Textile Butterfly

Leibster love...

2012-02-12T16:48:00.008Z

...from the lovely Penny at Tanglewood Threads! Thanks Penny!! :-)))

Penny creates the most delicious stitching....

...and has THE most GORGEOUS rusty-puppy-dogs in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!

She also posts beautiful pictures of her home territory way up there in Canada.

This award is for blogs with less than 200 followers and when you receive it the idea is that you...

1. Thank the giver and link back to their blog.
2. Reveal your 5 top picks and leave a comment on their blog.
3. Copy and paste the award onto your blog.
4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love too.

So ....

...here we go....

1) ...is for my beautiful and lovely friend Kim!..who does amazing things with hot irons and other such tools...and then shows us on her Hot Textiles blog!

2) ..is for Diane whose blog always has yummy pics of her beautiful dyed creations...

3) ...is for Jill of Bois-fleurie who is showing others how to make lovely cloth dolls...

4) ...is for Jan over at SilverMoonbird who also dyes beautiful bits and had a giveaway that I won!!!

5) ...is for Shelley aka Mermaid's Purse who has the very cutest yo-yo caterpillar on display right now!

Isn't this blog community a great place to be?!! :-)))))

..the time thief's been around again!

2012-02-09T13:43:00.003Z

..too much to do...

...so little time....

Goodness knows where Tuesday went...between filling in forms for someone....going to the hairdressers to be tidied-up....printing songsheets....and going to choir...

...it just disappeared!

So did Wednesday for that matter, but at least we had a couple of hours out of the house doing nice moochy-about-things at the flea market in Abergavenny :-)

Not much to show except this....

...the final one in the series...

...in Salmon Pink & Grey.

Hopefully I'll have a bit more going on next time :-o

a little house finished...

2012-02-05T15:28:00.006Z

Here's the first one (of the latest that is!)...

...based on a little Breton cottage...

...with it's lace curtains (antique French lace found on the market in Mirepoix last year) and blue door.

...a close-up shows the hand-stitching a bit better....

....not sure about the roof though...

...I'm working a few sample pieces with tiles and other bits....

Tea & Leaf Tuesday ....

2012-01-31T14:05:00.006Z

It's winter outside...

...and properly this time....

...white fluffy stuff and icicles! :-)

It looks so pretty...

...and so does this teeny tiny little Brambly Hedge Winter set...

..containing a very small amount of my M&S Spiced Winter tea (again!) (I LOVE IT!!!)

And for the leaf...

...I've been drawing again...

...another little house that will soon be stitched.

(..and I couldn't resist including a couple of Carolyn's crystal snowflakes in the piccies...they fit so well with outside right now :-)

Damned computers!!

2012-01-28T11:22:00.006Z

As I said in the previous post....

...the STITCH magazine article is out...

...and the new shop on line Wednesday evening....

Well, the best laid plans of mice and men of course.....

My poor Bloke, who's worked like a little (well maybe not so little) Trojan over the last god-knows-how-many months to get the website and shop up and running....

...despite having to go through a load of chemotherapy...

...various nasty surgical procedures....

..including being separated from his big toenails (ouch!!)...

...THEN discovered that the shop had a few "technical hitches"...

...for him to sort out...

...just when he thought it was done and dusted :-O !!!

It never ceases to amaze me how the absence of a single letter "s" can throw Internet Explorer into conniption fits....

...and that if you want something to be £15, you have to set a threshold four decimal places to the left ...(or is it right?)

Anyway, after all his hair grew back, he's now been tearing it out again....

...but it looks like it's sorted. Phew!

DAMNED COMPUTERS!!!

Anyway, while he's been doing that...

...I've been doing this...

..making tracks with the final "Tribal Cloth" sample in salmon/pink/grey.

As you can see, I'm on the beading, which is going to take me quite a few hours, but is well worth the effort as it makes the piece look sumptuous!

I've also been fiddling with a few more of these little ones...

..and will have a little pile of them to put together fairly soon.

I've almost finished the first little Breton house too....

...will post that as soon as the stuffing's done :-)

...Tribal.....STITCH....

2012-01-24T17:04:00.006Z

For those of you that subscribe....

...you will have seen my little "Tribal Cloth" project in the Feb/Mar issue of "Stitch" magazine.

The original has a deep red colour central panel....

...quite a bit of hand-stitching...

...and lots and lots of beads!

There is a "Project Pack" available over in the shop....

...along with some others that follow the same stitch-plan......

...but are done in a green/yellow colour combo....

...and in purple too.

I'm working on another one.....in salmon/pink/grey, but it'll be next week before that's done!

I had such a good time working these pieces....

...I hope everyone else does too! :-)

(ps the shop URL will be changing tomorrow evening. From then on, it will be part of www.mabonarts.co.uk, rather than BigCartel. Service will be just the same though :-))))

Tea & Leaf Tuesday ....

2012-01-24T14:53:00.005Z

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

...it's tea time again...

...and after a busy morning, I'm glad to be sitting here with my Earl Grey!

Notice the thing in the background there?

My new toy which will make things a bit easier as far as jewellery bits are concerned.

And on my leaf....

...a little cut piece of painted Vilene sitting on top of some heat-bonded Angelina fibres.

I've not played much with this stuff...

...it's certainly interesting......

Should have some results before too long.....

Fa la la la la.....

..house stitching begins...

2012-01-22T14:16:00.004Z

I have managed to get a few things out of the way over the last few days...

...so that I could have a bit of time today...

...to make a start on those little Breton houses I showed you in the last post but one :-)

I have a couple of different approaches in mind...

...but started one to be stuffed.

I drew a full sized one on plain paper using a black Sharpie, then put it on the lightbox with fabric over the top. I just used a fine (0.5mm) 2B pencil to get the lines...

...the stitching will cover those well enough...

I made sure I put a piece of tea-bag-type paper on the back before beginning to stitch, as this gives the fabric a bit of stiffening and makes it a lot easier to manoeuvre on the machine. (Which is great for me because I hate using a hoop!)

I'm using some hand-dyed fabrics for these little houses...

..I like the warmer tones better than a flat cream :-)

The stitching is going to take a while...

...and I mustn't forget to BREATHE!!!!

..in print again!...

2012-01-18T16:54:00.004Z

The "Valentines" issue of Popular Crafts is out now...

...and my project is the very first one in there!!

It's a little cross-stitch heart on the front of a felt pocket...

...just the thing to hold a special note for that special someone :-)

The cross-stitch panel is available as a kit in my shop.

Tea & Leaf Tuesday ....

2012-01-17T11:20:00.006Z

Here we are again...

I can't believe it's been a whole week since the Brambly Hedge "Winter" cup was used for that lovely M&S "Winter Spiced" tea!

It's been a really hectic week, taken up with hospital visiting...

...finishing off textile pieces for another couple of magazine articles...

...AND sorting out a veritable MOUND of music for choir tonight.

Of course, that's exactly when the printer decides to play up isn't it?!!!

Never mind....it's all done...(apart from the writing of the articles :-o )...

...and I can now sit down with an orient flavoured Japanese Sencha....

...in one of the beautiful little tea-tasting bowls given to me by my Bloke for Christmas :-)

It doesn't look much when dry, but after steeping you can see all the full leaves and flower heads in it.

It is delicate and delicious.

On my leaf this time....

....I have placed a little sketch.

I have another little book on the go...

...getting filled-up with "little houses" that will (eventually) get turned into stitched and/or stuffed pieces.

This was done from a photo I took whilst living in Brittany....

...where they have such beautiful little houses....

(a lot of which have been captured and are sitting on my hard-drive or cd's!)

..if I can get my writing out of the way soon....I can begin stitching this one by the weekend....

...I'll enjoy that...

Punching, painting and printing....

2012-01-13T15:28:00.013Z

A mixed bag this post....

...a bit of punching...

...in the form of Kyrgyz designs, normally found as felt, but done with a punchneedle instead.

Here's the back of one I'm currently working on...

..which will look like this when it's done, stabilized and cut around.

And here's a medallion type to go with the longer "scroll" designs.

I have to do quite a few of each as I'm aiming for quite a large wall hanging.It'll be about 1m 80 tall and 80 - 90 cms wide. The Kyrgyz (shyrdak) pieces will take up two strips with other stitching (or whatever) in the other 4. I'm waiting on the delivery of some Uzbek ikat woven cloth too....for "something" :-)

I've started a little "sketchbook" for this project...

...with designs painted in lovely bright colours...

I DO love working in my books!...

