tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33523633318455852282024-03-13T03:31:02.755+00:00Wide Eyed WonderfulsHeatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-27072817035858584112013-06-30T18:49:00.001+01:002013-06-30T18:49:55.517+01:00Gelli Plate Fun with MargaretAfter last weekend's fun with Gelli plates, I went to see my friend Margaret for. Fun hour or so Gelli plate printing in her kitchen, and we had a great time.<div><br><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">We had lots of lovely things to texture our prints with.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7hT5NGxj-Xw/UdBsosSU_eI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Yi_Nc1KkJU4/s640/blogger-image--282683640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7hT5NGxj-Xw/UdBsosSU_eI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Yi_Nc1KkJU4/s640/blogger-image--282683640.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I had a go at making a texture plate with funky foam and double sided tape, following these instructions: http://gelliarts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/making-foam-texture-plates-for-gelli.html, and this is how my plate came out</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SagGczAsJcw/UdBsq4OrOnI/AAAAAAAAAVo/emS5YrzciAY/s640/blogger-image--798600340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SagGczAsJcw/UdBsq4OrOnI/AAAAAAAAAVo/emS5YrzciAY/s640/blogger-image--798600340.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I made these two prints using that plate, and they worked so well that I think I'll have to make some more. The texture plate took me maybe 15 minutes to make.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zhBKHKeYwX8/UdBssgBfgaI/AAAAAAAAAV4/VVebYb_E634/s640/blogger-image-1194929193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zhBKHKeYwX8/UdBssgBfgaI/AAAAAAAAAV4/VVebYb_E634/s640/blogger-image-1194929193.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Margaret had some lovely little wooden houses, which she had made a printing block out of, and so I made this print from them, with swooshy paintbrush sky, and big sequins as resist stars. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8n2Ugox01Z0/UdBsuj6xIkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/bH5h4_F2iU4/s640/blogger-image--1375124687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8n2Ugox01Z0/UdBsuj6xIkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/bH5h4_F2iU4/s640/blogger-image--1375124687.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I think this is my favourite of the prints I made today:</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mJYnFw9BqM/UdBstiYwGhI/AAAAAAAAAWA/b3pAgLeyn9M/s640/blogger-image--1435331592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mJYnFw9BqM/UdBstiYwGhI/AAAAAAAAAWA/b3pAgLeyn9M/s640/blogger-image--1435331592.jpg" style="max-width: 90%; "></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; ">I made quite a few prints with circular patterns:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Mr_bsnibpWE/UdBsr-D-UFI/AAAAAAAAAVw/kalKX2zHsP8/s640/blogger-image--3270559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Mr_bsnibpWE/UdBsr-D-UFI/AAAAAAAAAVw/kalKX2zHsP8/s640/blogger-image--3270559.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lots of bronze and pink wiggly lines and circles, and keys. Printing on black was very effective.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VajgPXQ6Jd8/UdBsplYw42I/AAAAAAAAAVg/PVHWOsSWdZw/s640/blogger-image-1721644331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VajgPXQ6Jd8/UdBsplYw42I/AAAAAAAAAVg/PVHWOsSWdZw/s640/blogger-image-1721644331.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And here are all of our prints on Margaret's washing line, fluttering beautifully in the breeze:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PESLwiDMsog/UdBsnhkvDoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/xb0BJ37-5HU/s640/blogger-image--942182233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PESLwiDMsog/UdBsnhkvDoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/xb0BJ37-5HU/s640/blogger-image--942182233.jpg"></a></div><br></div>I had such a great time. Now I just need to stitch into them...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div></div></span></div><br></div></div></div></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-53154409558649915912013-06-30T18:37:00.001+01:002013-06-30T18:37:00.601+01:00Gelli Plate Fun with MargaretAfter last weekend's fun with Gelli plates, I went to see my friend Margaret for. Fun hour or so Gelli plate printing in her kitchen, and we had a great time.<div><br><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">We had lots of lovely things to texture our prints with.</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7hT5NGxj-Xw/UdBsosSU_eI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Yi_Nc1KkJU4/s640/blogger-image--282683640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7hT5NGxj-Xw/UdBsosSU_eI/AAAAAAAAAVY/Yi_Nc1KkJU4/s640/blogger-image--282683640.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I had a go at making a texture plate with funky foam and double sided tape, following these instructions: http://gelliarts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/making-foam-texture-plates-for-gelli.html, and this is how my plate came out</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SagGczAsJcw/UdBsq4OrOnI/AAAAAAAAAVo/emS5YrzciAY/s640/blogger-image--798600340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-SagGczAsJcw/UdBsq4OrOnI/AAAAAAAAAVo/emS5YrzciAY/s640/blogger-image--798600340.