Despite having a cold ...

I have been fairly productive.

I finished another little book at the weekend, since when it has been sitting under the ancient Singer getting flattened. This is the poly satin I transfer dyed under a selection of ribbons - with the ribbons in a grid on top. It is another pamphlet stitch binding, this time with 4 holes.




I also finished the BQL March challenge quiltlet, in record time for me. The brief was to use a photo printed on fabric but, never one to do as I'm told, I used a piece from one of my Inkaid printing experiments. The coloured squares are silk, but unfortunately I didn't have any black silk.

Wenselydale calls it 'Cosmic Chess' because the printed design was inspired by images from NASA.


And this is today's turquoise picture - although it could be the inspiration for a stamp . I took the photo at a hotel we stayed in in India - stunning building and position, the less said about the food the better .... Just use your imagination - er - probably better not.

Bobs and bits

I haven't been posting much because I haven't had a lot to post about, I'm afraid - but a few things came together today, so here I am.

First - we had a Friday trip this week. [We had a Tuesday one as well but that was a routine trip to Bournemouth so doesn't really count.]

The Discovery Centre [that place again - if the cakes were as good as the coffee I'd probably move in] has an exhibition of Hockney etchings. They are illustrations to Grimms' fairy stories, which Hockney made in the 60s. It is a touring exhibition from the Hayward and seems to have been on the road for several years so you may have seen it elsewhere. [I picture someone at the Hayward saying 'Didn't we have some Hockney etchings? Whatever happened to them?']

But I digress. As usual. The etchings are well worth seeing. There is one of a rose which I would dearly love to own if I was rich enough - and I don't like pictures of flowers. If you want to learn from a master how to use line and make marks - get yourself to the Discovery Centre.

On a more mundane level, I have finished my 'Stellar' quiltet for the 'Round the World in 20 Quilts' group. Sort of. I cannot reveal it all until the end of the month but here is a rather bad photo of a corner of it. This is one of the Inkaid pieces which I thought would be too stiff to hand embroider, although as you can see I managed to do some. It is sort of finished because I think it needs more fly stitches.

i am also working on these from Maggie Grey's on-line class for owners of her book 'Textile Translations'. These will eventually become a book, although they look like witches hats' to me. They are made of Vilene, believe it or not. I don't want to give away Maggie's techniques - if you want to know you'll have to buy the book - but there is a lot of stuff on there. Not much stitch, but a lot of crud - er - artistically applied mixed media.

You may notice, although the photo isn't clear, that the pieces are edged with zig zag. I wanted to edge them with blanket stitch but for some reason my sewing machine did not want to do blanket stitch on the Vilene. I tried everything I could think of - I even cleaned it and changed the needle - but no go. It would do FME. It would do zig zag. It would do blanket stitch on other fabrics. but on the Vilene? No.

Books are also being made for the Contemporary Textiles Workshop. Yes, in the plural. To make a cover, I stuck some monoprinted brown paper on Vilene, foiled it, added some monoprinted Lutradur, stitched it, zapped it with a heat gun, hated it. Threw it in the bin - then fished it out because I thought I could make some more samples from it - samples of what not to do.

So I made another piece on felt - except I'd run out of foil. I called in at our local craft shop, 'Creative Crafts' today to get some more but they had every colour except gold. So they persuaded me to try a new line of paint they had just got in - 'Precious Metal Colour'. This is the result - and the photo doesn't do it justice. The paint ain't cheap. but it just glides on - and the manufacturer claims you can use it on all sorts of surfaces including glass and plastic.

This afternoon I sat down to work on the witches' hats - looked at the first monoprint piece - and thought - it's not so bad after all. That's why I am now making two books.

Inkaid, monoprints, security blankets and Christmas cake.

are what I've done today. [Sorry to mention the C word.]

These are closeups of the latest Inkaid experiments - the ones where I sponged the Inkaid on fabric. I am a little disappointed by the black one - it is the same image as the one here but has come out duller, but without the anticipated improvement in handle - hand stitch would still be difficult.

The orange one is better - the orange fabric compensates for the loss of colour in places. Orange isn't my favourite colour but there is some in the image and this piece of hand dye was sitting in my stash waiting for an opportunity to emerge into the spotlight. [That's the trouble with dyeing colour wheels - you get orange as one of the steps!]

