Unlimited Textiles January Swop

This is the Art Nouveau ATC finished for Susan D in Liverpool. The image was inspired by some wallpaper design I found on the web. The image was transferred on to cotton fabric using bondaweb. I then painted certain areas with Derwent's InkTense pencils, finally embellishing with hand stitching. The colours are not my usual choice but I was pleased with the intensity of the harmonious colours. I posted it off yesterday so Susan should be receiving it tomorrow, hope she likes it.

TIF latest

Photo of my design book for TIF's January challenge. I played around with the images of gall bladders and came up with the design top right. It will be postcard size and the base fabric will be commercial craft felt.

The cream fabric is pinned down for the top right, pleased with the shape, I will attach it down by couching machine wrapped cords, see below.

I machine wrapped three different coloured cords for the edging of the cream shape.

This shows one night's work, I couched the three cords separately and used seed stitch on the cream fabric, I might put some pale lilac on this later if I feel it needs it.
Close up of couching and seed stitch

Generally pleased with the first session of stitching. The next task is to create a loose linear effect on the purle felt, will have to go back to my TAST library for inspiration.

TAST - cover for libary of stitches

Here is the piece of embellishing (Janome Xpression) that I have completed for the cover of my stitch library. It is on cotton velvet as I find this keeps its shape very well for larger pieces.
Click on photo for a larger view to appreciate the variety of texture.


I chose colours that were in the base colours of my TAST samples and added contrast colours of lilac and purple, organzas and lace for texture and blacks to hold it together.

The photo below shows lilac wool tops being embellished, they worked well as they allowed the base colours to show through. Left hand side is unembellished and the right is embellished.

After the embellishing I covered the whole piece with programmed stitch on my sewing machine, the area was too large for me to contemplate FME. Again the RHside shows the way the embroidery beds down the piece.

This will cover a cut down A4 lever arch file and now I need to go away and think about the best way to do that.

Health report

Thanks to everyone who has passed on their best wishes through this blog, my Flickr and by email.
I came home from hospital 36hours after the op and have been well looked after by DH so far but I think he is looking forward to going back to work next week. Today has been the first day that I have felt like 'creating' so just paid a visit to the recent posts about the TIF challenge and made a start on my design so hopefully will be able to commence stitching at the weekend.

Take It Further Challenge

Following on from the TAST challenge of 2007 Sharon Boggon has a new challenge that started on 1st January 2008 - Take It Further (TIF).

Each month she posts a concept and colour scheme. You can choose either or both and work on a design and take it through to completion.

January's concept is 'Somebody you Admire' and the colour scheme is below

I have a busy month this January, next week is my op and then I have to get to work on producing work for two exhibitions so I intend to start with a postcard size piece of work. I may even continue this theme throughout the year so that I can add to my evergrowing collection of fabric postcards and possibly put them together to form a book at the end of the year as I have done with my TAST samples.

I started by putting threads together for inspiration. I made a colour strip firstly from threads I had and then went out to buy the suggested DMC threads. Today in good natural daylight I saw how the two did not exactly match up. The colour scheme is obviously up for interpretation by individuals and therefore I will be using various values of all the above colours.

This selection shows a range of colour values that I intend using. I decided to use the given colour scheme as it is not one of my usual choices and would challenge my natural tendencies. I have rejected the concept however as I have something nearer to my January existence at the present. Whilst researching gall bladders on the web I came across these very organic diagrams of the muscular wall of the gall bladder and was perversely attracted to the natural undulations and curves.
The muscular wall itself has some very interesting patterns that I could easily see translating into stitch. I will have to work on a design, postcard size, next week as I must now go and pack a bag for tomorrow, I have to be at the hospital for 7.30am, and just hope that the Norovirus sweeping through UK hospitals at present doesn't close the ward I am reporting to!!!!!!!!!!

TAST library of stitches

I have been busy collating my TAST samples and putting a spine edging on each so that I can make a library of stitches. I decided to use an old lever arch ring binder of my daughters, it is A4 size but can be cut down to the size I want. I have made holes in each spine piece and buttonholed around them for reinforcement. Using this method of book rather than signatures I can add to it a further date and it also allows for easy removal when one is needed for reference. Above are a collection of pages at various stages of completion. To view all my samples go to my Flickr pages

The examples above and below shows how I have decorated the spine with the page stitch.

My base fabric colour scheme is very festive, it wasn't intended they just happened to be the colours that I had to hand when I first started the challenge earlier this year. I have, however used a range of colour schemes on the pages. Some are harmonious, some monochromatic and some constrasting to show different effects. Finishing off these pages is for winter nights in front of the TV.

All I have to do now is make a cover for the folder, the fun bit. Embellished I think.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.................

End of 2007!

As 2007 draws to an end it is only right to post a blog that sums up my past year. 2007 was my first year of blogging and communicating with a whole new community. It set me targets as I had deadlines to keep as part of the networks and groups I joined through contact via the blog, eg Tast, Unlimited Textiles and Sumptuous Surfaces. I enjoyed the many tutorials and spent hours absorbing the techniques displayed on numerous blogs and websites. Already signed up for the latest Sharon Boggin challenge "Take It Further". I have been busy putting al the TAST samplers into book format, will post a picture very soon.

It's official hyperlinks are additive! I developed certain skills that had only been seen in books and even invested in new equipment, my Janome Xpression being the most expensive. Other bloggers showed embellished examples and tips by the score and I have had so much fun. In the comfort of my own home I can experiment, create and explore the internet, I have discovered Picasa for photo manipulation and Flickr for uploading my photos for sharing. What a buzz I get from receiving an email from the other side of the world from someone who appreciates my work. Also being able to comment and encourage others on their work, being a retired teacher it never leaves you, the desire to encourage and praise.

I have been trying to clear the decks, finish work and generally get ready for 2008. I go into hospital on the 7th January to have my gall bladder removed and so I will be raring to go after that on all my new projetcs. As well as on line challenges I have 3 exhibitions coming up with my North West groups that I belong to. Silk-n-Threads have an exhibiton at Tatton Park in Cheshire from 15th March to 1st June. Society of Marple Artists celebrate their 40th annual exhibiton in April and Textile 21 are at Norton Priory from May to June, so lots of work to produce!!!!!!! I have some ideas already but there will have to be alot of juices flowing very soon!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL.