Like they say.. It's irresistable

The article on flour resist dyeing in the latest Quilting Arts is called "It's irresistable!" I had intended to leave the paint to cure for longer (since it's covered in flour, you can't really heat-set it, so you have to let time do the work) but yesterday my curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't resist throwing caution to the winds and washing out some of the flour, at the risk of losing the paint. (I didn't lose the paint.)
Now I wish I hadn't done it on a white background! I think I'll overpaint it with a transparent lighter colour, to colour the background, without losing the etching-like scratches. I have another piece drying at the moment, which I had previously dyed and have now overdyed.

What a lot of fun. Love it when the Quilting Arts inspires me to try something like this out.

The above makes me feel as though the old way I used to use flour resist is now quite boring!

Flour Resist

After the article in the latest Quilting Arts about Flour Resist, I just couldn't "resist" trying it again.
It is going to be hard to wait for this to cure, before I can wash off the flour - I want to see the results NOW.

Metalwork - more pics

At last I have managed to take some half-decent pictures of the metalwork hanging. (I only posted detail shots in my previous post as the full shots were blurred.) Here's the full view.
I've cut up several more cans and am planning more in this vein. Must try and find a way of doing the embossing, that isn't so hard on the hands.

Journal

I'm still making fabric beads ad infinitum, but thought I'd post these pictures of a journal that I made after I had seen the journals of Sue Bleiweiss.
I screenprinted this fabric long ago when I took a screenprinting class. The design is partly from a serviette and partly my own made-up doodles. I backed it with some batting and quilted it with some silver thread.
I used satin for the inside, but wouldn't use it again - too shiny and slippery - I would have preferred a cotton lining. But now I know. I sewed in 3 signatures of white and other coloured papers. I used old laminated posters (of which there are always plenty in an academic environment) as the stiffening, as I do not access to Peltex (which I think is what Sue uses). It worked fairly well, although it could be stiffer. But all in all, I'm pretty happy, for a first journal. Thanks to Sue Bleiweiss for inspiration!

Cats on my stuff

Silliness

Some silliness for those who have young children:

If you ever see a bunny
whose nose is very runny,
you might think it's funny
but it's (s)not!

Fabric Beads

Ahhhhh, another madness to get obsessive about. Fabric beads. These are just a few of the beads I've finished in the last few days. They are really addictive. Can't wait to begin using them in something - it will have to be nice and three-dimensional.
They're intriguing little things and I keep being drawn to pick one up and look at it closer. Ah well, there are worse things to be addicted to. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Cyber Fyber - I've joined!

I'm thrilled that I am going to be part of the Cyber Fyber Exhibition!
I am trading for Postcard No 156 and this weekend will give some thought to which postcard to post to Susan Lenz, or to perhaps making a new one especially for the occasion.
Many, many thanks to Jackie of Blissfully Imperfect who mentioned this to me and got me curious enough to go and take a look. Apparantly I am currently the only representative of the whole continent of Africa. There are many like me, I assure you, so that is not representative of fibre artists in this neck of the woods. But I am glad we are going to be in there and will attempt to keep the African flag flying high!

Metalwork

These are going to be "teaser" pics, not intentionally, but because the rest of the pics I took are tooooo blurry. I will re-try, but here are the close-ups, so long.
It feels like armour to me, and since much of it was done with the hulking big bandage on my hand, and with me feeling like I needed some armour against life's assaults, that's what I am sticking with.. no title yet, but I'm also not 100% sure that it's finished yet, even though it's up and hanging

Carpal tunnel repair

This is such a clever little operation and it has really, really helped. Above is my left hand, which was done about two years ago - you can faintly see a scar running from the wrist crease to about halfway up m y palm. I call it my "wealth line".

Below is the "Can hold needle - will sew" shot. I have to spend just TWO more days in this bandage, which has been a monumental pain in the {insert own body part here}. It's bulky, hot in this sticky summer weather and by now, much grubbier than the picture (thank goodness I took that shot some time back!)
But I have to say the orthopaedic surgeon has done a fine job - and of course I have a design worked out for a new work based on this experience. Making lemonade and all that...

Edit 4 March 2008
... and here it is just after the bandage came off. Still very red, but that will fade.

Is this Angelina?

