... a vintage Deer Head.

I've just listed a couple of vintage items in my Etsy store including this cute little deer head!

I'm gradually getting organised to list more items. I've been working on some more hanging hearts as they sold really well previously and they are such fun to make from vintage household linens and embellish further with embroidery, stamping, fabric features, buttons and beads....! Coming soon...!

Deer Head Ornament (mini mead decanter) listed on Etsy

COLOUR as a form of JOY!!!!!!!!!

Oh, JOY! Look at these colours!

Fibre active dyes on vintage cotton

Low immersion dyeing

I finally stopped procrastinating and ordered some Procion MX fibre reactive dyes online. Out of the 8 colours I wanted; the first place I tried could only fill 4. Gladly they posted them the same day and they turned up here Friday! (We only get post delivered 3 times a week so this was even more of a wonderful surprise!)

Soooo, after dinner; whilst everyone else was busy I decided to have a little play! I'm so excited by the results! It's something I've wanted to do for a long time. I am amazed at the brightness of the colours and after I've been through the bright pure colour phase I'm sure I will love coming up with my own blends!

A little bit of shibori.... First on a silk scarf...

Shibori Silk Scarf

.....then on a piece of vintage cotton which I scrunched onto a plastic tube (again something I've always wanted to try!)

Shibori Cotton

I adore how the colours have blended together in places and the scale shapes from the scrunching!

I've also made some progress on my Flaming Heart piece this week; adding beads... I'm also experimenting with ways to depict clouds...

Flaming Heart - beading detail

and....... I just wanted to share this gorgeous op shop find. It is the most beautifully embroidered Chinese jacket. I originally bought it to cut up... but on closer inspection I don't think I will be able to bring myself to! The embroidery is to die for..... I'm not sure whether to get it dry cleaned or wash it myself... One pocket is badly ripped; so will need a lot of attention. Also, a number of the original toggles at the front are unravelled... so I'll have to learn how to stitch them back down. It would make an exquisite evening jacket..... the label looks as if it is about a 1950's vintage.

It is just so beautiful....

Vintage Chinese Embroidered Jacket - back view

The green and blue dyes should arrive from a little further afield on Monday! I can't wait to try them out! Happy days!

of Threads of Life......

I’ve finished ‘Adorn’! I moved a few elements around and am even happier with it now…!

Adorn

Threads of the Past

detail

Adorn

Threads of the Past

I’m entering a couple of pastel paintings and ‘My Tree of Life’ textile piece (that I started in Jude Hill’s SpiritCloth online workshop) into a local exhibition. I managed to get the textile piece framed just in time! I absolutely looove how it turned out… that timber frame is just perfect... I used spacers so the glass wasn’t sitting directly on the fabric. I need to take it in tomorrow... but I like where I have it hanging at home....

I will frame 'Adorn' similarly...

Adorn

This is what I've been working on most of today... Quite unlike anything I've ever done but I have to say it's been very enjoyable to play with!

Adorn

Textile Collage

It won't be mounted on black; that's a piece of black foam core board I use as a mobile design wall!!! I have several of them and they are often full on both sides with Works In Progress!

This piece includes all sorts of vintage and found textiles and bits and pieces! There is a piece of upholstery fabric and trim; some of the onion dyed linen and cotton from the other day; some crotched edges from the tiger lily doiley of Flaming Heart fame..., vintage buttons, organza, pink damask (gifted from Lynda), vintage bead set, beaded sari organza, a little onion dyed stuffed flannel heart and the stamped word 'Adorn'- still to be attached. I will mount this either onto a stretched canvas or mat board to frame under glass.

Such fun to make! (Back to work tomorrow-but how lucky am I to have had a full day playing) Dinner guest tonight; so had better get to the kitchen!

28 Days has February...

Yay, another day off of work – hopefully this will continue to be a weekly occurrence! I am so enjoying being able to do stuff apart from work and household chores!

Last Monday I bought some bits and pieces of patchwork fabric and also some op shop finds- vintage doileys and linen mostly! I started 2 new pieces over the weekend using some of my new treasures – another Tree of Life - similar to the one I completed during Jude Hill’s workshop and another featuring a Sacred Heart or Flaming Heart which is a symbol that I have had in my head for a few weeks now....