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I made these two prints using that plate, and they worked so well that I think I'll have to make some more. The texture plate took me maybe 15 minutes to make.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zhBKHKeYwX8/UdBssgBfgaI/AAAAAAAAAV4/VVebYb_E634/s640/blogger-image-1194929193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zhBKHKeYwX8/UdBssgBfgaI/AAAAAAAAAV4/VVebYb_E634/s640/blogger-image-1194929193.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Margaret had some lovely little wooden houses, which she had made a printing block out of, and so I made this print from them, with swooshy paintbrush sky, and big sequins as resist stars. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8n2Ugox01Z0/UdBsuj6xIkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/bH5h4_F2iU4/s640/blogger-image--1375124687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8n2Ugox01Z0/UdBsuj6xIkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/bH5h4_F2iU4/s640/blogger-image--1375124687.jpg"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">I think this is my favourite of the prints I made today:</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mJYnFw9BqM/UdBstiYwGhI/AAAAAAAAAWA/b3pAgLeyn9M/s640/blogger-image--1435331592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; "><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4mJYnFw9BqM/UdBstiYwGhI/AAAAAAAAAWA/b3pAgLeyn9M/s640/blogger-image--1435331592.jpg" style="max-width: 90%; "></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; ">I made quite a few prints with circular patterns:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Mr_bsnibpWE/UdBsr-D-UFI/AAAAAAAAAVw/kalKX2zHsP8/s640/blogger-image--3270559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Mr_bsnibpWE/UdBsr-D-UFI/AAAAAAAAAVw/kalKX2zHsP8/s640/blogger-image--3270559.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Lots of bronze and pink wiggly lines and circles, and keys. Printing on black was very effective.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VajgPXQ6Jd8/UdBsplYw42I/AAAAAAAAAVg/PVHWOsSWdZw/s640/blogger-image-1721644331.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VajgPXQ6Jd8/UdBsplYw42I/AAAAAAAAAVg/PVHWOsSWdZw/s640/blogger-image-1721644331.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And here are all of our prints on Margaret's washing line, fluttering beautifully in the breeze:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PESLwiDMsog/UdBsnhkvDoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/xb0BJ37-5HU/s640/blogger-image--942182233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-PESLwiDMsog/UdBsnhkvDoI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/xb0BJ37-5HU/s640/blogger-image--942182233.jpg"></a></div><br></div>I had such a great time. Now I just need to stitch into them...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><br></div></div></span></div><br></div></div></div></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-62239553275203553302013-06-23T20:02:00.001+01:002013-06-23T20:07:31.841+01:00First Forays into Gelli Plate MonoprintingI had been hearing lots of people raving about Gelli Arts mono printing plates (http://www.gelliarts.com/), but they seemed a lot of money - £30 for a large plate. I had a great day at the West Midlands Embroiderers' Guild Regional Day yesterday, and having spoken to the lovely lady at Art Van Go, I treated myself to a plate.<div><br></div><div>I couldn't wait to get going, so set myself up with some acrylic paint, various texture things and my Gelli plate, ready to have a play.</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xzmcNBpnvcU/UcdGQRSz5yI/AAAAAAAAAUc/OJDXUMueWio/s640/blogger-image--667682840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xzmcNBpnvcU/UcdGQRSz5yI/AAAAAAAAAUc/OJDXUMueWio/s640/blogger-image--667682840.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZCh0ukBs1ko/UcdGHBDVIHI/AAAAAAAAATk/CiqYG960T0Q/s640/blogger-image-2007972500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ZCh0ukBs1ko/UcdGHBDVIHI/AAAAAAAAATk/CiqYG960T0Q/s640/blogger-image-2007972500.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">My first few prints were not amazingly successful, but that isn't surprising, with anything new there will always be a bit of a learning curve. Thankfully, with the Gelli plate, it wasn't too steep. I also realised that I didn't have any paint colours I really liked, so I popped out to West Bromwich in the rain (complete with odd experience of The Corrs piped into the car park!), and picked up lots of lovely shiny metallic paint, and other supplies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7g-5Zc_2ML4/UcdGPNQL8lI/AAAAAAAAAUU/DvUVNVVKbto/s640/blogger-image-339070.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7g-5Zc_2ML4/UcdGPNQL8lI/AAAAAAAAAUU/DvUVNVVKbto/s640/blogger-image-339070.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I don't really have any textured paint scrapers, but the pound shop provided me with a four pack of flexible silicone spatulas for £1, as well as a tray to put my plate onto. A few snips later and the spatulas were ready for their new purpose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The Gelliarts videos were very helpful, and watching them step by step allowed me to see how to easily build up some good prints.