I've read so much about Angelina fibres, but have never found a really good picture/description, and have never found it locally, so when I found this lilac fuzz at our local stationery/arts/crafts shop (Albany Business Machines, in case any locals were wondering) I thought it looked like what I imagine Angelina fibres to be. I bought some and took them home to play with. I tried to iron some together, between two sheets of fusible release paper and it worked like a charm! So even if it isn't Angelina, I can use it as if it was :)

It's called Angel's Hair according to the lady who orders it and the label says Sparkle Shred. Next I am going to ask if she can order it in different colours (the lilac is not my first choice of colour!) Can any of you knowledgable people out there in blogland tell me if it looks like Angelina?

I'm listed in a sidebar :)

Belonging to webrings has been a great move - I've been getting a bit more traffic on my blog. It's not the traffic I am after as much as the contact and exchanges with other similar folks - so thanks to anyone who has stopped by and left a comment, so I can follow you to your own site and get inspired :)

I've now even made it to a sidebar of another fibre art blog! - go have a look at Jackie K's Blissfully Imperfect (love the name!)

Mickey

Metal

I've wanted to explore using metal with fibre for some time. Apparently you can buy craft metal (not sure if it's pewter or what) but I have not seen any here in Grahamstown, which is the usual downside to living in a small place.

The upside to living in a small place is that you then get inventive about finding substitutes. So here is a very plentiful substitute: the ubiquitous cooldrink can (or "soda can" as the Americans call it). I wash them out, cut off the top and bottom and down the middle and voila.

I used an old dry ballpoint pen to scribble patterns on them. This isn't the best tool as I found I had to press very hard. It was VERY hard on the hands - I did these before my hand operation, and will not be able to do any more until my hand has healed. I would imagine the craft metal that is sold, is softer. One buys a ball tool for this, but really, how is a ball point pen different? You also have to cut smoothly as any jagged or pointy edges are really sharp. I bought a cheap (as in R5.99) pair of kitchen shears from Pep to cut the cans with as I was not going to risk my nice scissors and they have proved perfect (Now I'm wondering if cutting metal does not actually *sharpen* the scissors? Anyone know?)
To disguise the origin of the metal I backed them with fabric wrapped around the front and hemmed with mitred corners. I also want to try doing something that does not disguise the other side, but I did not want the distraction of the multi-coloured side for this project.

I would also still like to try and find another way to make the marks on the metal, that doesn't wreck the hands quite so much. The metal/fibre combination has SOOO many possibilities I really want to do more.

Pics of finished project soon...

My Blog of the Week!

If you haven't seen it already, you MUST hop along to Sue Bleiweiss' blog.
Fantastic stuff.
She publishes an online Mixed Media 'zine called Fibre and Stitch. Just a look at the contents page of the latest issue made my mouth water. If the Free Projects are anything to go by, I think I may just NEED to get this into my life :)

Not so bad

I've taken painkillers on 6 occasions in the last 6 days and there is no more pain, so I'm pretty impressed with that. Still not a lot of grip strength in my hand (cutting with scissors is out) but the opposable thumb bit is getting better. It aches at the end of the day, but I have to admit that is when I have pushed it hard. I still have a very bulky and irritating bandage on, which is only coming off in TWO weeks(!) I have finished my black and grey piece, but pics will have to wait until I can get them uploaded.
So, not that much of interest here, today. Sorry.

I'm a terrible patient

I'm so restless and need to be doing something with my hands.

However, I CAN hold a needle (joy of joys!) and even though I don't have much strength in my right hand, (using any of the hand muscles pulls on the stitches and hurts) I can do basic things. So I have installed myself on the couch with season one of Grey's Anatomy and about 2 seasons of House MD and I am working rather mindlessly on a black and grey piece that I'll show you when I can figure out how to get pics onto a computer whose USB ports are all broken. Mickey kitten comes and climbs onto my lap and plays with my thread and is soooo cute. Every now and then I take 2 of the 20 pills I was given for pain, when it gets too sore, although I must say the pain has not been very bad.

I can't shake an oppressively heavy, depressed feeling that has settled over me like a blanket. It seems it is always lurking about, waiting to pounce on me when I'm not alert... :(

Post-op thoughts

I wish I was a glow-worm
a glow-worm's never glum,
For how can you be grumpy
when the sun shines out your bum?!

Ow.
Grump grump.
What is the use of two weeks off work, when I can't do the thing I MOST want to do whenever I'm off???

Tri-Nations Challenge

With a prod from a friend, (thanks, Mariss) I have enetered the Tri-Nations Challenge.
O help! I have NO IDEA what I am going to make. The entry form had to be in by 31 Jan, so I just sent it in, without any clue as to what I would do. It has to be 50x50cm with theme "My Place".
No doubt something will occur to me...

