Ok, non sewing stuff

I am not sure which is untidiest, sewing or pastel painting, so today I took my pastels outside and made this sketch of the plants under my pergola. I thought it was a perfect way to not make a mess inside and still create something. I am rather pleased that my hard work in the garden has been commended by the estate agents and photographer. It does look rather gorgeous, if I say so myself - ha ha, well I am I guess.

Abstraction

I went to the local art gallery on Friday for a talk by the artist of the current exhibition. The talk was on creating abstract art which I find extremely difficult to do with pastels, but surprisingly easy to do in textiles. It is easier for me to express myself in textiles, so I guess that is half the battle.

In fact I should maybe get out the pastels today as a case of lingering flu has escalated and my head feels like a big mass of woolly nothingness, I am so vague and jelly like that maybe abstraction would come easily.

Working out a postcard

In between going out for breakfast this morning and shopping in the city, I have been trying to get another postcard worked out and possibly finished. Alas, not finished but I am quite pleased with this arrangement of fabrics and tyvek. I have been sorting through a big bag of vintage fabrics and ribbons to find a pleasing selection to make this postcard.

Oh, by the way, breakfast this morning was on the verandah of a restaurant overlooking the marina. It was a gorgeously warm morning, tee shirt weather for sure.

Kangaroo Dreaming

Here is a little postcard I was working on yesterday, as yet unfinished. Compost dyed silk, hand dyed threads, embroidery, stencilling.

Compost dyed silk

Despite mordanting the silk before I bundled it up in a polythene bag with veggie scraps, the only real colour taken up permanently was coffee from the rather damp coffee grounds I used. I shall use this silk unironed I think as it at least gives it a bit of texture since the colour all washed out. It had lovely pinky blobs from strawberries and yellowy blobs from hibiscus before it was washed, but these vanished so were obviously not a fast colour. I don't seem to have much luck with compost or rust dyeing, and I think I can get much better effects anyway from synthetic dyes, so will not pursue the natural dye path. I think, too, I will overdye some of this silk, I can do much better than this without all the pounding, tieing, moving around to sunny spots in the garden, etc. so much easier with either silk dyes or my faithful Procion MX.

House selling and realtors

Its official, our house is now on the market and I have to keep it tidy. I am freaking at the thought of how and when I am going to sew, but maybe if I keep the hours of 4pm to 6pm free for sewing all will be well. Surely no-one wants to look at houses that late in the day?!!!I have so many ideas swirling round in my mind that it is frustrating not to be able to root around in my stash looking for just the right piece of fabric to achieve the result I am aiming for. Oh well, perhaps I should write them all down in my visual journal (it needs dusting down first) and work them out later.

Framing Postcards

A while back my machine embroidery group had a paper bag exchange and had to make the contents of the received bag into a postcard. I think we had about a dozen cards finished and it was decided that we would frame them and put them as a group exhibit in the 2006 Exhibition. We all have the same frame to use and I framed my postcard the other day, minus glass, because we decided they would look better this way. I am pleased with the way it looks, framing is a definite plus in this case.

Postcard - Heartfelt

I have been working on another postcard recently. This one has a painted tyvek heart appliqued to textured vintage fabric, free motion embroidered. Somehow the rectangular shape seemed too rigid, so I shaped the postcard to sort of echo the heart shape.

Selling houses

...is not for people with an untidy studio space! We are moving into a smaller place, at least one with a smaller garden. The estate agent thinks our house too untidy to get a good price, so I have spent hours and hours this weekend trying to (unsuccessfully) reduce the size of my stash and sundry goodies. It seems to me that the idle afternoon tv watching housewife is approved, the creative, if untidy artist is not. We have resorted to moving stuff to our other house, which we will most likely move into. Today I took two of my machines there and am feeling bereft. In order to assuage my feelings of loss I have been busy making a postcard, still very much a WIP, but may manage to do a photograph tomorrow.

Textile Tuesday - Abstract

This week's theme for Textile Tuesday. Fabric postcard, metallic threads, raw edge applique, fme, beaded. The title of the postcard is Frayed Round the Edges.

Suduko quilt

Yes, now you have it, a pattern for the suduko quilt is here Colours equal numbers so placement of colours is crucial, otherwise it is just a 9-patch quilt with sashing.

Curtains

Are finished and up. Perhaps now I can get on with making some postcards for the event in Switzerland, another cancer fundraiser. I also have to frame the postcard I made from the contents of a paper bag earlier this year, it needs to be done in time for my group exhibition. It is amazing the difference a frame makes, even though I have to leave the glass off in order to fit in the textured work and beading.

Tiny Textile Treasures

It looks as if the postcards I sent to Aunt Beth's Quilt Shop have sold. As you will see from the link provided nearly $2000 was raised for the Canadian Cancer Society from the sale of fabric postcards. I think that is a great effort on everyone's behalf and would like to thank Beth for all the hard work put into arranging this event.

Curtains (yawn)

Yes, well, after my eye test this morning I decided to celebrate by making curtains. I think it must be my most hated job, oh for an industrial machine so I can zip them up in about half the time I am taking with a household sewing machine. But I persevered and have 3 curtains made, onother one to go then measure the leftover fabric to see how I will do the sliding door part of the family room. I have run out of thread, and since it matches so well I will have to dash down to Spotlight tomorrow morning to get more. Usually when I go to Spotlight it is not a dash, I tend to browse around all the interesting fabrics.....

Procrastination

Now the walls are painted and the carpets cleaned I am able to sew again, if I can find the things I need in the pile of stuff in the spare room. I should really start on new curtains for the family room, but instead am playing with the flowery log cabin strips, which as yet make up to far less than the QS bed quilt I am aiming for.

Textile Tuesday - Black

Textile Tuesday - Black
Originally uploaded by Maureen1.

I made this bag in July, but made a hash of taking a photo of it, here is another not very clear attempt. It is very sparkly, metallic threads, beads and metallic paint and somehow this defeats my photography skills every time.

Textile Tuesday - City

Textile Tuesday - City
Originally uploaded by Maureen1.

Dusk in my satellite city. The tented domes of the main shopping centre glowing with the lights floats above the city. The flags fly bravely in the evening breeze.

Applique on painted felt and tyvek.