...it allows me to think on paper and ideas just seem to happen!

My other little book is quite different....

...and this is where the printing comes in....done with these little chaps...

.."Eye Idols" from Tel Brak....the originals of which have been included in Robyn's post.

(If you're interested, have a look at Dijanne's blog too.She's done a lovely panel featuring the same pieces.)

The front cover with it's pair of staring eyes...

...and a few pages...

This is the same book that has that Mesopotamian pottery design in. The one that I showed here.

I'm putting all kinds of "ancient near eastern" stuff in it......

...but whether they'll turn into textiles...and if they do what form they'll take...

..I have not a clue! :-)

Tea & Leaf Tuesday ....Jan 10th 2012

2012-01-10T14:03:00.005Z

Here's the first "proper" Tea & Leaf Tuesday posting....

.....but which bit do I show first?

The tea, I suppose....because it comes first in the title...

So, this Tuesday, I'm sipping "Winter Spiced" (teabags) from Marks & Spencer...

...quite generous with the cardamom and citrus...

..but not very interesting to look at.

Luckily, Nance, my friend and singing collaborator has generously loaned me some treasures out of her display cupboard. Precious presents from her Mother, Doll, who buys her these beautiful things, then tells her to "sell them" because they're worth something!

She DOESN'T sell them of course...they're too gorgeous...

...and then I can borrow them to show you my tea in this "Brambly Hedge - Winter" cup and saucer :-)

Just look at the lovely little mouse on the back of the cup!

Isn't he soooooo sweet :-)))

I swear that the Winter Spiced tea tastes even better in this Winter cup...

(although there's no sign of anything remotely "wintery" going on outside at the minute)

Alongside the tea, I have my leaf...

...and on it, is something that is carrying on from the last posting (sort of).

I'm thinking about symbols....especially sun symbols....

...here's my own "sun symbol" ... painted on a flat pebble.

I've used a red ochre colour paint, because it's the colour found on many ancient artifacts.

I like that.

A continuation...

....stitching symbols....looking back...looking forward...

2012-01-08T10:43:00.017Z

Ok......so it HAD to be done...

Penny was right...

...I wouldn't be able to resist turning some of those sketchbook images into stitched "somethings"!

The first had to be the sun...

..stitched onto exhaust-dyed cotton with brown hand-dyed thread.

(The "exhaust" being the leftover juice after dying the brown thread)

The next two are a mystery to me...

...and if anyone can tell me what the symbols represent, I'd be most grateful :-)

Here are a few more pages that may well inspire something later on..

January, the month of Janus, seems to have prompted quite a lot of "looking back" this year. Many bloggers are talking about it, and I can see myself joining their numbers.

I find that most of what I do is inspired by what has gone before. Old traditions that are, sadly, being lost to us now in our world of fast-moving technology.

So many arts and crafts and skills are disappearing because of the changes in people's lifestyles and requirements.

I noticed in Morocco...high up in the Atlas mountains....Berber villages, small clusters of houses...crowned with satellite dishes!

Time that would have been spent doing traditional hand-crafts is now taken up watching TV, and, with more cheap, mass-produced items available to buy, less importance is being placed on hand-made things.....even to the point where something that is bought has a higher perceived value.

The textiles that were so prized in tribal cultures are now to be found in auctions on Ebay, and being sold in shops specializing in such things. The buyers are mostly "westerners" who cannot get enough of the things that the original owners are quite happy to sell. Those of us that collect, therefore, are becoming the custodians of past hand-made treasures.

I certainly feel very sad that women in these (loosely) "tribal" cultures, are no longer inclined to stitch as they used to do.... (although I am aware of a number of groups that have been set up to give women the opportunity to produce textiles for sale in order to give themselves a much-needed income - in Iran and Afghanistan especially)...and have, recently, been spending time working with designs from far afield.

I get an immense amount of pleasure out of stitching something that I know would have been done by another woman 50, 100, or 200 years ago....

...and it is a path I will continue to follow.

I will walk with these women. They will be my companions as I sit and stitch.

I certainly thought about them whilst making these small bands in Ukrainian cross-stitch...

I like the feeling of being "connected"...

...and of carrying on traditions, even though, originally, they may not have been from my own culture.

We are living in fast-moving times, yet there are still many things we can gain from "looking back", and I was heartened to speak to a number of lovely ladies at The Knitting & Stitching Show at Harrogate....who were looking for "stitchy" things to do with (mostly) their grand-daughters. Many had similar memories to my own...of women in their families knitting or embroidering, and passing on these skills to their daughters and nieces.

I hope that, somehow, us textile-lovers here in Blogland, can help the younger generation find the same enjoyment in working with fabrics and threads as we do.

Tea & Leaf Tuesday ....

2012-01-03T13:10:00.008Z

A New Year...

...a new look to Tuesdays!

I wanted to continue with the tea theme, but I think it needed a bit of a change...

...so from today, the first Tuesday of 2012, I'll be doing "Tea & Leaf Tuesday" postings.

What does this mean? I hear you ask....

Well, obviously there is still the "tea" element, although there may not be a "special" tea each week....

...it's getting a bit expensive, and I'm also running out of cupboard space :-o

And the "leaf" bit?....

It's just that....a leaf...but with a purpose.

I've made one out of my hand-dyed "Landscape Tissue", and stitched the veins on the sewing machine. The idea is that each Tuesday, along with my cup of tea, I'll be making something to put on the leaf.

This may be a bit of stitched textile....or paper quilting....or collage...or anything else that happens to be happening at the time.

The only requirement is that it doesn't overhang the edges!

So, here's my leaf...

..that will be a regular feature from now on :-)

And today's tea..."Prince Vladimir" by Kusmi.

Yes! It worked!

After verbally hinting a number of times...

...leaving notes with the Kusmi website address around the place...

...leaving the site up on the computer screen.....

...Santa got the message and brought me a pack of "Russian" teas!! :-D

Delicious this one is too...

...and feels really special in that darling little porcelain teacup, with a tiny saucer and porcelain spoon made by Julie Turner.

(I must admit to be terrified of the very delicate handle, but it's a lot stronger than it looks....although it does remind me of a doll's tea-set I had as a child.)

I hope you'll join me for tea on Tuesdays...

...I do so enjoy your company! :-)

New Year...new paths to explore...

2012-01-01T11:16:00.007Z

First of all, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year...

...and I hope that everyone has a creative time in 2012!

Well...2011 was quite a year for me...

...with lots of wonderful and amazing things happening...

...and opportunities presenting themselves around every corner :-)

There were also some health issues lurking around in the background...

...but, hopefully, we'll be over them soon.

2012 is getting me all excited already!

There are so many things that I have lined-up to do...

...new products to get out there...

...a new body of work to be done (a lot larger than I've done before too!)...

...and new paths to explore.

Those of you that have been visiting for a while will know that I have a fascination for all things "tribal" and "traditional"...

....and this is set to continue, but with visits to places hitherto not visited.

Here are a few pages I'm working on in a "re-purposed book"...

...an old copy of "When Jays Fly to Barbmo"...

..with pages glued together, covered in gesso and then tinted with walnut ink.

The edges of each page has been whip-stitched with hand-dyed thread.

A suitable book for a study of Sami drums...

... with bits of mythology and poetry too...

I've no idea whether any of these will ever end up as a textile....

..or anything else...

...I'm just enjoying the journey....

...textile fix at Artique...

2011-12-21T10:27:00.011Z

It came as a lovely surprise...

...to find myself driving through the Gloucestershire countryside....

...en route to Tetbury!

What with Bloke hobbling around in flip-flops, I didn't think we'd be going anywhere this side of the new year. But, it was forecast to be "not too cold"...and, more importantly "dry"....so, with a virtual guarantee of no cold wet socks....off we went.

It's so easy to convince oneself that one ABSOLUTELY NEEDS some new pieces of inspirational embroidery/textiles in order to prepare workshops (or anything else) isn't it?

Therefore, Artique became THE destination again....

...the last trip out in 2011 providing delightful piccies for my last blog post until January....

Sit back and drool!

(I'm saving the rest for 2012!)

Have a wonderful festive period...

...keep happy and safe....

See you next year :-)

x Chris

Just a quickie...

2011-12-20T17:40:00.002Z

Only just got back from a lovely day out...

...so no tea posting today...

...but there'll be a textile one tomorrow :-)

Sketchbook bits...

2011-12-16T11:15:00.003Z

Just playing about with some new ideas/themes...

Small stitched samples inspired by...

...ancient pottery from Mesopotamia...

