Oh yes........

I know exactly how you feel. I'm on my third attempt at the same thing!! Are we trying too hard????????????

Another idea....

Think I'm about to change the background for my Quilie!! How can 6" x 6" cause so much thinking?????

Shellac

Shellac is that stuff made with insects (or is it insect droppings???) you mix it with meths and it is I suppose like a varnish....I used it to revamp the old woodwork in this house and I use it a lot in arty farty things.
Like the idea of rubbing.....
just playing about with adding clay words....
Still thinking.....

Interesting

Saw an interesting piece yesterday at a small exhibition of students work at the Bramble Patch. This one piece had very pale painted poppies on a muslin base but also had a free hanging piece of organza/voile with poppy outlines drawn in ink.

Is shellac the 'shiny' stuff (excuse my iignorance). How about adding some rubbings with paintsticks? Perhaps echo the buttons?

Laying it out.

Stitched substrate.....present placement of scrunched and ripped brown paper (wine bag!!!) antique buttons...can I bear to give these away they are off baby clothes of mine!!!! Pile of paper squares topped with 2 squares of leather. Blank calico....thinking printing with words/symbols/stamps.....staining the calico with something....maybe shellac it. Proposed edging torn chiffon scarf held on with seed beads.......

All that is Plan A!!!!

Identity

I love what you have done so far.

I am still umming aahing over mine. Sprayed the fabric and did some pintucks which gave a great effect and I'm going to keep but what next???? I feel, as you do I need an identity, something that is 'me' and I don't know what it is. I don't mean the same every time because that will be boring but something that says 'that's Di's'. For goodness sake it's only a 6" x 6" piece of fabric but it has become something that I need to crack! Do you know what I mean?

I think I'm going to try something different tonight (can't today as we're going to see Dad) but when I get back I'm going to put that piece to one side and start anew. Maybe a la Melody Johnson (but Di) or perhaps even Japanese influenced like Sashiko influenced!

Tell me if you think I'm getting too far 'up myself' won't you?

Quiltie Beginning

Started stitching on my dyed fabric on top of felt (great way to use up odd coloured felt that I inherited from my mother).....had a frustrating beginning as the stitch I wanted to do wouldn't form. Since my machine has that major work on it this is the first time I've tried using fancy stitches. They always used to form properly. I remember now when I tried to do eyelets they didn't join up but I thought it was just me so did something else.

Anyway this stitch is working though not really forming the larger leaf properly. The piece is larger than the 6x6 as I made it big enough that the cut off bit will be the base of a postcard.

Back to stitching....it is rather time consuming!

Tried

Tried to add links but they disappeared....found the info on how to so will keep trying.

I did know....

I did know about the peacock but the only reason I do is because of that pack you sent me couple Christmases ago....the bronze pack that I made that torso for you....anyway in it is a peacock and that got me wondering what the connection was between shisha and peacocks. One of those brain diversions.
I am making the background of my quiltie. Have dyed some fabric and I am going to stitch all over it using an inbuilt embroidery stitch....I don't use them enough. Beryl Taylor has done this on some of her works and it is very effective. I think it is because she then embellishes with gay abandon and it doesn't scream machine embroidery. I am more and more convinced to take things to the next level ,I need to alter the base fabric first. Thinking that somehow I need to own the piece. Adding clay faces became a bit of a signature for me and I'm noticing that is a very important detail. Isbel, my friend has a signature in the shape she makes doll like structures and she also has a signature of beading and copper wire....these things make her work stand out so I want to find mine. Maybe it still is the face thing but I'm learning more about dying which helps with unique fabrics, so maybe that's the key.
The most amazing book has been published on Eco Dying by India Flint....two of my friends took a week long study course with her and they are full of praise. I got to see the book last week and I know I must have it....not only brilliant information/knowledge but one of the best produced books I have seen. You just want to hold it. Look at some of her work....
http://www.indiaflint.com/
We should be putting up links on here....do you know how? I'll see if I can figure it out though any advice much appreciated.

More Play

I had a play with some gold ink spray tonight. Sprayed some on the red silk. Doesn't look anything at the moment but once I've used my new pintuck foot and created some texture it should look OK. Had a few trials and tribulations with the foot but sorted it out after a phone call to friend Jan. I plan to bead some of this and I think I know where I can get some of the dangly coin things to go on it as well. Might get some of that done tomorrow but I am hoping to persuade Jeff to take me to Birmingham. I can stock up on some more trimmings and bits.

Once I've finished this quiltie I am going to get something done with our art quilt. Seems to have gone on the backburner for a while.

