Bones

 I have been trying to do a little sketching from my ‘bones’, as however difficult this is it does mean that you look more at the source. So here I, quite bravely, share some of my sketchbook work so far.

I couldn't resist making a printing block even though I was all set to keep to sketching.

I am lucky to have a new computer which is presenting something of a learning curve, but it is so fast and I at last agree with my sons, who have been telling me for a long time that I needed to get rid of the old one.

Lace

Marianne de Wit from the Netherlands was kind enough to comment on some of my work on Flickr. She also asked me about a possible swap. I am not involved in any swap groups at the moment and have no plan to be, but I was pleased to offer her a swap as she had been so pleasant on Flickr.

We both put up photos of items we were prepared to swap and  I chose a piece of lace, as other than being a self taught tatter years ago I have never made lace other than a needlelace bag for a City and Guilds piece years ago.

Marianne was kind enough to include these three pieces of very delicate and intricate lace.

In exchange she chose a really chunky and shaggy felted bag. The main body of the bag being merino wool and the outside wool being some I collected washed etc. from the fields on the cliff tops on the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. I was told by an experienced spinner that it was poor quality wool, only fit for rugs. But it was special as I gathered it from a special place, near the derelict schoolhouse where the film ‘Ryan’s’ Daughter’ was made.

Here is a link to Moira, a lady who made my day by having enjoyed the STITCHED workshop and producing some really imaginative work. Take a look.

'STITCHED'

In the first month an amazing 117 people have joined STITCHED. With 20 plus video workshops to watch, a wide variety of techniques are covered. So far I have had time to watch only a few. I think because it is the first video venture for many of the tutors they are really generous with the amount of time and detail they have included in the workshops.

I have found a number of good tips and ideas already.

My contribution is Make Your Mark with Stitch (Lets Play Noughts and Crosses) and I had some fun showing a simple monoprint method and adding stitch to make a stitched panel which could be used in a number of ways. Here I show it used as a bag front.
I realised part way into organizing the workshop that in some parts of the world they don't have any idea what the game of 'noughts and crosses' is, and not only that X's are not called crosses and 'noughts' is so old fashioned its like a foreign language; so as people have joined from all over the world its probably a mystery to them. Thank goodness for Wikipedia.

A number of firms have become involved and are offering prizes for the  regular draws which Alma is organizing.

The registration is open until May and the workshops available until June.
Click here to visit Alma Stoller.

Some burning will be involved.

 Its interesting reading peoples’ New Year resolutions and aims.  Most of us seem to start with the idea of a clean slate and some excitement at what we can achieve, lots of talk about getting those creative muscles working again. The trouble is that the internet, with all its great attributes, is such a distraction and consumer of time. Time I can usually justify as being well spent. It comes so much easier to flip through other people’s work, sometimes baffled, often in awe, rather than sit down and get myself to draw - even though this is usually where the real inspiration will come from.

These are my vague plans for the start of 2012, although I expect to get nicely sidetracked at some point. I received gift vouchers for the City Lit in London and have booked a short course, three Saturdays with Louise Baldwin. The theme is Transform/Change/Disintegrate. On a recent walk I was excited, yes its true, to find a partly decomposed rabbit skeleton. Wrapping the remains gently in dry grass I brought it home and gave it a good dose of disinfectant, I’m sure you are pleased about that.The ligaments contracted and were a bit eerie, and mostly I cut them off.

It really is almost painfully beautiful.These are some of the pictures I have taken so far.

I have a top of the range wood burning tool regifted by my son, who bought it for himself and thought I would make better use of it. So some burning will be involved.

I am inspired by Dorothy Caldwell’s work. I bought a Surface Design magazine recently in the hope that it would really feature her work, but there was not much about her. That is something that the internet is excellent for, as I can search through images of her work.

So, mark making, batik, encaustic and bleach.


I plan to keep to a neutral colour scheme, but as I am so drawn to using colour that will be really difficult.

 

So now I've put it in writing, some sort of commitment - we shall see.