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here are some of my favourite ones from today, all on fabric:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tMhcP2Dr4xM/UcdGITuAXjI/AAAAAAAAATs/pYyMgQF5gqc/s640/blogger-image-1636923066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-tMhcP2Dr4xM/UcdGITuAXjI/AAAAAAAAATs/pYyMgQF5gqc/s640/blogger-image-1636923066.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qhGBrgHEVQU/UcdGSw16vWI/AAAAAAAAAUs/EejOi7EMnU0/s640/blogger-image-72814500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-qhGBrgHEVQU/UcdGSw16vWI/AAAAAAAAAUs/EejOi7EMnU0/s640/blogger-image-72814500.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XFijeB9Zkrk/UcdGUGMYWCI/AAAAAAAAAU0/WFnjkn-ucKg/s640/blogger-image-341476616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-XFijeB9Zkrk/UcdGUGMYWCI/AAAAAAAAAU0/WFnjkn-ucKg/s640/blogger-image-341476616.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I loved how direct and gestural the printing plate is. Previous experiences of monoprinting on acetate sheets had been rather unsatisfying, with the acrylic feeling like it dried quickly and didn't allow much build up of texture.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It also gave me an opportunity to make a real mess!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Snn6BXufQ-0/UcdGNl2Bc-I/AAAAAAAAAUM/OFBZZTHo1Pc/s640/blogger-image--454362035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Snn6BXufQ-0/UcdGNl2Bc-I/AAAAAAAAAUM/OFBZZTHo1Pc/s640/blogger-image--454362035.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-at9ETJnIA2Q/UcdGVrPiriI/AAAAAAAAAU8/JclYoE3aF8s/s640/blogger-image--23432545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-at9ETJnIA2Q/UcdGVrPiriI/AAAAAAAAAU8/JclYoE3aF8s/s640/blogger-image--23432545.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">(that's my actual hair comb, hope I won't have gold hair on Monday!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I made a few prints that I wasn't happy with, until when tidying up I dropped my bottle of pearlescent acrylic ink and it splashed all over the 'failed' prints. Thinking quickly, I pressed them against it, "mono a mono", and smooshed the ink around. These random splotches seem to have rescued the prints, lifting them and adding a spontaneity:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qYBYEsS6SHo/UcdGRtDRWoI/AAAAAAAAAUk/Y2n3fa-J8iY/s640/blogger-image--1475855875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qYBYEsS6SHo/UcdGRtDRWoI/AAAAAAAAAUk/Y2n3fa-J8iY/s640/blogger-image--1475855875.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V3bHUj9Kr6Y/UcdGLHzLdLI/AAAAAAAAAT8/ATsvDAuXhkY/s640/blogger-image-586411102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-V3bHUj9Kr6Y/UcdGLHzLdLI/AAAAAAAAAT8/ATsvDAuXhkY/s640/blogger-image-586411102.jpg"></a></span><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; "><br></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; clear: both; "><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W2xLjdlhnRk/UcdGJiOTX8I/AAAAAAAAAT0/RNcTFeQO-xk/s640/blogger-image--2114106107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-W2xLjdlhnRk/UcdGJiOTX8I/AAAAAAAAAT0/RNcTFeQO-xk/s640/blogger-image--2114106107.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I also used plain copier paper to pull most of the ghost prints, which I have a project in mind for:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DdNRwmfzqCE/UcdGMTRjZNI/AAAAAAAAAUE/qkN-uLc6IbE/s640/blogger-image-1437500587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-DdNRwmfzqCE/UcdGMTRjZNI/AAAAAAAAAUE/qkN-uLc6IbE/s640/blogger-image-1437500587.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Next, I'm planning to stitch into the fabric prints, and then make 4 of them into mini canvases which I picked up at the same time as the paints, and I might make some of them into book covers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All in all, a great day. I know my mum, nieces and nephews will love this printing method, and I'm really looking forward to getting together with my friend Margaret for a Gelli play day next weekend.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-34189196793730525352013-05-09T12:51:00.000+01:002013-05-09T12:51:19.895+01:00The Creative HabitI'm currently participating in a read along hosted by <a href="http://fibraartysta.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/the-creative-habit-read-along-chapters.html">Lynn Krawczyk - Fibra Artysta</a> of <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Creative-Habit-Learn-Life/dp/0743235274/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368099878&sr=8-1&keywords=twyla+tharp">The Creative Habit:</a><br />
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<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U-BkmvXWL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U-BkmvXWL.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
