More depth of meaning

And after giving an upgrade to the willow tree, I have also been adding more to the 'Tears' dress.

I used marks like this for a piece about refugees and am using them for the other daily bead project. And when thinking about how to give more visually to this dress, I felt it would add more meaning for the viewer. Yes, it has the net, but now these marks give more of a captivity meaning when viewed.

I am making the marks with a soldering iron. Okay, probably would look about the same with a felt tip marker, but using the soldering iron means they are rough looking, more individualistic.
But the marks, like ticking off the days, were not an easy thing to do because I had stitched down some of the netting at certain points!

So, I filled in some gaps with just burn marks.

and then the whole of the back is burn marks. The main purpose of the marks is to take away the whiteness of the underlying fabric - The rust marks here are a lot clearer than on other rust pieces I have done, but they don't cover as much of the surface.

Now to untangle the netting at the bottom again.

Fabric Pyrography!

So, some of what was keeping me occupied the last few weeks was writing a series of guest posts for the 'Fire Blog'. Or to give it the official name ...And Then We Set It On Fire!

The topic I wrote about was Fabric Pyrography, a posh name for the work I do making marks on fabric with a soldering iron. You can begin the guest posts here. It starts with a bit of background for Pyrography - which is usually using marks made on wood using a wood burning tool.

Just a reminder of one of my recent bits of Fabric Pyrography

Today I have been sorting beads. The other week I came into the lounge to find the table next to my chair tipped over. The plant and the ceramic poppy from the Tower of London were crashed into the radiator cover, but not hurt. However, all my carefully selected and piled containers for one of my beaded bangles had gone everywhere.
All mixed up...though some had been trapped on this book which has a fur-like texture on the zebra.

Actually, the colours and shapes here are very interesting...
the original reason I took the photo.

So, now they have been sorted back. Some people like 'bead soup' mixtures. but I really like to have a very good idea of how many I have so I don't run out mid project.

I often work on some bead thing whilst watching a cooking show with my husband. So, now I am limiting the amount!

ALAW - Burnt Letters presented

Before the end of 2014, I finished the Presentation for the second set of letters I did for A Letter A Week. As you may recall, I used a soldering iron as a wood burning tool, but onto British Calico. The letters were from a book with Celtic designs.

I decided to create a sort of swatch book with the Burnt Letters.

I kind of like the look of the pages swirled round like that. The burnt edges make their own pattern.

I stitched a bead between each letter on the upper left to hold them together.

They could be flicked through as well.

December days - 17 and the final ALAW Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 v-z
At last caught up with the Burnt Letters.

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here and here.

And now to do the presentation is left. I do have an idea of sorts.

But for now, here are all the Burnt Letters together.

ALAW - Burnt Letters and December days - 4

Second ALAW set for 2014 q-u
Still catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 m-p
Still catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 i-l
Catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 e-h
Catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

I trace the letters onto the fabric using my lightbox. If I did this again, I wouldn't cut all the squares of fabric first because sometimes it gets pretty hot when you are burning a section near the edge. Or perhaps if I centred the letter, there would be less problem, but I am considering doing something in the open spaces.

You have to also take into account that the just burnt section of fabric will be HOT. So when you reposition where you are holding it you have to be careful not to touch the section you just did. It cools fast, but you don't want to touch it straight away.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 a-d

I never got around to starting a second set of letters for A Letter A Week 2014. Partially because it is quite hard to jump right in when the first set is finished and also because July and August are very busy months for me. It wasn't because I lacked for ideas, but rather that I couldn't settle on one.

However, the other day I followed up a link to Fiona Dempster's blog (Fiona runs ALAW) where she had used an incense stick to do some burning marks on paper. Funnily enough, I was thinking of doing some more burn mark work with my soldering iron. You may recall I used it for B is for Book for the Stretching Art Illuminated Letter challenge.

So, I decided to do the second set using the soldering iron in a similar way to a wood burning tool. This time I chose to use calico - actually the back of some calico I used years ago for a toile/sloper when I was first learning pattern drafting. So, recycling!

The calico takes a bit longer to create a strong mark than silk and needs more heat. For silk or for cutting synthetics like I did for the S yesterday, I use my Margaret Beal soldering iron with a curved tip. But for the thick cotton, I use a fine tip soldering iron made by Drapers which I got at the ironmongers in Great Hollands in Bracknell quite a while ago.

As you see, it isn't as fine as the M.B. one, but I find it gets hotter and so works better on the calico.

Anyway, I managed 4 letters today before the chill from the open patio window (for ventilation) got to me.

Actually I spent over 2 hours getting to this point because I had to choose the letters I wanted...these are lower case letters from a Celtic Design book. and I had to cut the calico into 7cm squares. And then trace the letters onto the calico using my light box. I have traced up to O, which brings us to this week of the year. But I will probably only do about 3 or 4 a week til I catch up. Then back to what it should be A Letter A Week.

And the Burnt Letters up close...