Embellishing Convergence

Playing with the embellisher and using the Ricky Timms Convergence technique I have created a small wall hanging. Not ideal but I know what I would change when I do it again - more contrast.

BTW - thanks for the nice comments but it was not an original idea - I got it from Indygo Junction book on Needle Felting by Amy Barickman (I think - as I had only quickly glanced through it in a store - so many books - so little money)

Rovings laid out on black felt


More bits and pieces added including torn strips of organza and silk tops

More layers with mesh and other bits

Once run through the embellisher front and back it was fused onto a stabiliser then sliced into various sizes.

Slices swapped alternatively and then cut the same way but horizontally. Now I had lots of little squares and rectangles


Close up

Fused onto a backing piece but I have cut it off as it didn't work. Not sure but will probably go only something purple or black. Maybe some beads now......


HAPPY NEW YEAR and may all your wishes come true for 2008. Thanks for all your friendship and encouragement this year.

Magic Happens

One of the most wonderful things I have done in my artistic life is the Dyeing Workshop with Carol Soderlund. Her dyeing methodology is simple and yet extremely effective and creates incredible fabrics.
Whenever we need to refresh our stock with a complete colour range we do a Colour Run which takes a couple of days but is fun. It is done by numbering the fabric (we do 64 1m pieces) and then dyeing first in various intensities of yellow, then re-sorting them and into red and then into blue.

Here are the sorted fabrics after the yellow and red dye baths and ready to go into the blue.




Peter looks very elegant in his dyeing apparel doesn't he?

This is when the magic happens - suddenly a whole spectrum appears. It never fails to amaze me that all these colours are in the same dyepot.


Here is a batch of the ones which didn't go into the blue at all.


Here are some of the middle strength ones.

These were the earthy colours palette. We have the fabric all ready to do a bright version next.

Living the Creative Life

One of the benefits of my new life is that I am finding time to read a little more.

I have, over the last few years, only read technique type books or magazines as by the time I get time to read my eyes are too tired or the rest of me is exhausted.

So to find a book called - Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery was too opportune to pass up.

I have just finished it and it has consolidated a lot of the ideas and thoughts that have been going around (and around and around) in my brain.

She also has a discussion group which I think I might have to join too - just what I need another list - but I think it may be worthwhile.

The artwork in the book is brilliant and inspiring and crosses many different art forms but with a consistent theme.

Yes - You are in the right place

I just wanted to consolidate my blog to connect to my business name so have been playing around with the Banner. The Dyed & Gone to Heaven website will be revamped soon. There will probably be more changes as I get more adventurous.
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. We were very low key (read non-existant) and had a lovely quiet day playing with fabric and paint and dye and thread.

Pelican Fabric

Whenever we are at shows we get asked for fabric to use for Eileen Campbell's Pelican Sunset pattern. It is a very popular pattern and obviously perfect for a hand dyed backing piece.


so I have painted some especially for it. I think they are quite a good match. My pieces are 40in wide and 54in tall if you are interested. The extra width of the fabric will give you perfect strips for a matching border.

I did them in my new tent/shade house. Working in the summer sun can sometimes be really hot so we picked this up for mere dollars at Grays Online who have the most amazing bargains.

Todays Crop

My strawberries are coming along a treat and everytime I go through the front gate I have a little feast. This is today's crop.

We have also been dyeing some fabric sets which finally got cut and folded today.

Time for a New Look

With my new life as a struggling self employed artist I felt a change was needed. I know it is only a logo but having something new and fresh also symbolises a new beginning

This is the front of the business card - I was going to put the back up too but thought it was probably not a good idea to have all my contact details floating around the wonderous world that is the internet. It will also form the basis of the revamped website early in the new year.

What do you think?



I was really happy with my designer Jo at Design91 who really made it a fun design exercise.

A Feast for the Senses

We are fortunate in Australia to have many brilliant chefs. Kylie Kwong is one of them. She is amazing and we eat many of her recipes every week from one of her earlier cookbooks. They are of Chinese flavour but with local touches and so easy to cook.

She has recently released another book called My China where she travels all over China and includes the most wonderful recipes (all my favourites from my travels too). I knew I would love this book when the opening page was a lush chinese embroidery.

As the title of the post indicates - it is not just the recipes which make this book brilliant. The photos and photo collages are inspirational and I plan to read it from cover to cover as soon as I can and make as many of the recipes too of course.

