TAST week 13 and Belsay Hall

TAST week 13 - Raised Cup Stitch

Link to TAST site

I like this stitch but I think mine maybe cup stitch rather than raised cup stitch, I found it difficult to pass my needle through the spaces on the second round, so I stitched through the loops of the first {I think I did, although it was hard to tell exactly what the needle was going through!}

Today I went to Belsay Hall with a couple of friends to see the Extraordinary Measures Art Exhibition.

Don't these feet look real?

They are part of a giant sculpture by Ron Mueck. There were small sculptures too and other artists work.

Also at Belsay are some wonderful gardens and we saw a few unusual trees.

Can you see an animal, a deer perhaps with horns?

Can you see an elephant in the photo below?

And a hand and arm here?

Photos at Belsay by Helen.

Embroidered Pincushion and Tag Book [p.10]

A friend had a clearout and among the items was some wool fabric which I gladly took off her hands. The fabric was part of a wool scarf which she had dyed for a project and never used. It had been sitting on my work table for quite a few weeks, I'd had a few ideas but never got on with it. I'm enjoying doing hand embroidery at the moment and decided to make a pincushion leaving the tassles of the scarf as part of the design.

Tag Book - this page is the inside of a recycled envelope, and has a vintage postcard, a printed postcard which I did, and parts from a programme. The tag is an image of a sampler from a magazine. The original envelope is shown below.

Derwenthaugh and Tag Book p7,8,9

It has been a gorgeous couple of days, it was so warm early this morning, which is very unusual for this neck of the woods. We went for a walk to a nearby place called Derwenthaugh which used to be a coking works and has been transformed - the photos were taken there. There was even a heron on the pond.

you cannot really see the heron above but it was there

Tag book [handmade book using recycled papers - before & after - this was a paper bag

This was a piece of packaging - before

and after

and the other side

A doodle in 4 stages of colour

click here for my Illustration Friday challenge

TAST week 12 [sorbello] and Tag Book [4,5,6]

Take a stitch tuesday - This weeks stitch is called sorbello, I did two rows for my sample using two colours and they look almost like different stitches although I used the same type of thread and I confess it is a bit untidy in places.

Tag Book - before and after decoration -  using recycled packing papers, doodling, lace, found images and adding a tag.

this one below includes a vintage postcard

and this one below is made from a paper bag

Tag Book

I finished another sketch book a month or so ago, I shall call it my Tag Book. The book is made with one of those Zutter binders [makes holes at the side & attaches the metal thingy] which I bought last year [& havent used much]. The papers in it are all recycled - envelopes, envelopes inside out [nice patterns on these], packing papers, wrapping paper, card - all things to do with packaging. On each page I have doodled a pattern or drawn a picture, added a tag or two and some collage which includes quite a lot of vintage postcards. On the pictures above, the first image shows what it looked like after I had put the book together but before I started decorating it, the lower image after decorating, plus an image of the tag. Three more pages below, showing before and after views.

Mexican Birds Mixed Media

These birds were inspired by the ancient drawings of Mexican birds.

The backgound is watercolour paper and I've used handmade rolling stamps to make the pattern with acrylic paints and dyes. Dots were added with the end of a paint brush. The birds have been made and then appliqued onto the backgound.

The bird directly below is made up of faux velvet and the brown parts [they are actually brown with a red print] are a recycled coin purse. [thought I should use some of the 'stash' I have]. He also has a sequin and bead for an eye.

This one is made from suede leather [some dyed] and faux leather.

And this one is made from inkjet prints - paper and lutradur, gold metal and he has a metal button eye.

I made this for the FAMM challenge - 'For the birds'

scroll down the main page on the FAMM site to read about

Mushrooms

one from my doodle book, very bright aren't they?

Last of the Mythical Mail Book - Sherlock Holmes & The Snowman

Altered Flower Book p 44, Mail Book - Punch and Judy, Dandelions

This is the last page of the altered flower book. On the left are prints using kiddies foam playing cards, sharpie pens for the flower outline and various paints.

There are a lot of dandelions around here at the moment - a lot of them are in my lawn! They look lovely in flower when there are masses of them together [a host of golden dandelions] They remind me of mini dahlias.

Illustration Friday - Equipment, Mail Book - Robin Redbreast, Altered Flower Book p43

The Illustration Friday Challenge this week is - Equipment

[equipment required at tea time]

Below Mythical Mail Book - Nursery Rhyme

Little Robin Redbreast

Sat upon a tree

Up went pussy cat

down came he

click on the image to enlarge

the flower above is made of dyed honesty seeds, dyed tissue, beads, the leaf is from a bought flower

the orange flower on the left is cut from a crocheted doily, has a large sequin and a bead in the shape of a flower, with another bead on top.

Only one more page to go of the Altered Flower Book

Altered Flower Book [p 41,42] Mail Book - Buzz Lightyear

fabric flower above, real leaves below

left - painted paper flowers, foxglove - inkjet fabric print

textured paper planets, recycled stamp

TAST week 11, Altered Flower Book p40, Mail Book - Wheels

TAST challenge week 11 - Bullion Buttonhole

My sample is a bit messy and I think it is because I used the wrong type of needle. I used a thick thread, cotton pearl 5 and a needle with a very big eye. I will have to get some of the straw or milliners needles that Sharon recommends. Click here for this weeks Tast challenge

Altered Flower Book

Painted pages and recycled snippets from Indian style embroidered clothes

Mythical Mail Book - The wheels of the bus go round and round...

recycled postage stamp