Since my last post I have made two pirate outfits for Tori and her friend consisting of trousers, blouses and waistcoats plus a frock coat for Tori which were accessorised with cutlasses, blunderbusses, tricorn hats, a jolly roger flag and a parrot called Claude! Judging by the photos of the Christmas party the costumes were much admired and Claude had way too much fun!
On a company day out to London with Rowan to spend a 'lovely' afternoon on top of a seven storey building inside an air handling unit (very dirty and freezing cold) I saw this wall outside the back entrance of Claridges. It was just concrete but the shapes gave it a wonderful texture. This was the highlight of my day.
This would make an amazing quilt. I am thinking of felt or silk shapes on a thick cotton curtain interlining background.
The Experimental Textiles weekend in November was spent dyeing natural fabrics in plastic bags. A very simple process with minimal mess and good results.
This piece of stitchery is about 12 inches square and has been made using a selection of dyed silks, cotton and lace which have been stitched together using a tiny running stitch.
This is the back of the piece which is equally pleasing. I will go back and put more stitches in. Sometimes it is better to leave a piece which you have been working on for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes at a later date.
This is about 6 inches across, again main with scraps of dyed fabrics making used of frayed edges to give it texture and interest. I intend to stitch a couple more pieces in these colours and then join them together somehow.
This little piece is only 2 inches across and is made with all the dyed scraps which end up at the bottom of the pile. I find doing these tiny pieces very satisfying as they are relatively quick to do and I can play about with stitches. I have made quite a few of these and intend to keep them as a source of inspiration.
We also spent some time using transfer dyes. The dye is painted onto plain white paper and left to dry. The colours of the wet dye are quite dull and boring but when they have dried and been ironed or heat pressed onto synthetic fabrics the colours are very bright. For this piece I applied the dye to the paper with a piece of old sponge.
For this piece I splodged the dye onto the paper and then patted it randomly with my fingers. It reminds me of an underwater coral reef and I keep expecting a couple of fish to swim past!
This piece was made by ironing the dyed paper onto one fabric and then another. Each time the paper is ironed the colours fade. The brighter fabric was ironed onto Bondaweb and then shapes were cut out using a soldering iron, the paper backing removed from the Bondaweb and then ironed onto the paler fabric to give a very interesting effect. I want to stitch into this but need to be sure of my stitching because the fabric is shiny and will not be forgiving if any stitches have to be undone as the marks will show.
The January weekend of Experimental Textiles saw us spending a day playing with metal - foils, mesh, wire, washers, nuts and bolts etc. We then spend a day playing with painted Bondaweb and Tyvek. These pieces were made using Tyvek which had been cut and then heated with an iron so it bubbles and shrinks.
Happy New Year to everyone who may read this blog of mine.
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