Keeping to the limits

More recycled denim

2012-02-11T12:45:00.000+11:00

Two more cushions made from recycled blue jeans.

In this one, I worked rows of serpentine stitch all over.

I just stitched lines parallel to the seams in this one.

Christmas dresses

2012-01-25T17:11:00.002+11:00

Here's Emma in her Christmas dress (the photo was taken at Christmas time but it's taken a while for me to get around to posting it).

And here is Emma's baby sister, Olivia, in her Christmas outfit. Olivia arrived just a few days before Christmas, so she had to wait a while for her outfit. As for the slightly large hat, she outgrew the small size before I finished it, so I skipped the medium size and made a large one. It's still a bit too big but she will probably grow into it very soon.

EMMA

2011-12-30T08:34:00.001+11:00

I made these cushions for Emma for Christmas. She enjoys playing with them and keeps them on her bed.

They have plain purple backs, as you can see in the E and M in this photo.

Everybody's wearing blue jeans

2011-12-01T17:42:00.001+11:00

So sang the Skyhooks . . . but I'm more interested in what happens to the jeans when they wear out or no longer fit. I like the way denim fades as it ages and I've been collecting old jeans for several years. And I've finally got around to recycling some of them.

First I made a notebook cover for my son (I tried rotating this photo but it looked odd).

And then I made two cushions. I tried machine-stitching rows of stitching parallel to each seamline on this one but the squares kept distorting, so then I did the stitching by hand, with a button thread for emphasis. I found it difficult to stitch through the thickness of denim, plus some wadding underneath, and it took ages.

I machine-stitch rows diagonally across this one and I really like the finished texture.

Retro cushion

2011-11-27T20:03:00.001+11:00

I found this piece of fabric in my stash. Although I have a reasonably sized stash, I know where most of the fabrics came from but not this one. It must have been given to me in a bundle of other things. I don't know how old it is but, based on a burn test, it seems to be a poly-cotton. The pattern looks as if it could date from the 1970s or 1980s.

I particularly like its textured weave.

There was just enough fabric to make a small, pretty cushion.

The last page . . . and a new beginning

2011-10-30T17:27:00.000+11:00

In February last year, I embarked on Sharon Boggan's Studio Journal Course with great hopes, of course, for the wonderful work that I was going to produce. And, naturally, things didn't go to plan - my workload increased dramatically and I was too tired in the evenings or on weekends to tackle anything creative. However, I've returned to my journal and course notes from time to time and today I finally finished the book I started more than a year and a half ago.

This is the last page, trying out stamps I purchased relatively recently from Hot Potatoes.

I then found a book for the next instalment.

When I opened it, I found that I'd already made some entries in it, with one page dated 2005. Obviously, I've been trying to get a studio journal going for some time. The first entry related to a crazy patchwork quilt, which I made as a housewarming present for a friend, and which has been hanging in her lounge room for several years now.

I wonder how long it will take me to finish this book.

Pretty in pink

2011-10-24T12:35:00.004+11:00

I was given some yarns recently, including a football-sized ball of pink acrylic. The band around the yarn had a pattern for this pretty jumper. Emma likes pink as well as purple and I was looking for another knitting project, so I made it up for her. She was happy to model it but, now that we are enjoying pleasant spring weather, I don't think she will use it much until next winter.

Purple & white

2011-10-12T10:02:00.001+11:00

Emma moved into another bedroom on her birthday and was allowed to choose the colour scheme. And, of course, my job was to make the quilt. Each block in this quilt consists of 17 separate pieces of fabric and there are 54 blocks - 918 separate pieces of fabric.

Party time

2011-10-10T10:43:00.004+11:00

Emma celebrated her third birthday recently and she loved the dress I made for her. Her favourite colour is purple and the party had a circle theme.

Here's a back view.

Happy Birthday, Wanda

2011-08-08T15:08:00.003+10:00

A very dear friend celebrated her birthday last week and I made a gold lame pyramid as gift-wrapping.

When the cord was untied the sides fell open to reveal a dark blue velvet lining and a cloisonne grand piano. The piano is light blue but didn't photograph well because of all the gold and sparkles on it.

And inside the piano, was a pendant. I can't remember the translation for the Chinese character on the pendant (which I might have photographed back to front) but I think it is supposed to say happiness or longevity or prosperity.

Candy quilt

2011-07-23T14:10:00.005+10:00

I made this quilt for another recent arrival. Astrid arrived a week late a month ago but I only finished the quilt last week. I'm really happy with the bright, fresh pinks and greens, although this photo doesn't show them very well.

This detail provides a better view of the fabrics, which are from Moda's Me and My Sister Designs.

The Saga of the Cat Cushion

2011-07-07T09:50:00.003+10:00

I became interested in blackwork many years ago but had difficulty tracking down patterns that I liked, so I turned to the Internet and found this delightful pattern. The site didn't have provision for buying online (this was a long time ago), so I sent an email and the lovely person I dealt with suggested that she could send me the pattern in exchange for some Minnamurra threads, which I did - my first experience of online shopping turned into old-fashioned bartering.

