20 cards

some weather inspired motifs for my card challenge...

20 cards

I'm combining my recycling challenge and 20 cards challenge...

I loved this idea of using handmade felt and papers and black thread. I'm still hopefully of using these squares (created for Exhibition 2008) but I have decided to recycle the idea and make things a little bigger for my 20 cards project...

20 cards

I used to make hand stitched cards, some I sold, most I gave away. Some are original designs, lots are cross stitch, most were only stitched once and so were unique in either case.

lots of Christmas cards

These were all stitched between 2003 and 2005.

I do like making cards, especially this size, the aperture is only 2cm x 2cm

And so, as I need yet another project/challenge, I'm going to use up my stash of cards and envelopes and make 20 cards... some will be given as Christmas presents (assuming I get them made before Christmas), others for my own use.

My sketchbook doodlings...

I think my new love of felt may be a dominant theme...

ArtCubes

I bought a fat quarter of Terri Stegmiller's ArtCubes fabric at Two Creative Studios.

I love black & white and grids... how could I resist.

Not sure what I'm going to do with it!

I like the idea of painting it and then stitching and embellishing. Making them into individual pictures. Each picture is 1.25" x 1.25".

I love teeny tiny too...

I could also incorporate it into my Black & White fabric book.

Black & White Fabric Book - the back side page

My chicken scratch handwriting in context along with the back side back stitch portrait in my black and white fabric book. More to do on these pages...

I'm having a clear up (out)

I found this grid sampler I started (I think) in 2004. Its unfinished but I think it is a perfect addition to my Black and White fabric book. If I complete 3 more squares it will fit the 6" x 6" format of the book.

Black & White Fabric Book - ATCs

I have been making some ATCs to go into the pocket pages of my Black & White fabric book. They aren't quite finished yet...

This one is crystal and white beads strung onto 'invisible' thread then knitted then couched onto black handmade felt. I need to finish the blanket stitch around the edges and add a label.

This one is calico printed with a leaf and black acrylic paint. The central motif is knitted wire which then has a black metallic thread woven through it. A glam fuzzy thread is couched around it (to tidy the edges!).

I have two more in progress but they are not ready for a close up...

Black & White Fabric Book - Blackwork Hand

I have made some progress on my Black and White fabric book. I have added more swirls to my blackwork hand...


I'm twisting wire (gauge 28) into swirls and couching it down as a background to the hand. I have added some tied thread too.

more to do...

Black & White Fabric Book - Portrait Page

I looked out some materials and looked through my old notes and some new ones and decided on a course of action.

I'm currently enjoying the back side of my work and I want to include this in my book. I choose a Modigliani inspired portrait which I found as a colouring page on www.enchantedlearning.com.

I actually found it in April 2005 (as part of my research for a C&G project... another story), I can't seem to find it on there now.

I LOVE Modigliani portraits. The lines are beautiful - curves and angles.


The back side of my piece has a scratchy jaggy feel to it.


I'm very pleased with this. I may do ...

Motivate Me - Part 3

In an effort to drag myself out of my creative blah (or at least to make me feel like I'm doing something) I'm going to list some motivational tools...

Looking back at my Take a Stitch Tuesday samples I wondered how I managed to produce so many, consistently, for several months.

One of the reasons, I think, is that I had a pile of fabric cut to size and all my threads were organised into boxes by colour. I simply picked up a piece of fabric and my box of threads and stitched... small and portable.

I also set myself some initial rules...

1. Spend less than 15mins gathering together materials and researching the stitch
2. Use 6"x4" fabric but don't get hung up on the type of fabric!
3. If a stitch is sewn then blog it no matter how 'unfinished'
4. DO NOT JUDGE
5. Don't spend any money!

This worked well until I got out of synch and the backlog grew...

To learn from this I planned to prepare some fabric and have a small selection of threads to hand. But what to stitch?

I considered starting a band sampler, revisiting my favourite Take a Stitch stitches (nothing challenging!)

But then, whilst looking out some threads I saw my Black & White fabric book. I posted the original idea for this book on 25th November 2006 (its actually older that Toddler Girl!).

"This project was first started at the end of July (before Baby Girl). I bought the Pam Sussman book, Fabric Art Journals, during the summer and loved it. I have messed around with constructing paper books but not fabric. I decided to try and construct a book using the simple binding technique shown in the book. This has to be a small pick up and put down project and will be handstitched. I have limited myself to black & white fabrics and threads (left over from a City & Guild piece) and bought myself some wadding. It will show lots of different stitches and techniques and I can use it as a sampler (for C&G purposes and for future reference)."

oh.. best laid plans!

I'm going to dust it off and do some small stitching...