February Tree of Life

WIP

Hand Pieced background (commercial cotton and vintage linen)

and appliqued tree (hand dyed vintage cotton)

I'm just loving the red of my tacking stitches against these colours so once the tree is appliqued down I think I'll be adding red leaves or other detailing to this piece..........

Flaming Heart

WIP

Vintage Embroidery on Linen and Silk Heart Applique

Don't these embroidered tiger lillies (from a vintage doiley I’ve cut up) make the most perfect flames? I'll be adding a lot more embellishment yet (maybe even beads!); and will keep posting updates!

I'll be making 2 round trips into town tonight to drop and pick up kids for their high school 'disco'!! The theme is HORROR - so some fun face painting coming up!!!!!

....of Strawberries and Cream...and Amore!

Another wonderful weekend…. Except for the heat! We had a storm come through and some welcome drops of rain early this evening but it is still warm… sleeping will be a little easier tonight though.

My Hanging Hearts have been selling well at the gallery and I’m so pleased I made the time to make another this afternoon. I’m still really enjoying these!

Strawberries and Cream

Hanging Heart

This one is made from a beautiful vintage embroidered linen cloth. I think it is crewel embroidery and the strawberries are absolutely beautifully done. The cream lace was gifted to me from a new artist friend (Hi Lynda and Thank You!) I added a few vintage buttons; some hand dyed silk organza held down with Running Stitch and just a few French Knots and Cross Stitches.

Strawberries and Cream - Detail

I really enjoy upcycling these vintage finds!

I'll leave you tonight with a couple of images of corners of our house! These are from our bedroom. The top photo is a closer representation of the colour of the walls we painted a few months ago. It is such a fabulous colour! It glows golden in the morning sunlight and is deep in the corners and shadows. I love waking up in this room! It is blissful!

Peony Roses would have to be my favourite flower- although I think I love them all. I also love oriental ceramics and I collect Fu Dogs (Temple dogs) There's a couple hiding in the greenery on this little pine table.....

Goodnight all.... and wishing you all a happy and creative week!

...of Pennants, Parcels and the colour Blue!

I’ve received a fantastic parcel of fabric from Quilts for London… to be used for the Olympic Pennants. So… If you’re in Australia and are interested in making a pennant for the 2012 Olympic Games athletes email me and I’ll send you out a fat quarter to use in your pennant! You can register online at Quilts for London or contact me. While you're on the website check out the ever growing gallery of completed pennants! There are some instructions and guidelines on how to make them although as long as they are A3 size, subject matter and technique is really up to you! All that is asked is that ‘gold’, ‘silver’ & ‘bronze’ are not used or the Olympic symbol…. The aim is to present each athlete with a pennant at the end of the games.

Quilts 4 London

Fabric for Olympic Pennants

I’m still beavering away at the Hubble’s 50th Birthday Quilt! I have 75 blocks done and only 35 remaining! Go Sandi…! I was going to work a full day on it today but the garden and washing beckoned!

75 finished blocks for The Hubble's Quilt!

 

Look what I found on ebay- a little vintage weaving loom- well a set of three, really! The tied or woven squares can be crocheted or tied together… the mind boggles! And to use a Spirit Cloth term if I may (they are words that are now firmly stuck in my head… What if….? Not much time to play now, but I intend to try a few ideas after the quilt is done!

A little experiment with my new vintage weaving loom set...

Not much progress on the Hearts with Wings piece simply because I can’t decide on the orientation of the wings! Straight is a little like soaring or gliding (no effort required), down seems like some effort has been expelled in getting up there and that I'm reaching higher still. Wings up seems to me like the effort is yet to be made; that strong thrust that will push me up… I know some effort is required to fly… so I’m thinking wings down (Hubble thinks otherwise and he laughs when I ask his opinion -and then continue on doing what I'm doing anyway!)

Speaking of flying; here’s a little sketch in my sketchbook…. that I’m turning into stitch… a motley hand dyed linen background and some DMC floss. Truly I’m not a blue girl but it seems everything I’m working on at the moment involves blue!

