Creative Textiles - and some good news

Although I haven't mentioned the Creative Textiles workshop for a while, I haven't forgotten about it. I have been working on some ideas, although I don't think I will return to the long piece I started in the workshop - the quilt has confirmed my preference for small pieces!

The work we did on modifying marks got me thinking about similarity and difference, and I developed an idea for some pieces on that theme using buttons rather than marks. [Having inherited three women's stashes as well as my own I have a lot of buttons.] Buttons have functional features in common - e.g. holes - but can vary in a number of ways - size, shape, colour, number and position holes etc. - similarities and differences.

But as buttons are usually relatively simple in design I decided they would need some interesting backgrounds. I experimented with making stiff backgrounds because I am bored with using craft Vilene for book covers. [You had realised books were involved, hadn't you?]

So I glued bits of a variety of papers on decorators' lining paper, cartridge paper and calico. Then I sloshed on white emulsion paint [my occasional substitute for gesso] and, while they were still wet, painted them with Brusho. I used grey, black and blue Brusho, although the grey is quite blue and was bluer still by the time I'd finished ... Then they got a spritz of moonshadow mist and the calico was dry brushed with black paint - just because I happened to have some that needed using up. [I am mean about paint and don't like washing it down the drain.]

Unfortunately, when it was dry, I realised that it just wouldn't work with the buttons. Time for Plan B - which according to Wensleydale is 'thinking up Plan C,]. Back to mark making.

At the time, I didn't want to use any of the ideas for marks the workshop had generated. [I have had some ideas since then, which may appear later.] So I decided to stamp it instead. If you are not a perfectionist stamper, each repeat of the stamp is different, which I like. The dark blue tones, the conjunction of the moon with Venus and Mercury [I think?] and my new book ['Symbols of the Goddess' by Clare Gibson] - all suggested planet imagery. I stamped various circles and arcs with found objects - and this is the stage I've reached. Now for some embroidery ...

Still need to think about what I'm going to do with all those buttons though.

And the good news?

This is finished. Quilted, bound, washed and ready to be wrestled into some wrapping paper. I would like to show you the beautiful free motion quilted butterflies I covered it with. I would like to show them to you but unfortunately my quilting skills aren't up to that and it is all straight lines - a diagonal grid in the centre and lines round the borders. I can FME small pieces - but not this, which seemed to grow by the minute. It is, however, a good size for snuggling on the sofa under, as Wensleydale found when I was finishing the binding. I just hope the recipient likes it.

Since then, someone on the British Quilt List has asked about 'In the Night Garden' quilts - and I had already realised that if the hungry Caterpillar is successful someone might produce 'Wild Things' fabric [Babybel's daddy's favourite book.] However, a girl can have too many quilts.

Our Wednesday wander

was to this. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I can't show you any photos. I can show you what I bought - this wreath, which is our only concession so far to Christmas ['Bah! Humbug!']

and this Czech duck. When you pull him along he moves his head and quacks. I know he's Czech because he has something written on his tummy which Google tells me means 'Unsuitable for Children under 3 years' in Czech. Pity I didn't spot that before I bought him - now he will have to go into hibernation for 2 years or only be played with under supervision.

We went with Mr and Mrs Cheddar and at their suggestion went down to the market just as dusk was falling and the lights were coming on. We have only been in day time in previous years and it was definitely better to go in the late afternoon. It seemed quite quiet too - but it was very very very cold!

Incidentally, the reason I forgot my camera was because I took it out of my bag to take this photo of some sofa testing and forgot to put it back. She's not dead - just asleep. It was very difficult to take a photo which didn't make her look as though she had no head.



Today has been much more industrious - I have quilted and bound the caterpillar quilt, apart from hand stitching down the binding which will be a pleasant task for TV listening. [Photo of that when I have finished.] I also made this with the left overs from the quilt. Babies need bags for all their stuff!

A stellar display

I mentioned a while ago that I had joined the group 'Around the World in 20 Quilts' [or ATWI20Q' for short]. We have been working on the theme 'stellar' and all the finished A4 quiltlets were revealed on Nov 30th. There is a link to the group blog in the sidebar [under all the pictures of Babybel] if you want lots of ideas and lots of inspiration.

I have finished [?] the second not-landscape. It has changed a bit since you last saw it - the brown has gone. I think the kantha-ish quilting works and I may add some to the first not-landscape. You will notice that some bead and French knot encrustation did creep in after all...