The pattern then languished in my 'things I'm going to do one day' pile for many years but finally bubbled to the surface and is now a cushion adorning my couch.

Sadly, I can't find the site where I got it from. I remember that there was a similar sized owl design, which would make a suitable companion cushion. Oh well, it might turn up sometime.

Collage

2011-05-01T21:24:00.002+10:00

I like collage and have long been interested in knowing where to start but I recently saw a video about it over on Pintangle. So last Sunday morning, when I had assignments to mark and the house needed tidying up before the family arrived for lunch, I started work on a collage. It hasn't photographed well - and, of course, there's a lot of room for improvement - but I enjoyed the process of tearing and gluing. I didn't do these things when I was young - I had a deprived childhood. One of the things I learned from the video on Pintangle was to turn off my inner critic and just enjoy the process, which I did. And because I did it in my journal, I didn't have to worry about it being a display piece. I enjoyed the process so much, I'm eager to have another go at it - but I have another busy week at work ahead - but I will be finishing up at one of my jobs, so there's hope things might quieten down soon.

Maeve's quilt

2011-04-30T15:32:00.004+10:00

Last weekend I met my youngest great-niece, Maeve, just 6-weeks-old today. She's a very cute and cuddly baby. This is the quilt I made for her and, although she's a bit young to appreciate it, her parents liked it.

Words, words, words

2011-04-24T16:17:00.005+10:00

The Save the Words website aims to preserve words that are in danger of falling into disuse. While some words should perhaps be allowed to sink without trace, others are well worth preserving. In any event, the website was the inspiration for these cushions.

My friend, Chris, who alerted me to the existence of the Save the Words site, recently did some major renovations to her house and I decided to combine her love of words, my new 5D software and my Husqvarna Diamond Designer machine to make a house-warming gift with a difference. I was still toying with the idea when she rang and invited us to dinner tonight, so the project catapulted up my priority list. I'm still learning how to use both the software and the machine - and to get them to talk to each other - but, despite a few teething problems, I managed to produce these cushions.

The first cushion includes such delights of the English language as dodrantal, redamancy, flosculation, affictitious, trajectitious and vacivity.

The second features keleusmatically, tantuple, rhodologist, drollic, frutescent and secability, as well as other equally arcane words. I recommend a visit to Save the Word for meanings and further endangered words.

Poppy journal

2011-04-19T21:04:00.004+10:00

Last year, I decided to make a handbag featuring a poppy motif. After doing a sample piece and a couple of attempts at the bag, I abandoned the project. (Along the way, I learned that some tear-away stabilisers can leave lots of small fibres behind.)

However, when I made my journal cover for the ACT Textile Arts group holiday challenge, I decided to revise my earlier idea and made a journal cover for my friend Margaret instead. I like journal covers that fully enclose the journal so that loose things don't fall out but I didn't want the closure to have any impact on the poppy, so I opted for a zipper closure - which was as difficult as I thought it would be. Fortunately, Margaret loved it and didn't notice the bits that were a bit wonky.

Knitted scarf

2011-04-17T14:39:00.003+10:00

I've been very busy with work for the past few months but I made this scarf for my daughter-in-law. I use a yarn called Entice from Lincraft - it was nylon but very soft and I liked the soft colours. I knitted it up in a K1P1 rib.

It's my birthday (tomorrow)

2011-01-27T21:10:00.003+11:00

It's my birthday tomorrow and I'll be on my way to Hong Kong, so my daughter-in-law (the World's Best Daughter-In-Law) made this delicious cake for me today. I know it only looks like a small cupcake but it's actually sitting on a dinner plate. And the top chocolate is chocolate-coated licorice from the Junee Licorice and Chocolate Factory - the most delicious choc-coated licorice I've ever tasted.

Another quilt for Emma

2011-01-24T16:04:00.003+11:00

Emma moved from a cot into a single bed last year and I happily agreed to make a new quilt and matching pillowslip. However, it's taken 6 months to finish, probably because I kept being distracted by other things.

Emma obviously likes it.

Start with a piece of calico

2011-01-23T16:42:00.005+11:00

I decided to participate in this year's holiday challenge for ACT Textile Arts. The only requirements were to make a journal cover, starting with a piece of calico (the calico didn't have to be visible at the end). I used calico, brown paper, copper metallic paint, machine embroidery thread - and beeswax.

And here's my completed journal cover. I'm quite pleased with it, although I've learned a lot about the construction process.

I painted the paper, scrunched it up (lots of fun and very good for relieving stress) and fused it to the calico. I then embroidered words onto it, using a font built into my sewing machine, and finally rubbed beeswax all over it. There is a magnetic catch to hold it closed.

It's summer and . . .

2011-01-22T09:41:00.003+11:00

I've just finished this jumper for John. He was reluctant to pose in it - the current temperature is 26C - and is wearing shorts with it. However, I'm sure he'll appreciate it when the mercury plummets below zero.

I started making the jumper mid-winter but I'm either slow at knitting or don't watch enough television - I only knit while watching television. I don't do a lot of knitting and I don't see it as a particularly creative activity but I really missed it when I couldn't do it for a few years. I think, for me, knitting is chewing gum for the hands.

