Busy Bee...

I have finally completed a couple of projects.... isn't it amazing where inspiration can come from?  I completed the rag rug because our cat kept playing with the loose bits...

our Autumn clean out provided the materials for our 'succulent boots', and the holidays gave us the time to get into the garden and complete the stepping stone and plant the celery and bok choy experiments!

Stepping Stone Frame

I have began another project with my children.  I am always trying to encourage them to 'get outside' and 'find something constructive to do!' so I have decided to try and make a mosaic stepping stone with them using plastic bottle top lids... its a project I have been wanting to do for AGES, ever since I saw mind blowing mosaics created by a Russian woman.  In fact just today I found this site with even more amazing things done with them by people all over the world.... including the 'Russian Pensioner' who blew my mind... check it out!

http://themetapicture.com/some-people-just-throw-plastic-bottles-away-others-make-this/

ANYWAY back to my stepping stone.  I have decided to use cement to anchor the lids, and so we needed to make a frame.  Last weekend my 6yo son and I cut up some wood we had salvaged from a local factory and created this frame..

This weekend we are intending to purchase some 'environmentally friendly cement' and some sand from the local garden supply depot and begin our mosaic....perfect timing for an exciting experiment to do over the Easter break!

After looking at the above link my brain is chugging away at other possible projects which will inspire and motivate my children!

Another Project

Williamstown is a lovely place full of adventure for all.  Here is a picture I took that I am aiming to paint or draw for my next painting/drawing project....

Cowboys & Indians

I'm making up for lost time now!  Here is a terrarium I have put together for in our bathroom.  I love the interest and the bit of colour it adds... and the low maintenance attached to it!  My last plant lasted quite a while but became gangly looking for the light.  I had an empty terrarium gathering dust, and found these old cowboys and Indians in the garden at North Fitzroy.... too good for the kids to play with but I didn't know what to do with them so they too sat on the windowsill gathering dust, till one day SHAZAM inspiration hit me like an arrow from a quiver, and DA-DAA!



We now have a fun creation and talking point for in the bathroom.  The kids helped by giving suggestions and amazing encouragement and enthusiasm... but they weren't allowed to touch lol!!!  Adults and their toys! ;)

Merely A Patchwork Scarf?

Well, haven't I been inspired by re-finding my blog! Here is my first completed project for 2015.  I've been cleaning out the shed still with the aim to create a studio space for myself.... a seemingly endless task.... and I sorted through some fabric and found some gorgeous pieces of velvet.  As a mother, velvet isn't the most practical fabric to wear, but I have always been a sucker for tactile textured fabrics and wanted to make myself a treat.... so I did and da daa, here it is....

A patchwork velvet scarf... and I've already worn it! I love it as it is a functional piece which was made from off-cuts, and I even used my Mum's over-locker she loaned me about 3 years ago for the first time, and some cotton that a friend threw my way when she was having a clean out about 5 years ago! So I now have a new skill, more confidence, inspiration to complete more, and a beautiful scarf to brighten up the coming winter..... and you thought it was merely a scarf! ;)

blogging blog!

Its 2015.... in-fact Feb 2015.... almost March 2015.... how the heck did that happen?  I suppose new years resolutions do work a bit... and I should have resolved to be more active on my blog :-0  hahahaha.  I confess I resolved the usual 'get fit' 'finish projects' and I have been.... kinda... and I had actually forgotten  that I have a blog!!! Now I have re-discovered it and its motivational purpose, I declare that from March 2015 I will endeavor once again to blog once a month... that is a total of  9 projects to complete this year! Sounds too easy doesn't it! ;)  as my Mum would say, "The proof is in the puddin'."
Here's to Puddin' :)

What happened?

I really don't know what happened to the last few months.... my last post AUGUST! Its now DECEMBER! Blimey... what do I have to show?   Well I have sewn together the rag rug... i think my well needs refilling... I've also been busy in the garden!  My kids and I are creating a stage in the back yard, paved with whatever broken pieces of concrete and pavers we can find and surrounded in a formal style hedge.... which they want to topiary when the plants are big enough! Its looking great but we still need to find more paving.... a good holiday project.
Photos to come.........

Busily Busy...

Well I missed a month somehow... but I have finished knitting my top, and almost completed sewing it together, I haven't sewn the rug together :( but I have knitted a beanie and scarf for myself, and a scarf for my husband, and the poncho for my daughter is in circulation....  I have also been experimenting with orange peel... making fire lighters for the wood-heater, and citrus cleaner for my cleaning requirements. My children and I have also made a 'wheel wall' with old bike wheels in the vegi patch, and I have tried another jar of dying, using onion skins this time... oh yes and I did complete 6 * 22 pg photo albums from Big W which was a HUGE task if anyone has tried sorting through the endless photos of the digital age, you will appreciate what a mammoth effort THAT was!

