Sunday, September 27, 2009

I Can See The Light ----------------

----------at the end of the tunnel.
No pictures today--just reporting in to say I am still standing--only just.
I put a big scare into everyone yesterday.
I had an awful pain in my chest-well not really my chest but the centre of it above my tummy.
The girls on my stall pannicked--not me because I have had it before and all I really needed was to burp.
So one of them took me out to the lounge area outside the toilet and went looking for a fizzy drink for me (it makes me burp).
The next thing I knew there was a doctor standing over me (she is one of our guild members) and she was examining my chest etc (talk about a drama)
Her diagnosis--reflux--and about 15 minutes later I burped very loud (I was outside I might add).
The offending food was a piece of Banana cake.
I can see the funny side of it (and I hope you can too) but they were still worried when I left at 5pm.
No Banana cake for me today.
Anyway we have just about sold everything (except for the books and magazines) so I came home last night and went through my cupboards to find more stuff to sell.
So I am off again this morning all loaded up but not with my precious stuff just unwanted things.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

I Survived Day One--

-------only two more days to go.
Well to continue the saga of the magazines---when I arrived at the exhibition they had already been moved by one of my helpers and her wonderful husband.
We had a very busy day on our stand -in fact after telling you all about how much "stuff" we had I think all that we will have left on day 3 will be all those magazines and a few books.
I mentioned that under these tables were boxes full of more things to go out on the tables--well we have no more reserve books and 3 small boxes of fabrics and 2 very small boxes of bit and pieces.
Some of the things that we sold yesterday were a Melting Pot--one of those big cushion things that they use for lace making--big stand up embroidery frames--vintage doylies and piles of wool blanketing and silk dress fabrics plus a heap of Patchwork tools.
You can see in this photo a lady looking at some of the books we had -then the next section is threads etc.




This is the corner section--fabrics to the right --"stuff" to the left.
I had to ask the customers to move so I could take the photo.
The two helpers were sorting out more things to put out on the table.




This is the middle section between the books and the corner-I know it looks a bit messy but the bargain hunters had just swarmed by.
A lot of browsing goes on at this table and great discussions between customers.




Here is the offending magazine table--there are 5 of those boxes on the table and another 5 underneath.
There's Embroidery magazines-Cross Stitch ones-Patchwork ones Sewing ones -you name it we have it.
When it is over I will just keep the Embroidery ones and send the rest to the opshop---won't they be happy.

Like I said before --only two days to go--but I'm loving it.



Friday, September 25, 2009

Busy-Busy-Busy

No photos today-I am too tired to upload them to the computer.
Yesterday we set up for the exhibition--or should I say other people set up the exhibition.
I was busy setting up the Recycle table ( here after to be called the RCT).
I arrived at Albert Hall at about 8.15 am--unloaded my "stuff" from the car(which was chockers I might add)
People started arriving with all their treasures for the RCT and I had to check off their sheets to make sure they had what was listed on said sheets (one lady had over 300 items).
Well to say I had a lot of "stuff" is an understatement.
I had boxes and boxes and boxes that had been donated at the Guild and the consignments things as well.
They had issued me with 3 folding tables--I had enough books and magazines for 3 tables-so I scrounged another one.
At least I had enough room for the fabric.
What about the threads and kits and laces and frames and--and--and-----------
So I managed to scrounge another table--where to put it--------.
OK so I have found a spot---decided to move the magazines over to the new table out of the way because the ladies stand in front of the styrene foam broccoli boxes seeking their missing issues of certain magazines--all 10 of these boxes were moved--5 on the table-5 under the table for replentishing stock.
Underneath the other 4 tables were boxes and bags full of replentishing supplies as well.
We finally finished setting up by 3.30pm.
I went home and just as I walked through the door the phone was ringing--this is the conversation--
"Doreen it's Annette here"
"Hi Annette"
"You're going to hate me"
"Why?"
"Well you know where you put the table with all the magazine on it"
"Yes"
"You are blocking an Exit door-you will have to move them".
"Shit--who put that neon exit sign over the door"
Now I was too b----- busy to even look up and notice any signs and it wouldn't have twigged anyway because I just wanted to put them somewhere-anywhere.
I was back at the hall by 6.30pm--didn't have time to move them before the official opening so I figured if there's a fire they would just have to hurdle over the top of the #*%#*# things ---after me that is.
The official opening time today is 10am and as you have all guessed I will be there at 9am trying to round up a couple of able bodied men to help me--fat chance I hear you say.
I can live in hope can't I.
I will see you soon --if I survive the madness.

Monday, September 21, 2009

TA DA--Here it is.

OK seeing as you have all been good girls I will show you.
This is the piece of "art" that I started when I was in Perth at the workshop with Maggie Grey.
It is slightly darker in real life but when I took a photo of it you could not see all the details so I waited until the sun was shining very brightly (which it has been doing the last couple of days) and I took another photo.
I am not going to give you all the details as to how it was done because that would not be fair to Maggie but I will tell you that it has copper shim-Kunin felt-water soluble paper-and stitching that was done on solvy.
I think most of the techniques are in her latest book.
I have embellished it with hand made beads- some wire and the discs in the bottom right hand corner are made from rusted beer bottle tops-(which I picked up around the local grog shop) the smaller ones were trimmed down with a big pair of shears.
I have used Golden acrylics to paint the bits and also some Goldfinger in both gold and copper.
I have mounted it on a box canvas that I painted black.




Even if I do say so myself I think it looks good and I am pleased with it.
Update--
Francoise asked how big it was and I am sorry that I forgot to mention it in the post.
It is 18cm x 20cm unmounted.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

But wait there's more

Here are a couple of other things that I have finished.
Both are made from samples that I have had hanging around for about 7 years.
The photos are not good but I have taken so many pics of them that I am sick of trying to get some good ones -so what you see is what you get.
In real life the red one is much brighter and sparkly.
The centre piece is Panne Velvet (stretchy type) with a nappy liner (that had been coloured with oil sticks) ironed onto it-then some vliesofix-gold foil and a red chiffon scarfe was added as well.
It was then zapped with the heat gun-I added some hand made beads and some hand stitching.
I stitched it onto a piece of black felt and the some red felt and then mounted it onto a box canvas that I painted black.



This one was really hard to take a photo of and this really does not do justice to the piece.
I had thought that I would not show you this but I then thought "what the heck".
The base of the background was the same technique as the previous one and it has a real crunchy textural look to it.
It is mounted firstly onto a piece of heavy Silk which has gold metallic fibres running one way and a blue thread going the other way.
I placed this over a piece of green felt by accident one day and it changed to the colour of the base piece.
I have embellished this with hand made beads-glass beads and hand stitching.
Then how to display it became a problem--no matter what I did it looked funny until I remembered that Lynda (Purple Missus) has sent me some sheets of Lutradur that she had coloured when preparing samples for her book (which you all should have by now).
Perfect.
I stitched them together with long straight stitches which seem to make it look puckered in the photo but in reality it isn't.
(I don't know why blogger has changed the font all of a sudden but I 'm not going to look for the reason either).
Now if you are all good today then tomorrow I may show you my finished piece from the Maggie Grey workshop that I did in Perth in August when I was there.



Friday, September 18, 2009

Another Fabric Book

Last year when I joined the Calendar Girls Postcard Group (see link in the side bar) members of the Creative Group at the Guild decided they would like to use the same Calendar and make a fabric page from it as well.
There were 12 members and the idea was that the page would be 6" x 8" and we would swap a page each month round robin style- and at the end of the year we would have a fabric book which included a page from each person.
I have finally finished constructing my book and it will be in the Exhibition in a special section along with the other ladies books.
Because each book has 12 different peoples work in it they created a special section for us to show them off all together.
I have not taken photos of all the pages otherwise this post would be too long.
This is the cover that I made out of a piece of Nuno Felting I did about 8 years ago.
I decided to make a wrap cover and I blanket stitched around the edge of the piece in cream thread and then I whipped stitched the blanket stitch with a variegated Perle cotton.
I used the remainder of the blue thread to make a twisted cord (made on the sewing machine using the bobbin) and this is used to hold the cover in place.




This is the January page that I made and if you look at the January postcard in the Calendar Girls swap (side link) You will see that it is exactly the same design.