'Memories are made of this.'

A little bit of tidying for the New Year. Feels better.

Link to Free Tutorials

Alma Stoller is the guest curator this week on CRESCENDOH(click on this link to have a look).

She has chosen  a number of tutorials from a variety of artists. If you haven't heard of the site it has lots of interesting bits and pieces and a regular selection of free tutorials.The header itself is really clever.

I am pleased to have one of my mini tutorials on decorated papers featured.

I have been  lucky to have a preview of some of the Stitched videos, and I can tell you that its probably worth joining just to find out how to make

Karen Ruane's Funky Puffs.

Click here to visit Alma Stoller.

Liebster

Earlier this month I was pleased to have been given this blog award by Deborah of Art Threads. It is always nice to know that someone out there is reading the blog and enjoying it




The Criteria: The Liebster is meant to showcase bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. This is all done in the spirit of pay-it-forward.
The Rules: You must mention and link to the person who awarded you the Liebster, and mention 5 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers who you think are worthy of the Liebster!

'Liebster' means "favourite" or "dearest" in German. This award originated in Germany.
I thought I would try and give you a variety of blogs. I do hope they have less than 200 followers, which is sometimes difficult to work out.

Small Caps is an interesting German letterpress blog.

Rough Around the Edges is Robin Olsen's blog in Oregon.

Emma is a true blogger, always out there commenting and full of enthusiasm.

Alisa Golden's blog is about handmade books; like me you may have some of her books. She is very generous with tips and techniques.

Noela Mills' work on Wabisabiart, is always worth a look to see her work,enjoy her travels and follow her links.

 Don't forget that you can have six months of video fun with Stitched Workshops:

Click here to visit Alma Stoller.

Sketchbook Challenge

Sketchbook Challenge, a photo by stitchworks-jackie on Flickr.

Trying for a weathered decayed surface look. Acrylic rolled off the block, tissue and a scrap of fabric on cotton rag paper.
I plan to stitch into this.

A nice surprise.

It was a surprise to be asked by Alma Stoller to be part of her Stitched workshops which starts in  January 2012 .She had been reading the blog and suggested that a focus for the workshop should be mark making with stitch, and as this is the way I usually embroider I was pleased to take up her suggestion.

I decided on a project using monoprint and stitch, to make a panel suitable as a bag front, a cushion/pillow front or as a picture added to a canvas panel.
Access to the video workshops is over six months, so I am looking forward to dipping in and out of the varied textile art sessions. I find this by far the best way to learn and have taken a few classes this year, as well as obsessively watching Encaustic DVDs and demonstrations.

 I’m sure there will be more encaustic experiments in 2012 and I really must do some more felting.

 So much to look ahead to, and no doubt I will get even more and varied inspiration from the Stitched workshops.

Click here to view more details of all twenty workshops.


I wish you all the best for the Christmas season and lots of creative inspiration for 2012.

Don't bin it.

Recently we had a bit of a sort out of our clutter box, you know the place where you put all those odds and ends and then completely forget not only where they are but when you see them what they were for in the first place.

Always be aware of the potential of these oddments for printing. These are some experiments on a sketchbook page first coloured with watercolour paints, but this could just as easily be done on a piece of fabric, perhaps coloured with a ‘thin’ fabric paint and printed with acrylics or fabric paint.

The sort of flower shape is a plastic insert from a jar of peppers; I suppose to stop the liquid inside spilling. This worked best with a stencil brush, although a piece of sponge is usually adequate.I have no idea what these other bits are.

In a paint programme you can use photos of these ‘prints’ to make digital brushes and then have hours of fun playing around with patterns and varied colour combinations.

 If you are not sure how to do this, I’m sure many of you know much more about it that I do, but for the rest do a search on the internet and you will find instructions.You could then take it further by treating your fabric with Ink Aid, or using ready prepared fabric and printing out your ‘designs’.

Endless cheap fun.
For more about Stitched video workshops click below or from the sidebar.
Alma has just announched the first giveaway, a Janome Sewing Machine.