Embellishing

I have been busy with my embellisher - I have the Janome one - and this is one of the pieces I have made. I really like the colours and the textures I can create and enjoying this playing.

Think it might need some beading though.....

Re-organising

I have inherited another room since my son left home apart from his bedroom. His living room has really just been a corridor to my studio for months and I was tripping over myself in my studio. I have also been fortunate to win a Horn Craft Cabinet which was being wasted as there was nowhere but my main living room to have it opened up. It is only a small room but seemed such a shame to waste it. First to go was the the three piece lounge suit and coffee table so a blank canvas to work with.

So for the last week we have been shifting stuff around. I think this new room will be my embellishing studio and the original one can stay as the quilting one. I know that they cross over all the time but now I have somewhere for my embellisher and also the beads all in one spot. I think a design wall might be needed too fairly soon and some decent lighting.

I have however come to the conclusion that I HAVE ENOUGH BEADS!! Seeing them all like this together has made this statement fairly self explanatory don't you think? The top containers are two deep as well.

Finished One

I always have a few things on the go and this one has been a work in progress for a while.

It is on Timtex which has been painted with Lumiere metallic paints. The main bead is actually a slice of agate (I think) which I bought in the US last year. The 'creature' turned out a little like the jellyfish at the Monterey Aquarium (also visited on our travels) so nice memories.

It is for sale if you are interested and is framed and could be sent in time for Christmas if you are looking for a special gift. Details on the website.

Detail shot

Gumnuts continued

Yesterday's gumnuts have inspired me to experiment. I have a couple of printing blocks which I have had for far longer than I care to admit. So the time has come to attack them.

After lots of playing with Photoshop - a challenge in itself - I have come up with the following two images. I really like them both. Now to get out the lino cutting tools which I have had (unopened for nearly as long) and give it a try.

I will show you the results if they are not a complete disaster. The plan is to make some postcards using other mysterious things hiding in my studio.
Original photo

My adjusted images

In Bloom

For a couple of months a year we are woken before dawn and then driven mad all day by the screeching of Rainbow Lorikeets who like to feast on the new gum blossoms.
This photo is a public domain one as I can't get close enough to them to get a good photo as the trees are very tall and they are very fast.

These are the blossoms they are after and we have quite a few trees around us. Of course the gum nuts are really beautiful too and I am planning to use them in some future work.




Finally - on a garden theme and just to annoy Erica - here is todays crop of strawberries which I have beaten the snails to and am now revelling in the warm sweet flavour. I am as bad as those Lorikeets but not as noisy.

Good start to the Day

I am taking the opportunity of being a self employed but overweight struggling artist with arthritis rapidly creeping over all my joints to do some exercise. Not my favourite activity by any stretch of the imagination.

However - I do love being in water so aquarobics seem a good idea. I have bought a season ticket at my local pool and have been everyday this week. I quite like the 6am atmostphere but the teacher is an ex syncronised swimmer and all that legs in the air stuff just makes me want to burst out laughing. Imagine 20 ladies well past their prime trying to look like Esther Williams. Very funny.

Anyway - here is the pool looking over the river in the early morning.

It's Raining Properly

Funny thing about droughts - they occasionally break. After spending a couple of hours out in the garden this afternoon the promised storms just arrived. Great for washing down all the dust and stuff. Having just used lots of water in the water tanks to pressure clean the paving so it is great to have them fill up again immediately.

The drainage in my street couldn't quite cope with the deluge but I couldn't resist trying some one handed (other hand was holding the umbrella) shots.


Surfs up!

Work in the Garden

We have been very busy in the garden. With the combination of being away so much recently and with all this wonderful rain (Yes my water tanks are full now) the garden has gone beserk. Mainly weeds unfortunately but a few days hard slog (and about 10 large bags of waste) has resulted in a fairly civilised space again. Good exercise too

Here are some before and after shots. I think a trip to the garden centre might be needed now to fill some gaps

Before
.
After

Before



After - a great improvement don't you think?

Thanks Jenny

My friend Jenny Bowker who lives the most exotic life in Cairo at present, also writes for Down Under Quilts. This month her article also included reference to one of my quilts. I have made many since this one but she always refers to it as her favourite of mine. Here is a bit of it if you are interested. Thanks Jenny.

It is actually for sale if you are feeling affluent. It is 2m x 2m and can be found on my website.

By the way - Jenny has just come back from the most amazing trip into the desert. Her blog is a must read.