More Texture

I enjoyed my class with Alison Board last month so much I carried on playing for ages!  

I have experimented with mountboard, papers, lutrador, Khadi, scrim, calico to name but a few.

Some have been burnt away, others re layered and, like the little book covers I showed, some can be stitched through.

The way all the texture hold the paints is fabulous.

This is moulding paste through stencils.

Skeleton leaves. yarns, fabrics, foil and texture paste.

Today I seem to have woken up not feeling on the bright side of things, yet again!  John has had a very nasty bout of this cold which is going around that will not leave him and it appears we may now have to share.  I'm a little worried about taking the usual cold flu remedies as I took one dose last night and my stomach has been hurting rather badly since. I do not want another ulcer before Christmas so I will be avoiding taking more.

Sometimes being a quilt maker has it's advantages even more than the usual.  I'm going to find one to wrap up in whilst I have a bit more of a play with some textures!

Have a great weekend.

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A Tinker Here...

I laid this up the other day.  Lots of scraps, sari silks and organza pieces.

It was predominantly green and I couldn't find the balance.  Mind you green is not one of my favourite colours it seems so perhaps that was the problem.  Then yesterday Linda blogged THIS post on her page and it twigged that the green needed a play mate.  I know, I've almost changed it to purple but... there will be an overlay on it so that will change it again.  I tried it with a green organza, but it was too heavy, and then with the only chiffon's I have left.  The white killed all the colour totally and the black was too gloomy so I've had to order some more colours.  About time I did anyway.  Now to wait for them to arrive and see which suits the best.  More of that another time then. 

I've had the Spellbound book for a couple of years now and this week I actually made a bauble from it!  I liked the simplicity of this one.  I have some ideas to expand on it and will do a couple more.  (Picassa doesn't like portrait photos so you will have to accept that this is not defying gravity really.) 

And I'm just writing this blog post whilst waiting for these to dry.  A little bit of moulding paste through a stencil onto watercolour paper.

I will be colouring them up later and no doubt staining my nails a lovely few shades of yuck! 

A couple of other bits for Christmas have been done so I will try and remember to show them in the New Year.  I hope all your crafty creations are coming along well too!! 

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Moving Swiftly On

OK so that's November almost done too.  Someone has definitely speeded up this year too fast.  Could we have a slower year next year?

I've felt a little disjointed of late, not sure why.  Trying to settle to something has been weird and so half the time I've just done nothing instead!  Not very proactive.

I decided I had better do something for the Christmas effort this year.  I have some lovely pieces of glass, not too many colours but I did find a nice green and red.  After cutting and foiling I tried remembering the soldering knack.  Hmm, passable I suppose.  I will string these up in a window perhaps with some beads too.

At the begining of the month I went to a bodices workshop to make the bodice below.  Of course it being red is a pig to photograph but you can see the shape.  It was to make a 'mini' bodice which actually turned out to be a full size one but only for a size 8/10 body.  

I decided to leave a part of the lining seam open so I can see the layering at a later date.  The white is the domette, canvas and boning. A lovely workshop to do. 

When I went to the Westpoint show in September with Elsa I saw a really lovely crochet throw kit.  I so wish I had gone back to buy it (Elsa remind your Mother not to be so daft next time will you).  I had hoped I would see it again at Ally Pally but I wasn't really well enough to do to much in depth searching. The other day how ever Su at Living on The Edge blogged about a beautiful throw she had knitted.  The colours and texture were WOW!  Again I thought about it, a dangerous occupation obviously, and eventually kicked myself into buying a kit or two too.  The wools arrived yesterday.

That photo was taken last night, it was so grey outside anyway.  Again the reds have come out wrong and show better in the photo below.  Much more earthy.  I loved the reds, plumbs and greens and John liked the blues so I couldn't make up my mind.  I'm lucky I could whittle it down to those colours, they were all so gorgeous!  I mean look at all these here!! 

Anyway, they have all been on the swift and I have started knitting.  A lovely easy pattern and good for TV work.

And finally these three are convinced there is something under this step.  I'm not quite sure what it could be as the floors are solid concrete under the oak and tiles.  Perhaps something has fallen into the old cavity wall just there and the noise is carrying (yes we do have mice, we live in the country).  It's still keeping them amused several days later.  

I hope this terrible weather is not disrupting you all too much!

