Playing around

Following up the transparency and grids theme which seems to be developing, I played around with embroidery on net. Not something I’ve done a lot of apart from my not-quite-Carrickmacross sample for C&G.

This is the result. As you can probably tell I haven’t quite mastered starting and finishing neatly.

The net was a piece I painted when I was roller painting sheers - and then some squares of net from a garlic bag wanted to join in. I think later tonight it may get a few beads.

Stitching through both nets together sometimes pushed the thread off the straight and narrow, which is interesting.  It might also be interesting to bow to the inevitable and do another piece ‘badly’ with knots and loose ends, and possibly a thick-and-thin thread.

I also tried, today, to turn the rest of the painted sheers into something – before throwing them into the scrap basket. Fabric colours too blah, paint too bright.

More Kandinsky inspired C&G work – including an early bit of computer manipulation. Wish I could remember how I did it.

An end – and an intermediate step.

The end is this – the fossil fish. I finally plucked up the courage to add a little colour to the fish itself. In the end I used soluble crayon instead of paint, and I'm pleased with the more muted colour it gave me.

This is the intermediate step – also soluble crayon, on Vilene interfacing [not craft Vilene].

 

 

It is to make a backing for this, which is another piece from Contemporary Textiles on Friday. More tissue paper, pasted to an A3 photocopy of the scratched photograph. Hopefully it will uncurl by the time I've added some stitch and the backing.

This page from my C&G sketchbook continues the Kandinsky theme.  Drawing with oil pastel on the left, and printing with white paint and a variety of circular things on the right. 

As promised …

some photos.

First – before and after pictures of my drawing. On the left – my left hand before beginning to work through ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’. On the right – the one I did a few days ago [the speckles are glue coming through from the other side].

Slight improvement, I hope you agree. This is a GOOD book. 

Second – one piece from yesterday. We went round with paintbrushes taped to the ends of canes, and painted squiggles on each other’s pieces of A1 paper. This is mine – at the top, the way it looked when first painted, and after a few additions at the bottom. 

Not sure where this is going [I think I've said that before]. Terrie the tutor suggested Jae Maries type grids of sticks over the top – but they'd have to be big sticks… Grids seem to be a developing theme – Terrie’s suggestion but I didn’t need much encouragement.

I’ve decided to finish off the year of [almost] daily photos with my C&G ‘research’ sketch book. I’m not sure if the new improved [?] C&G requires you to carry out research  - i.e. design explorations inspired by your chosen topic – but my version did. My topic was ‘Early 20th Century Art’ – and I really enjoyed it.

I started this sketchbook not long after visiting the Kandinsky exhibition at the Tate – and Mr Kandinsky crops up once or twice -    like here. Mr Kandinsky’s version – and mine, in torn paper. Have you ever tried to tear a circle? But cutting was strongly discouraged.

The label is because the tutor [not Terrie or Sue] told me rather late in the day that I should have made notes about the techniques I’d used – and some of the pages had so much crud on them there wasn’t space, or a suitable surface, to write anything. And I like labels.

The little photo at the bottom in the middle is of one of Winchester’s modern art bollards – in this case, a Kandinsky. You didn’t know Kandinsky painted bollards, did you?

Contemporary Textiles

The second workshop was today – but it was more about paper than textiles, at least for me. Unless paper is a textile? Photos tomorrow – I realise I keep promising that but by the time I sit down to type this I’m too lazy to get up and take photos. Five times this week we’ve had to set the alarm in the morning – it’s as bad as being at work. [OK, most of the time I’m going to make breakfast at the time I would have been at work…]

I took the CT book I've been showing you, and nice things were said about it – even about the bits I hated. And a couple of suggestions from one of the teachers made me think I may have the beginnings of the inkling of the germ of an idea where this is going – and how it might link back to Banksy and lead to degree level work – which has got to be good.

Of course I could wake up tomorrow [another alarm morning] and decide it is a very bad beginning, inkling, germ or idea.

So, as a kind of celebration, here is the last page of the book. A pocket made from a bit of stamping, some painted papers which didn’t make it into the book, and the pattern pieces for the 3D fish – which didn’t go to the workshop.

Mmm – have to think of something else for tomorrow’s photo …

Of beds, daisies and drawing.