These two pages are the August and September ones---


And the October and November ones---



I made a border around each page from Calico then I stitched two pages back to back with a thin Pelon in between.
Next I stitched around the joined pages and then trimmed the page with pinking shears.
Then I stitched them together at the spine.
I remembered that I had purchased last year a set of small tiles which had the name of the months on them so I stitched these onto the appropriate pages.
I placed the cord through the centre pages and took it around to the back where the spine is.
On the cover piece I made a buttonhole loop in the centre of the spine part so that the cord could pass through it and then I could tie the cord in the front.
I can't wait to see how all the other books have turned out.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

My Challenge Piece for the Exhibition

This years Challenge for the Guild exhibition was a real challenge.
The rules were to create a 3D container that was embellished with one of the stitches listed which were running stitch and variations of it, like --whipped-laced-threaded etc.
Plus----
A piece of fabric 50cm x 70cm any fabric any colour.
Threads--any type any colour.
Other embellishments--limited to 2 buttons.
You must have at least 50% of the fabric visible and use at least one button.
I had a piece of hand dyed silk which was 50 x 70 cm which I crinkled by wetting it and then twisting it up into a roll and letting it dry like that.
When it was dry the crinkles were permanently set into position.


I then ironed it onto a very fine cotton iron on interfacing to set the pleats.
Next I did the stitching using Running stitch which is my second most favourite stitch after French Knots and I also added the button.

Then the big challenge came---I used a container that somene had given me which originally had a bottle of whisky in it and I lined it with felt on the outside to give the box some substance.

The fabric was the correct size for the outside but when I folded it over to create the lining it was too big so I had to put darts in it and the drama that followed and the language that I was using (under my breath that is) was not befitting a lady of my standing :-}

Anyway here is a picture of the finished "container".This is the front view-------


And the side view------------

Now the story takes a twist---because I couldn't get the inside piece to fit properly, I decide to piece some bits that I had trimmed off the edges when I was straightening the fabric in the first place--and I made a square to fit inside the top to cover up the messy lining and I also added some running stitch as well.


This is a view of it lying down.


Phew am I glad this is over, and if anyone asks me what it is I am going to say it's a "Secrets Container"--end of story.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fibre-Fever Fabric pages

Today I received my Fibre Fever butterfly page from Maureen in Victoria.
Maureen and I are the only 2 Australians in this group, all the others live in Europe.
Maureen said she was inspired by the work of Annemieke Mein and you can tell which piece she is talking about.
What a beautiful job you have done Maureen.




This month I had to send a page to Ritva in Finland and her theme is "Water".
I am sure that Ritva has a blog but for the life of me I can't find it on our site.
I had this paper serviette that has a beach scene and seeing as we have such wonderful beaches in Australia I thought I would use it.
I have machine stitched around the umbrella and the deck chair and also the clouds.
I then blanket stitched around the border.
I hope Ritva likes it.




Saturday, September 12, 2009

Embroidered Garden

Another one finished for the exhibition.
I purchased the printed background picture and have had it for years.
I started to embroider it about 5 years ago and every now and then I would put a few more stitches on it.
Then I decided to take it on holidays with me this year as I could pick it up and do some more to it whenever I had free time.
I decided to put it in the exhibition this year because they needed extra things as the numbers were down a bit.
I have a lovely old frame that I call "old reliable" which I will use -and I have a new mount board to go around the embroidery.
"Old Reliabe" trots out each year--when I have something to frame for the exhibition which will be used for something else later on in the year and the same applies this year.
When the exhibition is over I will take the embroidery out and use it for the other purpose which I will explain later on.




I have use DMC floss-- silk ribbon and also silver metallic machine embroidery thread.
The stitches are French Knots -Cross Stitch-- Straight Stitch and I have just noticed Bullion Stitch as well.
This is a corner section of "Old Reliable"





Now on to finish the other stuff.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

I Know I Have Been Quiet Lately but----

-----I have been doing something.
At the end of September is the Embroiderers Guild annual exhibition and I have been busy finishing off all the bits and pieces that I have entered into it.
Now you won't find any wonderful framed Cross Stitched pieces from me or beautiful Hardanger table pieces -no siree.
We are lucky at our Guild because we have groups like the Paper Arts Group that create amazing mixed media pieces which can be entered in the exhibition as long as there is some form of stitching on them-either by hand or machine.
Here is one of the pieces that I have entered.
It is inspired by an article in issue 12 of Cloth Paper Scissors by Beryl Taylor.
I have used hand made paper for the base of each page.
Each page has a motif made of 3 different hand made papers and several different pieces of lace plus a button and a bead.
Each motif has stitching on it and each is different.
There is running stitch also along the top of each page.
I have made beads from the same hand made paper that is the base-the bigger ones are on top of the support poles and the smaller ones which form the tassels that hang off the poles.
I apologise for making the photos too small but if you click on them then they will enlarge.




The back of each page has two skeleton leaves and a button like the one that is on the front.





I am rather pleased with the way this has turned out.