Click here to visit Alma Stoller.

The Sketchbook Challenge

The Sketchbook Challenge: Images in a pile of plastic...: Sue B here... Sketchbook Challenge participant Jackie Bowcutt recently came across a pile of plastic waste that turned out to be inspir...

Sue was kind enough to highlight some of my pieces for December's challenge.

'Stitched' Workshops

I am delighted to have been asked to be part of Alma Stoller's new venture for 2012, 'STITCHED'.
 She has set up a site for fabric art videos which is crammed with information and just the thing to start the New Year with a creative rush.


STITCHED is a collection of 20 online video workshops by fabric artists with varied interests and talents. Alma's aim is to provide  workshops offering  high-value and high-content information to get you sewing, designing and creating.


Alma also has  the support of some well-known companies which will be providing  giveaway items and products for several lucky STITCHED members.

In addition, Alma is providing a full video workshop about Fabric Jewellry;you have probably seen her unique fabric beads.There will be 5 additional mini video workshops.

Each of the 20 main workshops has a printable pdf file which includes patterns and related instructions.
The workshops will be available for six months and through out that time there will  be online support from each of the experienced tutors.


Click here to view more details

Progress of a kind.

I seem to have galloped ahead with finishing the throw and think it will be a present for some unsuspecting person come Christmas.

I write with this little room in utter chaos as a BT engineer is due to arrive at the end of the week to upgrade our Broadband. I live in hope but not expectation of great things. My room is packed to the smallest corners with very useful bits and pieces which in no way can be thrown away and in the midst of this is the cabling for the computer, so I will leave the picture to your imagination. Its rather like an archaeological dig, going back in time with all the levels of  'experiments'. I even found a half finished 'knot garden' and marvelled at my tiny stitches.

If you would like to know how to tie a square knot properly, something which I think I have done incorrectly for years, and also why you should make the effort to get it right – then follow this link and if you are like me spend quite a bit of time until you get the satisfaction of getting it perfect. You will feel so proud of yourself! The whole site is worth a look and you can listen to Susan Mills book artist talk about her work.

Sketchbook Challenge - The Book.

Sue Bleiweiss



'my book!

I’m calling it my book but it really wouldn’t be a book without the generous and gifted artists who contributed their time and artwork to it. You could say that I’m excited about seeing the cover out on Amazon but that would be a pretty big understatement…


 I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jill Berry,Jackie Bowcutt,Laura Cater-Woods,Violette Clark,Jane Davies,Jamie Fingal,Judi Hurwitt,Tracie Lyn Huskamp,Susan Brubaker Knapp,Lynn Krawczyk,Leslie Tucker Jenison,Lyric Kinard,Jane LaFazio,Kim Rae Nugent,Kelli Perkins, Carol Sloan,Carla Sonheim,Kathy Sperino,Diana Trout,and Kathyanne White. Their contributions to the pages of this book make it a work of art. The book has a publication date of June of 2012 (hopefully it will come out a little sooner than that) but you can preorder on Amazon .'

So sometime in 2012 I'll be in print!

On with the Throw.

I am continuing with finishing the throw along the lines of Alisa Burke’s Free Motion
Graffiti class. It now has a blue backing, which was nearly fleece but then I found quite a heavy suiting material which feels like wool but is a polyester blend.

 I decided that the best way forward was to ‘tie’ the three layers together; which I have now done and am sewing on the binding. So this week it could be finished. I could have gone on with the free machining for weeks but decided enough was probably enough.

I have just bought some jewellery as presents from an Etsy seller in Holland. I can’t tell you more about it as I don’t want to spoil the Christmas surprise for the recipients, but I want to tell you that not only is it unique and lovely, but also thoughtfully and beautifully packaged. I found out about http://www.etsy.com/shop/jmsstudio    from another blog but can’t unfortunately remember whose.

If I have not got back to new followers or people who kindly left comments it is most likely down to the vagaries of Blogger.