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Spiced Winter Tisane..

2011-12-13T15:17:00.005Z

While we were at Harrogate, it was simply necessary to have tea at "Betty's"!

It was also necessary to buy a couple of the specials that were there for Christmas :-)

So, today I'm having Betty's Spiced Winter Tisane...

A delightful mix of spices, citrus peel and flowers...

..that makes a pale rose-coloured brew...

...just the thing on a snowy, cold day...

...especially when served-up in an M&S snowflake Christmas tisane cup :-)))

Choir party tonight...

...a glorious gathering of like-minded souls....

...and probably a little bit of singing ...

...bits...

2011-12-11T16:14:00.009Z

Another bit of "retail therapy" at Harrogate...

...resulted in the purchase of one of these.

...a lucet for making cord.

I'm intending to use the cord for couching in the next body of work...(I'll be saying more about this over the coming weeks)

...and the process is so enjoyable to do :-)

(Once you've got started that is!!)

Here's a piece of punchneedle work that I managed to get done during the 4 days of the show...

...a bit of a miracle really, considering the number of times I stopped and started in between talking and showing how it's threaded or done.

Ne'er mind though. There are a lot of people who bought an "UltraPunch" tool...

...and should be happily punching away by now :-)

Back here, stitching has also been happening.

Small squares...

..with both stitching and lots of beads...

...that will be joined together to form a much larger finished piece.

...touchdown!..

2011-12-08T13:58:00.016Z

At last....a chance to sit down and sort out a blog-post!

It's been a very full couple of weeks since I posted last....

1) Preparations for the show at Harrogate.
2) Getting to the show and setting up the stand.
3) Being at the show.
4) Getting the stand down and packed into the vehicle. (Nightmare parking at the venue!!)
5) Getting back home again - LATE!
6) Having to go to the last rehearsal almost immediately.
7) Unpacking everything and parking it back in the spare bedroom.
8) Getting through the concert on the Saturday. (Went VERY well and everyone was pleased!)
9) Singing at Llanfrynach Village Hall again on Sunday.
10) Hospital appointment for himself on Monday.
11) Taking himself to a different hospital on Tuesday - to be surgically separated from his toenails!!!
12) Taking himself back to that hospital to have dressings changed yesterday.
13) Sit down and blog today :-)

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease say I'm forgiven for not being around here much!

Anyway, Harrogate was BRILL!

Before the s,how I'd more or less decided that this would be a one-off. It's a long way and it suffered from snow problems last year.

However, Sunday morning saw me tripping down to the organiser's office clutching my re-booking form for 2012....and very happy to be doing so.

I must have talked almost non-stop for the four days...(no surprises there sya those of you that know me!)...

..and met a lot of wonderful people...including a couple of bloggers.....

Jackie from DogDaisyChains and Alex from UnderATopazSky

I won't just be exhibiting/trading next year either...

I've been asked to do workshops at both Festival of Quilts and Harrogate...

...so LOTS of preparations will be underway soon....

...seeing as I'm doing workshops for "Vilene" at Fashion Embroidery and Stitch in March too....making some pendants or earrings like these, and these.

There are more things in the pipeline, but I'll spill on those at a later date :-)

Of course, one cannot possibly go to a Knitting & Stitching Show without making just a few little purchases can one?

Here are my indulgences from Slow Loris Textiles, who will be selling more goodies here at World Textile Day in 2012.

Some Miao embroidery...

...with reverse applique....

...tiny pieces of folded and stitched fabric with peking knots..

More Peking knots and couched threads...

Metal tape embroidery with more peking knots...

...and some tiny, tiny cross stitching!

These were selected not simply because they're gorgeous....

...but as reference pieces....

More to tell on the weekend...

..a bit of stitching to show at last!!

2011-11-18T19:19:00.005Z

Sorry to all of you who've left messages/comments...

...I've just not had the time to respond as I normally do.

And I must also apologise for failing to visit blogs too :-(

It's been barking here!

I have managed to get these few samples done though....

...I can here Penny thinking...."at last!"...

I promised to show these quite some time back now!

All needle-punched with hand-dyed threads and just a few beads.

Hand-made bezels from Artbase on Etsy

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Fruits Rouges

2011-11-15T15:27:00.003Z

A kind of "cheat" again today...

...tea-bag style...

This one has been a firm favourite of mine for quite a few years now though...

Twinings "Fruits Rouges", Facon Crumble....

...not available in Blighty...only found in France :-(

But, it's ok....

...a good excuse to have to go back and get some! :-)

Tastes of red fruits....

...smells of crumble topping.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Baskets of bobbins...

2011-11-14T17:52:00.007Z

I've hardly had time to spit since the last posting here!

Harrogate looms.....

...and kits need to be assembled.

The printers have been going into meltdown....

...and the little quill winder has done sterling work...

...to fill baskets and baskets of bobbins!

All the kits must be put together over the next few days....

...and the website updated on the weekend....

Projects need to be sent off....

...and shelving sorted....

No pressure!

...absolutely NO PRESSURE!!!!!!!

Taking Tea on a Tuesday..."Jardin des Sens"..

2011-11-08T14:12:00.006Z

If I could wish for nothing else today....

...it would be my wish that you could stick your noses into the bag that this tea came out of!!

HEAVEN ON EARTH.....

...or, rather "JARDIN DES SENS" (another little gem from Les Terny Thes in Dinan)

That little blobby thing in the middle of the pile is a piece of preserved papaya (I think)....

It's sweet and delicious!

The smell that comes out of the bag....is like sherbet lemons....with other sweet things...and a hint of vanilla too.

The taste is DIVINE!!!

DIVINE!!

...oh I wish.....I WISH......

...don't throw it away!....

2011-11-07T12:41:00.006Z

..what? I hear you ask....

...the backing paper from your painted Bondaweb...that's what!!

It's amazing what delightful patterns you find when you peel off the glue layer...

....and these have been put in my current "bits" sketchbook :-)

...along with this little stitched piece made with the painted Bondaweb itself...

...and some painted squares of Butterfly SoftSpun....

See you for tea tomorrow :-)

...time for a bit of red...

2011-11-02T11:03:00.006Z

Lots to do today....

...and still feeling drained after yesterday's marathon..

...but practice went well, and I'm confident that the concert will be marvelous!

Evenings are short and dark, and that means (well, to ME anyway)...

...that it's time to stitch some red :-)

Harrogate is looming, but, before that, I've got anothet two magazine projects to complete!

Sneaky peek at my worktable.....

I LOVE picking out all the threads for projects!

..and .....remember this little chap?

Well, he's got these for company now...

(should have a plan by the end of today :-o)

...and another chicken is being born.

I will indulge in a nice cup of tea later....

...with a slice of the Kugelhopf that I baked yesterday...

....lots of butter too!

Naughty.....but Yummy!

..tired out on a Tuesday!!

2011-11-01T17:08:00.003Z

..just managed to sit down with a cup of Earl Grey after being on the go since 10 am this morning!

It's choir tonight....

...and we have a concert on the 3rd of December....

...so today I've sorted 17 copies of a 47 page booklet....

...with Christmas, New Year and Midwinter songs....

...dating from the 15th century up to now...

...along with various readings and run lists.

The car has duly been loaded-up with mega-heavy digital piano...

...three types of large hand-drums...

...one of which has bells all around the inside of the rim, so it sounds like we've got Santa's sleigh in the back....

..various recorders....tambourines...

...and a bowed psaltery!!!

It was a chip-shop jobby for lunch...

...and a very quick shower after loading up the car.

Now...

..I'm putting my feet up for five minutes...

...with tea and some chocolates....

..and charging the camera to take some photos to post tomorrow :-o

See you then....

Hyperbolic stash buster!

2011-10-28T16:46:00.006+01:00

Hmmmmmm...

...sounds like some kind of illness you need medication for!

But no...

...it's one of these instead :-)

(sorry about the lighting in this one!)

..in lovely shades of autumn.

I DO like to have a bit of crochet to do when the evenings start drawing in...

...and when you have as many odd balls of wool as I do...

...one of these easy-peasy hyperbolic scarves are just the ticket.

You can use as many (or as few) colours as you like...