Cross-Stitch on Hand Dyed Linen

Lastly, an image of the pattern on a set of plates I bought for my brother and SIL. Aren't the colours and design just gorgeous? We managed to find a few antique shops open on our Easter weekend travels...... They bought me a lovely set too; which I'll photograph later..........

Vintage Plate Design

of Pages, Prizes and Lucky Finds!

Firstly I have received my April/May copy of Quilting Arts and am so happy to see my Sui Generis (and other finalists work too) have been published at full page size! (Seems I had 1 issue left on my subscription!) I’m so excited as I imagined that if I was lucky enough to be included that perhaps they would be smaller images! Many, many moons ago I had some Interior Design work published (in conjunction with the Architectural firm I worked for at the time) but I never actually got to see it... I moved countries just before it came out, and this was way before the internet and email become so commonly used! So, I am truly over the moon about seeing this piece in print! (Can you tell?)

April/May cover

Quilting Arts magazine

Sui Generis

Inner Animal Challenge

Secondly, a huge thank you and hug for Catherine at Emergence for the gorgeous tulip bag that I won on her blog giveaway! It is truly divine… [and after a quick iron - which I only did as Catherine suggested it may be required! ;) ] I moved straight in and took it off to town with me yesterday! It has ample room for the kitchen sink that many of us girls like to carry around on our shoulder and is my favourite ‘colour’ black.

Catherine's Tulip Bell Bag

Blog Giveaway that I was lucky enough to win!

The workmanship (workwomanship) is just perfect and I will get much joy from using it. Thank you Catherine…!  I love it!

 

The fabric in the background of the photos above is a vintage piece I recently purchased on ebay. I had intended to cut it up.... but I've hung it across the doorway into the studio... and there it will stay! I may add a backing and a rod pocket or similar at the top but I adore it in our vaguely castle/medieval themed living area! I was drawn to the design and colours which remind me of crewel embroidery.What a lucky find!

 

I've more to show- be back later!

Sui Generis

My Inner Animal Reader Challenge finalist piece is aparently published in the current edition of Quilting Arts magazine (May/June 2010) ........ and also on the magazine's website here!

My Inner Animal

Sui Generis (Unique; One of a Kind)

My poem description is on the QA website!

I'll have to wait until the mags turn up in newsagents here as I think my subscription  has just ended... probably only a few weeks to wait but......... I really am so excited!! All the entries can be viewed here Click on the Photo Galleries tab at the top and then the Inner Animal Challenge on the drop down menu. There are some really amazing entries! Wow!

Dancing to the beat of my own drum...

Her name is Sui Generis and she see’s the world through different coloured eyes;

one blue and one green; like me!

Just a little wild!

Raw edge appliqué onto vintage scarf; hand dyed silks and found fabrics including sari fabrics. Hand quilted and embroidered. Binding consists of hand stitched vintage Bark cloth; Sari fabric, Hand dyed commercially printed cotton and silk. (Some purchased from yarnahoy on etsy ) ,Novelty yarns

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter break with family and friends! My visitors left this morning- we had a lovely week and the kids [cousins] all got to know each other a little better : )   We had beautiful weather and great food ( I even managed a little hand stitching and got a few blocks done for Jonny's quilt too!) So, happy days all round!

Will catch up with my blog reading soon!

A Really Ancient Cloth!

Marie over at Ancient Cloth has started a quilt from recycled clothing from her family! It’s a wonderful idea and I’m sure it will give her a lot of joy as she puts it together and one day will give her the joy of memories when all the kiddies have flown the nest! I shared a story with her about a little quilt and she suggested I share it here:

I made this small hexagon quilt; all handstitched when I was in my early teens, maybe a bit younger. Mid to late 70’s (I think it was ‘finished off’ maybe in the very early 80’s!)


My Mum was a dressmaker and I used scraps from her sewing room floor! There is everything from exotic silks to pieces of wool and felt! I put a backing on it later; and eventually it became a doll’s blanket for my girls… I remember which fabrics were from clothing my Mum made for me or herself. When she saw it when visiting once, she could remember almost all of the clients and the dresses she made from each piece!