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The book is all about getting into good routines with creativity, and I am looking forward to reading it, it seems like it's going to be very helpful for dealing with distractions and actually getting down to some stitching.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-82216294860066046242013-03-02T17:48:00.001+00:002013-03-02T17:48:52.979+00:00A day of fabric painting<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having pieced some lovely fabric strips last weekend, I set about printing lots of circles on them, using Jacquard lumiere in halo blue gold, some pink and silver metallics, and a generous zap with cosmic shimmer mist.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8522073424/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8522073424_c44a5f8ff3.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The fabric, with a freezer paper mask in my chosen shape</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8520961051/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8512/8520961051_62d78c5cf2.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Supplies ready to go</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had lots of fun adding circles:</span></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8520960787/" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8243/8520960787_ab1276b277.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8520960507/" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8520960507_e4aacbd02e.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8522072530/" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8368/8522072530_36b6c9fac4.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here it is with the mask removed, ready for lots of stitching, buttons and beads over the next few weeks:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8520960165/" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8525/8520960165_647b398011.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">While I had spare fabric paint on the palettes, I also painted these two bits for another piece:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8522071924/" title="Fabric painting by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Fabric painting" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8383/8522071924_7c9e082612.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All in all, a lovely Saturday!</span>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-63960149686630249222013-01-25T14:05:00.000+00:002013-01-25T14:05:08.503+00:00Snow Dyeing DayHaving spent four days this week walking to and fro between home and the office over snow and ice, I was feeling throughly fed up, so I decided to take Friday off and have a craft day. Since I have some Procion MX Dyes, and there's snow everywhere, I thought I'd try snow dyeing.<br />
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I had a dyers pack of fabrics and lace from the WM Embroiderers' Guild regional day last summer, so I chose some fabrics and soaked them in soda ash.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8413163339/" title="Dyeing day by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="Dyeing day" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8475/8413163339_35a87f3564.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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Next I mixed my dyes, and scrunched the fabrics in bargain £1 from Poundland cat litter trays.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8414261582/" title="Dyeing day by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="Dyeing day" height="374" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8231/8414261582_21b9cd39ab.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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I piled them with heaps of clean snow and then drizzled my dyes on top; one blue-black tray, one blue-red tray, and one red-yellow tray.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8414261456/" title="Dyeing day by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8324/8414261456_c44dd13ff3.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Dyeing day"></a>
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Now I just need to let them sit, batch them somewhere warm overnight, then rinse them. As a side effect, I now have pretty hands and apron!
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/8413162909/" title="Dyeing day by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8184/8413162909_97e923bf51.jpg" width="500" height="374" alt="Dyeing day"></a>
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This afternoon I'm planning to make some felt, in lovely purple shades.Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-28811952560737046502012-09-29T19:01:00.001+01:002012-09-29T19:01:08.584+01:00Emulsion Transfers<div><p>After last weekend's image transfer workshop, I wanted to use the techniques I'd learned, so I found some nice copyright free images, and went to Osbornes to have them copied. I've applied them to fabric, and they're drying upstairs.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-fKkg3Q7q_zQ/UGc3YW_L9LI/AAAAAAAAARs/y6kFGs61_mw/IMAG0249.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-32866233061272540962012-08-04T16:23:00.001+01:002012-08-04T16:23:47.545+01:00Felt and velvetThis is my latest experiment in embroidery - handmade wool felt with silk, on a background of black velvet and painted bondaweb, with seed stitch used to couch silk throwsters waste, and a bit of beading. Lots more to do on it, but I'm very happy with it so far.<div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NVtFw0qKs2c/UB0-cU_7SiI/AAAAAAAAAQI/a8GPcB2fN2c/s640/blogger-image--392219137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NVtFw0qKs2c/UB0-cU_7SiI/AAAAAAAAAQI/a8GPcB2fN2c/s640/blogger-image--392219137.