Start with 150 chain; 3 more for a turn; then do 150 trebles (dc in USA I think).
Row 2; ch 3, treble (dc) 6, tr 2 in next tr., tr 6 etc to end.
Row 3; ch 3, tr 5, 2 tr in next tr, tr 5 etc to end.
Row 4; ch 3, 1 tr in each tr to end.
Row 5; ch 3, tr 4, 2 tr in next tr, tr 4 etc to end.
Row 6: ch 3, tr 3, 2 tr in next tr, tr 3 etc to end.
Row 7; ch 3, 1 tr in each tr to end.
Row 8; ch 3, tr 2, 2 tr in next tr, 2 tr etc to end.
Row 9; ch 3, tr 1, 2 tr in next tr, tr 1 etc to end.
Row 10; ch 3, 1 tr in each tr to end.

That's the basic scarf. You can add whatever edging you like.

Get out those hooks!!

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Grand Bleu..

2011-10-25T14:41:00.005+01:00

It's a lovely day....

...blue skies and sunshine...

...so I went for "Grand Bleu" today.

Isn't it pretty.

Black and green teas with raspberry and rum essence....

...and little tiny blue sugar dolphins!

I know that this tea is supposed to relate to the ocean....

...but today it is being drunk under my big blue sky :-)

(Tea found at the delightful little shop in St.Valerie sur Somme)

..two kinds of punching...

2011-10-22T14:19:00.007+01:00

The first kind is with a couple of little craft punches...

....stars and squares....

...painted heavyweight watercolour paper...stuck into my sketchbook...

...along with some painted "Butterfly SoftSpun" that has been stitched on the machine....

...and more of the same cut into flower shapes....

The second kind, is, of course done with a punchneedle...

...a little heart, and a medieval tile design.

The pile is growing......

(no pun intended!)

Have a good weekend :-)

Published!

2011-10-19T10:38:00.006+01:00

Out today...."Countdown to Christmas"......Popular Crafts (Issue 11).

On page 45 is my little house project!

Instructions for one of my little pointy-top houses....

...to make as a card, gift tag or tree decoration.

I've put together a kit, with all the textile materials required to make two house panels. These are available here.

Other projects are in the pipeline too....

...but I have to keep quiet about them for now ;-)

Taking Tea on a Tuesday..."Spice Imperial"

2011-10-18T09:52:00.005+01:00

The weather has changed....

...and my feet were cold in bed last night!

So, my tea today is warming....

"Spice Imperial" by Whittards....

...black tea with citrus peel, cloves and vanilla pods...

...almost a taste of Christmas....

As the sun streams through the window....

....I'm going to sit down and sip my tea....

...with a little bit of stitching on the side :-)

....finished chickens!

2011-10-15T11:22:00.005+01:00

I've finished this little panel....

...now all I have to do is find somewhere local to get it framed nicely :-o

..headless chickens....

2011-10-13T12:05:00.007+01:00

...just about sums up how I feel somedays!

After having teeth out yesterday, I've got a painkiller hangover and STILL my cheek is very sore. There's always a problem....because the roots on my teeth are hooked over and therefore take a lot of twisting and tugging to get out. :-(

All I can manage to do is a bit of work on this cross-stitch sample...

.....that's based on an old european design...

...s l o w l y.....

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Melange Kimono

2011-10-11T15:24:00.004+01:00

Tuesday is here again...

..time is flying.

Things are cranking up.....lots to do...

..so tea-time is especially welcome today.

Melange Kimono is a lovely, gentle green tea...

...with rose petals and violet-blue flowers...

It is very soothing....

..just what is needed...

..a little "zen" moment...

..more bits...and a new loop...

2011-10-08T18:32:00.008+01:00

Here are some more pendants made from that heavyweight painted Vilene...

...some have been printed with my Indian wooden print blocks.

(the findings were in place before I put the decoration on, so these will have to undergo the "new hanging loop" treatment at some time!)

..and a pair of earrings too...

I've had a fiddle with some copper wire...

...and come up with this hanging loop....

...but I think I need to work on the shape a bit more...

...more triangular maybe?

...two finished...

2011-10-06T10:58:00.006+01:00

As I said in a previous post...

...I was going to be playing around with those clay pieces.

Well, I played with those.....and the painted Vilene and Bondaweb...

..and this is what I've come up with :-)

Here are a couple of closer views...

There are quite a few more pieces lurking around on my desk at the minute...

...if I get some finished today, I'll post again tomorrow.

Ahhhhh joy........

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Aladin...magic and memories...

2011-10-04T14:34:00.005+01:00

Today's tea is called "Aladin" and comes from that lovely little tea specialist in Foix.

It really is pungent.....citrus and rose...with a hint of pepper :-)

I've included the words "magic and memories" in the post title, because Aladin is a story of magic, and also because of that little cup....

...my Bloke's Sooty cup, from when he was a LOT littler than he is now :-o

Sooty is a reminder of a pleasant childhood.....comfortable and warming....

..a bit like the tea that's in the cup today...

I hope you all have happy memories today too...

Conker pot...dye pot...and clay..(not pot!)

2011-10-02T17:49:00.006+01:00

A bit of a mixed bag today....

First up, a quick snap of the pot that's on the cooker...

...various fabrics...silks and cottons...

...bubbling away with fallen conkers and chestnut leaves from the garden.

We'll see what happens there...

Next...what's come out of the dye pot...

..all lined up on their new display stands :-)

And finally...

...remember those print blocks from the last post....

...well, here's what they've been used for THIS time...

..freshly baked...

..and I've even painted a few already..

..to put together with this piece of painted pelmet Vilene..

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Textiles on a Tuesday!!

2011-09-27T10:38:00.013+01:00

I don't know where LAST Tuesday went, but it left me behind somewhere!

Never mind....it's been great in between then and now :-)

We've had a little break down in Cornwall with Bloke's Dad....

....visiting St Ives....

...and Mousehole....

...to take LOADS of cottage piccies to turn into stitched thingys later on :-)

We called into the Creative Stitching and Hobbycraft show at Exeter on the way home...

...and met up with lovely friends Jamie and Kim.(Her blog is here.)

Of course...I just HAD to make a few purchases didn't I...?

More beautiful print blocks from Jamie...

...and some heavy pelmet Vilene from Kim...

...that I've painted with Cosmic Shimmer Mists.

Such FUN is on the cards methinks!! :-)))

I've been stitching a bit too...

Another Punchneedle sample is done...

..and quite a number of these little panels are on the go...

...that I'm currently stitching with these....

Oh JOY!!

..punch..punch..punch..punch..punch..

2011-09-17T18:48:00.004+01:00

Mini rug design...

African mask design...

Little wool heart...

Larger cotton heart...

Twinkle twinkle little star :-)

Ooooooooh....I'm having fun!!!

In a mosaic mood...

2011-09-16T12:32:00.009+01:00

In between doing things that I can't post about....

...I've been playing around with little bits.....literally!

Tiny squares of heavy Aquarelle paper...

...painted with lovely metallic paints from CraftyNotions and Cosmic Shimmer Misters from Ario.

I've also cut some squares out of some "Butterfly SoftSpun" that was also painted with these same paints.

The intention is to put them onto a background fabric that has been covered with painted Bondaweb (same paints again!)...

I'll be at the stitching over the weekend.....

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Caravane...

2011-09-13T15:34:00.006+01:00

Sometimes it's good to use a tea bag!

Especially when they're as good as this one...

......from the Super U...

Black "Caravan" tea with citrus fruits.....

...in Jean's cup.

Given to me by her son.....

I didn't know Jean, but I think about her everytime I use her cup and saucer.....

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Home brew...

2011-09-06T14:20:00.005+01:00

It's turning into Autumn....

...no doubt about it!

The plant pots are beginning to look a bit sorry for themselves...

..so it's time to pick and dry...

Today's indulgence is Green tea and home-grown Apple Mint.

I get the smell of apples...

...but a taste of mint...

Nice combination.

Put your feet up and join me.....

Small African Panel #2

2011-09-05T12:58:00.004+01:00

Another one done...

...now moving on....

Small African Panel #1

2011-09-02T11:01:00.006+01:00

Here's my first working sample using those lovely "Colouricious" print blocks.

(Doing little pieces like this helps me along with the final design)

It measures 15cm x 19cm.

I didn't go TOO mad with the embellishments....

...just some glass seed beads...

...a few wooden beads....

...and some dyed bamboo skewer pieces.

I've made a project pack available in the shop....

...with everything you need to make one of your own. :-)

Printing with new blocks from "Colouricious".

2011-08-31T15:31:00.009+01:00

I've recently taken delivery of a box of lovely goodies!!

African square print blocks from Colouricious...

(Actual print block page is here)

They are stupendous!...the detail is amazing...and they are such a joy to use :-)))

I've made a start on a "very special secret project"...

...that I can show little bits of....