Discoveries after a flood: memories

2010-12-29T11:46:00.004+11:00

Christmas disappeared in a bit of a blur for us but at least the flood waters subsided.

Although we were left with a pile of stuff to sort out. It had all been stored in the garage and now the time has come to find new homes for all of it.

Fortunately, very little was damaged but sorting through the bags and boxes was a trip down memory lane. I found my wedding dress (yes, I crocheted it - it was the 70s) - and found it hard to believe that I was ever that slim.

I crocheted this baby shawl when I was pregnant with my first son, most of it was done during the many long weeks I spent in hospital before his birth.

And my wonderful sister, Maureen, knitted this baby jacket. Maureen's husband was very ill at this time but I think she liked having some knitting to do while she spent time with him at hospital.

Discoveries after a flood: generosity

2010-12-06T18:57:00.003+11:00

This is Tim, one of the many people who helped us deal with our flood. I later found out that Tim was exhausted from having worked long hours in recent days - but he didn't mention that during the hours that he spent working to prevent more water getting into our garage.

We are very grateful to the very generous people who came to our aid. Aaron, Tim and others who worked to drain the water from the yard. Tim who stayed to make sure we were out of further danger. My brother who also helped to stem the flow of water, stayed to help us move boxes out of the garage and then returned the following morning to help with the cleanup. Gemma who gave us photos she'd taken in case we needed them for insurance purposes. Debbie who mopped up water in our entrance foyer and the following day washed the dirty towels. Kate who spent hours spreading out photos so they wouldn't stick together and get damaged. Keith, Natalie, Margaret and Ron who gave up a relaxing Sunday to help us with the clean up.

It is inspiring to be on the receiving end of such generosity and it is reassuring to know that there are people we can rely on when the going gets tough.

I like water features but . . .

2010-12-05T06:56:00.005+11:00

After nearly 10 years of drought, we have had a lot of rain lately. Yesterday evening our front garden was re-landscaped by a very severe storm. We were out at the time and returned home to find neighbours trying to get the water to drain before too much got into the house. Fortunately, only the garage was really damaged but we spent hours moving boxes out of the water and putting things out to dry. It's one way to tidy up the garage. However, the whole house is now quite muddy and needs a good spring clean. And we are very grateful to our neighbour, Tim, and my brother, Pat, who spent hours helping us cope with the worst of the deluge - and bucketing water away to prevent the garage flooding again.

Umm, where's the road?

Our house is on the left of this photo (out of view). We've never seen this 'creek' before - we've rarely seen even a puddle here. In fact, the tree in the photo is one of the few that survived the drought - most of them died from lack of water.

Kris Kringle

2010-11-29T19:47:00.003+11:00

Christmas is coming - along with the common requests for Kris Kringle gifts. This year, I decided that, rather than wasting my energy trying to find something appropriate within the specified price range, I would use it as an opportunity to explore some textile techniques. I started this bookmark by knitting three yarns together on very large (15mm) needles. I then needlefelted it all over before machine embroidering over the top. It is finished off with a machined buttonhole stitch around the edges. I hope the recipient likes it but I've had fun playing around - more enjoyable than shopping.

Strawberries

2010-11-17T18:03:00.003+11:00

It's a long time since I last added anything to blog, not because I haven't been doing anything but because I either haven't finished things (a very long list) or I haven't managed to get a photo of it. I made this bowl of strawberries for the ACT Textile Arts exhibition back in September but forgot to photograph it before handing it over and I've only just got it back. The strawberries are made out of satin and the bowl is crocheted.

The theme for this year's exhibition was A Garden Tea Party. Members, either singly or in groups, made everything imaginable, including cakes, sandwiches, a tree, lots of leaves, flowers and even a couple of 'people'. I was really looking forward to seeing it but, unfortunately, came down with a very heavy cold and couldn't go anywhere.

Handbag

2010-07-27T10:30:00.003+10:00

About a year ago, I started trying to make a handbag. After much trial and error, I've finally found a pattern that I like. And I've really enjoyed getting back into my sewing room - although it's in a terrible mess and I have to do some serious re-organising.

Gumnut Baby

2010-07-16T10:37:00.003+10:00

I have been organising a conference for the last few months, which didn't leave much time or energy for any textiles (note to self: always make time for playing with fabrics). However, I did knit this jumper and beanie for Emma from a Paton's pattern. I finished them a few weeks ago but she didn't like them at first. Fortunately, she seems to have taken to them now.

Dragonfly bag

2010-05-16T14:45:00.003+10:00

This bag looks like a simple design but it was a little more complicated to put together than I anticipated. I expect that it would get easier with practice. I stenciled the dragonfly on using a Shiva stick. I was quite please with it and it soon found a new home. My hairdresser has left the salon and now goes to her clients' homes. I had just finished this bag when she arrived and she wanted to buy it - I gave it to her as a tip.

Winter warmer

2010-05-11T14:21:00.003+10:00

Although the days are mostly warm and sunny, the evenings are getting cooler and winter is definitely on the way and I've been knitting most evenings. Emma liked this cardigan, mainly because she loves buttons. (She also likes sitting on the window sill because it's just the right height for her.)

