White quilts

Posted on July 21, 2007 by

 

White Diptych 1

White Diptych 1

 

Melbourne was good. Too much to reflect on here, but the ballet made me cry (New Romantics) and the theatre was spellbinding/hilarious/titilating (The Burlesque Hour, More!!). I caught up with my good friends Carol, Lynne, Nathan and Roger, it is good to be geographically close again 🙂

I’ve been back home now for a couple of weeks, but rarely feel the need to venture into my work/computer room and I have to admit I have been taken in by the Tour de France again. Even though I swore off it last year…

I read some… Margret Attwood’s The Blind Assassin took up a fair chunk of time, but I aslo read two novella; Fly Away Peter by David Malouf (made me cry), Without Blood by Allesandro Barricco (I realised when I finished it, that I had read it before… It’s Ocean Sea on my shelf that I have been meaning to read LOL) as well as Janet Evanovich’s latest novel and two books by Rachael Treasure (both made me cry, though both books seemed to have the same plot!?!… and have influenced me to do something which may turn out to be totaly foolish… perhaps more on that later).

And I have done a little bit of quilting… and a little bit of painting (which I’m rather excited about).

I’ve probably lost a lot of readers due to my absence. But, I have enjoyed my break from the computer. I almost decided to ditch it completely, but I do love reading and inspired by blogs and I also love to share my work… so here I am. Hello.

White Diptych 2

White Diptych 2

Posted in Knitting | 10 Comments

Blog Break

Posted on June 10, 2007 by

I seem to be on an unplanned blog break.  I’ve been meaning to post but feel overcome with lazyness whenever I think about posting here… or even really participating in blogosphere. 

Sorry.  I feel that I’m letting you down when I don’t post.

I am going to be working in Melbourne (Kew) from 18 June to 6 July, so I was planning a break anyway.  I want to see as much ballet, theatre, music and visual art as I possibly can while I’m there and I also plan to read, read, read.  (plus, you know… work)

I used to read so much.  For the last 3-4 years, I have to confess, I’ve probably only averaged 2-3 books a year (not counting my romance addiction).  I miss that feeling of being carried away in a story and all of a sudden I feel desperate for some of that right now.

So, friends.  I will return.  Hopefully renewed and rested.  If any of you are in Melbourne during my time there and would like to meet up for a drink, a play or some ballet 🙂 drop me an email at littlefishcreations at gmail dot com. 

4 Comments

‘Ello, ello!

Posted on May 27, 2007 by

What have we here??

I’m back, and I’m quilting. I just went through a little creative dry patch. They happen occasionally, I’ve blogged about it here before.

It is a strange phenomenon, where a couple of times a year I lose all interest in making stuff and can’t even imagine making anything ever again. It is mildly stressful. But,I am learning to recognise the signs and reassure myself that after a little break, I’ll be back to it.

My blog has also be undergoing some maintenance. Nothing much that you will notice (I hope) but it was touch and go there for a while, I almost had to go with a different layout design… which was a bit sad, as I really like this one 🙂

Posted in Knitting | 12 Comments

Cold Weather is to Blame

Posted on May 15, 2007 by

Shards: Shards of a broken bowl found at an old piners settlement on Davey River

When we were kayaking in Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour in South West Tasmania, we spend a day paddling up the Davey River to Davey Gorge. 

Davey River used to sustain a ‘pining’ industry, Piners would float their huon pine logs down the river then hold them in pine pens, ready for shipping, the pens are still visible today which is a bloody miracle as they are just stakes hammered into the mud at regular intervals… these wooden stakes have lasted over 100 years in the mud and water. 

Huon Pine is a lovely timber, they used to make boats out of it.  It has a beautiful smell and it obviously is resistant to rot, given what I saw.

The piners (and Whalers) are long gone now.  It is a world heritage area.   We did look for evidence of piners at one spot though and found some broken rum bottles and shards of this bowl embedded in the mud.  Very exciting !!  They would just through their rubbish out into the water I suppose, and I imagine these somehow got stuck in the mud and stayed there.  The pattern is (of course) hand painted and I think it is quite lovely.

The shards were left behind at the site (part of the heritage).  But I would like make a piece of textile art using the pattern.  I have a couple of ideas.  Just gotta settle on something!

As you can see, I have been doing some blog maintance.  Riscy upgraded the software, and it is going to take some time to get it all working properly and looking good.

Especially as the weather has turned cold and it is no longer as pleasant to be in my workroom.  And, Riscy and I have been watching The Sopranos on DVD.  Which is addictive, but time consuming.

8 Comments

Booklets

Posted on May 5, 2007 by

Posted in Felt | 4 Comments

That Winning Feeling

Posted on May 1, 2007 by

Posted in Spinning | 6 Comments