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DzABC3Zy9pM/UB0-dahXl-I/AAAAAAAAAQM/r2oRGgqTSV0/s640/blogger-image-114517796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-DzABC3Zy9pM/UB0-dahXl-I/AAAAAAAAAQM/r2oRGgqTSV0/s640/blogger-image-114517796.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3ahTGiA0dS8/UB0-eXnnWhI/AAAAAAAAAQU/piFb4tyBobY/s640/blogger-image-208616466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3ahTGiA0dS8/UB0-eXnnWhI/AAAAAAAAAQU/piFb4tyBobY/s640/blogger-image-208616466.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator"style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-go7DfFSvCU0/UB0-faAR8II/AAAAAAAAAQc/NswQdi1Mj4Y/s640/blogger-image--1745010903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-go7DfFSvCU0/UB0-faAR8II/AAAAAAAAAQc/NswQdi1Mj4Y/s640/blogger-image--1745010903.jpg" /></a></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-81006835549399321882012-06-02T15:30:00.001+01:002012-06-02T15:30:27.866+01:00More webs and wheels<div><p>I've been working on my webs and wheels hoopla on and off for a couple of weeks, and I'm really happy with how it's turning out. I've experimented with quite a few variations, including size, spoke numbers,, thread type, and especially satisfyingly, working both webs and wheels with two strands simultaneously. The two colour wheels are lovely, and the webs look like flowers - I want to work one in reds to look like a rose.</p>
<p>I'm now stitching simple meandering lines of chain stitch over, under and around the wheels, to ground them a bit, and hopefully add to the organic feeling that I'm getting from the embroidery.</p>
<p>Guild are planning to pick a different stitch every month, and I think I'll work my pieces up as hooplas, so that I can display them in my house, and still have samplers to refer to for future work.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-FCJIyfOzkX8/T8ojgglcpMI/AAAAAAAAAP4/myTA-f0tkAI/IMAG0034.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-88883160213043023052012-05-15T18:17:00.001+01:002012-05-15T18:17:25.486+01:00Webs and wheels<div><p>I started this little piece in our members session about web and wheel stitches yesterday, and I'm pleased with how it's going so far. I plan to shade it through brown into green, filling the hoop with big chunky wheels, scattering delicate ones in between them, and then snaking chain and wheatear stitches through the gaps.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-neacu4F6rXw/T7KPouvfLaI/AAAAAAAAAPs/KZcMjflXkjo/IMAG0017.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-52153437747874655922012-05-15T09:10:00.001+01:002012-05-15T09:10:15.653+01:00Lovely threads<div><p>Last night at guild I purchased this beautiful bundle of embroidery threads. A former member had sadly passed away, and her daughters brought all her textile books and supplies down for us. I picked up the threads, and an Islamic pattern book, which looks to be very inspirational.</p>
<p>I'm using the threads to do a webs and wheels hoopla, which I started in the members session yesterday.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-fPyCFYXP1EA/T7IPZMJcDJI/AAAAAAAAAPg/pqpbDr0Ct_4/IMAG0015.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-39414641563039573352012-05-11T08:10:00.001+01:002012-05-11T08:10:38.249+01:00Felt for my Niecephews<div><p>Last night and the night before, I got the wool fibres out, and made more felt. I'm visiting my family this weekend, and my nieces love Sewing, so we're going to turn this felt into pictures for their walls.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-j11MVrcbbaQ/T6y7UUJL4II/AAAAAAAAAOg/mONXmcw0vNM/IMAG0001.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-kzhDslS97xE/T6y7VuMUZ5I/AAAAAAAAAOo/S_hxhxaAhQg/IMAG1776.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uVl_ucWWU2c/T6y7WzLEeYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/QL7NIMILxB4/IMAG0002.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-o1K7BMyfHaw/T6y7XyuPOfI/AAAAAAAAAO4/ElHCnJcIi5o/IMAG1777.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2dIVX548Sxg/T6y7ZMXVnuI/AAAAAAAAAPA/WYNFE_2v73I/IMAG0003.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-8f5P2XvBvEA/T6y7aT6D3cI/AAAAAAAAAPE/BxiCCgsFsQk/IMAG0004.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/---XR-EF9n3I/T6y7bLPa3FI/AAAAAAAAAPM/oN2zYnZ5x-0/IMAG1775.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-79473642262372043722012-05-05T23:38:00.001+01:002012-05-05T23:38:00.337+01:00Treat Mittens in Autumn Shades<div><p>I knitted a pair of my Treat Mittens in a lovely autumnal colourway for my friend Sue for Christmas. I really like knitting this pattern, and I was pleased with how they turned out.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-l8tCjl8n3xQ/T6Wrt8BZ8pI/AAAAAAAAAN0/Q1q6544GPd0/IMAG1217.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-umPfObSKlOw/T6WrvcTz25I/AAAAAAAAAN8/qlB2yrvu9vA/IMAG1308.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Qc2hN2bNYco/T6WrwTooA-I/AAAAAAAAAOE/Mm1xuDgk89s/IMAG1288.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dXqenJLYrPg/T6Wrxc2lSyI/AAAAAAAAAOM/a6IqGbKobpo/IMAG1310.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-38329117707588022602012-05-05T23:33:00.001+01:002012-05-05T23:33:35.715+01:00Slug<div><p>Another Christmas knit - I made this little slug using cheezombie's pattern for Simon's brother. It was good fun to knit, with an interesting technique for the eye stalks.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-87LQjBz7HLo/T6WqvUi4xkI/AAAAAAAAANs/j5WOTK3fyis/IMAG1336.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-71160595214420179612012-05-05T23:20:00.001+01:002012-05-05T23:26:28.657+01:00Tom's Monster<div><p>For my older nephew, I made a Gruber monster, based on a pattern from Molly Makes. I changed the colours a bit, and added a belly button, which I made deep by stitching securely through felt and wadding, to sculpt the body more.</p>
