A brand new year

Well, how wonderful is that, a brand new year? We had our first new year's eve without our Youngest at home - first time he's looked old enough to go out on the razz (shhh! he's legal next year - will I get arrested now? I didn't say he could...) Anyway a sign of time passing, so, so quickly.

We watched the local hotel's fireworks thru the open French windows, a foul night but the dog wanted to smell the wet air & didn't mind the noise a mile away. We decided the world was our oyster, & thought it terrifying, but exciting at the same time.

 cards from last weeks background

I've enjoyed reading  some resolutions, plans, promises here in blogworld. It was making my own committment 2 yrs ago that took me to making over 360 daily squares & then to a saleable piece of work each week last year, which was the only way I got a body of work ready for my first show in September.

My first promise to myself this year is to find more balance  - I still have a small body of work & plan to add to one or 2 of the different series, so I can afford the time to recreate my neglected garden, take more walks, not just because it's healthy but to explore this wonderful place we live in. I need more yoga time to unwind from the hunching over stitches or leaning over the painting table (not to mention the stiffness & tiredness caused by the day jobs!) If you take care of yourself first, you are more able to do all those things that you want, that's my excuse, anyway ;)

heart background

So each week I will be working towards our show in June, but not just a saleable collage a week, I may take 2 weeks ( or longer) to work on a large wall hanging. It might be a selection of textile jewellery or notebook covers. I may try some sketchbooks or accordian books - my friend's been telling me they're just up my street. I would love to learn to draw/paintsea birds like Claire Harkess look at the bird 4th pic along. I first saw her seagulls a few years ago at an exhibition in Plockton & I never thought I could be so moved by a simple seagull.

 heart cards

of course I need to keep the studio full, too. I want to make more scarves so the place feels warm. I used to decorate lampshades to go with the driftwood lamp bases we made. I've sold all the ones we had, why not make more just because the driftwood's run out?

squares background

Photographing these backgrounds & cards without getting them wet in the rain or muddy dropping them on the way is a nightmare - I use the greenhouse where there's some light & to get out of the wind but it in itself is full of mud! So, I plan to make a permanent space in the studio, up against the sunny back window where I just store stuff, with my trusty college tripod for the days there isn't any light - I mean, hardly a week went by in the last 2 years when I didn't take a photo. I could at least keep the things flat! I might also install a white roller blind in the greenhouse for bigger things but it would probably go green or be eaten by mice within 5 minutes!

Square cards

I've really enjoyed the freedom in these cards & collage backgrounds. This week seems to have been a card week but I found time to make a couple more samples from that wonderful book Stitches Straps & Layers by Maggie Grey.

This a sample using silk carrier rods split into a few layers, no mean feet with my broken nails! I chose to use  them flat (instead of wrapping them round the side/bottom of a piece) My sample is based on a pic in the book of a beautiful bag made by Anna Nowicki using 'flat knitting tapes' My interpretation of that is to use ribbon... maybe that's what it means ;) Have a look at her blog thru the link - she's doing amazing things with bits of thread...!

The next sample, above, was to use foiled grounds with needle felted things on top. The sample in the book had me & my arty buddies drooling so I've tried my best with my sample. The first 2 strips are machine & hand stitching & using the embellisher machine over the silk & the stitches. Then Maggie used sumptuous silk velvet ribbon & lightly felted it down. I've had a meter of this purple velvet ribbon for ages & finally I've used it! The next strip is a skeletized leaf under black organza - you needle felt all round the leaf then on the leaf for a bit distressing it as much or as little as you want. I don't think my fabric was sheer enough, but that's the whole point of having a sample book, of course. I missed out the lutrador bit & tried the puffed & purple painted scrim with an added bit of fabric (Maggies was purple) I had hard scrim to hand & just stitched it. The last strip is painted tissue paper & painted with acrylic wax AFTER embellishing to stregnthen. Well, I didn't read the instructions & used wax before felting - lovely holes in stiff paper! I love this learning lark, what would I have achieved I wonder if i'd loved learning at school? These little samples will look so lovely in my samples book; wish I could show my teachers.....