Karen's starburst

I made this for my friend Karen. It measures 4.5" x 4.5"

The cover is 'felted' silk tops (i.e. holey) stitched over a piece of sparkle organza. I forgot to take a photo of the back which is handmade paper, painted with some silk paints and with a bit of Lumiere blue paint sponged on top.

The inside is folded papers (mostly 'normal') so when the book opens up it looks like an accordion book but more star like... I maybe should have taken a photo of that too!

Here is the profile...


I included some small photos, felt and an ATC.

The book design is called Starburst and is taken from Making Books That Fly, Fold, Wrap, Hide, Pop Up, Twist, & Turn: Books for Kids to Make by Gwen Diehn.

In fact the front cover of the book shows a starburst book.

more sketchbook pages on Flickr

I've managed to upload photos of the sketchbook for my City & Guilds accessories project.

ATC

These are the ATCs I produced for the Yahoo City & Guilds swap. The fabric is mostly calico which I dyed using silk paints. I used a variety of stitches, mostly from Take a Stitch Tuesday. I really enjoyed making these cards, especially assembling the different fabrics and layers. I'm also really pleased with the colour effects - a change from all the black & white!

We have a new camera charger, so when I get a chance I'll take a photo of the ATCs I received in the swap.

No camera!

The battery charger for our camera is broken. Another one has been ordered and will hopefully arrive by the end of next week. Until then I can't take photos of my recent progress... honest I have been stitching!

* I've added more stitching to the applique page of the fabric book. Its looking so much better. It looks like I've doodled over the gingham circles.
* I've started to embellish the blackwork hand page of the fabric book. I'm twisting wire (gauge 28) into swirls and couching it down as a background to the hand. I think I'll try drawing swirls on the fabric and also threading small beads onto the wire before twisting it.

I worked on these pages separately, but both contrast straight lines with curves. Which I find quite pleasing.

*I've started the seam treatment page of the fabric book too. Instead of using actual seams I've drawn lines onto the fabric which I'll stitch over. I'm cheating, but I don't have time to re learn how to use my sewing machine!

* I've completed my Take a Stitch Tuesday running stitch sample. As usual its linear in design. I hope to do another one using circles and ovals.

sneak preview

My ATCs are finished and are ready for posting. Here they are in their mulberry paper skipcovers.

These are for a swap on the Yahoo City and Guilds textile group. I really enjoyed making these. I used fabric and threads that I created whilst experimenting with silk dyes on calico. Once they have been received by my swap partners I'll post a photo (and a photo of the cards I've received in return).

fabric book inspirations

Some ideas from Baby Girl's fabric books

Encouraging interaction with the reader:-
*Holes and something to pop through them
*Move and pull
*Spin (a stud popper holds the spinner on and lets it spin- genius!)

pop ups (cardboard sandwhich)

and of course the usual crinkly fabric, flaps, squeakers and texture

to do - seam treatments

to do

*ATC for Yahoo swap
*action plan for green fields throw (I MUST I MUST I MUST)
*some black and white stuff!
*prepare fabric, plan and start stitching cover to stitch dictionary
*catch up with Take a Stitch Tuesday - cross stitch and barred chain

New project!

I've signed up for an ATC swap with my City & Guilds textile group on Yahoo. I need to have them ready for posting on 4th May. I'm not sure how many I need to make yet as it depends on how many of the group sign up. I would like to have a theme. Ideas I've considered:-

* trees. I'm really taken by branches and tree structures and shapes at the moment.
* Baby Girl's stuff. I've been taking some photos of her clothes and toys. There are some lovely stitch ideas (e.g. reverse applique with a ribbon embroidery outline).
* photo manipulation and fabric transfer printing.

However the idea I think I will go with involves the stitch samples I've done for Take a Stitch Tuesday. I want to take my favourite use of the stitch and use it in an ATC. Or maybe I should try a fresh idea with the stitch (inspired by the other participants). I would have a common colour scheme (hopefully not black and white) to unify the set.

Since many of the swap participants read this blog I won't say anymore on. I'll post photos in mid May!

Another two weeks have past....

I've managed to catch up and post my Take a Stitch Tuesday stitching. But I've made no further progress on my fabric book. I need to prepare some more pages and then I can easily pick them up and stitch when I get some spare time. Firstly, I need to prepare some white fabric for my seam treatment page. This will involve adding texture to white calico and then piecing them together to produce this:-
Secondly, I need to get some pretreated fabric that I can run through my printer. I know I can soak my own fabric but it seems abit of a phaff as I only want to do a small amount of printing at the moment. For example my Introduction page for the Black & White book. Which I've still to write!

I've also been thinking of stitching a cover for my stitch dictionary which is evolving with the Take a Stitch Tuesday challenge. I plan to pick my favourite use of each stitch and produce a linear sampler which I can cover my book with. I want to do this as the challenges progresses. So I need to measure out my fabric and get stitching!


I have loads of other stuff to do, but I'm too tired to list!