We were expecting the cot bed we ordered for Babybel to arrive tomorrow. So of course it arrived today – fortunately W. was in. Equally fortunately it was better packed than the bedding …

I had been worrying about how we were going to get it upstairs, as Wensleydale is out of action as far as carrying heavy stuff is concerned – but of course it was self assembly and the separate pieces were manageable, so I took them upstairs and he assembled it. It looks like a toy – strangely, more so than her cot did. But hopefully it will do a couple of years before she is big enough for a full size bed.

While W. was wielding his Allen key, I stamped daisies on tops. As I expected, the yellow paint I used looks orange on the pink fabric. I used Jacquard fabric paint which I've had for ages but never used – it seemed quite runny but I don’t know if it is always like that or I’ve just kept it too long. I’ll see how they look when they’re dry and perhaps go over them again with a paintbrush. Photos when they’re dry.

And then I drew my hand, following the instructions in ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’. I was so pleased with the result, I may even post a photo when I’ve taken one.

And that link reminds me - if, like me, you like old needlework books, you might like to look at this on the Book Depository site. Notice the green bar which says ‘Download free e-book’? It’s worth doing – I haven’t looked through it all  yet, but there are some beautiful illustrations towards the end of the book.

Here’s a less than beautiful illustration. My attempt to draw the image on the right, followed by me cutting the drawing up and adding some stitch. I think the best part of this is the layered page edges on the left hand side – partly a result of the Japanese binding, partly because they have been cut or torn [deliberately] by me.

Degree – day 4

was a curate’s egg. I found the morning uninspiring. It was an introduction to IT – undoubtedly a government requirement. To paraphrase one of my favourite singers, Tom Paxton, ‘even if your name is Bill Gates you still have do the introduction to IT’. Unfortunately college uses Windows 2007 and I don’t – so I am now left wondering whether I really need to upgrade. Does it have any advantages apart from an excess of choice? Comments gratefully received.

The afternoon was ‘Contextual Studies’, which I really enjoyed – a lecture and then a discussion based on the homework from last week. Although I have found the art side of this degree a bit scary, I really feel I am learning something. Unlike the IT.

Another good thing was that the couple who sell floristry supplies came in to college today. What have floristry supplies to do with Stitched Textiles? Well – this is what I bought. Some hessian mats, some magenta Sizoflor, [both of those are stitchy]some Christmas decorations, [not stitchy] two pieces of what I can only describe as ironed bark, and a giant pencil shaving – which I think is probably the waste from sharpening a fence post. All for £6.20.

I have no idea what I’m going to do with any of it apart from the Christmas decorations – but I’ll find something. The pencil shaving is quite soft so can probably  be stitched through – and the bark should make lovely rubbings.  

Apologies for the camera reflection in this – these are 4 versions of the same photo of part of one of the CT installations. The background is a piece of tissue paper which came out of a new pair of shoes – and seemed perfect for this theme.

Speaking of wrappings – what do you think of this?  One of two which arrived today. Fortunately they only contained bedding – a pair of cot sheets in one and mattress protectors in the other. And yes, they would have fitted in the same box.

To be fair, I don’t think the state of the packages is the fault of Boots but of the couriers – the delivery guy did apologise. And there was a lot of this filling the gaps. 

Do normal people get excited about a pile of crumpled brown paper or is it just toddlers and textile artists? For those who are resistant to its charms, you can scrumple it, paint it, print on it, sew it, etc.etc. etc. – and I got just as excited about the bubble wrap in my last Artesaver delivery. Sad, aren’t I?

 

It wasn’t what I intended to do today …

but inspired by the realisation that long cardigans are in fashion again, and by the arrival of a charity collecting bag in the letter box – I spent the afternoon sorting clothes.

I found that it is much easier to get rid of things when they are too big than when they are too small and you tell yourself that you will fit into them again one day.

Except in this case I can! So several old favourites have been resurrected, including two long cardis, a lot of stuff that is now too big is on its way to the Salvation Army, and there are some empty suitcases in the loft.

Then, being fed up with Internet Explorer, which keeps freezing on me, I successfully downloaded Firefox – which seems a bit slow, but so far hasn’t frozen. I downloaded Thunderbird as well but although it would download my email it wouldn’t let me read it, which rather negates the purpose, so that has been uninstalled and it’s back to Outlook.