Double Trouble Adventures

2010-05-09T13:21:00.004+10:00

Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to do a workshop with Jan Beaney & Jean Littlejohn. Their techniques, working on soluble backgrounds were interesting but I was more inspired by their generosity, friendliness and the wealth of advice they provided for developing pieces, including gathering and developing ideas. I learned a lot from them and enjoyed looking at their journals and samples

I still have to finish this one. The threads are laid onto a sticky soluble backing, Guliette laid over that and then I added the stitching. When I eventually finish the stitching and possibly add some beads, I'll dissolve the backing and Guliette and it should end up as a piece of lace. (The odd looking thread in the bottom right-hand corner was added by Jan to show me how to do a tie and I'll remove it later.)

This piece is made up of pieces of organza needle-felted together in a variety of ways, cut and joined. The waves of colour through it are from a piece of scrim at the back, needle-felted selectively from the back to force the colour through.

This piece was made by working large, messy cross-stitches into solusheet, then the daisies (I'm really not very good at making neat daisies). I then needle-felted the whole piece and added the beads in the centre of the flowers before dissolving the solusheet. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get the various soluble backings here but I managed to buy some solusheet from Robyn, who arranged the workshop.

Keepsake purse

2010-04-17T12:40:00.002+10:00

I have ended up with a lot of my mother's things and finding homes for some of them has been a bit of a challenge. I thought one of my nieces would appreciate a pair of her rosary beads as a memento of her grandmother. However, I then decided that it would be nice to make a little purse to store them in. A year or so later, I've finally made the purse - it's machine quilted using one of the built-in stitches on my new machine. I'll post them off on Monday - I hope my niece likes it.

Knitting

2010-04-13T10:27:00.002+10:00

Late last year, I decided to dust off my knitting needles and try some knitting. This basket weave rug is the result. I knitted it in one piece on a circular needle, so it wasn't the best project for a hot summer but it was very easy to do and very relaxing while watching television.

Studio Journal

2010-03-07T13:06:00.004+11:00

I've finally started Sharon Boggan's Studio Journal. Unfortunately, my work has been very busy in the last couple of weeks (I think I'll retire - again) but here are some of the pages I've done for Lesson One.

Sharon suggested we start by thinking about our reasons for keeping a journal. I wrote out some word and played around with them in Wordle.

Next, I had a go at mark-making, which is very unfamiliar territory for me.

And then I moved onto rubbings. I've done this before and enjoy it. These are just a few of the rubbings I did.

Now to start on Lesson Two.

Back in time

2010-02-28T11:42:00.002+11:00

My friend, Jordan, wanted a spinning lesson, so I put aside my high-tech, computerised, do-everything sewing machine, and dusted off my low-tech spinning wheel. I hadn't done any spinning for years but I soon regained the hang of it and remembered how relaxing and soothing it is to work at a spinning wheel.

Extravagance!

2010-02-23T13:14:00.003+11:00

When I took my sewing machine in for repairs on Christmas Eve, I looked at other machines while I was waiting - and started flirting with the idea of buying a new electronic machine (my old one has cogs for the limited range of stitches). After a few weeks of arguing with myself about why I didn't need a new machine, I took the plunge and now own this amazing new Husqvarna Designer Diamond. It seems to be able to do everything except make the tea - and it might even do that.

All I've done so far is play around with it. I decided to try all the built-in stitches but gave up after a few dozen (there are hundreds). Here's a close-up of some of the built-in stitches. If my work ever gets less busy (I thought I was retired), I'll have fun exploring what it can do.

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Cedric the maniacal ram

2010-02-21T09:45:00.003+11:00

I've been subscribing to Stitch magazine since the first issue and I don't think I've ever made anything from it, although I love looking through every issue and dream of trying out the various designs and techniques.

After finishing one piece of embroidery and deciding that my hands were recovered and I could once again do embroidery, I looked around for another project and found this design in the Stitch magazine, which I had long wanted to do.

I painted the background using Lumiere Halo Blue-gold. The original design was goldwork but I deiced to do it in chain stitch instead, with french knots for the topknot, using a gold thread.

I don't know what I'm going to do with this piece either but I'm sure it'll find a home eventually. I'm really enjoying once again being able to do embroidery and other hand work.

Hand embroidery

2010-02-17T09:20:00.004+11:00

Late last year, I picked up a needle and thread and tried making buttonhole rings. They worked well, so I found a piece of hand-painted silk for a background, attached the rings and kept going with more stitches, beads and shisha mirrors. Here's the result - I hope to use it on a box lid but haven't found the right size box yet.

Penguins on parade

2010-02-01T14:05:00.005+11:00

When my son told me that his wife was expecting a baby, we bought the fabric for this quilt but I didn't make it up until late last year.

As you can see from this photo, Emma shares her father's enthusiasm for penguins.

The last remnants of Christmas

2010-01-18T14:57:00.002+11:00

I've finally finished the last of the sewing I started before Christmas - and Emma now has lots of these little body suits.