...but NOT the whole thing!

Sorry! You can't see it finished until sometime in the Spring next year :-o

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Pomegranite

2011-08-30T12:04:00.004+01:00

I missed last week's "Tea on a Tuesday" because of running around like a complete FOOL!

No such happenings THIS week :-)

Here we have a white tea, flavoured with pomegranite ...

..pretty...

Smells flowery....

...tastes slightly "dry"...

Well done Whittards!

Served up in my birthday pressie from Laura and Andy...

...a Whittards (again) "Everything stops for tea" mug...

...with filter and lid :-)

Delightful!

(Now I'm off to do some printing, preparing, packing, and projecting....

...see you in a couple of days...)

SoftSpun Beads - a little tutorial.

2011-08-25T16:21:00.016+01:00

I've been asked to do a tutorial for SoftSpun beads...

...so here we go....

I painted one side of the SoftSpun with red acrylic paint; and the other with "Colourful Thoughts" delicious metallic Russet from CraftyNotions

The pictures shows the two sides - red acrylic on the left; metallic on the right...

...cut into my preferred shape for these beads. I know they look like miniature coffins, but they work for me!

Starting at the slightly wider end, roll the SoftSpun around a bamboo skewer, and secure with a glass-headed pin.

I use one of the heat guns with two speed settings, and begin to head the bead on the lower one until it JUST begins to distort.

Make sure the ends are heated to seal them (this stops the bead unraveling).

Take out the pin (make sure it's not too hot for your fingers!!!), and turn up the heat to the higher setting...

Waft the heat over the bead, turning the skewer as you go...

...until you have the look you want.

The one above was wound with the red acrylic side outermost...

.....the one below has the metallic side outermost.

Let the bead cool, and slide off the skewer.

Make a stash of them.....

..then all you need are a number of projects to use them in :-)

Making skeins while the sun shines...

2011-08-22T15:20:00.005+01:00

It's actually warm and sunny here...

...for a change!!!

Lately it's impossible to guarantee, or even HOPE for summer weather in Wales :-(

But, today there will be no complaints.

Skeins were wound...

...put to swim in the dye-pot...

...rinsed and spun....

...and put outside to blow and dry.

It makes my heart glad to see them :-))

These are destined to be included in various kits...

...punchneedle and hand stitching....

.....more SoftSpun playtime....

2011-08-20T15:17:00.006+01:00

I've been painting....

...lots of pieces of SoftSpun....

...using acrylics and metallics....

...and now have a nice pile of gorgeous coloured bits! :-)

(Hopefully you can see the colours better if you click on the photos)

Some of these will be stitched...

...and some will be cut and used in a bead tutorial next week.

I've also done a "naked" piece.

If you zap it before painting, it goes all lovely and lacy....

Then you can cut it to whatever shape you need, and paint it.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm.......

.......maybe it's tesserae-time......

...playing with SoftSpun...

2011-08-18T10:30:00.011+01:00

Although still feeling a bit tired after last week, I managed to get my act together and get a bit done with my "Butterfly SoftSpun".

First of all, a couple of pieces got painted...

..using these brilliant metallic paints from CraftyNotions.

They really are a delight to use. Thick and luscious!! ...although I watered them down 50/50 to paint onto this fabric...which NEEDS to be well wetted for the colour to go through.

Then comes the FUN bit....

...zapping!

Using one of those long-nosed 2-speed heat guns...

...and a chopstick to hold down areas that curl a bit too much to work with....

...I started on low heat, and worked on the piece until it became half of it's original size. (It started out being about 10" x 5".)

Then, I turned up the heat and went for it! The final piece ended up at approximately 3 1/2" x 1 1/2"....with lovely crinkles and holes.....like molten lava....

Here's how it looked at that stage.

When it had cooled enough to handle (it DOES get VERY VERY hot!!...hence the chopstick..)

I lightly brushed some more of the metallic paints over high points...

...worked into the edges with a soldering iron.....and then glued a piece of black vilene onto the back. (This was trimmed back when the glue had dried)

It was now ready for stitching and beading....

..and Voila!...

..a beautiful encrusted piece, that can be made into either a brooch or a pendant!

"Butterfly SoftSpun"is now available in the shop.

Festival of Quilts - friends old and new...

2011-08-17T08:54:00.021+01:00

It began with the alarm going off at 4.30am...

...nice and early so we can grab some breakfast, then get on the road to Birmingham.

No problems on the journey at all...and no waiting to get into the unloading area at the NEC.

Luckily my stand was fairly near the doorway, so not too far to lug all the boxes, shelving units, tables etc, and, after a few hours of fiddling with bits and bobs....

...the stand appeared as if by magic!

I hadn't realised JUST how long it was going to take to put it all together, and was certainly very tired by the end of Wednesday.

Luckily, the hotel was extremely comfortable, and I slept well for the duration :-)

So, opening day....biting nails.....

BEDLAM!!

The stand was full of women oooooohing and aaaaaaahing, and wanting to know how THAT had been done, and what was that material, and what thread was that....

...and everyone was LOVELY!!!

I had some wonderful remarks on the stand....

...and while I'd been cursing myself on Wednesday, for having such a "brilliant idea" of making a "Sweet Shop"....

(this had involved a few hours putting little frilly doily-caps on all my stuff in jars)

...it had attracted a lot of people, who had LOVED it all! :-)

The lovely Viviane from Brussels being just one of many....

..see her post here for piccies of my "Sweet Stitches" that she bought.

Next door to me was Mandy, from "Simply Solids", selling beautiful Kona fabrics.

Diagonally opposite was Pam Stallebrass with her gorgeous hand-printed African fabrics..

(had to have some of those of course!)

Opposite Pam were Audrey and Tommy the "Pin Peddlers" from North Carolina.

...and opposite my thread table were the CraftyNotions team (Sarah Lawrence and Family), with Kim Thittichai beavering away heating all sorts of bits and signing her new book "Layered Textiles"

Kim has put out a lovely blog post that features a piece that I was working on during Saturday and Sunday.

As always happens....I'd left home without needles, Bondaweb, glue, paints etc

...but having CraftyNotions and Kim opposite was a real boon!!

I wanted to work on some of my "Landscape Tissue", so bought some Bondaweb, and snaffled some painted stuff from Kim, who was doing some wonderful things with it.

It worked perfectly for the piece I had in mind....

I'm going to be playing more with this little series over the next few weeks...

...working on samples for Harrogate.

Another delightful happening was meeting up with other bloggers....

...a gaggle of girls by one of the emergency exits...(see Jacky's post here)

...and a few at the stand....including Kate....Anne.....

.... and Carolyn...

...who's done a recent post showing what she's been doing with my new Butterfly SoftSpun.

There were so many beautiful quilts on display too....

...here are just a few piccies (snaffled in the hour before opening because I had hardly any time to leave the stand during showtime :-)

...and I could carry on, but.......

....my shops have to be stocked and kits to be sorted....

...onwards and upwards :-)

Taking Tea on a Tuesday..."Boisson d'Amour"

2011-08-16T15:28:00.006+01:00

...and boy do I NEED my tea right now!!!

After a hectic 5 days at the Festival of Quilts...

...I'm wrecked.....but very happy :-)

The tea I'm enjoying today is called "Boisson d'Amour", Drink of Love...

It's green...

...has a number of flowers in it...

...and tastes of honeysuckle and strawberries!

Notice the cute little cup and saucer?...

...picked it up for 50p in Barnardos :-)

I'll be back tomorrow with lots of chatter about FOQ

See you then!

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...The des Riads

2011-08-09T16:25:00.004+01:00

This time I decided on a black tea...

...described thus...

Une porte anonyme poussée au fond d’une impasse au cœur de la Médina et voici un patio accueillant, le murmure
Nou
d’une fontaine et la fraicheur des orangers. C’est la magie des riads marocains que l’on retrouve avec ce subtil assemblage
de Yunnan vert et d’arômes de cannelle,de cardamome,de citron doux et de pamplemousse. Le piment, les
écorces d’orange et les fleurs de pivoine complètent l’évocation de ces jardins secrets. La saveur d’un paradis perdu...

...on the "menu" of Les Terny Thes!

This is a delightful tea....a little astringent....with a beautiful "nose". (being posh now! :-)

Les Terny Thes is owned by dear friends Christine and Claude Terny. You can find them at 14-16, Rue de la Poissonnerie, Dinan.22100.

(I don't have time to do another post before departing for the Festival of Quilts. I'd just like to say to anyone who's going to be there...that I'd LOVE to meet you if you can get around to me on Stand E52. I'll post on the event next week :-)

x Chris

Lots of bits finished!