My goals for the rest of August are:
* Finish the rag rug
* Plant the seeds for my summer harvest of vegies
* Save money for a guitar!!!
* figure out what to do with my warp for the corduroy which is a little bit wrong....
Cheey bye for now...:-)

Where does it all begin?

Just when you thought a decision has been made, something is thrown up to challenge you!  My challenge was dying the yarn.... but what a fun and rewarding challenge it was!

I haven't dyed yarn before and I wasn't sure of what to expect, but the landscape dyes from KraftKolor were simple to use and wow the colour!  Just look at the colours I achieved on my 100%silk... and yes they are vibrant!

So after dying the yarn and the warp, I threaded my loom and am now in the process of weaving... so I had best get back to it or there will be no more photos to put up on the blog!

Toodle pip :)

To Velvet or Corduroy.... that is the question...

During the week I was chatting to the art teacher at my children's school whilst framing some prep and grade 1 students art work to be displayed at the schools cocktail party, and we got onto the subject of not being able to focus... having too many things in life that we want to achieve, and therefor not really achieving anything.  He found his remedy was to have children.... but obviously that's not mine as I already have three munchkins and am still unable to focus on finishing a project! :-0

I have decided to make a pledge on this blog, call it a blog-pledge, to finish three projects during June... projects I have already began... dare I name them?  Ooooh okay I will.
1. Finish knitting that bat wing jumper.... (not so hard, only one sleeve and sewing it together to do)
2. Finish the rag rug I began oh-so-long ago...(not so hard, only about 30 cm to weave then sew the pieces together)
3. Finish the painting of Pete I began (not so hard, just have to finish it)

This leaves me with the question "To velvet or corduroy..." wha? Well, I confess I have began yet another  project... weaving silk velvet or corduroy on the hand loom.  I am extremely excited about this project as it throws me into the unknown world of hand dying silk fibres and weaving a totally luxurious fabric.... and trying a new weaving technique.  I think the decision will be based on the silk yarn I have chosen, as the fibres aren't long and strong enough to withstand the pressures of being a warp thread, so I will do corduroy instead as the texture is in the weft! There. Decided. That feels GOOD! :)

Here's to keeping in focus!

Just Made It

Phew.... I almost missed April!  How the heck did that happen?  well, what have I been doing these past 30 odd days... well I suppose the thing that first comes to mind was the short road trip into central Victoria I took my family on. 

We began in Maryborough where caught up with family and explored the shearing sheds...

We headed out to Melville Caves, near Rhiola, where I remember going when I was a child, and explored the site where Captain Melville the bushranger rode his horse into to get away from the law...

 

Then we went over to Bendigo for the Easter festivities and the Bendigo Art Gallery to check out the Royal Academy Exhibition, where we saw some spectacular paintings from artists such as Waterhouse, Millais, and Bunny.  I particularly enjoyed this 'study of a Dutch boy' by Sir George Clausen, and 'Girl on couch' by Agnes Goodair.... and who can resist the fridge by Arthur Boyd in the permanent exhibition...

We happened to be there just at the right time to check out the 'out of the box' LEGO exhibition, which the kids were flocking to.  My youngest son made up a minifig from left over parts a man was selling and was very impressed with his $3 creation.... so much so when we went to have lunch the minifig went on an adventure....
THE FISH 'N CHIP THIEF

 

On the way back to the car we passed street art, and this paste up that made my eldest son chuckle...
he's got my sense of humour :)

I have now 'filled the well' and am ready to pick up where I have left off... weaving, knitting, painting, and also a new venture with my 7yo daughter.... but that is another story...
see-ya-later mates ;0)

plastic coated

I'm still in the sewing mode and have made another cowboy shirt, slightly modifying the pattern,(picture to come) and I took another look at the 'sugar and spice' bag I made and have been using.  I had found some pvc sheet at Resource Rescue and thought it would be interesting to see how it would be to sew with, so I used some more of my 'sugar and spice' fabric and made another bag.  The pvc was a bit thick to sew when it was double layer, but I persevered and am happy with the result.  It gave the bag more structure, and is now easier to keep
clean :)  I tried  using wider webbing for the strap with the D rings, and I am happier with the width of the strap for comfort on the shoulder, but the D rings just don't hold the weight of the bag properly... I have resorted to using my 'Cool Australia' badge to fasten it together... oh another little quirk I added was utilising a buckle from an old pair of overalls to use as a fastener... I like it :)
Sew.... with all that said, I'm off to have a cuppa.... oops I mean finish that weaving, update my digital designs and do the dishes :0)

Cowboy shirt

I have to admit it, I just love 'playing in the shallows'...'teasing the edges'.... 'fluffing around'.... but I have  made something! I have had this pattern for a cowboy shirt for over two years and just haven't had the quiet to concentrate and make it.  Now all my children are at school that has changed, so DA-DA here is my cowboy shirt....