My afternoon of drawing and making an Upsy Daisy outfit has been postponed to Thursday.

Here is more madness – the completed demented kite, opposite a page sprayed with Brusho and using kebab sticks as a mask. The same kebab sticks used for the kite, as it happens.

More madness …

The other side of the page which I showed yesterday. The piece of veg. net went right round – so there is slightly more disciplined weaving, with threads and another veg.net, on the other side. The page is one of my Margaret Peot inspired pieces – black Brusho sprayed through a piece of crumpled hessian. It’s a technique I want to try out on fabric.

This fossil fish is slightly saner – some of the monoprinting we did a couple of weeks ago. I am in love with black, white and magenta.

I think I have put too much stitch in the body of the fish – although it looks better from a distance than up close. Because it is printed on paper I can’t take the stitches out – the marks will show – so I am swithering about adding a little black paint over the stitch.

This is the fabric I painted in class last Wednesday. It is more muted than it appears in the photo – the base fabric was grey. I think I would have got more mottling if I hadn’t been impatient and unscrumpled it before it was dry – but in the dreadful weather we’ve been having it showed no sign of drying out in its scrumpled form. I’m pleased with it – although I fear it will end up in the ‘too nice to cut up’ pile.

We spent a large part of the afternoon clearing Babybel’s room for her new bed which is due to arrive on Friday. This involved dismantling her cot, taking it up to the loft, and moving everything that might be in reach, as she’ll be able to get out of bed and explore. I suspect some of the books will still be in reach [the room doubles as our overflow library] but after moving two shelves worth I couldn’t face any more …

Feeling madly creative …

with the emphasis on madly. It started because the Contemporary Textile Workshop is on Friday and I decided to get my stuff sorted for it. [Yes, I get earlier and earlier – but it made me tidy up the workroom which is A Good Thing.]

Here is the stuff I need for the degree on Wednesday.  Restrained, no? [Well, my homework needs to go in there too but there’s not a lot of that.] [Oh, and a mug.] [And lunch.] It’s IT and a lecture, that’s why there’s so little.

 

Here is the stuff for CT on Friday. Sewing machine, painting stuff, fabrics and threads, hand sewing kit, file, and a bag of different rolls of paper. The stick thing will have a paintbrush taped to the end for long distance painting. Obviously.

As a result of doing all that, I decided to work on the CT sketchbook I’ve been showing you – starting [and finishing, I thought] with the demented kite. But one thing led to another – and another – and I ended up doing 3 and a half new pages. [Lovers of neat, normal embroidery should look away now. Or possibly read a different blog.]

Half -  because this, which I showed you yesterday [I think] …

 

 

 

 

now looks like this. The result of finding a bit of black vegetable net - when I was looking for black thread for the demented kite. And then a furry turquoise pipe cleaner, a bit of beach-combed fishing net, some shiny fancy elastic and some orange raffia.

See what I mean about mad? But I like it much more than I did! And it does link back to the mad ‘installations’ we did all those weeks ago.

Show you some of the other mad pages another day.

Why I hate on-line shopping a - rant

• Last night, after a conversation with Babybel’s daddy  – correction, after a phone conversation with Babybel and her daddy – I decide to go on line and order a toddler bed, and all the extras. Daddy suggests IKEA on line. Now, we must be the only people in the country never to have bought anything from IKEA. I did once go to their website to try to find kitchen flooring. Their search engine showed me lots of things that weren’t flooring and some flooring that specifically wasn't for kitchens. [We went to B&Q instead.] Which is why I start by looking at Boots on line – but their mattresses are more expensive. So IKEA it is – until I spot that they don’t deliver mattresses. Unfortunately we are not up to driving into Southampton, staggering round an aircraft hangar and loading a mattress into the car – that’s why we want it delivered … so

 

• back to Boots – bed ordered. Mattress ordered. Sheets ordered. Mattress protector ordered. Go to pay. Site crashes. Start again – fortunately they haven’t lost the order. Eventually order goes through – and I spot that they are giving me £20 in Advantage points – which makes them cheaper than IKEA. Good result but lots of frustration.