<p>It was really very enjoyable to sew, all handstitched in mostly blanket stitch, and came together surprisingly quickly. It went down well on Christmas day too.</p>
<p>I only have an in progress photo, I'll post more photos when I've uploaded them.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-dlJlDQc6Eqc/T6WpEtq_CgI/AAAAAAAAANM/-9L9H9gcUEA/IMAG1331.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-34635935994224431112012-05-05T23:10:00.001+01:002012-05-05T23:18:43.610+01:00Joshua's Teddy<div><p>This Christmas I knitted a Teddy using the Baby Bear pattern from Itty Bitty Toys by Susan B. Anderson. </p>
<p>I knitted it with some lovely, squishy yarn that mum and I had dyed in bright colours a couple of years ago. The pattern was an easy, quick knit, with the only real tricky bits being getting good placement of the limbs and facial features.</p>
<p>I think it worked out well, and my nephew liked it!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-6mJkJG8de1U/T6WnM0bkVmI/AAAAAAAAAM0/KHxXo6ce8N8/IMAG1332.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kdThwXvU3RA/T6WnNpvJzXI/AAAAAAAAAM8/ckjt4V-uLIo/IMAG1320.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-belQ33Bjaes/T6WnOvUlx_I/AAAAAAAAANE/8ggU_KMcrHA/IMAG1319.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-68502271367429461162012-05-05T22:44:00.001+01:002012-05-05T23:10:31.400+01:00Soldered Stained Glass 'Window' and Presents<div><p>I'm having a bit of a catch up on things I've made but not blogged about.</p>
<p>I spent a lovely day at New Year while cat sitting for friends working on some embroideries using techniques I picked up in a workshop with Margaret Beal.</p>
<p>I used the same technique to do both the presents (for a Birmingham Embroiderers' Guild Christmas pennant) and the window piece, except that the window has stitched outlines.</p>
<p>The pieces are worked on a base of acrylic felt, with layers of polyester organza on top. The soldering iron is used to make marks into the layers, both freehand and along a metal ruler. With care, the top layer can also be removed, revealing the colours below, and allowing for further mark making.</p>
<p>The window had an outline square and free-machined lines inside, forming spaces to work within, rather like zentangling.</p>
<p>It was a lovely process, very easy to get 'flow'. The only thing to be aware of is the risk of burning from the soldering iron.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-0ZkZ_3idc3I/T6WiBUL0SwI/AAAAAAAAAL8/Wra6VxKgF-c/IMAG1460.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-J1Ciif2hQU4/T6WlVdyyaqI/AAAAAAAAAMo/m-y7YZP2d9M/IMAG1324.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-r-DYmHqMJAk/T6WiC9UEZNI/AAAAAAAAAME/1DPxZAKZ7vM/IMAG1459.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vBgQ5OPns2c/T6WiD1YYazI/AAAAAAAAAMM/48te_754XyM/IMAG1461.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QtjK0fARyRk/T6WiFAqj3oI/AAAAAAAAAMU/u_qI6t7fOFg/IMAG1457.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RrdS-rP19Lc/T6WfqxolkXI/AAAAAAAAAL0/CkD0kqhm5W0/IMAG1456.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-56806335399083319362012-05-03T08:02:00.001+01:002012-05-03T08:02:33.287+01:00All packed up...<div><p>I've been using zip lock freezer bags to store my current and upcoming embroidery projects, and they look so appealing, all packaged up ready to stitch.<br>
I'm off to give blood tonight, and even with an appointment there's usually a long wait, so I thought I'd package up these projects to give me something to do while I wait.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cfxjPvsRriI/T6Ithfk7TVI/AAAAAAAAALQ/qRQkY1OCWhk/IMAG1763.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-13228650936401755382012-04-29T16:06:00.000+01:002012-04-29T16:06:01.577+01:00Mushroom, mushroom!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch show at the NEC in March 2012 I was fortunate to be able to go on a silk shading hand embroidery workshop with Katie Pirson, where we started this mushroom. I've now finished it, and taken photos of my process in finishing it as a hoopla too, for future reference.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was really nice to be able to work on something with silk shading/long and short stitch, as it is a very useful stitch to have in my repertoire. Katie is a brilliant teacher; I agree with her that it should probably be called 'Long and even longer stitch'!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My finished mushrooms:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/7124095331/" title="Silk Shaded Mushroom (26) by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Silk Shaded Mushroom (26)" height="281" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/7124095331_31157da2e4.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And here they are on my hoopla wall:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/7124094661/" title="Silk Shaded Mushroom (24) by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Silk Shaded Mushroom (24)" height="281" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7124094661_0ae640e6de.