Yes I'm pleased with it, but next time I will make a couple of changes :) My next challenge is...
TO FINISH MY WEAVING AND SET UP THE SHED AS MY STUDIO.....then the design for 'the chair'.... the list continues....

Winding Warp & Weaving

Happy New Year....
Yep I just got in on the last day of January! Lets see if I can manage a blog a month this year. (I do so admire those people who keep their blogs going regularly throughout the year: give yourselves a pat on the back from me please :)

I finished off 2013 with a couple of projects that are almost there.  Here are two weaving projects I would like to show you.  The first step to weaving is winding the warp thread, this is the warp thread for my Krokbragd Rag Rug I am so close to finishing, doesn't it look lovely?

The amusing thing with my warp was that I ended up winding way too much.... I probably have enough for at least one more rag rug... oops :0)  I had mis-calculated when I made a yarn wrap by not considering the fact that yarn and cut rag strips need to be wrapped differently as the rag strips get squashed a lot when beating them down.... BUT NOW I KNOW!

And here is the rag rug in production....

I am making the rug in three parts as my table loom isn't wide enough for what I want in a rug.  Once again it is a journey of mistakes and wisdom from making those mistakes.... a definite learning journey... the first image is my first meter, which I haven't beaten hard enough and used too thick rag pieces... the pattern of the Krokbragd is lost, but I have a lovely 'tequila sunrise' stripe happening.  This piece is not as firm as the next two pieces in which I cut down the width of the rags and beat like fury.... this is an ace project to get stress relief.... ;)
The next image shows my second piece with the distinct Krokbragd pattern appearing, yippee!  and the third image is me showing off how well I have mastered the weave by taking a section of the pattern and repeating it over and over and over.... my fourth image will show the finished project sewn together and strewn over the floor.... but that will have to wait as its still on the loom and I have about 40cm to complete!!! So close. I am starting a new class with Ilka White in February so I will have to get it finished in the next few weeks otherwise I won't be trying out some new moves...

The other weaving project I have on the go is on Lucy Loom, my lovely 16 shaft momma up in the shed.....
I am really pleased with this loom as I purchased it at a bargain deal but it didn't' come with all the apparatus needed to weave with... which is a problem for a novice such as myself... so I managed to purchase a reed then made a raddle, shed sticks and other bibs-&-bobs from recycled wood.  I try to use recycled materials where possible as its great for the environment and my $$$$$..... say no more!!! :)
SO I wound the warp (Ahhh pretty...)

and spent a few days intermittently threading the loom.... which was another challenge for a novice who has only threaded a loom 4 or 5 times and NEVER without supervision.... but so far I am happy with the results.  So far I have noticed two errors in my threading. one of them I managed to fix but the other one will remain there forever as a reminder that perfection is boring..... (It would have caused more damage than good if I had tried to fix it so I left it.)
Here is the beautiful M's & O's pattern I am weaving on Lucy Loom....

...well I think its lovely, and its going to look ACE on the back of grandmas old velvet cushions... but that photo too is for another blogging day.....
:)

"Good things come to those that wait..."

...and my son has waited for two years for me to complete knitting his cushion cover! :/ That certainly says a lot about both of us :)
The story of the knitted cushion cover goes like this:

