Textile Challenge/ October Challenge - Vessel

This month's Challenge for the Textile Challenge Group is to construct a 3D vessel. Well, still in my 'fantasy' mode (which I will be for quite a while) I decided to try my hand at an oil lamp! The fabric is built up from a piece of felt with painted garden fleece stitched into it and then blasted with a heat gun. Unfortunately it was the wrong sort of felt, and didn't melt, but the garden fleece did, which made a nice crunchy surface. I then painted it bright red (don't ask why!) then started attacking it with all sorts of other paints, and finally with a pearly paint. (click on the pic. to see closeup of the surface) I then ironed some fusibile web on the back, and stuck some crunched up dark grey tissue paper down, to cover up all the mess!! I then cut out the pieces for the lamp (four in all, two sides, a top piece and a gusset piece for the bottom) and hand and machine stitched it all together. Then I edged most of the seams with a hand dyed flat metallic knitting yarn, put some beads on the inner edge - job done! The little felt knob represents where the flame would be!
I thought I would include these Faery Shoes as well, as part of the Challenge. Well they are 3D, and could be termed as vessels! They are about 3" long, and made from a pattern by Annette Emms, published on Workshop on the Web way back in March 2005! Again, felt based, covered in Indian cotton fabric, stitched etc. and the soles painted, to give them rigidity.

Trade in ATCs

A couple of weeks ago, I sliced a piece from my latest experiment and made two ATCs to swap with Dianne and Barbara (pix above). Well .............
Today I received this beauty from Di (last of her dragonflies - aren't I lucky) it is just gorgeous. Thanks Di, well worth waiting for. And .......
This beauty from Barbara. It is a piece of Barbara's experiment with Lutradur, and is just wonderful. Thanks so much Barbara. Finally .....
this is what the ATC from Barbara arrived in, together with some pieces of ribbon and lace. This envelope is something else - as you can see!! What a work of Art!

Small Fabric Book

Having recently been inspired by an article by Ruth Rae in Cloth Paper Scissors Issue 14 Sept./Oct.2007, I have been making another little fabric book. This measures the same as an ATC - three and a half inches by two and a half inches.
These are the eight pages/signatures I made which of course finished up as four double sided pages. (click on pic. to see them close up) I used some of my rust dyed fabric for the background. When I stitched them together I inserted narrow lace all around the edge and beaded them, as can be seen in the picture above.
I made the cover from left over pieces of a previous experiment with lace, but of course to make room for the pages I inserted a half inch spine between the front and back. I haven't finished the edges of the cover yet, or decorated it in any way - I am waiting for my muse to give me a helping hand!

Paint, lace and other stuff

I've been playing again with bits of lace, but added some fine netting, broderie anglaise, cheesecloth and gauze. The method used is similiar to the post I did on the 13th September, but the base is paper fabric I purchased from a florist shop. I am sending this piece to my friend who makes greeting cards, after having sliced off a small piece for a couple of ATCs!

Moon Magic - Kindred Spirits Exhib.2008

This is my first piece for our Exhibition next year under the theme Myths & Legends - and I am into fairies. This is a wall quilt measuring 2' x 3' (I have another three to do!!) I have tried to depict a night scene, with a full moon and a rather gothic flavour!
I dyed all the fabrics at the same time, at a 5 day Retreat with Patricia McLaughlin in January this year, when Patricia also showed us this technique of hand applique, where you apply the fabrics in a logical order to medium weight Vilene and then applique the whole piece onto the background. This is how the Gothic Castle was worked.
I also worked the Fairy in the same way, and both designs are from a Dover Publication of copyright free patterns. The fairy's dress is hand dyed silk using salt when the dye was still wet, and the wings are three layers of organza, made on the machine in a hoop, then cut out with a soldering iron (and I wiggled the iron on the wings a bit to make a pattern!)
The leaves are impressions of real ivy leaves I painted with opaque paint then pressed on the quilt. The whole quilt is free machine quilted, and there is quite a lot of metallic rub ons on the tree trunks. I've also used watered down Stewart Gill Galactica paint for the fairy dust!
I reckon I need a couple more 'bits' on there somewhere, perhaps along the bottom, but I mustn't make it too pretty, as it is supposed to be atmospheric and spooky like - hence the fairy's expression! Any suggestions.........?
And finally... I received this beautiful postcard from my friend Dot (who still hasn't got a Blog yet!) and she writes on the back "Have been trying my hand at printing, thought you'd like to see. Made the block from craft foam and printed with acrylics with some coloured pencil on top. Enjoy" The hand embroidery is just exquisite, and the poem at the bottom reads - Seasons come and seasons go but loving feelings stay, the treasures cherished in your heart can never fade away. Magic. Thanks again Dot.

Textile Challenges - September

This month's Challenge on the Textile Challenges Group was to make a 'Flexi-Bag' using Margaret Robert's free pattern published by Fibre & Stitch on line magazine. I used Mags. idea generally, but I did make up a 'quilt' with no raw edges, then free-machine quilted it, then stitched the edges to form the bag. I put the three layers together (wadding down first, then lining and top fabric right sides together on the top) and stitched all round, leaving the straight edge open. Trimmed all round close to the seam, turned right side out, turned the straight edge in and slipped stitched in place.

The free-machine quilting actually follows the shapes etc. of the various colours in the fabric. I used a commercial fabric and YLI metallic thread.

Lutradur and other stuff

Last week, Carol in Scotland sent me a piece of Lutradur and some other more gossamer coloured pieces, to experiment with......... Following Carol McFee's article in the Fibre & Stitch Zine (on line magazine) and using the Lutradur, I first stitched down pieces of lace (some beaded pieces) and gauze (previously painted for another project - couldn't find my white stuff!) then painted all over the back with mixed red and blue acrylic paint. Let it dry....
Then painted the front half red and half white. Let it dry.. then painted all over with a very watered down yellow pearl paint. Let it dry....
Then washed it all over with a watery red dye/ink, followed by a Stephens Ink watery blue wash, which I hoped would turn it purple. It didn't, but I am quite happy with the result!

From this experiment I have two postcards and an A5 piece, for the Kindred Spirits Exhibition next May.

This is a piece of the other stuff Carol sent me. As you can see it is mauve and very see-through (gossamer but stiff) I stitched bit of knobbly lace and gauze on it, as before, and painted the back. All same process, at the same time as other piece.
I went through the same process of colour stages, but painted yellow opaque on some of the blue, which gave me the green. As you can see, no traces of the original mauve colour (if it is there, it blends very nicely with the other colours)
I made two more postcards. This one has blue felt at the back, and the one below has green felt. The subtle change is very interesting.
The piece left over from this experiment makes a perfect first signature (page) for the Book Cover I made (Secret Garden) a couple of months back. I shall be using some other colours for more signatures. More stuff for Kindred Spirits Exhibition.

Many thanks again Carol for your generosity.