Sunday, 13 May 2012

A trip to Beamish

My daughter came for a visit and we took advantage of the good weather and visited Beamish - the living museum of the North.
There is lots to see - these were some of the goodies in the shops






This is a nursery in one of the houses
This is near the entrance to the mine

click on the images to enlarge


Thursday, 10 May 2012

TAST 19

The stitch this week is half chevron stitch. This one is new to me and I like it. The background is some fabric which I screen printed for a project a few years ago which I never used. The small pieces of patterned fabric were tiny scraps, vintage fabrics except for the one with the text. I've also stitched on a little doll, originally from the top of a pencil I believe and some coloured wooden beads [your guess is as good as mine as to what they were from] and a strand of metal wire with attached beads. 
To be part of a fabric journal.


Wednesday, 9 May 2012

Tea for Two Cushion and CPS Article


Another cushion for my conservatory. I used a tea towel for the background fabric and more of the fabrics that I used on the last cushion for the applique. After bonding and machine stitching, I hand embroidered around all parts using a variety of stitches.






I didn't have a photo of my article in Cloth Paper Scissors that I told you about yesterday but I took some today.




Tuesday, 8 May 2012

Art Buttons on Art


I have an article in the new issue of Cloth Paper Scissors about making art buttons. Well they are more like recycling than making from scratch. I use old buttons together with art work or found images. These are samples showing some of the recycled buttons. The buttons on the ATC above was actually an inkjet print that didn't print quite right but it was in my stash of papers. So it came in handy one day. The ATC was made from craft vilene and painted with acrylics, then stitched with running stitch and French knots.
The art on the blue buttons below were painted and roller stamped. The background is paper, with bits from a music book and bits of doyley which were both painted. Again hand embroidered.

I used brush pens and liner pen on the button man below. The background was hand painted and roller stamped paper. Button man was made from a book page, painted and applied to the background, then hand stitched.

For the one below I used a found image [not sure if it was from a book, a ticket or something else] which I had coloured with brown ink. I used a bought tag but altered it by applying painted music to it before attaching the button with metal thread.


Sunday, 6 May 2012

Needle Felted Man and Moon Photos

I've had another go at needle felting and made this man, it's a poor photo I'm afraid but should look bigger by clicking on it. I like his nose.
The moon was shining through some branches last night so I thought I would try to capture it with the camera.

And today there was a very big bee in the conservatory, but I couldn't get near enough to get a good photo, mind you I'm not sure I wanted to get too near to it!



Wednesday, 2 May 2012

TAST 18 and Molly Drawing

This weeks stitch is 'crossed buttonhole'. I've just realised, looking at the photo that I didn't finish off a row of stitching at the top. The background was a piece of fabric I had printed on the gel printing plate, then painted - but it is the wrong side as I preferred it, the colour was too strong on the right side. There is also dyed and transfer printed laces, beads, sequins. The rosette is an upcycled item I made on another project, I just added the beads and French knots around the middle for this journal page. I don't think I have done this stitch before and I will confess that to start with I was getting in a muddle, but once I sorted it/me out I think it is an easy stitch to do. Click on the image to enlarge.
I like a photo I had taken of Molly so I thought I would do a drawing of it.


Monday, 30 April 2012

Pages from Sketchbook 12

Bubble Worm -
watercolours, brush pens - I used a stencil with different size circles on it to create the worm

Watercolour background, found images


Watercolour background, found images

Watercolour background, found images

Watercolour background, found images, white pen [faux stitching]

Watercolour and candle wax background, found image

Friday, 27 April 2012

TAST 17 and Sketchbook 13

Take a Stitch Tuesday - the stitch this week is Wheatear Stitch. This stitch is easy enough to do, but I find it hard to keep it neat and even. Another fabric journal page and as well as the wheatear stitch I have - various vintage fabrics, digitally printed fabric [the one with the squares] dyed laces, dyed flower ribbon, ribbon, beads, flower sequins, other embroidery stitches. Click on the image to enlarge.
Below - these are the remaining pages from sketchbook 13
watercolour background, found image of pear

watercolour background, distressed postcard and stamp
watercolour background, found image

watercolour background, found image
watercolour background, found images of bottles

these were adverts for stamps which I have put together to make people




Friday, 20 April 2012

Pages from my sketchbook - Birds


These pages are from sketchbook 13. I was experimenting with watercolour backgrounds and I have collaged quite a few of the found images that I had in my stash.



This one is just paint, no collage.




The elephant above is a rubbing from a little metal box I have.



This one, I'm afraid is rather blurred, camera shake probably.