"One day Mummy was in Spotlight and saw this awesome competition "knit something original, using our yarn, and enter to win something fantastic!" (well, that was the general gist of it...)
"Boy oh boy!" thought Mummy, "I can get my clever children to draw a motif which I will interpret into a knit pattern and then knit them both wonderful cushions!" So Mummy went home and told her two eldest children, who sat down and drew wonderful designs whilst She got out her "How to make knit patterns' book and began trying to figure out how to make the drawings work out in scale with the knitted stitches....
"When will my cushion be finished?" asked her 4 year old daughter.
"Well, we have to work out work out what colours we want first, then go to Spotlight and buy the yarn." Easy!
The children held up with their end of the bargain, with a wonderful Vampire girl and an Orc in Mordor being drawn with wonderful colours and lines and lots of lovely detail.  Now it was up to Mummy to finish the task they had set.
With the 'How to make Knit Patterns' book, graph paper, calculator and pencil in hand the adventure began.  Soon Mummy realised that she had taken on a bigger task than she realised, and a new respect for knit designers was born.  BUT she couldn't let her children down, those two lovely children with big shining eyes full of excitement and bursting with 'can't wait' juice... oh the pressures!
The designs were interpreted, and the yarn brought.  Receipts were kept in the hope that the cushions would be finished in time to enter the competition. Time passed.... needles clicked.... back to spotlight for more yarn... lucky same colour lot! (WOW!) .... needles clicked..... stiches undone.... needles clicked.... blister on finger.... needles clicked.... Da-Da Vampire Girl knitted, now to sew her together and the finer details.... needle threaded.... stitches sewn.... yarn cut! Sigh. Done. Smile... Now for number two...
In the mean time life was also going on.  Moving house, starting a new school, starting prep and 3yo kinder, settling into a new landscape... the needles were laid down for a break.  The competition ended.  Until one day "Mum, when are you going to finish my cushion?"
"Damn! I thought he had forgotten" thought Mummy, "Soon.... I just have to sew it together."
So the other day, about 2 years after it was begun, Mummy sat down with needle and thread and sewed the cushion together, adding details to the design, and stuffing an insert into it. Done.
"Thanks mum.  Are you going to do one for...."
"Arghhhhhhh!"

So yes, that's the story of the cushions.
I hope you enjoyed :)

what's up?

Well, it has been a while since I have blogged.... this sounds like a medical or spiritual confession!  I haven't been sitting on my laurels though, distracted perhaps but not slacking off.  I have actually been weaving, a beautiful weave called a double weave, and its looking good.   I am in the process of getting my large 16 shaft loom working so I can make some lovely fabric, and practice some weaves I can't do on the 4 shaft.
I have also came up with an inspirational 'poem' to base a fabric collection on which is fit to turn into upholstery fabric for "The Chair".... which I am VERY excited about!  I find things need to simmer away in the brain before any great revelation..... and the inspiration for "The Chair" fabric came at 3:00am after a sleepless night and a week of worrying about family illness.... but it's not a morbid design, rather a 'reflective' one.

"Take a seat and ponder,

It doesn't matter where.

Who you are,

Where you are,

and where to go from here."

 

I also have some other philosophical ramblings, but I think I shall keep them to myself for a while.... at my age who has time for philosophy! 

 





Unexpected Design

I know, I have gone a little off hilter with my goals but I have just finished a design to enter into a competition on Spoonflower... The theme was Geek Girl!  How could I resist? :)
Anyway, I did it and I like it so here it is!

 

You can support my entry by voting for it on the spoonflower page for the Fabric8:Geek chic contest on the 23rd April. :)
Thank you

Next design project

I have taken another year off my TAFE studies at Brunswick RMIT, but have a personal goal to finish setting up my studio space, and produce a new Toile-de-joir and co-ordinates. I have defined my brief, and it feels awesome to have direction, even self-imposed direction. I have this old chair in the shed, we used to use it in our old house in NthFitzroy, but the use is really showing, so it hasn't made it out of the shed. But it has a history with us, and I cannot bear to put it out on the nature strip.... which is where we found it in Thornbury... and my georgeous friend Bec picked it up for us and squished it into her car... in the rain... and we dried it out... and we loved it till I had to sew patches onto it.... SO the Toile-de-joir is about the journey of the chair, and the final result will hopefully be the chair re-upholstered in the fabric with some comfy cushions in co-ordinate fabrics to match.

Sumo Doorstop

When your'e on a roll... here is a doorstop I made a while ago. He's looking a bit used.... because he is! And what a great job he does. I have made this Sumo Doorstop out of scraps of calico & denim jeans, & he's been filled with those old legumes you find at the back of the pantry.... I've used ink and fabric textas to draw on the calico using techniques of a continuous line drawing in the detail of the blue ink. I was exploring the use of line in design, it was fun, relaxing and the outcome has been really useful.

I believe sustainability is important, especially in industries such as the textile industry, so making the most of the materials I have at hand, and thinking about how the fabric has been designed, printed and produced, what fibres the fabric contains, and where the materials were made is an important step towards making sustainability a factor in my textile design projects.

Cupcakes and Poodles bag

Well here is the photo of my bag!  I still love it, and it is travelling well.  As a prototype there are a couple of improvements I would make for the next one, but overall it's a great bag... not too big that I loose everything, and not so small that I can't fit those toys the kids decide to take somewhere and swear they will carry them.... know what I mean?  :0)