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I finish my hoops with a layer of wadding behind the embroidery, which gives a really lovely raised appearance:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6978009338/" title="Silk Shaded Mushroom (17) by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img alt="Silk Shaded Mushroom (17)" height="281" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7258/6978009338_4d99c62b50.jpg" width="500" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I also wrote up a tutorial for finishing hoopla hoops with a layer of wadding and a felt backing, like these, so that next time I don't have to try to remember what I did. it's in this Flickr slideshow, with directions in the captions:</span><br />
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<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheatherramsden%2Ftags%2Fhooplafinishingtutorial%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fheatherramsden%2Ftags%2Fhooplafinishingtutorial%2F&user_id=59455568@N00&tags=hooplafinishingtutorial&jump_to=&start_index=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></span>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-47828208146107321362012-04-28T20:37:00.001+01:002012-04-28T20:37:59.313+01:00Portuguese Knotted Stem Stitch<div><p>I'm working on the second embroidery in my elements series, Earth, which is lots of strong lines on a handmade green and brown felt background.</p>
<p>I've been enjoying looking up stitches in my lovely new-to-me 1946 edition of Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches which I bought for £5 in Stratford over Easter. Discovering new stitches is very satisfying.</p>
<p>This evening, I picked out Portuguese Knotted Stem Stitch, which takes a bit of thinking, but is very attractive when worked in cotton Perle. It is the green line in the photo, with some square chain stitch above and knotted chain stitch below.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-zDoc5t5Tw1o/T5xHFYielnI/AAAAAAAAAK4/uVkDOxTi4Pc/IMAG1732.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-55236272694111841152012-04-22T14:47:00.001+01:002012-04-22T15:01:59.547+01:00Forays into Felting<div><p>Inspired by my friend Margaret, who makes lovely felt, I got up this morning and decided to make some felt.</p>
<p>I wanted to make a piece with colours to represent air, that I could then embroider into, so I gathered some white, grey and pale blue wool and silk, and some white Angelina.</p>
<p>Using Jane Doe's felting tute from Craftster (http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=56350.0), I worked onto a cut open carrier bag, then a big sheet of bubblewrap, and wrapped it up in one of my bamboo place mats.</p>
<p>I started with a full layer of white, then one of grey-blue, then a mixed layer of white, the silks, Angelina and blues, then I added more wool over the silk and Angelina to make sure they'd incorporate fully.</p>
<p>I felted away, to the musical accompaniments of Lost Prophets*, turning my work, until I had a good solid felt, probably about 10-15 minutes of rolling. Shocking the felt was fun - I wrapped it up in the place mat and whacked it on the staircase, then jumped on it on the floor.</p>
<p>I've now got a lovely piece of felt drying, ready to start stitching into.</p>
<p>Some things to bear in mind next time:<br>
* the silk incorporated well by itself, so next time I'll try it without wool on top, as it has become somewhat buried.<br>
* the kitchen worktop was a good height to work onto, but a bit slippery for rolling the placemat onto, so I laid it onto a cork surface protector, which did the job.<br>
* it worked best when the placemat was rolled away from me, so that the roll stayed together.</p>
<p>Now, I'm going to do a few more. I want to try green, red and purple ones.</p>
<p>Wheeeeee!</p>
<p>* We Are Godzilla, You Are Japan ( http://youtu.be/oxxpm3agRfA) is awesome felting music!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-0iIeH6seNms/T5QLxBvNd3I/AAAAAAAAAKM/eILQP_J5Tck/IMAG1724.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-7q2GPXbwrVk/T5QLyP0nGjI/AAAAAAAAAKU/W4wmQmjem3A/IMAG1723.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-KjdNGcHAYLI/T5QLzuwTNfI/AAAAAAAAAKc/gx1abWfeqHE/IMAG1725.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ClJ1j9h2nFQ/T5QMezfEJMI/AAAAAAAAAKs/gRIl9mEv9CI/IMAG1722.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-6LzNKYqW4EE/T5QL01nyBJI/AAAAAAAAAKk/ZZBvfNB0pjQ/IMAG1726.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-10886312029317592232012-03-24T21:30:00.001+00:002012-03-24T21:31:32.412+00:00Little Treasures with Christine Plummer<div><p>I also attended Christine Plummer's Little Treasures workshop, which was a fun session experimenting with lovely coloured papers and tags (painted with brusho), organza, buttons and machine stitching.</p>
<p>While I was aware that you could stitch on paper, I'd not experimented with the technique, and so it was good for getting ideas flowing. I also think I could modify this technique to use with my 7 and 5 year old nieces.</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oUAoa_PF2Sk/T249KJROQPI/AAAAAAAAAIg/IvVqYxjeD8k/IMAG1665.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4iXSEBzF9bs/T249Lesv1JI/AAAAAAAAAIo/kck9dAJtgq8/IMAG1667.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-g4WU1aQOjLA/T249MsOI5nI/AAAAAAAAAIw/Hc6QlEQRtsc/IMAG1666.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-76349951355305449012012-03-24T21:12:00.001+00:002012-03-24T21:21:12.932+00:00Silk Shaded Mushroom with Katie Pirson<div><p>Still having a marvellous time here at the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch show. This afternoon I was lucky enough to be able to take part in a silk shading workshop with Katie Pirson, who I happen to know from my teenage years as a lighting techie, but hadn't seen since.</p>