One of the silks has disintegrated completely and the backing shows through (Ummm… I obviously didn’t know about wadding! – Actually as a larger quilt it would have a nice weight. Although technically it’s not a quilt unless it has 3 layers. Is that right? ) There are cottons and jerseys in the mix too- all sewn in together! From memory it was paper pieced! The distortion of the felts etc is probably due to a necessary wash when the girls were using it! Even now it has a generous dose of cat fur- funny where those feline girls hang out! And even funnier, I don’t know why I’ve hung onto it; I’ve certainly never thought of it as special! So, thank you Marie for making me look at it in a different light!

Now, I'd better hurry up; it's off to work I go!

Have a good look around Marie's blog while you're there... She's very talented and her posts are interesting reading!

Fire Breathing Dragon

The Green Eyed Dragon is officially breathing fire...

 WIP - Green Eyed Dragon

Vintage Tie, Denim, Hand-dyed silk, Czech linen/cotton cloth,

Couched threads and fibres- silk and cotton,

Variegated embroidery thread, Perle thread

Green Eyed Dragon

I've been collecting neckties for about a year now; and have just 1 finished project incorporating them! (a bag that I use frequently!) I have 3-4 other pieces in various states of completedness some of which I have blogged about. I love the crazy patterns, designs and colours and I especially love how the colours look together -as they hang off the old wooden ladder suspended from the beams in my studio....

Here is a little something that I'm just letting happen with my most recent purchase...

Green Eyed Dragon - WIP

I'm not trying too hard on this and there's not a lot of forethought - not even a sketch...which is unusual for me... I'm enjoying the process.

 Detail-

 including vintage shadow work and label from back of dragon tie

 Gold Lined Cloud Detail

 - metallic fabric scraps, and worn denim

Off to do some gardening before it gets too hot.........

Knit and Knatter!

I spent a recent Saturday morning at out local gallery - knitting! The event was a 'Knit and Knatter'. Here is a link to a most worthy cause if you'd like to help out: Wrap with Love Inc www.artsandcraftsnsw.com.au/Wrap.htm


I enjoyed the morning and am nearly finished my second 10” x 10” square! The squares are joined to make throws which are then distributed worldwide to those in need. Instructions are at the website if you are a knitter (even beginner knitters can help out as the pattern calls for garter stitch – knit each row – no purl!) It is an ongoing project and many people knit or crochet whole blankets to donate.

Nanna’s Tree of Life.


This piece uses a repurposed doily and fabric squares cut from a vintage café curtain; ribbon and lace from my stash, a tulle fruit and vege bag, lots of surface embroidery, beads and a silk covered button from my very first formal dress! It is quite unlike anything I have done before and I’m not really sure about the finished item but it was certainly a lot of fun to make!


Textile Artist
I was so inspired by an article on the work of Glenys Mann in the latest Down Under Quilts magazine (Issue 134) that I emailed her. Glenys is a textile artist, curator and judge as well as a coordinator of fibre conferences. She lives quite close to me and I was lucky enough to be invited for coffee! She is a bubbly, generous lady who happily shared her knowledge and a few of her books!

Here are links to her websites: http://www.mannmaid.com.au/ and http://www.glenysmann.viviti.com/


Did I mention how lovely she is?


I dabbled with gum leaf dyeing of silk and wool after meeting with her and am quite happy with the pieces (Don't know where I'll use them yet though!) I do so love trying new techniques!

A Stash of Sorts

I’ve finally finished my liquorice allsorts art quilt wall hanging!

I’ve been working on it for a couple of months now (interspersed with about 100 other projects of course!) It has been so much fun. I originally designed it as a rectangle but loved the square within a square so stopped there... Another row of blocks would make a gorgeous cot quilt! (I'd have to use all cottons and prewash!)

All the fabric is from my stash; but not all cottons. The yellow is a flannel and the green which is the perfect shade is a synthetic stretch fabric of some sort. The black border and backing originally came from my MIL and is a vintage retro fabric with quite a coarse weave.

I decided to hand quilt it as the machine quilting just wasn’t adding anything to the piece. Each allsort layer is 1" wide and each allsort block is 5" square. The overall size including border and binding is about 25 1/2".

I’m really pleased with it. Just need to add a hanging sleeve and take it into the gallery!