I managed to make every possible mistake while making these. I realised I could get the two patterned ones out of the piece of fabric I'd bought, instead of just one, if I was careful cutting it out but then cut one sleeve out using the wrong size pattern piece. Despite that mistake, I managed to cut out the two garments and then sewed the two fronts together and the two backs together. Having corrected that mistake, I then sewed the pink terry toweling garment together so that the front overlapped the back at the neck, instead of the other way around. But they are together in the right order now.

Emma's Christmas present

2010-01-09T14:53:00.003+11:00

I've finally finished Emma's Christmas present - 2 weeks late but better late than never. The pattern is McCall's 2213 and it's a nice cool outfit for our current heat wave.

Here's a back view, which I think is cuter than the front view.

Tyvek adventures

2010-01-05T19:11:00.002+11:00

Tyvek + Lumiere paint + heat = a lot of fun.

I've been hearing about the wonders of Tyvek for years and finally got hold of some - and had some time to play around with it. I free machine stitched these pieces before painting and heat-shrinking them to see if the stitching would have any effect - it didn't.

This one is painted with Lumiere Halo Blue Gold.

This one is Halo Pink Gold.

And this one is Halo Violet Gold.

I will probably just put the pieces away for now until I decide what to do with them but I can see possibilities for hand and machine embroidery.

A tracksuit for Emma

2010-01-02T13:54:00.004+11:00

I found a remnant of pink terry toweling while shopping at Spotlight about a month ago and immediately saw its potential (I think it cost $2.30). I started the tracksuit before Christmas, along with several other things, but this is the only one I've finished so far.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T10:15:00.006+11:00

I'm looking forward to textile adventures aplenty in 2010. When I started this blog about 18 months ago, I was recovering from an operation on my left wrist and had very little use of either hand. In April last year, I had an operation on my right wrist. Both operations were very successful and I have slowly been getting back into the wonderful world of textiles. I currently have sewing, knitting, embroidery and quilting projects on the go (it didn't take me long to start lots of new UFOs).

I made this quilt for Luke James, who was arrived just 2 weeks ago on 18 December. His mother is very fond of cats and appreciated the cat theme in the quilt.

Visual diaries

2009-12-31T08:58:00.004+11:00

In early December, I did a course on visual diaries. I thought the course would be about keeping a visual diary and was very surprised when I received the materials list to find that we were going to make a book. I nearly pulled out of the course but then decided to give it a go. Barbara Jackson, a local art teacher, was a good teacher and I was pleasantly surprised to find that bookbinding could be fun and easy.

We started by making a simple pamphlet book.

And then moved onto a more complex concertina book.

We did spend a bit of time working on what to put into journals - and Barbara showed us lots of examples of her wonderful journals - but I didn't make much progress with mine. I hope to do Sharon Boggon's Studio Journals course next year to learn more about visual diaries - but I don't think I'll make my own book for the course.

Machine embroidery with Helen Godden

2009-12-29T10:05:00.004+11:00

A few weeks ago, I did a beginners' free motion quilting course with Helen Godden. Helen is a very talented quilt artist and a good teacher. For once, I was able to keep up with the class, instead of spending the whole time threading my machine. I really enjoyed the course and hope to do more with Helen next year. Unfortunately, I haven't done much more since, apart from another sample piece.

Season's greetings

2009-12-26T09:16:00.004+11:00

Season's greetings to all. I spent the lead-up to Christmas trying to do some sewing and having everything imaginable go wrong - including sewing two fronts and two backs together, realising I didn't have the required elastic at 5.30pm and, the last straw, discovering on Christmas Eve that my machine wouldn't zigzag. So I now have several unfinished items, including the outfit that I was making Emma as a Christmas present.

However, she arrived yesterday wearing the dress and hat, which I had made for her birthday in September but hadn't gotten around to photographing previously.

Dyeing workshop

2009-10-15T18:18:00.004+11:00

A few weeks ago, I participated in a dyeing workshop put on by ACT Textile Arts. It was a fun day and I learnt a lot about discharging, resists and over-dyeing. Here are pieces set out in the sun to dry.

And here are some of the fabrics I produced on the day. I'd like to do more but it has been too cold and wet since to spend time outside, especially messing around with dyepots.

Fabric postcard swap

2009-10-14T17:09:00.002+11:00

I've been doing lots of things in recent weeks but I either haven't finished them or don't yet have photos of them. However, a while ago, I participated in a postcard swap through Stitchin Fingers Fabric Postcards group. This is the postcard I sent off.

And here's the beautiful and elegant card I received.

Happy Birthday, Wanda

2009-08-16T08:53:00.002+10:00

I made this scarf as a birthday present for my friend, Wanda. She loves these colours and was delighted with her present. However, I had forgotten to photograph it, so I had to borrow it back to take this photo.

Colour wheels and other mysteries

2009-08-06T19:57:00.003+10:00

I spent 4 days last week at a colour workshop. I now know a lot about how to blend paint to achieve a particular shade and I also have a better understanding about which colours work well together - but I still need lots of practice and experience. I was also reminded that I like working with fibres much better than paint.