 

• Need a duvet – go to La Redoute. ‘The home of stress-free shopping.’ Yeh, right. Order child's duvet. Can’t find any child-duvet-sized duvet covers in the catalogue but their search engine comes up with some [a miracle for LR’s search engine]. Order duvet and 2 covers. Go to pay. Get a somewhat idiosyncratically capitalised message to say the site is experiencing problems, please try later. Try again. Order has disappeared. Find everything again. Go to pay. Get that message again. Give up.

 

• This afternoon, decide to have another go. Site is slow but in the end I'm successful. Breath sigh of relief – with any luck Babybel will have both a bed and bedding.

 

• Flushed with success I decide to order Cheese Major’s Christmas-and-birthday present [he did insist on being born on Dec. 21st] from John Lewis. Can’t be any problems there, surely? All goes smoothly – and the thing I want is reduced because a competitor is running a special offer – got to love JL! Then I come to pay. JL use one of these ‘verified by Visa’ type things – except it’s not Visa. And it rejects the card because the name on it is incorrect. No it isn’t! While I'm shouting at the computer, what appears to be a conformation of the order pops up in part of the window – obscured by up and down scrolly things and left to right scrolly things. [Don’t JL know that those things are a bugger if you use a screen reader? Not that I do but I had a student who did.] So I'm left wondering if the order has gone through or not. Fortunately an acknowledgement from JL pops into my inbox while I'm still cursing, so I do appear to have successfully ordered a bread maker.

 

• Despite all this I decide to put into an order to Lakeland. And it goes through without a hitch. Well done, Lakeland.

 

Here’s something else that’s a bit of a disaster.

It used to look like this

 

 

 

 

but unfortunately I mucked about with it so it now looks like this 

 

 

 

although some bits aren’t too bad.

Peace at last …

A productive day at home – very pleasant after all the rushing about earlier in the week.

I spent a lot of time sewing in straight [ish] lines on this.  Mostly black, but with a bit of bobbin work with some thick magenta thread I’ve had for years and never found a use for, until now.

 

 

 

 

Then it was assembled into this. There is going to be so much paperwork for the degree, I decided I had to put it into a lever arch file. and as it is illegal for embroiderers to have nude lever arch files, I had to make a cover for it. 

It isn’t really distorted, it just looks that way – and I think I need to find some narrower dividers.

I also [sharp intake of breath] did some drawing. When I was Googling around looking at drawings for ‘Drawing Studies’ I found this – which I think is beautiful.

So today I tried my own version.  A bit out of scale, but I enjoyed doing it – and realised in the process that it is like a combination of a technical illustration and a doodle. I think any competent sewer, given the right fabrics, could make that garment from El Salahi’s drawing – though possibly not mine …

Last night I also got started on the official homework – reading an article on ‘Modernity and Modernism’ and answering some questions on it – and then thinking about this, and formulating an argument either for or against it.

It is haaaaard! 

The article isn’t too bad – only a few words I never knew existed - but the answers don’t leap out at me - and assessing the Duchamp work is harder than you might expect – for me anyway. I'm not sure if we’re meant to research academic opinions  - which I was trained to do - or just use our own reactions – which wouldn’t really constitute an argument, to my mind anyway. [I shall have to resist very very very hard the temptation to say that Duchamp was just taking the p*ss – although according to some of the things I’ve read, he was.]

Still – it’s a degree, I didn’t expect it to be easy – and I learned a lot from the article and associated Googling. Just got to put it all into my best writing [or, preferably, my best typing – we want the poor woman to be able to read it, don’t we?] for next Wednesday.

Here’s a bit more of my drawing – aren’t I getting brave? This was inspired by the rubbing I showed yesterday, but it developed a life of it’s own – and a few leaves.

Going and coming and coming and going …

and if you know the rest of the quote you can finish it off for yourself, although that bit doesn't apply here.

[If you don’t know the quote I suggest you get yourself a copy of ‘Blazing Saddles’ and give yourself a treat.]

Which is a long-winded preamble to saying that it’s been a busy day – and it’s not over yet.

Dentist, hygienist  and hospital for him [and for me because  I'm having to be chauffeur] -  gym for me – and again in about 2 hours.

Apart from a wander up the road to the local shops, tomorrow should be much quieter, thank goodness.

I did find time to make a sketchbook for Module 1 - ‘Drawing Studies’. Can’t use a boring old bought one, can I? This was made from a battered sort of box thing that a book was delivered in, sprayed with the last of my black spray paint, which is why it is a bit patchy, and then a dollop of gold webbing spray  - love that stuff. The stitching is yet another variation of a running stitch binding.