I spent the weekend working on an altered book for Maggie Grey's online class. This used to be a copy of an Enid Blyton story - I decided it was worthy of altering when I realised that the girls in the story had a governess and the threshing machine was run by a traction engine. As it wasn't a first edition I decided it was probably of limited interest to 21st century children and proceeded to attack it.

Here it is drying on the radiator. Some pages were removed, then I glued a variety of papers [newspaper, paper towels, tissue, pages from a completed crossword book and an old phone book, and paper doyleys from the pound shop] to some of the remaining ones. All were brushed with gesso and sprayed with black and grey Brusho. I think it looks wonderfully tatty. When it is dry I will have to decide what else to do to it. At the moment, still thinking about mark making, I am pondering on runes ...

Having taken the plunge with altering a book - I am tempted to do it again. I think, apart from my reluctance to deface books, i have always been put off by the style of the altered books I have seen. Maggie's, of course, are different, and much more to my taste.

The quilt is temporarily on hold as Wensleydale is administrating on the dining room table, which is where I layer my quilts. He has promised it will be clear by tomorrow, so I can get the three layers assembled and pinned - I hope to tackle the quilting on Thursday.

On a completely different topic - as this blog has been a bit doggy recently - here is Quality Control testing the printer. Notice that blank sheet of paper emerging? That is what happens if you tread on the buttons on your way up. She is looking alert because she has just heard the fridge door opening two rooms away ...

Most important things first ...

the quilt top is finished. That is the top, you understand, not the whole quilt. And simple as it is it took some cursing, some minor errors and one major one and a lot of unpicking just to get this far. Now I just have the dreaded quilting to do.

This is the first quilting kit I have ever bought and I don't think I will buy another one as there wasn't enough fabric for me to make the design changes I wanted to make [or to put right the major mistake]. I did simplify the pattern a bit anyway.

When I bought the kit I thought it was single bed size - but it isn't. It's about 120 x 180 cm, so will probably make a topper for a single bed. I think it will be good for snuggling under while being read to, or as a wall hanging - although I don't think there is enough spare wall in Babybel's bedroom. I hope she likes it as much as she apparently likes her birthday DVD.

I have also been working on the landscapes that aren't. I am back into minimal embroidery with this one, couching and my favourite clusters of beads and French knots that I think of as encrustations. It also has a border of running stitch as, although I bonded it to the black fabric - it is coming unbonded.

I am less happy with this one. I like the couching but I am not sure about the brown straight stitches / Bokhara couching. I have begun to add running stitch in copper - but I am not sure about that either. I may unpick it and try a slightly thicker thread - unless you have a better idea. I was aiming for a sort of kantha but I'm not sure it will work. I do have some coppery beads in reserve if I decide to encrust it.

Speaking of Bokhara couching - having seen the suzanis in Glasgow last summer I enjoyed the article about them in 'Stitch', which answers a lot of the questions I had which the information in the Burrell didn't answer!

I am always a bit ambivalent about 'Stitch' - it usually has too many 'blind followers' patterns for me - but this month's has some interesting articles. And who knew Jan Mesent wrote for Mills and Boon?

Tuesday trip

For the first time for ages our weekly outing has actually been on a Tuesday. We went down to Gosport to the Gosport Gallery. It must be about 15 years since I last went to Gosport and on the way down I remembered why, when I was working in the area, I used to dread having to go there. I'm sure it's a great place - it is getting in and out that's the nightmare...

However it was well worth fighting our way through the traffic. We went to Kurt Jackson's exhibition, 'The Solent Project', although I must confess I hadn't heard of Jackson before we were shown some of his work at the first Contemporary Textiles Workshop.

The Solent Project comprises seascapes of - you guessed it - the Solent. For non-Brits, the Solent is the stretch of water between the south coast of England and the Isle of Wight which is the island at the bottom of a map of England. It is one of the busiest stretches of water in the world, and Wensleydale used to look out of his office window at it, lucky thing.

Jackson's paintings are beautiful, especially the moonscapes, which are breathtaking. However my favourite was 'Waders, flint, mud, light, geese' which gives you an idea of his evocative titles - and probably a fair idea of the painting. With the emphasis on mud. Jackson writes the titles on the paintings which somehow adds to the atmosphere.

As we drove home the sun was setting and there was a beautiful sky which reminded me of the paintings.

His work reminded me of Barbara Lee Smith who exhibited at the Knitting and Stitching show a few years ago.

I didn't realise until I started writing this that Jackson also does assemblages. Now I have a collection of driftwood and bits of fishing net but I couldn't make it look like this in a million years.