Beanie baby

2009-07-27T16:08:00.002+10:00

I'm now allowed to use my hand and it didn't take long for me to pull out the knitting needles and whip up this little beanie for Emma.

Fibre day at the Old Bus Depot Markets

2009-07-12T18:24:00.003+10:00

Today was Fibre Day at the Old Bus Depot Markets and I took advantage of the opportunity to enhance my stash and deplete my savings. It was lots of fun browsing through the offerings and I returned home with lots of goodies.

I've created a monster

2009-06-14T10:52:00.001+10:00

My friend, Wanda, was intrigued by my needle-felting so I showed her how to do it and then asked her to babysit my machine while I travelled around Egypt and had surgery. She had a great time with it and produced these fabulous pieces. She then bought her own machine. It'll be interesting to see what she comes up with next.

Postcard

2009-06-08T13:36:00.003+10:00

Sometime between my recent adventures (Egypt and surgery), I received this beautiful postcard from Maggi. Thank you, Maggi, I love the subtle colours and intricate details. I want to learn how to do machine embroidery and would love to be able to make something as beautiful as this.

Non-opposable thumb

2009-06-07T15:53:00.006+10:00

I haven't been able to do much in the way of textile arts since having a trapeziectomy (removal of a small bone) on my right wrist about 6 weeks ago. While my wrist was swathed in plaster and heavy bandages, I couldn't do much more than wriggle my fingers.

After 2 weeks, I progressed to a rigid plastic splint, which allowed me much greater use of my fingers.

I'm now wearing a soft splint and feel almost normal but still won't have that whole opposable thumb thing working for another 6 weeks. However, I should be able to resume driving in about 2 weeks and I can do some needle-felting - just nothing very complicated.

More images from Egypt

2009-04-20T09:20:00.004+10:00

Here are some more photos from my Egyptian trip.

Carvings on a temple wall (I can't remember which one - there were lots and they were all very similar). It must have taken so long to carve the figures into the rock and they were expected to last - as indeed they have.

Some Greek writing carved onto a temple wall. Egypt had many foreign rulers over the centuries (millennia) but one of the things that caught my attention was the variety of scripts I saw during my travels (hieroglyphics, Greek, Arabic and so on).

A Whirling Dervish in Aswan, with his brightly coloured skirt swirling. I think the design of his skirt could translate to a quilt.

The Alexandria Library gave me goosebumps. It doesn't look much from the outside but is beautiful and spacious inside. However, I also loved the facade, which is decorated with a wide variety of scripts.

A young girl transporting grass on a donkey.

Egypt

2009-04-19T12:56:00.003+10:00

I haven't done much (read: any) textile arts recently but that's because I've been gathering inspiration from further afield - much further afield. In mid-March, we endured the long flight to Egypt. It is an amazing country and I've returned with many images, which I expect will influence my textile art in the future.

The pyramids and the Sphinx are almost cliched images of Egypt.As are camels (I didn't manage a ride on this trip but I've done that in central Australia).
Cairo traffic included some vehicles that aren't usually found on Canberra streets.
And, perhaps, the most unexpected sight was this rooftop farm in the centre of Cairo, which we could see from our hotel room.
We also had a day-trip to Petra, where we saw these beautifully coloured rocks.

Triangular purses

2009-03-12T11:34:00.004+11:00

We went to a wedding in Sydney on Saturday - one of my many nieces. We gave the young couple a monetary gift, which I put into this purse. I found the pattern at http://www.livingcreatively.com.au/projects/create_now_project.php?v=69

It didn't take long to make the purse, although it's a bit fiddly. I then made a couple more. I'll give one to another niece for her birthday and I'm sure the other will find a home one day. I might even keep it myself as a coin purse.

Fabric postcards

2009-03-10T19:26:00.008+11:00

Sometime ago, Sylvia suggested that we do a one-on-one postcard swap and soon after I received this beautiful postcard from her.

However, it took a while for me to do my return postcard. A few of my ideas didn't work out and I didn't particularly like this representation of leaf litter, although I love it now. (A friend admired it today and I'm thinking of sending it to her.)

After more playing around, I sandwiched a piece of aqua polycotton between two layers of organza, added aqua and gold yarns plus Angelina fibres and ended up with these. I sent one to Sylvia and one to a friend who was interested in what I could do with the embellisher. The others are yet to find homes.

Doing my bit for the economy

2009-03-05T18:25:00.002+11:00

I've added a few things to my stash recently. The first photo shows items I picked up when all fabrics at Lincraft were reduced in price.

Then, last Friday, I had a wonderful time at the craft fair in Melbourne. I was like in a kid in a lolly shop. I had to wait for my son to meet me after work, so I wandered around for hours. Most of my goodies, pictured below, came from The Thread Studio but I also picked up some fabric and beads at the South Melbourne Markets the next day. I haven't had time to play with any of them yet but I love just looking at them.

Dale's challenge

2009-02-06T17:52:00.005+11:00

My recent silence hasn't been because of lack of activity on my part. At the beginning of January, I made two entries for Dale Rollerson's Embellish Stitch Enrich Challenge. Actually, I worked on several ideas before settling on these pieces.