National Symbols

Googled Indian national symbols. Did you know the national animal is a tiger, national bird, peacock, national tree, banyan and national fruit, mango? I didn't. You learn something new everyday!!! Not quite what I wanted but useful for quizzes.

I've seen the embellishing machines. Two reasons (or maybe 3) why I haven't got one. One- haven't room in my sewing room (very important factor). Two - £250 is a lot of money if you aren't going to use it a lot and 3 - I really don't think I would make good use of it. However, if somebody asked me if I wanted one for nothing I'd bite their hands. It's one of those things that I would really like but can't justify spending that amount of money on (and anyway I haven't that amount of money to spend!!!). And you definitely couldn't lose it!!!!

Dying the silk.

I put dyes it in an atomiser and spray the silk (the empty bottle from Body Shop Vit E Face mist is ideal)....any kind of dye works though I do have a few silk dyes. I find I get a subtle result and don't need to go through the entire dying rigmarole.

I didn't even make it to the sewing machine today which is a shame but Geoff is out tonight so perhaps I will get in there to play.

Have you tried re ironing the piece to get it to restick? I bought one of those five needled needle felting things....used it once now can't find it! I have friends with embellisher machines that are into needle felting everything. I wonder if you would get bored wiith one of those machines? I doubt I could lose it!!!

Now There's a Thought ........

Manipulating the fabric first sounds a good idea. It would then speak itself as to what to do next. Perhaps I'll play with my new foot, the pintuck. That would then give the surface some texture and create a surface for embellishment. Mind you what I had proposed to use was some silk and I'm not sure about painting silk. Perhaps if I just painted/dyed some fabric the colours I wanted it might be better??? I haven't got any Indian symbols but I'm sure if I google it I can come up with something and then make a stamp from something. Hmm, thats a job for tomorrow.

The picture above is a piece I have ironed on some painted bondaweb. Have done a bit of needlefelting and come to a halt. The bondaweb painting was OK but it seems to be lifting a bit off the fabric. Need to do some more embellishing and machine quilting .

Easter Stitching????

Didn't happen! Susan and Mark arrived on Friday so the usual chit chat and catching up then Saturday was a day out with them. Went 'baby' shopping which was very exciting with of course spending too much!! That afternoon was spent sewing but that was fitted sheets (obviously the flat sheets our generation had are somewhat inadequate) for the cradle!!! Then some mending thay had brought with then appeared. Sunday Mark did some tree work for us then suddenly it was lunchtime and they were on their way! Afternoon was spent watching dvd's and that gave me a chance to do some baby knitting.
Love the colours of your quiltie pile....I always find once I lay out my pile I have to start cutting the bits. Not until I like the colours of course.....smaller bits make it look easier somehow. I like you Raj idea. Do you have an Indian symbol that you could stamp the fabric with? I am reading lots lately that the artist seems to manipulate the fabric first with several layers of things, painting, stitching, stamping and I'm learning to do so myself. Funnily enough it is what I did 4 years ago but then things seemed to get more decontsructed. Or was it just that everyone was dying fabric and adding FME? Art cycles seem to be getting shorter!!!
I have a friend who is doing the most amazing things with stitched paper!
Another Raj thought....could you print your quiltie fabric through the computer with Indian things????
I need to get mine to the start stage!

Quiltie

I've been playing around with bits for my quiltie. I remember saying the word 'raj' kept nagging at me. The photograph is my atttempt at bringing together some pieces and colours that say 'raj'. Allowing for the flash which has turned the red organgey (it really is a dark red maroon) it lacks something and I'm not sure what. I've used silk, gold netting, some fringing, glass beads, couple of buttons and a face. It doesn't have the right 'feel'. Any ideas?

More about blog pictures,,,,,,,,,

I've done all that , write what I want then post my pics and check the box where I want them to go and they still all go to the top of what I have just written!!!!!!! I will have to play when I've got 5 minutes.
Got some nice bits from Crafty Notions today including a mould mat. Fully intended trying this out but went to get changed, sat on the bed and somehow I fell asleep for a whole hour and a half!!!! So another night with not much done apart from read some more of The Labyrinth.

Going to try some ideas out for Chapter 4 next week as I have a few days off.

Posting pics.

Yep you get to chooses where the picture goes. After you write the post then upload the picture you get a choice. From memory it is top, left or right but even though you tell it not to use the same layout each time I think it does remember it so you have to choose each time. To prove I am as clever as I think I am I will proceed to try it!!!!

The picture is just one of a series in a challenge to create art from one A4 piece of white paper....not my work. I'll post some more later, absolutely fascinating.