2011-08-05T10:42:00.007+01:00

At last, various bits and pieces that have been on the go for sometime, have now been finished.

As mentioned before, one of my range of products is "Butterfly SoftSpun", a PP/PET needlefelted geotextile. I've been playing around with this for a while now - painting it, stitching it by both hand and machine, and heat zapping it too.

Wow! Does it do beads well or what!!!

They look "old"...."aged".....with loads of character.

Luckily, I already had a piece of long-cloth to finish...

...and these new beads fitted the bill perfectly :-)

So, another sample is fixed onto a canvas panel, ready for the Festival of Quilts.

Also completed is my Australian-inspired punchneedle piece.

The sample wall will have plenty of eye-candy for those of you coming to Birmingham next week :-)))

I'm still working on a bit of Kuba-cloth....

...and a small sashiko panel...

...hopefully I can show those before I go...

Have a great weekend....

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Genmaicha

2011-08-02T12:55:00.004+01:00

...a bit of a strange one...

"Popcorn Tea"

Green...

...Sencha...

Very nice too....

...or should I say "Very nice tea" :-)

..it's coming along...

2011-07-28T14:03:00.007+01:00

I've done a bit more of the Australian-inspired punchneedle piece...

....and I'm very happy with the way it's turning out :-)

You may remember the "strata" piece from a little while ago...

...well...

...this one's following along in a similar vein (pardon the pun!).

I had to find a larger hoop to do this one, but realised that I need even bigger ones...

...if I want to do anything of any size.

So I ordered a couple of oval quilting frames, and they arrived today.

One's 8" x 15", the other 12" x 22. They'll give me enough working area without having to wast too much fabric in a round hoop.

I'll probably spend some time binding cotton tape around the inner hoops this evening...

...then work out how much thread I'll have to dye...:-o

Taking Tea on a Tuesday...Isphahan

2011-07-26T11:50:00.006+01:00

.......a mixture this time....

..black and green...

...with violets.....

The smell is delightful.

You'll notice the cup too...

...my little "wabi sabi" raku tea cup...

...found in a great pottery gallery in Moissac...

"Le Pot a l'envers", 1 Place Durant de Bredon, 82200, Moissac. (tel. 05 63 39 82 51)

It was made by the ceramic artist Sandrine Sueres. Her blog is here

..well worth a visit :-)

Tea purchased at "Les Fondus de Chocolat" 14, Rue Sabaterie, 81100, CASTRES

良い一日を

(Yoi ichinichi o)

Lots of bits....

2011-07-24T17:03:00.012+01:00

..to show today :-)

I've been dyeing, planning, stitching and punching!

Now...

...what first?....

Mini-quilt samples I think.

This is one that's completely finished (except for mounting that is)

...and here are a couple of close-ups of the one above, and another two in different colourways...

I've used some hand-dyed cotton, scrim, tissue, felt and threads....

...along with some copper-sprayed paper for the shiny bits.

Also some glass seed beads and metallic threads.

The finished piece is approx 20cm x 26cm.

(Kits will be on sale at FOQ containing all the bits to make one of these, and in my shop that will be opening mid-late August)

That takes care of the stitching and some of the planning...

Now for the dyeing...

Delicious colours on 2/28s fine cotton...

...cooked especially for a new punchneedle project (the rest of the planning!)

Can you see which continent I'm in now? :-)

My consignment of "Ultra Punchneedle" kits came this week, so I'm glad to be able to say that they'll be available at FOQ too.

I'm really excited about the possibilities with this tool! Designs are filling notebooks very VERY quickly.

Between FOQ and Harrogate, I'll be dyeing especially for punchneedle kits...

...all of which will be brand new designs under my own label. :-)

I will also have my new "Butterfly Softspun" (geotextile) for sale at both events.

I've been experimenting with some painting, distressing and machine stitching on it...

...a little bit of runic inscription...

I'm finding it an interesting material to work with, and, again, I can see lots of possibilities...

See you on Tuesday for tea...

Taking Tea on a Tuesday..."Tantra"

2011-07-19T17:18:00.005+01:00

A black tea this time....

....with "10 flowers and spices".

I can see both yellow and lilac coloured flowers in the mix...

...and something that looks like a seed head.

I'm enjoying this...

...with a little bit of stitching on the side :-)

What are you indulging in today ?

(Tantra sold by "Au Samovar" 21 Place des Pilotes, 80230, St. Valery sur Somme)

African Art - ceramic and textile.

2011-07-18T13:08:00.008+01:00

The Antelope mask-inspired piece of punchneedle work is now completed.

It took quite a time, and a fair amount of thread! (Punchneedle is a bit thread-greedy)

...but I really enjoyed doing it...

...and have now started on another design :-)

African art is definitely a theme right now!

Robyn's last post included a link to Clementina Van Der Walk's site...

...showing the work of this South African ceramicist...

....including a picture of a piece to which Robyn had treated herself.

I commented on how small the world is..

...and maybe should have said that great minds think alike too :-)...

...because I bought a piece last year, at an exhibition at the Art Shop and Gallery...

...just down the road from me.

Here it is...

I absolutely love it!

(You'll find some similar items in her "One Off" ceramics section)

I'll be back tomorrow with a cup of tea...

Taking Tea on a Tuesday..."Foret Noire"

2011-07-12T15:08:00.006+01:00

Tuesdays are ALWAYS hectic around here...

..trying to get things done...

...before having to get everything ready to go to choir.

At the moment, things are more hectic than usual, because of FOQ preparations...

...so I've started to take some quiet "Tea Time/Me Time" on a Tuesday afternoon.

When we lived in France, I definitely became a "coffee drinker"...

...however, things have changed, and I now prefer tea again!

And, I love the tea that you can get in France...

...all those fascinating flavours..

...mmmmmmm.....

(Himself is not keen though, preferring "builder's tea with loads of cow juice!)

No!

My tea preference is delicate...

...and minus moo juice...

....like this one for today...

..called "Foret Noire".

Green tea with myrtle berries, blackberries and purple coloured flowers.

Divine.

Why not put your feet up and join me :-)

...and I'd love to hear about any delicious teas you've found and enjoy too....

(This tea was purchased at Thé ou Café, 2 place Lazema, 09000 Foix )

African Art....fluffy style!

2011-07-07T10:12:00.010+01:00

..as you know..

..I've had a bit of a "thing" about African art for quite some time now...

...and one of my most treasured books is "Land of the Flying Masks - Art & Culture in Burkina Faso (Wheelock)".

(I actually SAW some of these masks in Carcassonne back in May - in a small shop that specialised in African art. I couldn't bring a huge mask home, but did buy a small "fecundity" figure that I'll show in another post.)

I chose a particular antelope mask to use as my design inspiration...

..to be used with my new toy!

Thanks again to Penny, for persuading me to have another go at "Punchneedle Embroidery".

I say "again", because I bought a tool many moons ago, and got absolutely nowhere with it! Now that I've got an "Ultra Punch" tool, I'm a LOT happier...and I think the calico that I've used is much better than the awful synthetic stuff recommended by the makers of the previous one. This one works really well with my fine 2/28s cotton too :-)

Anyway...

..this was my first foray...

Simple heart shape...one thread.

Foray number two was a little more complex...

.a centre-piece for a small log-cabin-type quilt methinks...

Then I got to thinking about that mask...

..so I dyed up some threads for the job at hand...

...and made a start...

See the bit on the nose of the antelope mask?

It'll be finished before long, so I'll show it in the next post.

I'm seriously loving this technique!

(So much, in fact, that I'm importing Ultra Punch needle tools to sell at FOQ and Harrogate! I should have some packs designed by November too!)

...working like stink!....

2011-06-28T14:16:00.010+01:00

I really haven't got back into the blogging-habit since returning from holiday!

....but then, after almost 5 weeks of no computer activity, my little brain needs a bit of time to adjust again.

I've also been working like stink on stock for the Festival of Quilts....

...AND.....

...thinking about how much MORE stock I'm going to have to get done...

...not just for FOQ in August...

...but ALSO The Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate in November!

Yup.....stand TG122 is me ....right opposite Beryl Dean's huge central area!

Back to the present though...

I've got some new PP/PET fabric that I've been playing with...

It takes acrylic paint really well, and can be distressed with heat too...

...I feel a hefty dose of experimental playtime coming on with this :-)

(It'll be on sale at FOQ and Harrogate - and in my shop which will open late August)

Here are some of the piles of dyed tissue that have been processed since my last posting...

