I’ve had a busy week so far. I was pleased with myself this morning having remembered how to set up a DVD slide show for my group next week; we are going to start a project on Map Art/Memory Maps. Thanks to the generosity of people on the web and great links to artists on people’s blogs I found some really interesting images to inspire them. I’ve bought some clay so we will be working with that and maps from a charity shop. I went to a mini workshop earlier this year with Kim Pilgrim who used the idea of Memory Maps, and she said it was OK for me to use the idea with the clients of the day centre where I work. I am quite excited about it and hope they are too.
These images are linked to another project. More about that if it comes to fruition. I wonder if all this activity is to deal with my disappointment about the evening classes. No, I just think that I easily move on.
I think I mentioned before that I paid to download a video lesson by Alisa and these are the results of using her graffiti style using my snow writing symbols.
The cotton had been mordanted in alum a long time ago; in fact when I gave up on the tempting idea of natural dyeing feeling that I didn’t really have enough space or energy. I have washed these pieces and the colour seems stable, although it may fade with time.
At the moment I am working on designs and samples for an evening class and two creative textile workshops I hope to run starting in September. The evening class will be about using Ethnic textiles as a design source for an embroidered panel. A lot of work if not enough people sign up for them to run but it keeps me busy. The classes and workshops will be at The Hurst Community College near Tadley, Hampshire (0118 9811611).
This is a stitched piece which I recently completed using the ‘snow writing’ symbols.
The symbols were printed out onto calico from the computer. I have found that using A4 labels to carry the fabric through the printer works well. I then machined the fabric using a double needle, which made it curl round like a book spine which I liked. I intend to keep it like that and with the loose threads at the edges.
As you see the beads are made from book pages .I then hand stitched with some slips of silk added in places. The symbols were the starting point and also looking at samples from the past in which I had stitched and included paper beads. I will post pictures of the samples next time. Sometimes its hard to remember where you started and keep track of how ideas come together; and equally of how they disappear at other times.
It was one of a series with 'blue' titles ie Lavender Blue. It is worked on a silk background and uses carrier rod silk strips which I painted and used Iridescent Tinting Medium to add some sparkle. The stitching is mainly Cretan Stitch, with some machining and seeding. Carrier rods are lovely to use and fairly cheap; you can turn them from something quite ugly into something fine and tactile. 
I’m also getting the bits and pieces ready for the next short workshop which I am organizing on Wednesday 24th June at Doodles craft shop in Tadley near Basingstoke.
I know you would really have liked a picture of the cake but I didn’t want to make your mouths water too much.
This is an old book illustration transferred to a piece of canvas with acrylic medium and then painted with acrylics.
This is not an advert for Boots The Chemists but rather a warning, if you know you are about to do something stupid, try to stop yourself. Listen to that sensible voice inside. I decided to make a print pad from a dried up embossing pad. What a good idea, and I would use a cheap blade not my good one. You can tell by the pic that this was not a good idea. After cutting myself I used a sponge instead.
