Newspaper collage

Today is just a short post, and happy new year to those of you on my side of the international date line.
I will begin posting my ATCs (every day OMG!) starting tomorrow, ie on the first US time, since it is my friend's idea and she is in the US.

Down to business.
I love Kim Thittichai's work and follow her adventures all the time.  One of the things she has begun using is newspaper and scrap paper.  If you have been reading my blog, you know I have been using newspaper as a great base for my artbook pages.
In December's issue of Workshop on the Web, Kim had a great article on making a collage using newspaper and so I had to have a go.

 Here are some pieces of newspaper which I have gessoed, randomly painted and them stamped with my motif of leaves. (The stamp was made from a piece of wood with elastic bands glued with contact adhesive.  I often do this with stamps that are composed of only lines)

Here is my collage assembled.  The leaf at the bottom left has been free machines and applied.  I decided I liked the rough edges, so I free machined the collage to a backing.  I have also added a bit of foiling.
The background fabric is only pinned around the stretcher bars, because I intend to do some hand stitching to isolate the leaf and to integrate the collage into the background.  I will also tone down some of my over enthusiastic foiling with some gesso and stitching.

OK, time to get some work done!

Back on board - Just

I am back blogging, but only just.  Before I get back into the tutorials, I have three swaps - yes three swaps that need to be posted by the last week of April.  So this week, I will be posting a little eye candy for you.

The swaps are not large - an ATC, and two postcards, and if you are my partner in any of these swaps, hope you are not disappointed with my choices.

In my misguided efforts to get my google reader under control I found a few great posts.

I want to refer you to some lovely work by Judy Cooper, a textile artist from Canada.  Her landscape work is just beautiful.

Take a look at this page!  These fabric jewels are gorgeous and made by Artist Meg Hannan.  I realised something like this would be a perfect technique to put in my first Tangled Textiles challenge.  Maybe they look like something.....? but you'll have to wait to see the whole thing on June 15.

and last, Have a look at this great tutorial from Jane LaFazio on painting flowers.

Also this week I am starting an online class with Susan Sorrell on organic designs for embroidery, so there is more eye candy!

And I got a lovely pack of supplies from Workshop on the web as part of a prize I won, which also includes tutorials.  It also contained a piece of work from Maggie Grey - wow!  So I am inspired to get on with those tutes, now, so I need to pick up some silk roving at AQC on thursday.

Unfortunately, although I am starting back working (or else go mad without my sewing machines),  I am not posting any pictures of my studio until it is totally finished.  The move has been partly accomplished, but there is the matter of paint and flooring and design walls before I can post anything.


On that note,

All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.
Calvin Coolidge

Easter basket

 WOW!  and I really mean WOW or Workshop on the Web.  I won!  Workshop on the web is a quarterly english online magazine that I joined a while ago.  It puts out really professional tutorials by some of the best and well-known fibre artists in the UK and elsewhere - and I have won some yummy goodies and a book and entry to an online group for the book.  The book is called Mixed Media: New Studio Techniques by Isobel Hall and Maggie Davies.  You can click on their names to see the great work they do and I know you will agree that this win is perfect for me.


With easter looming, I thought a little project for kiddies might be the go.
This is a small easter basket, which can be as simple or as elegant as you like.
Start with the fabric (or paper, or card) you  wish to use.  I have decided to make mine using the plastic collage  of fusible web I did a few weeks ago

You will need a square.  I chose nine inches, since it can be divided easily by three.  I actually cut my fusible collage a bit bigger to allow for shrinkage during ironing.  I ironed it on to an aqua piece of cotton.  You will need a reasonably stiff piece of fabric, or one which has been stabilised well

Remember to use parchment paper if you are using webbing as I am.

Once ironed, I trimmed the piece to it's final size

My piece shrank a little more than I wanted, so I am using an old tradesman's trick to easily divide into thirds (leave me a comment if you want to know more)

Mark lines, dividing the fabric into thirds left to right and top to bottom (like a nine-patch)

 Sew ribbon, or cording or yarn along the two horizontal lines.  I have used a flat knitting tape which was variegated in all the colours on the other side.  I attached it with straight stitch.

Do the same along the vertical lines, making a grid.  (make sure you leave enough free at each end to tie a bow)

I ran a line of clear nail polish around the edge of the fabric to seal it and stop it fraying.  If you wish you could use fray stop, or you could bind the edge, or do satin stitch, or blanket stitch.  It is all up to you.

Grab two adjacent ribbons, (if you look at the pic above, I mean the two ribbons that come out on each side of a corner, like the two on which the bottle is sitting) and tie them in a bow.

Fold over the little bunny ear you create after tying to show the inside fabric

Repeat this for all four corners

The finished basket.  You  might need to tweak the bottom corners a little to make them sit square.

Because you have made a two sided fabric, you can decide which side is out and change it to suit yourself

There are a myriad of options to assemble your box. You can sew ribbons on as I outlined above, you can sew a button and loop on or you can simply sew up the side seams, you can use grommets and ribbon, similar to the cardboard idea below.  You can quilt the fabric, you can free machine embroider, add embellishments

As I said, this is a simple little basket, and in fact, with a little assistance, you could have kids making their own out of card.  Instead of sewing ribbon on (which you could still do), punch holes in the corners to thread ribbon through.

I know kids would love to make these for their easter eggs, but perhaps not big enough?   This can be made as big as you like, I have been thinking of trying a huge one, quilted, to make a picnic basket and as a rug when unfolded, but more thought is needed.

Enjoy your baskets.

Once you open the creative door, ideas are plenty, whilst time is short.  

Choose to do what you love and it will shine.