They are now packed, labeled and boxed.

I'll be making some samples with this tissue over the next week or so....

...maybe inspired by some recent sketchbook pages based on Moorish lustre-ware...

..or something Moroccan....

...not decided yet.....

...I'll go with the flow when the time comes...

I've also got a new toy to play with...

...thanks to Penny.....

...and it works beautifully with my fine cotton threads....

I'll try to post a bit more often from now on.......promise......:-o

Textiles at last!

2011-06-19T17:52:00.012+01:00

...still in France for the moment though :-)

When we arrived in Mirepoix at the beginning of the holiday, a visit to the tourist office informed me that there was to be a "Marche du Couture" 21st and 22nd May! What luck!!

So, on Saturday 21st, bright and early, we went along to the town centre to have a nosey.

Lots of goodies!

...and these are some that I couldn't leave behind...

Lovely vintage buttons...

...and some beautiful old lace...

..delightful little squares..

.and some broderie anglais and cotton lace edging...

I've finally fished them out to photograph, but will now have to think of something "pretty" to do with them :-)

Maybe along these kind of lines...

which was done one day at the tent after this butterfly wing had floated onto the table..

I also found some really old hand-written letters that I had to bring back...

Such beautiful, tiny handwriting, on delicate papers.

I've photocopied them, so I have plenty to use and can still keep the originals safe.

Most of my time is now going to be taken up with preparations for the Festival of Quilts. Bloke is putting up shelves as I type, and we'll be assembling our stand in the living-room just to see exactly what we have to play with.

Boxes of dyed threads, fabrics and bits are piling up everywhere, but there's still a lot to do.

Today, I've had time off dyeing and winding in order to get properly started on some display samples for the stand.

I'm re-visiting my henna sketchbook...

...and expanding the theme....

I'll explain more next time, when there should be some bits to show...

...Part 2...

2011-06-18T13:52:00.024+01:00

(BE WARNED - IT'S A LONG ONE :-)))

After taking quite some time to put up the tent (described as being of "Bedouin proportions")....and new porch section...

...we settled into our chairs to relax with a cuppa before hitting the inflated mattresses.

Then....

...doof...doof...doof...doof...

ships engine noise coming from the car that pulled-up on the next pitch at 22.30!

Luckily...it stopped after a frantic 15 minutes of tent-pole clattering...

..and all fell silent (apart from crickets and frogs in the nearby water-hole)

Before we'd even emerged from the tent the next morning, a voice was shouting...

"Good morning Welsh people!......I'll catch you later!..."

...which he did...

...and talked until well after dark...

...and then...

...to top it all...

...produced a set of bagpipes. and proceeded to play them (about 23.00 by now...most folks already in bed...and our eyelids wanting, desperately to shut!)

This...

...was, amazingly, Alec GRAY!...from Canberra...who was cycling from Barcelona to London, with ONE change of clothing, a 5kg tent, sleeping bag, not a lot of cash....

...and THAT set of BAGPIPES!

The world is FULL of 'em. :-)))

All told though, he's a lovely guy, and we enjoyed his company for a couple of nights, before he took his hire-car back to Carcassonne, and proceeded peddling his way northwards.

We visited many places...

...and saw a lot of beautiful sights....

Re-visited Rennes-le-Chateau..

..where I managed to take some photos of the lovely wall-paintings.

(More fun with those later I'm sure :-)

I loved the rocks and flowers in the area...

...just begging to be stitched!

And the view from up there!

Of course, I had a really good time taking piccies of buildings :-)

At Fanjeaux, we were intrigued to find this place...

..the site of a pool/lake that had been part of a temple site dedicated to Jupiter.

The church now comes up to the edge of where the pool once was...

...and that area is now a CAR PARK!!

(Reminded me of Terry Pratchett's book "Small Gods"....where each one gradually gets relegated according to how many folks still believe in them! Once a Super-Deity....now a road surface...:-)))

Old Jupiter had a great view though...

...looking down over the plain of the Aude...

We called in for lunch at Tarascon-sur-Ariege...

..on our way to Andorra.

...and, another day, had lunch at Chez Felix in Carcassonne.

We went off the tourist routes...

..and found some magical places...

..with hidden treasures..

..and took 1926 photos in total!!!

NO!

Don't worry, I'm not going to inflict all of them on you :-o

...and I will try to get back to some textile stuff next time.... :-)))

...a lovely time in France - Part 1.....

2011-06-11T19:26:00.011+01:00

We started off "back home" in Brittany...

...with a visit to Dinan, where we used to go for lunch, or coffee and pastries, about once a fortnight :-)

It was so nice to be here again...

...the last time was in 2004 just before we moved back to Wales.

Stayed with friends (near Loudeac) for a few days before moving off south....

...a loooooooooooooong way south!

A nights stopover at Agen let us arrive fairly refreshed in Mirepoix in time for lunch the next day :-)

I loved it here when we last visited in 2002...

...and it's taken this long to come back!

The buildings around the central square are 12th century...

...and a gargoyle fanatic like me is just in heaven!

The Maison des Consuls (with cafe underneath) is covered in them.

We pitched the tent at the campsite just outside town, so we could wander in in the evening and watch the world go by....

...whilst enjoying cake and Orangina at our favourite cafe/patisserie.

The 15th century church had some beautiful painted walls...

...in gorgeous colours.

(What can I do with THOSE then?)

Also some delightful mosaic floors...

I was extremely happy already...

...and that was just the first day!!! :-)))))

...lots more to come.......

...a tiny landscape...

2011-05-01T11:26:00.003+01:00

...just fiddled about with a piece of leftover hand-dyed cloth...

...sometimes the smallest things...

...give the most pleasure....

(7" x 3" - 3 hours stitching :-)

...a lovely surprise!

2011-04-27T15:51:00.008+01:00

...a few posts back...

...I showed a lovely little bundle of goodies from Lisa at Mudhound Studio.

Now...

...I have a problem with such beauties....

..like not wanting to undo the darned things!

But, I managed to overcome the deep desire to just look at it and go....

..."Ahhh"...

...took the plunge...

...and unwrapped and untied.

Look what I found in the middle....

..a lovely little piece of printed fabric stitched to the stiffening card!

It says "castle in the air".

I just HAD to use it straight away...

...so, the last couple of days have been spent stitching he various strata....

..this one uses the deep lace from the bundle...

..that go to make this whole...

A fantasy in "pale Burgundy" :-)

p.s.....I HAVE straightened-up that wonky bit of braiding on the right!

(I may not be around here much for the next few weeks....people visiting...people to visit...etc .....and some quiet, creative time is calling......that is much needed :-)

Playing with tissue...

2011-04-26T16:43:00.002+01:00

Just having some fun with the tissue I dyed the other day...

(posted on MabonArts blogspot)

..and this one's got some dyed cotton and scrim on it too...

I'll do a bit of stitching on them sometime......

Finished "Strata" piece #1

2011-04-25T12:55:00.005+01:00

...didn't do much on the silk carrier rod section...

..just a few lines of machine stitch and some hand running stitch in metallic thread...

(that didn't show up too well on the photo)

The last section to be completed was the one being kept for my bits of Welsh slate...

That means that the whole piece is now finished!

Yey!

....adding a silk carrier rod....

2011-04-24T15:45:00.004+01:00

I decided to add one of these strange little things....

....they dye beautifully...

...and are very textural....

...but, I have to admit to having been a bit stuck on just how to use them :-o

I'm spending some time with my sewing machine over the next couple of days...

...so who knows what'll happen next!

(Check out some new stuff on my Mabon Arts blog posted today :-)))

...in the pink!...

2011-04-19T14:42:00.002+01:00

...well....pink....and blue stratum that is!

...a bit of long-legged fly stitching in hand-dyed silk...and metallic machine thread...

...sprinkle some beads...

2011-04-17T12:54:00.003+01:00

...and Voila!...

...another stratum done...

Now for the next one :-)

...and then thin....

2011-04-14T12:57:00.001+01:00

...with machine embroidery threads...

....going thick!...

2011-04-13T12:51:00.002+01:00

...the THREAD that is ...:-)

...lovely....

...scrummy...

...fat silk....

I'm in heaven!

...no more Hindi!!

2011-04-12T12:37:00.004+01:00

...thanks to Eva....

...who worked out what was going on :-))

There is, however....

...a more of this...

One of the stratum has been painted with silk paints, making a slightly darker grey...

...another has had a piece of Carolyn's painted Bondaweb ironed onto it...