This one is called 'When a butterfly flaps its wings . . .' The theme for the challenge is Connections and this piece represents the connections between people and the environment. I had very few green fabrics for the background, so had to go off to Spotlight yet again.

The second piece is called 'Ties that bind'. It represents the myriad diverse connections we form with others throughout our lives – with family, friends, classmates, teachers, colleagues and the many other people we connect with over the years. Some connections are short, while others last a lifetime; some are strong, others weak; some are gentle, others are harsh. They all contribute to the fabric of our lives.

Seachange

2008-12-30T14:20:00.005+11:00

When my sister, Veronica, was staying with me a couple of months ago, she admired the Seeing Red piece I was working on at the time ... but said she didn't want hers in red. :) So I've made this one for her in greens and blues. The fabric went in unexpected ways and I just let it go where it wanted to, so I was very interested to find a large V in it at the end. Obviously meant for Veronica. I hope she likes it.

Stash enhancement

2008-12-29T14:31:00.004+11:00

Although I'm trying to tidy up and sort out my studio, I couldn't resist the opportunities offered by the post-Christmas sales to further enhance my stash. There's only about a dozen pieces of fabric, two dozen balls of yarn and a few ribbons! Lots to get started on my next project - once I finish tidying my studio!

An arty-crafty Christmas

2008-12-28T18:10:00.004+11:00

I may not have received a Christmas stocking but I did get some delightful presents - embellishment books and fibres, a couple of interesting tools, plus paints, paint pad and brushes for the art course I'm doing in a couple of weeks.

Christmas stockings

2008-12-27T16:02:00.006+11:00

Christmas is over for another year. Yet again, I wasn't very organised for it but I managed to make Christmas stockings for the first time ever. I made one each for John, Keith, Natalie and Emma but I didn't think to make one for myself. I didn't make one for Dan either. He had said he wasn't coming home for Christmas this year, so I got a huge surprise when I opened the door on Christmas Eve, expecting Keith, Natalie and Emma, and found Dan there as well. It was a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Natalie's stocking

Keith's stocking

Emma's stocking

John's stocking

Desperately seeking tambour patterns

2008-12-12T16:14:00.002+11:00

I want to do some tambour embroidery. I have the necessary hoop on a stand, tambour hook, fabric and lots and lots of threads ... but I can't find a pattern. I just want something simple and easy to do that looks reasonably good but extensive Googling has failed me. I've found a few pictures of tambour work but nothing that I could just copy and start on. I've also contacted some embroidery shops but without success.

I've learned a lot about tambour embroidery and it seems that Limerick lace uses the same technique. However, it just doesn't seem to be the 'flavour of the month' at present, although Inspirations seemingly included a design a few months ago (no longer in the shops).

I'll go back to embellishing and machine embroidery and hope that something turns up eventually.

Seeing red

2008-12-09T07:43:00.003+11:00

I made this piece using lots of different fabrics and threads embellished together to get as much texture as possible. I had fun making it and am pleased with the finished product.

It was a present for my friend, Jordan, and is now hanging on her office wall. Jordan is a wonderful, creative woman who inspires and encourages me to believe in myself as a textile artist. I value highly her friendship and support.

Thank you, Jordan.

A Boomerang Gift

2008-12-08T10:16:00.005+11:00

A couple of years ago, just after I'd started making quilts, my niece gave me a quilt kit for Christmas. The theme for the kit was Peanuts Baseball and I immediately recognised the present as a boomerang - to be returned to the giver - because my niece and her daughter love Peanuts and baseball (they once spent a year in America).

I finished it off along with a couple of others, expecting to have hand surgery at the end of November. The surgery has now been postponed until February but my niece was very pleased to receive the quilt as a house-warming gift.

ATCs - incoming - part 2

2008-12-07T09:26:00.004+11:00

And here are the other four ATCs, as beautiful and fascinating as the others. (They're only in a separate batch because my computer wouldn't let me load them all at once).

Thanks to all the makers of these wonderful gems. I loved receiving them and look forward to taking part in more swaps.

Sylvia

Marianne

Maggi

Barbara

ATCs - incoming - part 1

2008-12-07T08:48:00.006+11:00

The best part of the ATC swap was receiving interesting mail. I opened each with great anticipation and excitement and was rewarded every time with a beautiful and fascinating gift. And they were all so different.

Here are the first four:

Jenny

Donna

Chris

Cheryl

ATCs

2008-12-06T09:55:00.004+11:00

A couple of months ago, I joined in an ATC swap with other participants in the Embellish, Stitch and Enrich course.

I found a bag of fancy yarn scraps at Lincraft. My first thought was that they weren't colours I'd normally put together. My second thought was that they weren't colours I'd normally use. So I bought the bag and decided to use the yarns as the basis for my ATCs.

I was very busy at the time and hadn't finished the lessons (I'll get back to them one day - really, I will!), so I wanted to do something reasonably quick and simple. I was fairly pleased with the result. I like the way the yarns all went together. Here are my ATCs:

Op Shop Treasure Trove

2008-12-04T09:20:00.005+11:00

While in Wagga Wagga for my mother's funeral, I called into an op shop with my uncle, who was looking for reading matter to sustain him on his somewhat erratic homeward journey (he's returning to Brisbane via Melbourne and Sydney).

