Continental Divide WIP

This latest piece I'm working on utilizes a couple of my recent lino cut prints onto fabric. I'm having so much fun adding new elements and stitching, stitching, stitching!

Continental Divide Detail

The sunburst is lino cut printed and stitched on. I have since added running stitch to each of the vertical lines on the printed cotton.

Continental Divide Detail

These rocks are lino cut printed onto silk. I have stitched running stitch around each rock.

I love the detail starting to build up.

Of Orchids and Orchards

Orchids

I've been busy in the studio and have several things on the boil! (Nothing unusual there!) I think I'll add them to my blog seperately though as I'm having trouble uploading more than 2-3 photos at once!

This lino cut from last week wasn’t particularly successful. I realised too late that I had the main petals of the flower parallel to the main axis of the design! It just doesn’t look right but I had already printed a few onto paper and fabric before the mistake dawned on me.

Orchid Lino Print on Paper

The paper ones may again be relegated to the collage pile and I have started some surface embroidery on the fabric prints. Oh well, at least I can still use my mistakes in some way!

Orchid Lino Print on Fabric

Here are the gorgeous orchid’s that inspired the work. A dear member of our Gardening club gave them to me after our last meeting. We have an ongoing ‘Bloom Competition’ whereby each meeting we bring along 1 x Native Bloom and 1 x Exotic Bloom which are judged and a small prize given at the AGM! It’s very low key and just for fun! (I must say I usually forget about it until I see all the lovely flowers in vases on arrival!)

Exotic Orchids

Orchard

Speaking of gardening we have finally started our orchard! When we purchased this property about 18 months ago there wasn’t a single fruit tree here! That’s very unusual for a rural location where there is usually at least a gnarly old lemon tree that has survived the extremes of sub zero frosts and 40 deg C! So, we have started with a plum, a Red Delicious Apple (the only type hubby will eat – apart from apples in baking and desserts which I love to use) hence the Granny Smith tree! These will apparently be ok for cross pollination and I need to get another plum tree. I want to add citrus and some nuts as well as apricots, peaches and nectarines.

Of Magic Moments and Journeys....

Magic Moment

I am hoping to enter a quilt into the Bunbury Patchwork and Quilting 2010 International Quilt Challenge. I‘ve had the challenge fabric for about 4 months now; it was actually a pleasant surprise when I opened the envelope because the piece contains my very favourite colour combination -orange and hot pink! There was always a quilt lurking in those colours anyway; so this will push me into action! I know it sounds gaudy but I was married in a very simple halter neck orange Thai silk wedding dress! (With hot pink Thai silk covered heels!) I have some of the leftover orange silk here somewhere......

I am playing around with a design concept at the moment, and have completed my very first piece of needle turn appliqué as a sample! I’m so very proud of myself as I really didn’t think I’d have the finesse to make it look ok. I’m sure with some practice I can become quite good at this. Perhaps I should look up some instructions for inner corners etc. What is happening to me? What’s this talk of samples? Don’t I just usually jump on in and see where it takes me? Practice? What’s going on?

The theme is: ‘MAGIC MOMENT’. My inspiration is the moment I met my hubby- when our eyes locked! OMG!!! The idea I have in mind is very time consuming; so we’ll see how much patience I have and whether or not I end up getting it completed in time! If not it will be a wonderful addition to our walls when I do get it done! Entries are due in by 22nd Feb 2010!

Needle Turn Applique Sample

Where Will the Journey End?
That’s the title of this piece I have been working on incorporating one of the fabric print lino cuts (printed onto a piece of the onion-skin dyed cotton) The background is onion-skin dyed silk, and there is also a small piece of the wool felt from that dye batch too. Isn’t that ginger colour gorgeous?

I used vintage buttons (some wooden) and vintage wooden beads. The quote ‘migrate’ is inkjet printed onto paper, with interfacing ironed on the back, tea stained and crumpled. I quite like the technique and it is the first time I have incorporated paper.

Detail showing feather lino cut and vintage buttons

I have added a hanging sleeve at the back and it now hangs from a piece of gum tree branch.

Detail showing vintage wooden buttons, tea-stained inkjet printed quote

and onion-skin dyed wool felt.

I’m finding dabbling in mixed media and collage so freeing and sooooo much fun! I really enjoyed making this piece!

I can use portions of unsuccessful paintings, drawings and prints; my dyed fabric, vintage finds etc. I’m also excited about fabric collages! It feels wonderful to not be limited by materials and to have a full range of both materials and techniques to choose from.

I have been inspired by a few books I have bought recently:

Mixed-Media Collage - An Exploration of Contemporary Artists, Methods, and Materials by Holly Harrison

Collage Sourcebook-Exploring the Art and Techniques of Collage (Quarry Books)

Fabric Art Collage - 40+ Mixed Media Techniquies by Rebekah Meier

I can recommend each of them (all available from Amazon)

Back to Puddleducking..............!!

'Where Will the Journey End?'

Yellow Polka Dot ............!

Café Curtains!

Yellow Polka Dot Curtains

I’ve just made the cutest café curtains for the smallest of my studio windows; the one that overlooks the enclosed studio veranda. I am so in love with these I want to make more! I made them double sided so I can enjoy them when I sit in the veranda as well! All the fabric is 100% cotton and I used vintage buttons! I need to make a valance for the top as well and am thinking about making it triangular (like bunting) but I'm not sure which of the fabrics to make it from! Maybe both?

Lino Cut

Feather Lino Cut

Last week I puddled with a lino cut. About 10 years ago I made Christmas cards with a lino printed Christmas tree. I still have the remnant lino (Not bad considering about 10 changes of address and a change of country in between! Who said hoarding was a bad thing?!) I cut a feather design (Had to make my brain work in reverse – whatever was cut away would stay white)

After a few failed attempts because my ink wasn’t thick enough I eventually used acrylic paint with some gel medium – perfect consistency! I didn’t know what paper to use so ended up using the smoother side of some lovely watercolour paper I have here. There are a couple of not too bad prints (the others will be relegated to the collage pile!)

Afterwards, I attempted to print on fabric. I added textile medium to acrylic paint and was very pleased with the results.

I’m not 100% taken with the design but for a trial I was happy!