The little one is a dos-a-dos I made a while ago, which I’m using for the notes for Module 3 - ‘Fabric & Stitch’ – which has two teachers, so I’m using one end for Sue’s notes, the other for Terrie’s. I said that all books find their use eventually.

Speaking of books – I'm getting to the end of the CT sketchbook. This image isn’t very clear – but the left hand side is a drizzle of a rather odd, and probably infuriating to knit with, knitting yarn sewn into a plastic pocket – which was a lot less successful than I’d hoped. The bit on the right, which is a rubbing of it, worked much better.

Needles used on Stitched Textile degree!

Yes – we actually did some stitching. We made band samplers.

Well – not quite like that.

More like this.

Big, chunky stitches. Chunky manipulated fabric. Giant-sized couching. Fringes. Kunin felt beads.

And then we painted the whole thing with emulsion paint. As you do. Well, you do if you are Terrie Hitchcock, the tutor. If you are a Wowie you may have seen her article about painting stitch with metallic paints. I have now seen her samples up close and they are luscious.

She also showed us a technique for colouring fabric using very dilute acrylic paint. I’ve done the same thing with silk paint, but never acrylic.

At the moment mine looks like this. Terrie usually uses calico, but this was done on a medium grey fabric so I'm not sure what it will look like once it has dried. Should it ever dry, I’ll show it to you unscrunched.

It’s been a good day. Apart from the homework. A bit of reading [mmm, OK] and writing [mmm, less OK] about art. Good to find out, however, that other people are struggling as much with John Berger as I am…

Moving on – or back – this is the drawing I made of the original of the photo I showed yesterday, from the CT workshop. Brilliant, isn’t it?  - but you can see why Jae Maries weaving technique leaped out at me. I hope.

I was dreading today …

but so far it’s turned out much better than expected.

We had a lot of different things to do – dentist, gym and shopping for me, doctor [and possibly hospital] for him.

Fortunately the dentist found nothing wrong – and I managed to get what I needed on the shopping expedition.

We won't talk about the gym.

W. had a doctor’s appointment this evening because recently he injured his knee, and after an initial period of improvement it is not getting any better. [It must be bad or he wouldn’t go near a doctor!]

As expected, the doctor has referred him to the hospital – but not tonight,  which is what we were both dreading – sitting in A&E at 5 pm on a wet November night not being our idea of a good night out.

The prognosis is pretty much what we expected – cartilage trouble – with a suggestion of arthritis as well. Ah, the pleasures of getting older! [Of course he’s older than me and doesn’t have the advantage of having been born in 1948.]

So instead of sitting in A&E with a book we’re sitting at home with a glass of wine and Radio 3 – definitely a better way of spending the evening.

Today’s sketchbook page illustrates how well Margaret Peot’s roller techniques suit the photos I took at the Contemporary Textiles workshop. Some really interesting marks there.

It is beginning to dawn on me how many textile artists are producing abstract work where mark making plays an important role. [Doh. ] All three of the modern quilters at the Discovery Centre exhibition, for example – Pauline Burbidge, Dorothy Caldwell and Diana Harrison. And it has also dawned on me how much I like that sort of piece.

I was going to do lots of drawing today …

but by the time I’d:

• got up late because of an insomniac night
• been to Sainsbury's
• painted a piece of fabric to make a ring binder cover –

 

 

• and then another bit to use up the left over paint 

 

 

 

 

 

• dyed some T-shirts and tights to make an Upsy Daisy outfit 

 

 

• and sorted out my stuff for college – yes, that is a tin of emulsion paint -

 

 

 

I couldn’t have picked up a pencil.

Before anyone tells me – I know Upsy Daisy doesn't wear pink tops and tights – but I only realised that after I’d bought the dye.  Mrs Cheddar had the genius idea of stamping the daisies, and I think I have some yellow fabric paint and a daisy stamp – so that’s the next step. And one of these, in pink and white – also Mrs C’s idea.

Of course, I realised today that Sainsbury’s sell UD outfits – but where's the fun in that?

Getting ready for college reminded me of the way the bags we took  for C&G  gradually, over the four years, got bigger – and bigger – and bigger.

