.... of a Mother of Pearl cross (or should it be Mother Pearl is cross?)

I've done it again..! I have so many projects on the go at once I'm spinning. Often I don't know which one I should be working on so I end up wasting precious time and not achieving much at all!

I found this in one of my old sketchbooks last night and played around with it a little. Have I mentioned I have a new phone photo app which I am loving messing around with? (probably accounts for some of my wasted time!)

I started stitching this piece a few years ago..... and recently found some supplies online which I have been keeping an eye out for- bulk Mother of Pearl buttons! I can't wait for them to arrive this week so I can pull this out of storage and continue on as if a few years really haven't lapsed! Quite excited at the prospect of actually finishing it! I just need to remember which box, crate or bag I saw it in recently!

Half Time (.....of the mid year)

My name is Sandi and it has been 2 months since I have blogged!

On the flip side I have a (challenging) new job which I am learning to love and am even finding some time for persuing my art. Life is good! 

I'm enjoying the garden on weekends (having planted some winter vegies and annuals). I'm loving sitting by the fire in the evening and am teaching myself to relax! It really is ok to just chill sometimes!

I've dug out my sketchbooks and am enjoying the variety and numerous ideas I've sketched and planned over the years! Resurrecting some projects, the multitude of ideas are leading me down new paths. I will never get them all made or even started..... but it's wonderful to be looking forward.

 Older sketchbook ideas....

Latest sketchbook ideas.... getting excited about starting this one! Royal II

An old idea revisited...... in a much smaller scale!

The original.....

Off to start this one................. seriously! Tonight.

Royal Progress....

I am so pleased with the progress on Royal #1 Pomegranate. It has been such a pleasure to stitch and I am enjoying the colour combinations..... especially the leaves on the right hand side! I have to get a wiggle on though as the exhibition I want to put this in is only a few weeks away...! 

I 

 ROYAL POMEGRANATE #1

MOSTLY COMMERCIAL PRINTED FABRIC WITH SOME HAND DYED FABRIC (VINTAGE LINEN AND COTTON) AND UPCYCLED CLOTHING....

DETAIL  

RAW AND TURNED EDGE APPLIQUED LEAVES

SPOTTY DAISIES

COMMERCIAL PRINTED POLKA DOT FABRIC WITH STITCHED DAISY CENTRES AND LEAVES. SEED STITCH LEAVES.

Royal - New Textile Piece

I have always been fascinated with Pomegranates. They have such a beautiful shape, topped with a sweet little crown. We had a small tree in our country garden where I grew up and as an adult have been guilty of buying them from the supermarket because they look fabulous in the fruit bowl.... with the intention of painting or drawing them. Occasionally I remember to at least photograph them! Consequently they rarely end up eaten either.....

Black and white commercially printed cotton as the background; the pomegrantate shape is cut from a thrift shop top that I sadly couldn't fit into! ...I have satin stitched the seeds and will probably kantha stitch the entire background and finally add some borders.... 

I am imagining a series of these.....

 ROYAL POMEGRANATE #1 (DETAIL)

There are a couple of exhibitions coming up that I would love to exhibit in so I had better get busy and get this one framed. The Kissing Tree- finally completed!

THE KISSING TREE (DETAIL)

I'll post pictures of the finished framed pieces. 

The Fruits of Her Labour

THE FRUITS OF HER LABOUR

A new piece created from a scrap of woolen tweed; hand dyed silk and a segment from an old neck tie. The basic tree has been kicking around in one of my many bags/boxes of fabric for about 5 years! I came across it a couple of weeks ago and it was just begging for fruit (a mix of hand painted, dyed and commercial fabrics); and then leaves..... The binding is my latest purchase; a commercially printed cotton. 

I framed it in time for a gallery opening in Nundle, New South Wales. A great night had by all! Thank you to wonderful hosts Linda and Mark Floyd of Nundle Art Gallery / Volcania Art Glass.

....on starting afresh!

I have had internet issues for a while now and life has been soooo unbelievably busy I really haven't had time to blog!

I'm back with a new blog name and another huge change to take effect within a few months...  and then I should hopefully have more time to devote to art and blogging!

Here's a little piece I am working on. Well actually it was a single piece but I cut it in half as it just wasn't right! A few hours more work on each and I think they may be ready to frame!

Hand dyed cotton, commercial printed cotton (new and upcycled) , upcycled sari silk, thai silk and hand dyed pashima.

Upcycled Brooches!

I’ve been working away madly making clothes for an upcycled fashion parade to be held locally this weekend! A friend and I have got together and are just having so much fun altering clothes; cutting bits off and joining things back together again. We’ve made some amazing creations and some wonderfully wearable looks too…!

I’ve just finished some upcycled brooches to add to our stall on the night. These have been great fun to make. Until I learn how to collage all 5 images into one; I’ll have to load all 5 separately!

I made these with leftover portions of doileys, stacked circles of fabric (dyed vintage linens & fabric scraps) from the upcycled sewing frenzy here in the studio. I then free motion stitched over the whole lot; added some tails and a little hand embroidery. I stitched a simple brooch pin on the back to finish....

They look quite quirky - and I like quirky!

Click on photos for more detail!

Any guesses...?

Still not a pumpkin.... busy working away at my challenge piece. Can you believe I've already run out of beads and have had to order some from the States! I hope they arrive in time for me to finish this piece as I really want to enter something! i have spent many hours beading already - mostly keeping hubby company as he watches TV!