I have also continued to obliterate my monoprints. One of these you have already seen [still waiting for a Klimtian swirl], but the other two I finished today. The one with the squashed spider [a.k.a. a tassel] has foil on the appliqued vase shape and sloppy beading around the edge. I used a little bag of very mixed beads - what my grandfather would have called 'factory sweepings' - and just sewed them on as they came. 'Could do better.'

The third one I am quite pleased with. There are actually three monoprints - the original black paint on brown paper, some blobby gold paint on Bondaweb, and a final layer of black paint on scrim. A will know where the idea came from - an oldie but goodie.

I also started work on IgglePiggle's blanket - thanks to those who gave me advice on using fleece. I decided to make a single hem, to give some bulk for the blanket stitching - and machined it first for security. If there is anything worth listening to on TV tonight I will get started on the blanket stitch - I want get it finished for a VIBP [very important birthday party] next month. If you don't know, IgglePiggle is a character in a children's TV programme which Babybel enjoyed while she was with us - although I think her granddad enjoyed it more. Mmmm - I do have another piece of fleece and he has a birthday coming up too ...

And we made our Christmas cake today.I used to make it in half-term week while I was working and the tradition has continued now I'm not - although Wensleydale did most of it while I supervised. It is a Dan Lepard recipe called 'Black Christmas Cake', although it doesn't look much darker than normal. It has Guinness in it. Contrary to rumour, I do not put Guinness in all my cakes - just most of them. I don't make many cakes, and this is my default birthday cake recipe.

What to do with a horrible bit of black monoprinting on brown paper?

Add a bit of bling. Well - a lot of bling. Minimalist it isn't.

First you crumple the brown paper and Bondaweb it to felt. I rubbed it with gold wax but it was pretty subtle - well, more like invisible.

Then you FME it. I used a variegated thread but with hindsight wish I'd used black as it would have shown up more. Or gold.

Then I cut it into 3" by 4" pieces and played around with them. Two ended in the bin - Maggie Grey may be able to cut a brown paper and felt sandwich with a soldering iron but all I got was ragged edges, a nasty smell and a headache.

As they looked boring I decided to try foiling one. I discovered that one advantage of the stickiness of cheapo acrylic paint is that, when ironed, it takes foil well. As you see.

I was looking for beads for something else but these fake jet ones demanded to be a fringe. With gold thread. I added the French knots to try to bring out the swirls of machine stitching - but I'm not sure it works. Perhaps a few more? I also think it needs a focal point - probably some Klimtish spirals, unless anyone has any better ideas? Funny how black and gold always make me think of Klimt.

I like the back too -and the negative scan is quite ghostly.

I have also printed on the paper which I stamped and sponged with Inkaid. The sponged one is more suitable for my purpose - but I like the stamped one too. I hope this may produce fabric I can hand sew - some fabric is drying as I type.

And I have finished - at last - a monster piece of computer knitting. What is computer knitting? i like to have something mindless to work on while reading e-mails or doing anything else computer related that doesn't need hands. it has to be stocking or garter stitch - or rib, although that can go wrong more easily - nothing I have to think about / look at too often.

For many months I have been using up my oddballs of black, grey, turquoise and yellow in a blanket - I just cast on lots of stitches and knit garter stitch, changing colour every row and leaving long ends to make a fringe. It has turned out to be big enough to cover the legs of both of us when we sit together on the sofa - so with a sweater on the top half, we can turn the heating down and put two fingers up to British Gas!

Trouble is, I haven't got anything to knit now, apart from a baby cardigan which is definitely not computer knitting!

What to do after C&G?

Yesterday was the first session of the 'Contemporary Textile Workshop' at Eastleigh College which I signed up for, post C&G. It is taught by Sue Chapman, who is the P&Q teacher and also taught my 'Creative Sketchbooks' course, and Terrie Hitchcock who is the new embroidery teacher. I wanted to sign up for it because I know Sue is a good teacher and I had been told Terrie is - and because the work exhibited by last year's students was amazing.

So A. and I toddled along yesterday, not really, in my case, knowing what to expect - but having a good idea that we wouldn't be doing any sewing. Good job, as although I had everything apart from the kitchen sink, I had forgotten my specs.