I'm sure I could go on about all I plan or want to do. Despite my schooling ( the best was done for me at the time!) or maybe because of my schooling (!) I find myself doing something I absolutely love, even tho I haven't managed earning a full time living yet, but I know I will never be bored in my life, there's always something exciting I can be doing (hence the yoga/balance thing!) I took time to join the Middlest & Youngest watching 'Coach Carter'  before the M went back to college & even tho I'd watched it before I hadn't remembered  the lovely quote from it - got to say I'm delighted that my teenagers so enjoy the uplifting family film - the basketball that they both play might have something to do with it. Anyway, here's the quote!

edit - this is the version by Marrianne Williamson from her book 'A Return to Love'. Coach Carter left out a few lines, I think.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.

And, as we let our own light shine, we consciously give
other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Went for a walk

when I should have been finishing up. I figured carpe diem - my boys are always throwing that back at me from when they didn't want to do  chores "seize the day Mum, seize the day!" It was sunny outside & the last day of my youngests half term - good training for his trip to Mongolia in June, & my possible climb (walk up) of Bla Bheinn (Blaven) this summer. It would be a 2 1/2 hr walk & I prevaricated because I'd promised to volenteer at Rag Tag & was worried my (slightly) aching joints wouldn't hold me up thru the day. The final reason? I hadn't walked along the coast from Knock Bay to home before & didn't want to miss out. So we togged up & went. Well worth it. 

Knoc Bay

Knoc castle; the crumbling stronghold & modern mast

youngest peering over the cliff

lovely striations & lichen

Trying to photograph as many trees as poss before they break into leaf

He had to climb up to this platform, don't mind him scaling cliff walls

but you've no iDEA where my heart was while he was here!

We were so right to give the kids this beautiful place as a playground.

Slightly intriguing shape,  I know, but I do love a bit of burnt plastic, a bouy I think.

My A4  collage paper from a couple of weeks ago cut up & stitched into pieces for cards, I got 19, one or 2 a little small on their own.

Some purply blue samples for the workshop - book cover, brooch, pendant & earings. I remember sitting in that Jan Beany class & the woman next to me had this aMAZing notebook cover. I never thought I'd have one like it (this one is MINE!) It's only taken me 15 years, or so. I bought the booklet by Fibre Fusions ages ago 'Beyond Boundaries' but it's taken me the last year or so to work out the stages for ONE effect, well maybe 2,  from the first page! If I read something maybe 50 times it goes in. Really, it's a matter of doing it - I know EVrybody is saying that but what they don't say is that sometimes you need Blind Faith to do it; if we waited to just have faith in ourselves, forget it!

Nearly forgot the cuff, I was wearing it ;)

Actually it's page 11. The first time I did this I read to make (one of many versions - I've got enough to last me years, a great value book !) a sandwich take a fabric base layer of calico, then wadding (I didn't have any so used plain cotton, not thick enough, really), then silk, then  bondaweb, then snippets of fabric & threads then bondaweb then chiffon. Free machine all over to join layers then you could knock back chiffon with a heat gun, then add a bit of Xpandaprint then highlight with metallic paint. I was exhausted but exhilarated!

This time, in the above blue example I had a base layer of cotton, bondaweb, snippets of fabric & thread then chiffon & lots of stitching. I didn't like seeing bondaweb under chiffon before. In my sewing room there's a red version with all the snippets laid carefully out .....only I forgot the bondaweb.  ;) He he, I can hear you experienced ones chortling but I am good at learning & hopefully showing others, my mistakes! I'll get to it! If you don't have wadding it's good to try out different fabrics to achieve the desired thickness. I back mine with recycled corduroy, soft on the skin & gives the cuff  body. I think last weeks strips (have you seen Sweetiepies beautiful raggedy postcards? This link will lead you on to another link where you'll find her gorgeous notebook covers, too, they are all the rage & more book covers at Quilters Cottage, just lovely.) Anyway, the strips & snippet samples will be enough to be going on with at the workshop.

Just briefly (!) this weeks collage is a work in progress.

I never think I can draw but I tried, I'm practicing  & I'm pleased with the start of these. My DH said "very artistic" ;) !

I plan to add organzas & stitch...of course, don't think DH wants me to ruin it :)

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