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Pulp Fact

This is Hector and Hebe.  They emerged this week.  Perhaps next week I might just put some clothes on them.  For now they are quite happy watching what I'm up to in the nuddy.  (Them that is, not me). 

The pulp in the post title referred to these sheets of paper.  I had a little play adding a touch of watercolour to some of the mush and flower petals to others.  All great fun but takes an age to dry!  

John and I are listening to an audio book together and I have to think of quiet things to do when it's on so these are just carved out of rubbers.  Not too sure how they will print, I will have a play later in the week.   

And word obviously spread about the snazzy nesting decor kit available.  Just as the first baby Greenfinches are flying, the Goldfinches seem to be looking at making a nest.  Better late then never I suppose.

Have a fabulous weekend and don't get too carried away with the Olympic torch and Jubilee celebrations!

Oh My!

I thought March went quickly, but who stole April??  I haven't even done a single post for April.  I'm sure you lot haven't missed me but I missed the sort of routine, just to put something down somewhere to know it happened, lol. 

The baby quilts went off to meet their new owner last week.  Baby Leo arrived on the 6th April, all 7lb 13 oz of him.  Perhaps I could sneaky knit him a few bits here and there too.  I have finished a couple of little cardies but in girl colours so they will go on the charity table in the Autumn. 

I have also been working on the wedding guest book for Elsa and Mike.  I'm sure Elsa and I can come up with making a quilt together for them some time after the wedding but in the mean time we need this for the actual day.

I am really quite pleased with it, especially how the tartan is not too overpowering.  There is a gentle nod towards Mike's Scottish heritage with the tartan and that we will be taking over a whole castle up there for a couple of days.  So looking forward to it!

I also managed to raid the shredder and make some paper.  I only have a small, square washing up bowl though so I will have to buy a bigger one before I make the next batch.  The adding of a little paint to the water worked well too.  Not sure what for or when I will use it but it was fun making it. 

I've added the borders on the black and batik sofa quilt and that is now residing on the longarm frame waiting to be loaded and finished.  I have a trapped nerve in my back at the moment so the last thing I want to do is play on Ariadne!  

I read on a blog somewhere where someone was fed up with putting full sleeves on art quilts and they had discovered fast finish triangles.  Well I think they are good for the journal sized quilts but I prefer a full sleeve on anything larger.  One thing I do do though is split the sleeve.  The photo below is of the two quilts I have just finished for my C&G and show what I mean.  This way they can just hang on a single nail in the wall and are easy to swap around, just like a normal painting. 

This little fellow was adding classy decor to his nest box from a clump of sewing bits I had put out for them.  I hope the Mrs liked what he chose. 

My ever faithful companions.  The other two, Tully and Oscar were, as usual, under my desk under my feet.  I'm glad Ellie is growing too big for under there too!

Well that could be it for this month.  We spent Tuesday morning working out the tulips for three days of the Monte Carlo Rally and one for the San Remo Rally tour.  My back is already twitching again after seeing all those hairpin bends.  Hopefully I will be able to bore you all and blog a few photos but if not, we will be up a mountain somewhere!

Can a Girl Really Have Too Many?

I think I many have over estimated how many 132 foam brushes are.

I had bought a few crafting versions of these to do the Flora Bowley class with but they soon wore through so I found these on line at a fraction of the cost.  Probably because they didn't have the word 'craft' in the description.  Anyway, I think I won't have to worry about buying more for quite some time!

We've had a few really beautiful afternoons here, a little misty in the mornings but clearing by lunchtime and turning into glorious evenings.  Ruger has been on rest with his cruciate injury but he has been going a little stir crazy at home or on the lead.  We took them on a gentle walk along the drove road behind the house to see how he would be.  Slowing down a Pointer is a bit like slowing the tide but it wasn't too bad!

Of course he had his partner in crime with him all the way!

In the distance you can just see that they have been stripping out the hedges.  I would have thought March was a little late in the season as the birds are beginning to nest.  It is nice seeing the laying coming together though.

We disturbed this herd of Roe deer who disappeared off into the next valley.

The grass is always greener.  Especially when those two brown dots in the other field are hares wisely going in the other direction.

Ellie is very good at making sure we are never too far away.  She's growing so fast too, now 4 months old.

 I hope the weather is good for you too, have a great week!