We were told that the course will focus on design -great, just what I need - and that while last year they had looked at colour, this year it was mark-making. Less great- despite a recent outbreak of black and white I like colour. Preferably lots of it and very bright. I feel much less confident about mark making - so it is probably a good thing really.

We were given trays with pieces of paper towel in them, on which Quink had been drizzled, and strips of B&Q heavy duty lining paper.

Take note of the exact specification - I am a lining paper fanatic, ever since the guy who decorated our living room 2 years ago left me a roll of the stuff he used. Believe me, that didn't come from B&Q and when I discovered how much it cost I decided to use it very, very, carefully.

The B&Q stuff is pretty good [I understand the non-heavy duty isn't] and has different textures on each side, one cream and smooth, the other white and grainy. Of course, asked to do pattern - some of us came over all representational... I realised again that when asked to do this sort of thing I don't do it BIG enough, so what I do can look mean and uninspiring.

The rest of the day was spent monoprinting. I am ambivalent about monoprinting - other people produce some wonderful stuff, but I am always disappointed by my own efforts. Which is why you are seeing only a limited sample here. We were initially restricted to black and white but allowed a little colour in the afternoon, so I got out the Koh-i-noor. I think if I was clever enough I could make monoprints that looked like linoprints - but then why not make linoprints?

We have the month until the next session to develop some ideas for stitch. I was feeling pretty disheartened about it all this morning [not helped by another insomniac night] - but when I returned to my book of the month, 'From image to Stitch' I realised that monoprints could replace ink jet prints. and almost anything looks better if you cut it up.

I had an outbreak of the 'What if's' - so I have spent much of today following some of them up. No pictures as they are still drying - I don't want too much sticky acrylic paint on the scanner.

Unfortunately it was only right at the end of today that:

• I realised it was best to put the paint in a paint tray and then transfer it to the print surface, rather than squeezing it straight on, and


• I found a design idea I really liked,so


• I began to produce prints that satisfied me.

Sue and Terrie encouraged us to print on tissue paper and Bondaweb it to fabric - but- what if I print directly on to Bondaweb? I thought it might not work, and the prints are pretty smeary, but that may just be my poor monoprinting technique.

I am thinking of making a vessel, [continuing with the Tamsin Van Essen theme] so what if I print directly onto craft Vilene? Again - a bit smeary - this was early on in the session, so I need to revisit it.

I tried several other fabrics - poly satin worked well but looks best from the reverse side so I have a good print on the matte side, or a darker, less subtle print on the shiny side. Scrim worked surprisingly well, and was good for squeezing out a second print. Curtain lace doesn't really show the pattern but looks good anyway. Some linen-look poly also worked well, as did the same black cotton I used for the Inkaid.

Speaking of which - I made two paper samples, one with Inkaid on a rubber stamp and one with a natural sponge. They are drying at present but I will try printing them tomorrow and see how they look. If the idea works I will try it on fabric. Another what if - what if i use Inkaid on some hand dyed fabric [not black]?

Inkaid - Part 2

I have been playing again - with the paper and fabric I painted with Inkaid, and with cereal box transfer painting. I'll come back to the Inkaid later.

I have far too many printouts of ideas from the Internet, and most of them just sit in a file and never get used, However a suitable box became available just after I found this one, so I had a go. It wasn't a cereal box - our cereal comes in bags - but a boil in the bag rice box, although I think any stiff card would do.

Whether it was because the surface of the box was very shiny, or because I was using cheapo gesso, but when I tried to paint the gesso it began to peel off. So as I didn't like the look of the print on the box showing though anyway, I worked on the inside. In future, if I want the print to show, I will try sanding the box lightly first.

I also used cheapo T-shirt transfer paper so the result is very shiny - but as I will be using them for book covers [now there's a surprise] I don't mind the shininess. I do like the way the gesso and paint background shows through the image, though - a photo I took at 'Another Place', manipulated in Paint Shop Pro.

I am still impressed with the Inkaid. I used black paper and black fabric, with two coats of Inkaid - but I think one would have been plenty. This time I tried to choose images that would cover as much of the white Inkaid as possible.

This is one of my 'stellar' designs - a 'Neocolour' drawing also manipulated in PSP. This version is on paper, printed in draft mode, then, as usual, scanned four times -normally, with inverted colours, in grey scale and black and white. I do like to get my money's worth out of a piece!