I found these threads on a table out the front of the op shop. Some of them are very grubby and I don't know how useful they'll be but I couldn't resist buying all of them. I must go and start playing.

Farewell

2008-12-03T14:38:00.003+11:00

Textile arts have taken second place in my life in recent weeks with the illness and death of my mother.

My mother introduced me to the wonderful world of textiles. She was always sewing, knitting and crocheting. I remember playing with her treadle sewing machine at a very early age and I soon moved onto sewing and many other textile arts.

More quilts

2008-11-08T14:09:00.004+11:00

I've managed to complete a couple more quilts recently. The blue and white one is a surprise for a friend in Brisbane.

This one is another one for my granddaughter Emma. Her mother chose the fabrics and asked me to put it together. She seems to like the finished product.

Quilt time

2008-10-02T07:29:00.008+10:00

When I heard that a grandchild was on the way, I was very eager to make a quilt. I bought lots of fabric and eventually put one together with the help of my son. I cut the fabric and he sewed it together, although I managed the border and binding on my own. I was able to do some pinning, probably because I haven't been using my hands too much this year and especially not spending hours every day using a keyboard at work.

I don't think that it mattered too much that I didn't finish it before my beautiful granddaughter Emma Rose arrived. It is now on her cot and I have started on another one.

Embellisher magic

2008-09-16T13:28:00.002+10:00

I recently bought a Janome embellisher and signed up for a course with Dale Rollerson through the Thread Studio. I haven't had as much time to work on the course as I would have liked but I've finally finished Lessons 1 & 2.

This is my challenge piece for Lesson 1:

And this is my Lesson 2 challenge piece. It is a representation of scribbly bark. I would like to hand or machine embroider the 'scribbles' onto it but that will have to wait.

Where do you store your threads?

2008-08-04T15:04:00.004+10:00

I bought these beautiful peacock-coloured threads from The Thread Studio many years ago but was frustrated whenever I tried to use them as the thread would break constantly. I would thread the machine, start sewing, the thread would break, I'd thread the machine, start sewing the thread would break ... over and over until I got bored with the whole thing and abandoned my attempts at machine embroidery.

Recently, Doreen suggested that I put them in the fridge for a few hours before using them. Of course, I put them in the fridge and then forgot about them until John was putting groceries away that evening.

'Why', he asked in a voice suggesting that I was well on the way down the dementia path, 'are there threads in the fridge'.

'Oh yes', I replied, much to his bewilderment, 'they should be ready now'.

John was very relieved to find that I hadn't put the milk in the craft room and I was delighted with my results when I had another go at machine embroidery with the threads:
Thank you, Doreen, for the tip.

Printing on fabric

2008-07-29T14:58:00.003+10:00

My friend, Wanda, is making a fabric book as a wedding present for friends of hers and wanted to know how to print onto fabric. So I dragged out my bottle of Bubble Jet Set and package of freezer paper, both of which I've had for years without ever opening.

We soaked fabric in the Bubble Jet Set and ironed it onto the freezer paper but it didn't go through the printer smoothly and got a bit scrunched up. I will have to do some more experimenting but I might not have fed it into the bypass tray properly.

Finally, I opened up a packet of fabric sheets for the printer (which I've also had for years without ever using) and that worked really well. The fabric didn't get scrunched up by the printer at all.

Moving forward

2008-07-23T10:36:00.004+10:00

I've been away for the last week, on a trip to Wagga Wagga and Melbourne. I have returned with lots of photos and inspiration but very little energy. I'm moving very slowly.

Before I left, I tried some more figurative free machine embroidery. It is meant to be a deciduous tree in winter. I definitely need a lot more practice but it's a start.

Getting started

2008-07-15T05:44:00.007+10:00

Well, I managed to 'scribble' on the fabric without breaking the thread. That's a good start.

Now for something a bit more complicated - satin stitch. That worked okay, although it's going to take a lot of practice before I get it really smooth and consistent. And the fabric puckered in the centre.

This time I remembered to back the fabric with stabiliser and it is smoother, even though it doesn't look like it in this photo. I prefer the colours in this sample.

Let's try going around in circles. Well, a spiral to be more accurate. That's not too bad.

Introduction

2008-07-14T10:21:00.000+10:00

The title of this blog reflects the many limitations on my textile art. After many years of knitting, crocheting, embroidery and, to a lesser extent, silk painting and quilting, I now have lots of time to spend on enjoying these activities and developing my skills. However, due to a wrist problem, I am currently unable to do any hand embroidery, knitting or crocheting, and I'm very limited in what I can do.

So, I've decided to embrace my limitations and see what I can achieve while 'keeping to the limits'.

I've dabbled in machine embroidery previously, so now I can explore it in greater depth but within the limits of a 9-inch hoop. I can't hold and move the fabric without a hoop and 9 inches is the largest size that I can use on my trusty old Husqvarna 6370.