South Africa's National Quilt Festival, held every two years, is coming up in September this year in Johannesburg. I have to decide a) whether I am going and b) whether I am going to try and enter something. I also have to decide about my entry for Innovative Threads, which has a THEME this year, much to my dismay (it's usually open-themed). I'm dismayed because I recently finished what was going to be my Inno entry for this year (been working on it 2 years and haven't shown it here yet), but I dont think I am going to be able to squeeze it into the theme :( And I'm SO proud of it.

And to go with this dismay, I lost a filling in a tooth, that I just had done last week and I have to go for the Carpal Tunnel op on my hand next week. Lovely day. Why is the general trend just always south, I wonder. oh well, just have to get on with it, I guess...

Tatty edges rule :)

Just before making the piece I posted about a few days ago, I cut the raw edges off all the fabrics. They had a lovely frayed look to them. I sewed them all onto a piece of black fabric and don't they look great all lined up together :)
I will probably make a fabric journal cover from this. Any other suggestions?

Hand Trouble

Two years ago, I had an operation to repair the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in my left hand. At the time, I had it in both hands, but much worse in the left, so I only got the left done. Now I fear it is time to do the right hand.

I'm really anxious about this! Much more so than last time around. My right hand is so instrumental in all the things that are really important to me, that the thought of laying it under a surgeon's scalpel just doesn't appeal to me. I know it will help; it won't be so sore, tingling, numb etc. but... but... I also know I won't be able to use it for 2 weeks, during which time I will be off work and thus ACHING to make stuff and thus frustrated out of my tree!

My appointment with the orthopaedic surgeon is on Monday 4 Feb. Sigh. I also remember it was about 6 months before I could say my hand had fully recovered. I'll have to learn to use a mouse with my left hand and perhaps I should take out a DVD contract... ugh, I don't want this.

Work Avoidance Behaviour

My pens are always getting lost on my desk at work, plus people who sign consent forms often walk off with them. So today I made a bunch of flowers for my desk.

... and just in case you thought I'd lost my marbles:

Inspired by Melody

A while back there were these very successful (in my estimation) dyed cloths that I did while in hospital. They have been lying around whispering to me, but I wasn't really listening.
Until a few days ago.
It began when Melody Johnson moved to Tennessee (the butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazon and on the other side of the world someone makes a quilt!) and posted pics of room layouts. I spied a quilt over a chair in one picture and asked her to let us have a better look. I regret not being able to supply a link to the post showing the quilt, but if you go here and scroll down to November 26, you will see it.
I had that picture in the back of my mind when I got out this fabric, but deliberately didn't go back and look at it as I wanted to try and make something with the same... um... i don't know what... feel, or mood, perhaps, but not just a copy. I started with the triangles and then cut strips and just moved everything around and around until the following emerged:
It's not completely finished, but my day job is cramping my time and by 5pm I am just too tired to do much. Will post a pic when done.

Meanwhile, I want to THANK Melody whose blog was the inspiration for me to start my own blog and from whom I have learnt SO much, just quietly reading away and trying her things out. Had to laugh the other day when I was reading: Melody, you say you have retired from teaching, but your blog is a series of one lesson after the other - I guess old habits die hard, huh? ;)

Klimt

I bought the mug in the middle one day because I was completely taken with the picture on it. It has inspired a quilt (still in progress so no pics yet). Sometime later I bought another and last Xmas my 14 yo daughter bought me the third. I only found out who the artist was when I brought home the second and said daughter commented "Oh yes, Klimt."
"What?" I said. "How do you know who painted this?" I had never even heard of Klimt.
Turns out she had learnt it at school...
I was a bit embarrassed: I didn't realise I was that uneducated... :( Klimt has done such stunning work and I have been missing out all this time...
Anyways, I remedied that very smartly, and I still LOVE the mugs. Can't bear to use them for drinking out of (they're fragile and WILL break) so I collect thread ends in them.

Cool Geometry

I found templates for this .. um... shape (it does have a long mathematical name) amongst the papers I've been sorting out, so I enlarged them on the photocopier and spent a happy evening in front of the TV, cutting, folding and glueing. It's now looking pretty good hanging in my office.

For Mother's Day last year, my daughters, who are chronically low on cash (I don't think that is such a bad thing when you're young, since it encourages you to be inventive) presented me with this:
... an origami model, made from numerous pieces of square paper, none of them cut and nothing glued, only folded and inserted into each other. I was so delighted!!