This is the same image, printed in normal mode on fabric. I didn't bother trying best mode, it didn't seem necessary. This one looks as good in the flesh as it does on my monitor. I think there is a touch of Mackintosh about the top right hand corner!

In this one the Inkaid is more evident, but I don't find it a problem, as I think it contributes to the swirliness.

The Inkaid definitely stiffens the fabric, although presumably that would be less evident with only one coat. I was going to hand stitch but it may end up machined becasue of the stiffness and resistance to a needle.

I would like to try sponging or stamping the Inkaid on, rather than putting it on with a brush. I hope this would break the image up, either randomly or in the shape of the stamp. Inkaid is runnier than the I would usually use for stamping, but I hope it would work, and might reduce the stiffness.

Not sure when I will get round to this as it is the first session of the 'Contemporary Textiles Workshop' tomorrow. As usual in first sessions of textile courses - the list of things to bring makes no mention of textiles...

I forgot to mention that we had a Wednesday wander yesterday - a quick trip to Whitchurch Silk Mill where the North Downs Lace Makers have a small exhibition. A very friendly lady offered to show me how to make lace - but I think I have enough fibre habits for now and doubt I have the patience for lace - see previous discussions of my low tolerance for repetition. Now if it had been spinning it would have been a different story.

If you live near enough to the Silk Mill and fancy visiting their exhibitions - if you pay the Gift Aid entrance fee they give you a year's free pass - which is one reason we go regularly!

And finally - Lynn has asked what needle I use for stitching on paper. Obviously a lady who likes asking hard questions! I tend to shove part-used machine needles into a pin cushion to use when sewing paper - by which time I have forgotten what they were. I know some people have machine needle cushions marked with sizes and types and if I ever need an excuse for making another needle cushion, I'll make one like that.

To be serious - it is probably Organ brand, and at least a size 90, because of the thickness of the sandwich I am sewing. Sorry I can't be more helpful, Lynn!

I've been experimenting again,

trying techniques from Maggie Grey's 'From Image to Stitch'. I have decided that one of the reasons I have felt unsettled is that I want to play but also feel I need to work in my compost heap - er 'studio journal' - for the class on Friday. Solution? Experiment - but use themes from the journal. Obvious really, isn't it?


I bought some Inkaid at the Knitting and Stitching Show, so, at last, I got round to using it. [We won't mention the bottle of Bubble Jet Set I bought - er - several years ago and have only opened once. That is 'opened'. Not 'used'.]

Now you may have noticed that occasionally I use black in my work. [I wear it too, although I shouldn't, without a tastefully arranged pink or apricot scarf. Unfortunately I don't do tastefully arranged scarves. Chic I ain't.]



So I was keen to try out printing on black paper, as suggested by Ms Grey. The Inkaid bottle suggests two coats but my Yorkshire genes [I tend to keep quiet about those, but I do have some] suggested I try just one. So does Maggie, but as you will see I am very good at skim reading and then working on the basis of what I thought I read ...


I learned that:

• Inkaid is white. It shows on black paper if not covered with print. Of course Maggie points this out but that only registered with me after I had printed.


• The brush marks show.

A bit of judicious tearing removed the white bits from this one, which was one of these. I backed it with black felt and practiced FME on. Not the greatest piece of work in the world, but as Wensleydale pointed out, you can't get samples wrong.


It has just occurred to me to wonder whether it would have looked any different if I had printed on white paper. Maybe I'd better experiment some more!


I also tried printing on brown paper [no Inkaid]. I learned from this:

• Print first, scrumple second. Trust me, the other way round is not a good idea. This piece is this size because that is how far it got before the printer threw its hands up in horror and refused to go any further.













• Brown paper is dark. So if you print a dark picture on it it will get darker. Which is what happened to this guy. So I made it worse by ironing shreds of black FuseFX over him.

A scan in inverted colours looks quite spooky.


I have also returned to Dunnwewold at al's 'Finding your Own Visual Language' which I enthused about last year, worked partly through and then lost interest in. I think it was being asked - again - to draw lines expressing emotions. [I know I could skip that bit but I am a linear thinker and I have difficulty giving myself permission to do things like that.]


Looking at the book again prompted me to try some of the ideas with pots, starting with chopping them up. I do like the starkness of black and white.