A year of firsts!

HAPPY 2010!

Only day 5 of the New Year and already so many firsts for me!

I’ve finished the first of the challenge pieces I’ve been working on (Just need to get some decent photos printed to send in) and am very close to completing a second! Yay! I’m pleased with the first; not quite so happy with the 2nd. I’ve blogged about it previously… Hopefully it will be all done by the end of today. Here is a snippet!

'Winter Wonderland' - Detail

Hand Embroiderer's Network Exhibition Entry

There is a link to the HEN at the bottom of this page.

A third entry I would like to finish is for the Quilting Arts ‘Let out your Inner Animal’ challenge which I’ve only cut and laid out so far! So a lot of work to do and the email deadline is 22nd Jan! eek! Link here for details.

I’ve also signed up for my first swap! It’s an ATC swap hosted by Lenna Young Andrews over here. She’s a very talented lady whose blog I’ve been following for a wee while now! Check it out. Another first for me in that I’ve not made ATC’s before!

And in yet another first, I’ve opened my first ever etsy shop! Click on the link over on the left there! I’m listing some older pieces. Still have some fiddling to do with my store………

My Mother Earth Art Doll challenge entry wasn’t chosen so I can show her here now! I’m actually quite attached to her now as she has been sitting on the mantel in my studio. Not sure whether to list her on etsy or gift her to a friend; or just let her sit here for a little longer?

Earth Mother Art Doll

Originally made for the Cloth Paper Scissors Reader Challenge

Gaia's Nuno Felt Cape with embroidered details and copper coloured beaded fringe- reverse side

Right side nuno felt cape

Gaia's painted and rusted face. Hand made copper clasp and beaded earrings.

I thoroughly enjoyed making her and have a second version in the pipeworks (read that as buried somewhere under the masses of fabric and junk in my studio!) - Haven't got around to that studio make-over yet!

Aboriginal Circles

I'm so excited to have finished the first of my pennants for Quilts 4 London.... that I've just started another!

I have some small pieces of contemporary aboriginal design cotton fabric which I am making into individual circle quilts about 2 " diameter. They have a plain coloured back and wool batting inside and I will quilt them individually! Then I'll slip stitch them together and join the many circles together by hand also -into a pennant shape!

Quilts 4 London Pennant #2

left:front, back and wool batting inner

right: completed circle minus quilting

That's the theory anyway! I've made 2 circles to date. I'm not sure at this stage if I will join them randomly or more likely into rows....I blogged quite recently about a circle quilt that I was going to do for the Bunbury Quilt Challenge. (I haven't actually started that yet but I'm stealing my design idea for this more managable sized project!)

I had fun making felt again today. It was supposed to be nuno felt but the beautiful peacock blue silk I used as the base fabric was too finely woven so I didn't get the lovely bubbly effect I did on my previous piece. (It's good to experiment, right?) Still, I 'm happy with the design (It's for an online challenge at Hand Embroidery Network . The challenge theme is Winter Wonderland) It's turned out pretty well exactly as I designed it in my sketchbook. Now I'll be embellishing it with embroidery.....

Sketchbook design

Wool fibres laid out ready to felt

Fibres wetted and felting process started

Felted and embroidery embellishment started

I just love the uneven edges. I added glitter to the fibre before felting and was going to embroider a huge snowflake over the entire scene but I'm not so sure about that now.

I've been playing with a few other things too (as usual!)

Here is a piece of rusted watercolour paper which I am very pleased with. I want to stitch or draw into the image.....

Rusted Paper

I dyed these scraps of fabric and I think they work perfectly with these pieces of hand dyed lace I was gifted from my ex MIL many years ago!

Hand dyed fabric and lace

I want to apologise for the links not working on my blog. Even the one's that were working don't seem to be working now! I've tried to edit posts and fix the problem but I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong! It seems to be a basic and simple thing to add a link but they just aren't linking through to the websites. Any hints will be gratefully accepted!

It's definitely finished this time....!

So, here is the Pear collage again! This time it is definitely finished! I fixed the centre top section that was annoying me and am so much happier with it now!

Pear on Saucer

Collage

Pear on Saucer

Collage, Detail

I'm so completely enamoured with this technique that I've started the background for the next one already! Again, this is on stretched canvas which I'm finding to be a perfect substrate; I've had this circular canvas sitting around for a while now............

New Collage, WIP

Here is this gorgeous piece of Nuno Felt! I'm enjoying stitching into it and because of it's thickness and texture and double sided-ness I can stitch different embroidery on front and back! I'm not planning at all - just going with the flow...............the best sort of art!

Nuno Felt

Back

Nuno Felt

Front

And here is the progress on the Olympic Pennant! Those French Knots are coming along......

Olympic Pennant

Chain of Ponds

Detail

I really like how this is turning out! For more information on the Pennants for the 2012 Olympic Athletes go to Quilts4London. Click here to add the banner and link to your blog or website! For information for Australian participation contact me at: Sandi

Nuno Felt Experiment!

OMG! I had a great deal of fun this afternoon making nuno felt! This is my first time ever making felt and I think I'll be hooked on this too! There is a great tutorial here.

Nuno felting is a form of wet felting whereby an inner or base layer is used. When the wool shrinks with the application of hot soapy water and friction, the base fabric puckers up forming wonderful texture!

I used a synthetic organza (not recommended as the wool doesn't adhere to it as well as to cotton or silk) but as I made my wee piece double sided (I added wool to both sides of the base fabric and the fibres knitted together through the organza) it seems to be holding together ok....

You can also leave some of the base fabric visible to add colour to your design. Being my first time I didn't want to risk making the felt too thin!

Nuno Felting

Experimental Piece (Back)

Nuno Felting

(Front)

I almost like the 'back' better as it has more colour variation. The ginger colour is coming through from the front around the edges and a ghost of the black dots too. The purple/blue organza is visible near the edge also.

I can't wait to start stitching into this and seeing where it takes me!