Bottom view! Not a pumpkin!

Detail; Not a pumpkin.

I've finally finished My Flaming Heart piece! I added text, some recycled sari silk ribbon and vintage doilies to the clouds and edges. I'm happy with how it turned out and am itching to frame it! That's the only problem with working as a framer.... I want to frame EVERYTHING!!!!

Finally finished! My Flaming Heart

Detail: My Flaming Heart - Vintage doiley pieces as clouds, backstitch text, recycled sari silk ribbon

Detail: My Flaming Heart - Beading

Working on some other things too... which I'll show progress on gradually!

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!

Her Heart - and another!

I made a couple more heart hangers over the weekend! I'm definitely addicted -for the moment anyway!

'' Hers'

This one is made of a rusted piece of embroidered linen. I added a little more embroidery, a chiffon rose and some beads I found in my stash that look a little like seed pods or shells of some sort.

Jacobean Heart

The Jacobean Heart is made from an old printed serviette that my SIL gifted me earlier in the year (they had been left in a cupboard in a house she bought!) I added running stitch embroidery, a piece of whitework with some french knots, a Tim Holtz bird stamp and some lovely mother of pearl buttons. The back is plain white; cut from the same serviette.

If I get time today, I hope to add them to my etsy store which has been sitting unused for a while!

...a pair of hearts

I finished the last of the heart hangers in time to drop them off at the gallery on my way to work yesterday. Phew! It's been great to work to a deadline - makes me a little more focused!

Hope and Faith Heart Hangers

These were also made from fabric I painted and then stamped for Alisa Burke's Whimsical Women workshop. I stamped the gothic window stamp I recently carved onto rusted paper and machine stitched them onto the front of the hearts before joining. I love Alisa's 'Grafitti Style' and the black stitching really emphasises it! I added a chiffon rose, text and lazy daisy flowers. The copper stamped flowers are glaring a little in this early morning sunshine lit photo...

Off to do some more gardening! - weeding.... they are out of control after all the rain we've had!

Joy, Love and Bliss............

A really quick post before I leave for work............

The next batch of hearts are finished!

Bliss, Love and Joy

I have 2 more to do to get to the gallery on Friday... These have been such fun to make.

a Haggle of Hearts

I’ve made some sweet little heart hangers (maybe Christmas tree hangers) for the local gallery (Edelweiss Gallery). I had a mini production line going...

These three are finished and are made from the same base fabric

...a haggle of hearts.

3 finished; 2 needing hangers and further embellishment

Left: this one incoroporates some rust dyed paper

and the stamp I made last week

Right: I added further stamping to this fabric and incorporated

a piece of torn vintage doily

I used a mix of the hand painted/printed fabric I made for the online whimsical women workshop I did with Alisa Burke (to which I added more stamping!); vintage doily, commercial and hand dyed fabric and even a small piece of rusted paper!

I loved Alisa's grafitti style so much that I construced these hearts the same way as the art doll I learnt to make, with the seams on the outside!

I’ve embellished the finished ones with a some embroidery; a little chiffon rose; and a vintage button then added a wire hanger. I have 3 more cut out.... I'm on a roll.... (back to work tomorrow!)

of Pastel Paintings

Mum’s glasses case is finished and on it’s way! I lined it with soft fleecy and added blanket stitch around the top edge. I'm pleased with how it's turned out! I hope she like's it!

Glasses Case; silks, cottons, sari silks, ribbon, organza and hand embroidery

I promised a while ago that I would add a photo of the plates my Brother and SIL gave me when they visited. They are oval shaped with a delightful border..... I just love the colourful retro birds…!

I had a productive day in the studio yesterday; finishing this pastel painting which was quite literally gathering dust! It's approx 48cm x 68cm [19" x 27"]  and is the largest pastel I have done to date... I used Art Spectrum Colourfix Primer which is my favourite ground for pastel. It has such a nice 'bite'...!

Virginia Creeper

I also started and completed this smaller piece which I’m hoping to get framed at work in time for a few local exhibitions. Also on Colourfix Primer. 29cm x 22cm [11" x 8 1/2"] It is based on a photo I took at one of my Garden Club visits.

Untitled....  I'd love your help to title this painting...!

Umm... no stitching yet this week... but my fingers are itching to do some! I'm not sure about starting something new before I begin Jude Hill's online Spirit Cloth workshop.... No doubt I won't be able to help myself though!  I think I read on Jude's blog that there are still spaces available in her 3rd workshop: Patchwork Beasts. There is a link in the sidebar of her blog.

surrender to stitching...

I promised Mum I would make her a case for her glasses…the one she has is scratching the lenses… so I surrendered to this over the last few days…

I drove a friend into town yesterday; a doctor’s appt, hairdresser’s appt, groceries and errands… so... I had quite a bit of time to sit and stitch! We did manage a nice lunch at the gallery and afternoon tea before we trekked home. Jan has just had an operation on her foot and like most of us; hates the temporary loss of wheels (being able to drive) and with that-her independence!

I don’t think I could add too many more stitches to this if I tried! I love the colours and frayed edges and the variegated threads! Now to sew it up with a lovely soft batting lining and find some sort of closure... I hope Mum likes it!

...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

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!