Week 3 of the degree and I'm already up to my two biggest bags. Strictly speaking the sewing machine [which is in the left hand bag] isn’t compulsory, but  I would still need another bag for all the things which are insulating the machine inside the bag …

On a more restful note – this is finished.  The first bit of stitching for the degree. Nothing official, just playing with the results of the printing session.

Mmm – I wonder what makes a life-long agnostic embroider a Madonna and child? Perhaps I think I need help?

 

Here’s another sketchbook page you’ve seen before, but now with the stencil added – or, strictly speaking, the reverse of the stencil. One day I’ll get back to doing something with that idea …

A bit of drawing,

a bit of weaving and even some embroidery.

The drawings were my first efforts at exercises from ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ – and though I claim that this is a ‘warts and all’ blog, there are some blemishes which are just too nasty to reveal.

This is the weaving – the return of the demented kite, with an extra strut, two more warps and a selection of wefts.

When Jae Maries writes about this in her book she tells you to pull the warps tight – and she’s right. Otherwise they get looser and looser and looser.

This is looking too heavy for my liking – but after all it’s ‘only a sample’.

And this is the embroidery – it isn’t really quite this pale. The simplified faces don’t work in stitch – but it’s another sample!

 

 

 

 

You have seen this page from my sketchbook before, but I’ve added a [shiny] photo of the primary source [got to get primary and secondary sources right for the degree]. I drew the arrangement from a CT installation and then cut up the drawing to make the stencil I used for the page. Got that?

She may not wear out her parents …

but she’s got a lot more energy than her nanny.

Just returned from a VIBP [very important birthday party] where a good time was had by all. The birthday girl was her usual charming self,  apart from one tantrumette over these -which were the hit of the day – [they came with a shopping trolley and lots of other groceries from her other grandparents].

The toy kitchen from us and her mum and dad, and the sort-of- etch-a-sketch from her Uncle Cheshire and his partner, were almost as popular, but for some reason she loved the plastic eggs.

I liked the etch-a-sketch thing too – it came from Early Learning and had stamps and rollers – immediately christened a ‘bike’ - as well as a stylus. Great fun.

This sketch was made entirely by low tech means - graphite on wallpaper. Part of our Contemporary Textiles installation was this collection of cones, which I enjoyed drawing. [What did I just type!]

Leaving my prints everywhere

As I mentioned, Wednesday was printmaking at College. Monoprints, lino cuts, eraser carving, and Pressprint [the expensive version of that polystyrene you get under pizzas].

We did monoprinting in the morning, after a show and tell from the tutor, Susan Chapman, which included this – Judges’ Choice at this years FOQ.

Monoprinting is beginning to grow on me – or maybe I’m just beginning to learn what you can do with it. So I'm quite pleased with this – print plate dabbed with a scrumpled plastic bag -

 

and this – which strictly speaking is a roller print – apart from the circles, which were the top and bottom of a little plastic container which came with my iron -

 

and these – which are bubble wrap, pressed onto the plate. The one on the left is printed from the bubble wrap, the one on the right from the plate. I love the variations in the bubbles on the left – I feel the need to draw some of them coming on!

But best of all I like this  -printed with the scrumpled plastic bag, with some added credit card printing. I didn’t intend to print a fish - not sure if it’s a cave painting or a fossil.

 

I glued it to some monoprinted fabric with black misty fuse which made it more stone like – it’s printed on tissue paper so is semi-translucent.

Now I need to decide how to embroider it.

In the afternoon we made printing blocks. My dislike of linocutting was confirmed – I don’t dislike the end result [in other people’s hands] – I just don’t have the patience for the process. I can’t show the result as Picasa seems to have eaten my photo, and I’m too lazy to get up and take another one!

I much prefer Softcut and the other lino substitutes. This was inspired by one of the pieces at the Peter Eugene Ball exhibition we went to at Salisbury Cathedral.  Someone suggested Christmas cards.

 

 

This version is on a suitably coloured Colour Catcher – I need to think about stitch for this one too.

 

I didn’t initially like the  Pressprint piece – but overprinting improved it a bit. However Picasa seems to have eaten that image as well.

Fortunately the CT images are still there. These are Picnik manipulated versions of the picture of the window on the left. I love the shapes in the middle one.