Fabric Storage Part 2

I think it just might work.......!
Yesterday I left you with a picture of a box. Cut off the high sides, so you get this:
Keep the sides you cut off to one side. Now take TWO lids and cut off one short side of each:
Then tape them together, open sides together. I use clear parcel tape, cheap, wide and sticks like crazy.
Close-up of taped sides. It is important to do this on the INSIDES of the box:
Now strengthen sides with the bits of cardboard you cut off the main box earlier. Tape these to the sides of the two lids:
Stack a few of these double-lid boxes on top of each other and tape together:

Insert the boxes you cut down to size earlier a n d .... voila!
The only issue is how they will stand up under the weight of the fabric when all the "drawers" are full. I made two stacks of 7 each last night. IF they seem to be holding up, I will cover the fronts of the drawers so they look more like this:
which, if you it out a bit, reveals this: (you don't see the back bit so I save the sticky-backed vinyl for the part that shows.)
If they wear out too quickly at least it has only cost me a R6 roll of tape.What I like is that each individual "drawer" might get messy, but that won't affect the whole. Later I might sort fabrics into colours. Much later.

And I had fun :)

How to store fabric (?)

I am forever in search of the Holy Grail of Perfect Fabric Storage.... as I am sure many others are too. I've seen wonderful systems: shelves, cupboards, glass-fronted drawers etc etc. and wished I could have them. But alas, I do NOT have:
a) carpentry skills
b) a handy significant other (who might have had these skills)
c) wads of spare cash to buy such a system.

I've also realised that shelves don't really work for me. I've bought numerous bookshelves, supposedly to "solve" this problem, but it all ends up being stuffed in, higgledy-piggledy because I yank it all out when I am searching for the right piece (and you know you have to audition fabrics next to each other to make VISUAL decisions, right? - which means you have to take ALL the eg. reds out and then when you find the right piece you want to get going immediately - who wants to pack fabrics away neatly first???)

I should be more organised. I should be more disciplined. Yadda yadda.

Are you bored yet? The other criterion I have for this Perfect Storage is that it needs to be cheap. And preferably something I can make myself. And if I can make it from a waste material which is plentiful and free, so much the better. (As I often tell my girls, "fortunately, we have more sense than money".) Actually there are plenty of things I have more of, than money... :(

And one of them is fabric! - which brings us back to..... (I have a hopeless amount of fabric, from 25-odd years of extreme hoarding. I have to steel myself and be strong when I give away used clothes to people who need them desperately, because of course they are made of... ? Yup. )
So I've been looking at the boxes our paper comes in, for a while, trying to work something out. These boxes are all over the university and are often thrown away. There MUST be a way I can use them.

No, sorry, this post is not about how I have solved the problem, for I haven't done that yet. But I am going to! It may not be spectacular or even good-looking, but as long as it works, so that I can actually trace a piece I am looking for, instead of this constant "I know I have a piece that is just right, but WHERE?"

I made one previous attempt, which just does not work at all.
. I cut off one side of the box and replaced it with transparent laminating waste. I was trying to "make" glass-fronted drawers. But this was a miserable failure. Not only because they aren't sturdy enough, but because the piece you want is *always* at the bottom! and if you only have a small piece of something you'll never find it in a whole box full.

So, back to the drawing board. I am very determined.

Yarn cat

Once upon a time, there was a cat.
Who was, in fact, a CD rack.
Made of wire and two well-placed marbles.

This cat belonged to a student, who rented a flat at the back of a batty middle-aged woman's house. Upon finishing her degree, the student gathered her belongings and left, leaving the cat with the batty woman (who was known, not only for her battiness, but also for her ... no, not her cattiness, but her battiness about cats) as she was sure the batty woman would take good care of her.
The batty middle-aged cat lady took the cat inside and stood her by the front door, where she greeted everyone as they came in, mostly by tripping them up as they walked past, since the cat was extremely transparent and often went unnoticed. When the batty cat lady's own toes were thus assailed one day, she uttered some unmentionable words and set about finding another use for the cat.
And so it came about that the cat was transformed from CD rack to yarn holder, with the help of some laminating waste cut into mega-bobbins and a small portion of the batty lady's considerable yarn collection.
And now the cat resides on a table, where it proudly bristles with pleasure whenever anyone looks at it. From time to time, it even changes colour, just like a chameleon.
But only if it feels so inclined.

Kitten cuteness

Please skip if you wonder why there are pets in a fibre art blog...

I - can't - HEAR - you !

It sure is exhausting getting these ribbons under control.

Cracks and peels

Just finished.
A small piece about 30cm x 30cm.
I live in an aging house, with an increasing number of cracks and paint peeling off the walls, both inside and out. Furthermore I can feel my body aging too - another metaphor... so yeah, that's what this is about...