water soluble stuff

As usual, I have been busy, but not blogging.  Mostly, I have been running classes at the community house and trying to look after my DH who is in a lot of pain and finding it hard to be idle.
I did, however find some time to make a few little motifs using soluble interfacing and free motion.

The butterfly is a bit tatty because I only went over it once, and I wasn't wearing my eye glasses!,  I used a metallic thread in the top and bottom, so that they would look the same on both sides, but overall I am happy with the effect.  The gold thread is from a large cone which I picked up at the recycle depot, but it sews really well and I love it.  A little bit of bling goes a long way!
I have also been working on my journal quilts.  I have been making journal quilts from random drawings and sketches.  Obviously, the drawing is quick - it takes a little longer to interpret them in thread, but it also gives me something to work on when the muse is not cooperating.

Some I like, some I don't, but it's just some playing, really.
I had my old flag book (or here) with some of my old journal quilts at the gallery on the weekend, and decided to make a new book to hold all of them.

It is quite a bit larger than my old book and I have made the accordions quite wide, so I have room to write what each quilt is about.

From a journal junkie

Still not keeping up to date with blogging.  I have been so busy with classes at the community house.  It's hard to keep to my routine...  so perhaps it's time to change it.
I have been trying to finish some large pieces and doing a lot of reading and journalling.  I recently had a fall and injured my hand, so that set a lot of work aside, so reading became something to keep myself focussed. Whilst I was reading I came across a lot of journaling inspiration, so when my hand got mobile, that's what I started with.  I did quite a few pages, none of which are finished, but are passable.

This is a sketch page for a large collage which is in my list of things to do.

This was inspired by a magazine picture.

A few experimental backgrounds.

These backgrounds were all inspired by "journal Junkies", which is one of the books I read.

These two were inspire by "art journal freedom", which I also read

And this one was inspired by a quote.
So that's all the journalling I've been doing.
Hopefully I'll post about a few other things I've been doing in a day or two

At least summer is handy for sunprinting

I have been very unproductive of late.  I find as I get older, that I tolerate the heat less and less and this year is still a hot one.  A lot of my large quilting projects have been put on hold until I can work in my smaller sewing room without raising a sweat.  I have a smaller machine for quilting and thread painting out in my studio, where I can regulate the temperature somewhat, so back to small projects.
Last week, I did some sun printing (like I said at least the sun is good for something!).

This one was done using setacolour soleil sunpaint.  I dampened the fabric, then pressed it flat onto a laminex board that I just happened to have.  The water allows the fabric to stick.
Then I painted the whole piece with the paint and a large brush.  I placed a stencil from my huge collection over the top and left it to dry.  The piece above is the result.
It's a bit of a miracle, really. My hubby says it is not possible and doesn't make sense,  but I have seen lots of paint effects related to this, like making fabric for water ripples by gently pleating as it dries.

With this one I used an ordinary setacolour metallic.  In some places, where the stencil did not sit flat, there is not a very defined line, but I liked this one and immediately had to play with it.

I sandwiched the fabric with batting and stabiliser, then quilted around the edges of the design with white thread.

Here is the back.  The quilting is more obvious here.

I am now in the process of beading over all the painted areas, which will take me a while!

Here's where I am up to at present.  I have already had an expression of interest in purchasing this one!  How great is that!

Anyhow, that's how things are going at present.  I will try and keep my blog more up to date from now on.

A little bit of everything

OK, I might be back at work, but not quite blogging.  Time to get back into it.
I have had a few very busy weeks, organising classes for this term at the community house.  Not really finished, yet, but getting there.
My studio is organised and lots of things are getting done bit by bit.
Yesterday at quilt group, I was given a lovely gift!

some yummy rayon embroidery threads.  Very shiny and perfect for the magpie in me.

Of course I just had to have a go with them, so here is a little thread painted leaf on felt.  Yum.

I am also still making butterflies on chiffon and organza.  This one used a multicoloured thread, and still needs a little more before I finish stitching.

A small postcard sized thread painting on watersoluble.

The beginning of a needlefelted landscape.

A skeleton leaf I have been working on for EVER!

A set of 12 in collage blocks that are on their way to becomming a quilt.

A large black sandwich which I quilting very randomly in green to make a new vest for my hubby.

My quilt sample from beyond basic machine quilting on craftsy.  I have used satin for my fabric and added some reverse applique with painted sheers.

And that's all there is, at present

Be creative!

Languishing

So I am back.  I have had a bit of a break from my textile work, doing things that I never have time for, which is lucky, because it is very hot here and when it is hot I am not at my best.
I made some little bags for the ladies in my family for christmas

I made six of these in different colours, from recycled fabric and braids, The inspiration was a felt bag in quilting arts episode 1010, by Rebecca Kemp Brent, which used the sole plate of an iron for a pattern!  However, I made lined bags and did not embellish the panels.

I spent a lot of time with my puppy, Ruby, who is growing up fast, but has not stopped chewing everything as you can see from the arm of the chair she is sitting on, lol

I made a few pieces of jewellery.

I made some free motion butterfly wings on organza

and some more

and some dragonfly wings.

I have been working on a quilt as part of a Craftsy Course - Beyond Basic Machine Quilting.
I have altered my piece slightly, I did reverse applique with painted organza for the feather flowers and I used satin as my foundation. It made it slightly more difficult but I like it.  As you can see at the moment, I am slowly filling in the background.
I have also been doing stupendous stitching and stitch and slash with Carol Ann Waugh at craftsy, but nothing to show there yet.

I have been working on my Blue Piece for Tangled Textiles, which is due in a week.  Above are some of my blue bits and pieces - just a peek.  I am not happy with how it is going, and wish I had stuck to my first idea, but of course there is no time to change now.

I have also been reading a lot - something I hardly ever do (stories, that is, I read text books a lot).  I started reading Robert Jordan's "wheel of time" series twenty years ago and the final book was released earlier this year and I got it on my birthday, but I decided that I needed to reread all of the books from the beginning so that it is all fresh in my mind when I start the last one.  There are 14 books altogether and none of them is short, hardly any less than 500 pages and most are more, so that is going to take me a while - lol.

I have been finding it hard to get back to work, but hopefully getting back to blogging will help put a bit of discipline into my days!

Be creative every day

Christmas break?

I have not blogged for several weeks, although I have been working on my current projects and a couple of new ones.  I have just been a bit camera shy - or perhaps lazy in taking pictures.  I am suffereing from a rotten dose of hay fever and sinus, due to our normal pre Christmas weather - that is two days hot, two days freezing and so on, but instead of having a whinge, I thought I might just post some of the journal pages I have been doing for The Chrismas Chronicles - a journaling workshop at Rhomany's realm. Which I have been partaking in.

Here is my cover, on which I learned NOT to use hairspray on water soluble oil pastels, lol.

The theme for this unfinished page - which I scanned and used for my christmas cards, was HOLLY.

The theme for this page was IVY and I extended it a bit to be "the holly and the ivy"

The theme for this page was STAR.

The theme for this page was ROBIN, but the page is not quite finished.

Obviously, the theme for this page was ANGEL.

And this page was about FAITH.

I am sort of using a vintage Christmassy sort of theme, and using lots of postcards from The graphics fairy as my inspirations.
Hope you all have a lovely christmas, religious or not, and I will take a break and be back about the 14th January.