..it's coming along...

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

.......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....

..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"

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.

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"

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!

..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!)