Sewing and Rugby

What a great combination. Gareth and Erica are coming up from Exeter on Friday and we are going to see the Saints play Exeter on Saturday. We are also trying to decide whether to go to Twickenham for the EDF Trophy final between Saints and Exeter. Be a great day but quite expensive. £30 per ticket plus £15 each for the coach. Nearly £100 before we even have a drink or anything to eat!!

No doubt we'll see Sam, Phil and the girls some time over Easter but I do want to get some sewing in. Got to finish (sorry start) my Quiltie and want to try and finish a UFO I wrote about on my blog. Would you believe they have forecast snow for Good Friday and Easter Sunday!!!!

Thought I would take a picture of a hanging I made a long time ago but it still cheers me up as it's very Amish with the bright colours. I'm having problems with placing my pictures on the blogs. They all seem to go to the top of the post!!! Any ideas?

Days of sewing ahead???

Easter is fast approaching and hopefully that means we can have days of uniterrupted stitching...between eating easter eggs I suppose!!!
Susan & Mark will be coming over but not until Saturday so Friday is all mine!!
However should Alley and children also make an appearance I doubt I'll see the sewing machine. Can't quite decide which I'd prefer!!

Drat

Put my last entry as a Comment!!!

Maybe....

I'm thinking that we should maybe skip a bit of the book. I have done the pear type thing, in fact it was a lot more complicated than that. (It also seems I did it by a much simpler method which I could show you). It also isn't finshed so I am going to haul it out and finish it. I am not interested in going the face in fabric as I much prefer using the actual photo image in my work....or thread painting the face. I want to do the reflective exercises though. I am very excited about working through chapter four.
I hope I'm not putting you off by skipping some and if you want to do them I will work through them with you.
I have some ATC"S to do today and then the decks are sort of clear to get stuck in. I signed up for monthly journal quilts and so far have made half of January's. I have an idea or two for quiltie which I'm hoping won't take long but will look as if it took ages!!!
It's a holiday here in Taranaki today....I leave home for the Exhibiton at 3.30....it's about a 90 minute drive away....so time to get the ATC"S done.

Ooops

Tried posting some pics on here the other night but they ended up on another blog!!!

I took some photos on Friday of collecting up the exhibit dolls but didn't take any of mine. These aren't mine.

Can't wait to see some pictures. I must confess I haven't done anything for the last three days apart from the list for the Quiltie Swap. Heart is not in it at the moment. Even th sewing room is only half sorted. I have a work table piled with stuff!!! Might do something with it tomorrow night. Off to bed now with a book. Labriynth by Katte Mosset?? Good so far.

Still doing some homework.

Still doing a little of the tasks in the book but not much really. Dolls, Goddesses, torso's and corsets are taking up my time. I have made it a rule that every piece I make must have something on it that you have sent me...trim and the like. My Medieval Gnomes don't as I dyed all the fabric for that and they are quite a miserable looking lot and not suited to be embellished with gorgeousness!!!
I have to do an inventory of what is in the exhibition and have decided to photograph them all so that when they get packed up it will be easy for the curator to see which are mine....I hope. Anyway will send some pics or put them on here.....might as well use it for something!

Whew!!

I'll have a study of ears, so glad it isn't other anatomical differences!!

Ears

Apparently it's all to do with the ears. One type has big ears and the other smaller!!!

Why didn't we....

Why didn't we have a twosome blog before? It makes life so easy to just pop in and write something.
I think I am changing my mind about what my theme will be. None of the ones I thought before- now I'm thinking African. I could utilise the lovely batik elephants you sent me at Christmas. Or are they Indian elephants? In which case I could go Indian!!!

Better than sketches

I feel the same, word association works far better for me although I have tried a couple of very childlike sketches. I willl post them tomorrow

Will need to...

Will need to rip out the pages of my journal to scan my so called drawings as they didn't scan very well while in the book. It is hard to sketch 'words' isn't it. I do much better with word association using other words....I could write for hours!!! (If I had hours)!
A friend told me to try covering the scanner with a dark cloth and then it doesn't matter if the lid doesn't close. We shall see.
I am going to make a point of contributing on here when an idea strikes me cos two heads will be so better than one.
Evie

Go with this one I think. We'll work it out somehow

We need some colour...

I made this ATC yesterday.

Time

Any idea how we can change the time....I posted that last one at 5pm (it shows posting at 7.57pm)....is blogger on American time or something??

Snap

We apear to both have set up a blog at the same time!!!
Somehow we both need to be admin in order to be able to change the layout etc otherwise it is only the person that set it up.
Still very new to blogging so I'm sure I'll get the hang of it.
I have already lost this post once while trying to get it on the blog!!!
Evie