Unfortunately we couldn't afford even a little painting [I do have a tiny Lee-Smith!] but I did buy the catalogue and I've ordered another book so at least I can drool and dream of winning the lottery. Suppose I would have to do it first ...

Am I coming out of my black and white period?

This is pretty brightly coloured. It is Babybel's Christmas present - do you think I'll finish it in time? I have been procrastinating about starting it because it is a loooong time since I made a full size quilt - and my friend with the long arm quilting machine has moved to the other end of the country. I am dreading quilting it and think I may do it in sections to make it easier to manoeuvre under the machine.

This is the centre of the quilt - the butterfly is the right way up, that's the way Eric Carle drew it. Some of you may have noticed that there is one more square down one side than the other, which is why the right hand side is curling - that will be corrected, I promise. I counted the squares twice and still got it wrong - it was only when I looked at the pattern the squares make that I realised what I'd done. And to think I have A-level maths ...

I have also been working in colour on some journal pages. I intend making contemporary textiles squiggles on top of all the crud - which in this case is glued down paper of different types, gesso, Koh-i-noor and my new favourite, Moon Shadow Mists - coloured walnut ink sprays for those that don't know. I think this is the silver one.

The MSM have also made an appearance on my monoprints which are NOT landscapes. [I was told not to make them look like landscapes.] The tutor suggested that I paint one of them so I did. The fact that it makes it look like a landscape is of course entirely accidental ... I do feel a bit more positive about the monoprints now, although whether I will get round to embroidering all of them I don't know.

And finally - Jolly Good Yarn Girl asked about the program I used to muck about with the pictures in my last post. Those were all done with Picasa, which is what I use when I'm feeling lazy. The new version offers several different ways of making collages with your photos - which, as you can see, I use a lot. When I am feeling more energetic I try to use Paint Shop Pro, with varying success - I swear it never does the same thing twice ...

I've been a lazy blogger

but nothing much creative has been happening - apart from starting [and frogging] a knitted scarf and starting [and restarting] a pair of mittens, to go with my new raincoat.

However, yesterday was the second day of the Creative Textiles workshop. We actually got to do some stitch in the afternoon. The topic is still markmaking, as it will be all year. We looked at the work of textile artists who use repeated marks - unfortunately their names have gone from what passes for my memory these days. [Reminder to self - collect some examples to go in the journal.]

Then we fastened three markmaking tools [in my case a Biro, soft pencil and Pitt pen] together with elastic bands and made various marks on paper - names, numbers, squiggles - which we over wrote in different directions. Some very interesting patterns emerged - if , like me, you don't like your own handwriting, this seems a good way to produce script-like marks. The writing was definitely the best, I felt, as it had more variety than just numerals. This lot has been scanned as a black and white image and as a negative, cropped in different ways and collaged.

Then we selected a simple mark from a source picture and developed it by making successive changes - on paper with charcoal and a putty rubber, and then with black and white paint on calico. This mark came from a collection of photos of circular objects I made for Sharon Boggon's course in the summer.

Finally, when our painted calico had dried [sort of] we worked into it with BIG stitches.

As usual, when I came home I wasn't happy with what I'd done but looking at it again this morning, I think there are some ideas I could develop. I can't see myself working as big and bold as this - but I would like to play around with some of the marks I made and develop ways of using them.

I love the quality of line in some of them - for example this one, based on my initials - where I had relatively little paint on the brush. I spent some time this afternoon playing around with it in Picasa and this is the result.

I also asked for an optional tutorial, because although I like most of what I did with the monoprints [and even the failures were learning experiences!] I felt I hadn't really used the monoprints to inspire stitch - I'd just developed ideas for using them as backgrounds.

The tutorial advice was:
a] to work bigger than I had been doing - well, the tutor is a quilter!

b] to look at what the print was telling me to do and do that - and
c] not to impose anything on the image itself apart from what was there.

Not sure if that is clear but writing it down helps me to clarify to myself what I am trying to do!

I felt the style of advice I got was very different from that I would have received from my previous tutor I wonder what A. thought as she also had a tutorial. It seemed more open ended and non-specific, when the C&G tutor would have made some very definite suggestions. To begin with I felt a bit disappointed, but on thinking about it - I decided it wasn't a bad thing. I'm a grown up now and open-ended is better than directive! I suppose it reflects the difference between an accredited course like C&G and a a workshop style course.

So I have spent half of this afternoon cutting up a monoprint as suggested and preparing it for embroidery.