The one at the bottom here is being stitched with tiny seed stitches in fine threads.

It's choir this evening, so I doubt much more will get done today.....

...but then...

...there's always tomorrow! :-)))

...लोटस ऑफ़ लित्तले bits

2011-04-11T14:14:00.009+01:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

It's doing it AGAIN!

That title SHOULD say....."Lot's of little bits".....geeeez

Anyway, at least the words are ok HERE! :-)))

...and lots of little bits have been getting done, despite most of my time now being taken up dyeing, skeining, packaging, labeling... etc

I've been playing around with painting some little landscapes onto calico...

I really like the result!.....

...and will now do a small amount of stitching and beading on them...

...don't want to clutter the soft effect with too much embellishment.

Completed a bit more mokume shibori...

...and dyed up some silk and cotton threads.....

...to use on a series of "long cloth" pieces based on "strata".

I'm going to include some "sedimentary" bits in these ....

..Welsh slate pieces...drilled ready to experiment with :-)

Indulgences have been a feature recently too...

..a delicious little bundle from Lisa Jurist at Mudhound Studio!

After my holiday meeting with Carolyn, I decided to do a bit more collage than I have done in recent times...

...and I just HAD to have one of these to make a start :-)

..अ लित्तले मोरे स्तित्चिंग

2011-03-30T19:33:00.005+01:00

....haven't had a lot of time for stitching over the last few days...

...after the week in Cornwall, I've had to get back into production again...

...August will be here before I know it!

I've not decided exactly how to continue with the sashiko and mokume cloth....

...but have been popping on with another long cloth that was started a little while back.

Just very simple stitching...

..running stitch, cross stitch and ladder stitch.

...and if anyone is wondering what the hell the post title is....

...it says "a little more stitching"....

...but for some reason Blogger has decided to convert the letters into something that looks like one of the Indian scripts, and I can't change it! :-o

...thinking of Japan...

2011-03-27T16:14:00.005+01:00

Ever since the earthquake and devastating tsunami hit Japan...

...my thoughts have been with that land and her people.

Aside from donating to one of the many relief causes...

...I wanted to do something myself...

...to make my thoughts more........visible...

Tiny ceramic pot with spring buds...and the kanji for "hope".

Thoughts also spread into textiles....

...sashiko stitching on indigo...

...the top of a "long cloth" that will also use the piece of "mokume" shibori.

..shibori untied....

2011-03-22T10:41:00.008Z

Here are the two pieces shown yesterday...

(Hope this is quick enough Judy! :-)))

Untied but not pressed...

..and again after ironing...

I didn't press too hard as I want some of the texture left in...

Quite pleased with the results ...

...but I think I'll make a stronger dye solution next time.

This is a learning curve.

I already know what I'm going to do with these pieces...

....will show you in a few days...

...I said it could become a habit!...

2011-03-21T16:23:00.004Z

Had another tying session...

......more mung beans on a light terracotta coloured cotton...

....and some "mokume" on pale blue cotton...

The mung bean piece is currently sitting in blackcurrant dye...

...and the pale blue in indigo...

Now I've got to wait until tomorrow to see the results.

..a few days away.....

2011-03-20T11:29:00.014Z

We spent the last week visiting Bloke's dad in Cornwall....

...the weather was brill...

...and so was the company.

Not just Beau Pere....

...but also Carolyn (Love Stitching Red)...

..who we met up with in St Ives!

..where we had a lovely lunch (3 hours chatting over sketchbooks :-)

...and then wandering through some of the lovely little back streets.

...seeing Alfred Wallis' cottage.....

...a lovely granite archway.....

...and the most photographed door in the town...

...that has it's very own special group page on Flicr HERE !!!

We exchanged some lovely pressies too!

Here's what I received...

A delightful pair of fingerless mittens... (which I needed to wear later on when it got rather cold :-)

His 'n' Hers egg cosies

Lovely dusky pink goodies...

Golden goodies (brown onion skin dyes)

..some painted Bondaweb and hand-made Tyvek beads

Patterned fabric with hand made papers and beads together with some beautiful ribbons and threads...

Gorgeous red goodies with rainbow chiffon and a piece of Egyptian fabric with gold heiroglyphs on it

...and finally.....

...silks and cottons dyed with red cabbage!

THIS is my challenge for when we next meet.....do something with it!

(I'm sure Carolyn will show her challenge when she gets around to it)

Carolyn got us both new St Ives Society of Artists sketchbooks ....

...and we're going to compare those on our next meeting too! :-)))

It was a bit rushed before we left home to go to Cornwall...

..but I did manage to finished that piece of mung bean shibori before going...

Here it is after being dyed....

...and then after being untied, dried and ironed...

...this could become a habit :-)

..playing around with mung beans!...

2011-03-13T16:56:00.005Z

I've been promising myself a "shibori" session for quite some time now...

...so...

...using some of the not insubstantial pile of recently dyed fabrics...

...winding has, at last, begun.

The plan is to do a few pieces for use in the long-cloths that I'm working on.

Boy!....is it sloooooooooooooooooooow though......

...but quite relaxing at the same time :-)

It's not just fabrics that have been dyed either.

Here are some threads that have been packaged in themes...

2/28s fine french cotton - 4 x 30m - Landscape Packs

2/8s pima cotton - 3 x 30m - Palette Packs

..panel and pendant...

2011-03-11T16:02:00.005Z

I decided to keep the panel simple...

...undulating lines of machine stitching...

...and hand running stitch in between.

I'll probably put a few rows of beads on there too...

No beads on this little pendant though...

..I like it just as it is :-)

..the next panel...

2011-02-26T11:16:00.003Z

..is now finished...

..printed swirls with seeding stitches in a fine silk thread...plus beads and sequins....

All I've got to do now...

...is decide what comes next :-o

Festival of Quilts 2011 - Stand E52 is ME!!!

2011-02-22T17:09:00.003Z

Check out the new info over to the right >>>>>>>>>>

..in the Shop Blog section.

..and please, if you're planning on visiting....

...drop by and have a chat :-)))

..beginning...

2011-02-20T13:45:00.011Z

...a new long cloth journey...

I've spent a lot of time lately...dyeing threads...and fabrics...

...and now need to start doing something with them!

And, as you already know...

...it's "tribal" themed stitching that really does it for me :-)

I was lucky enough to have "Indian Textiles" by John Gillow given to me for Christmas last year (by my lovely Bloke.....after careful hinting and leaving around of various bits of paper and Amazon instructions...)

...and, together with the other "tribal" stitching books I already had...

...I'll be back to Happy Land in that...

...it's along Indian and "Stans" lines that this series of "long cloths" will be traveling.

I've a decent pile of dyed cotton voile...

.....and a few new print blocks that have been waiting to be used..

..so...

..the journey has begun.

..with a block printed band...

...followed by a piece of delicious-coloured silk...

...with my "ladder stitching" on.

The next panel is another block print...

..and, at the minute I'm thinking to use some plaited yarns to cover the gap...

I have a number of ideas swirling around this theme...

...and will be trying out as many as possible :-)

You won't have seen the last of those little houses either...

...they may just look a little different ;-)

...lots happening in the gap....

2011-02-13T14:17:00.011Z

Heck!...it's been a while...

...but we've had some major computer glitches AGAIN!

Intermittent internet has meant that I've hardly spent any time on the lappy over the last couple of weeks.

Must say though....I DO get an awful lot more done if I know the computer is off limits :-)

Most of the time has been spent up to my elbows in dye-stfuffs...

...but I now make sure I use my super-duper-yellow-marigolds...

...that are so long...I could birth a calf!

After having bright orange hands on Christmas day...

...followed by turquoise...jade green...and cerise on various other days...

...and little itchy patches happening...

..I went and bought a few pairs of suitable gloves to work in.

I've been dyeing cotton fabric, 28/2s cotton thread and felt.

It's been such fun...

...and I was delighted to find that (with a little tension fiddling)...

...my lovely threads can be used on the sewing machine :-)))

So I did a bit of machine quilting...

...with some hand-stitching to finish off of course!

I'm loving these threads...

...and have even been moved to use them for a bit of canvas stitching!

They worked brilliantly for that too...

I decided to "fiddle" with the felt a bit...

...and have developed a process that stiffens the fabric quite a bit, and also seems to concentrate the colour on the surface.

The result is a lovely textured felt that is stiff enough to take quite a bit of stitching, and can be used easily for small jewellery items.

Here are some of the colours...

Now I can spend some time stitching onto it :-)