<p>The workshop was excellent, and Katie is a brilliant teacher, very understanding and gives marvellous explanations.</p>
<p>We had a kit containing lovely linen with a mushroom design drawn on it, Madeira thread and very clear instructions. Katie took us through building up the layers in soft shading, with the very important point that your stitches need to be longer than you think, to allow for later rows of stitches to be fully incorporated.</p>
<p>I'm really looking forward to finishing my mushroom -thanks Katie!</p>
<p>(the picture of the finished mushroom is Katie's one -I'm not that good/speedy)</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-4TSLUmPTdYw/T246r7BX9aI/AAAAAAAAAIA/3w-QCFpbYak/IMAG1663.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-uuWTHakkeCU/T246t3xrugI/AAAAAAAAAII/zRdQdtjXHGM/IMAG1659.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-F4ZSY6p_BNc/T246vGKGChI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/932-3x6sycE/IMAG1662.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh4.ggpht.com/-crMX4zkDKVc/T246wSE8fOI/AAAAAAAAAIY/_LFPQzQbFtM/IMAG1661.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-49920484787445747782012-03-23T12:54:00.001+00:002012-03-23T22:52:39.981+00:00Newspaper brooches with Kim Thittichai<div><p>Having a lovely time with mum at the Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch, Hobbycrafts and Sewing for Pleasure shows.<br>
I went to a workshop with Kim Thittichai, where she taught us to layer painted newspaper, bondaweb and Mica flakes to make gorgeous pieces, which we backed onto heavyweight pelmet Vilene, and cut into shapes, ready to make brooches. Inexpensive supplies, a great outcome, and fun. Recipe for success!</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cGyks6lp5vs/T2z-nQ5VmUI/AAAAAAAAAHY/1xOpAjAtrYc/IMAG1632.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-n2Eew81KSvU/T2z-o_6y1wI/AAAAAAAAAHg/UFmajFxT9fk/IMAG1635.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qXdyUsSZkqY/T2z-qBIcBnI/AAAAAAAAAHo/wYxwpNttIdc/IMAG1629.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh3.ggpht.com/-sACrDCsGOfo/T2z-rHHaw3I/AAAAAAAAAHw/Dw0QsbsTf6w/IMAG1638.png' /><br/><img src='http://lh6.ggpht.com/-PCNPnvUTfRA/T2z-tU1IdjI/AAAAAAAAAH4/3VvRVY4AB6A/IMAG1631.png' /></div>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352363331845585228.post-82423518430987956102011-10-10T22:57:00.000+01:002011-10-10T22:57:24.350+01:00Breakdown Screenprinting Course<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This weekend I attended a Breakdown Screenprinting course at the MAC, led by Emma Jackson. It was a fabulous weekend. We started by building up print paste and dye on the back (face down when printing) surface of the screen, and then pressing various textured objects into it to make impressions in the paste.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227363483/" title="IMAG1034 by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG1034" height="281" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6110/6227363483_e676ee21ae.jpg" width="500" /></a>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227359335/" title="IMAG0179 by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG0179" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6049/6227359335_ccc4a83951.jpg" width="299" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227354763/" title="IMAG0176 by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG0176" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6118/6227354763_46fcf4c3d8.jpg" width="299" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Another way of working was to draw onto the screens with print paste using bottles with thin nozzles, with the drawn lines transferring to the finished prints.</span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227880158/" title="IMAG0181 by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG0181" height="500" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6227880158_9469b615ed.jpg" width="299" /></a>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The screens were left to dry overnight, and the next morning we came back to them, and picked out all the embedded objects.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227512785/" title="Stars screen by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="Stars screen" height="281" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6037/6227512785_96f7ef40d8.jpg" width="500" /></a>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227513861/" title="IMAG1041 by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="IMAG1041" height="281" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6230/6227513861_7d084a3c78.jpg" width="500" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then the big fun began. We laid the screens down onto the (pre-treated) fabric, applied either clear or coloured print paste, and pushed the squeegee down across the screen. Initially heavy areas of dried pastes were acting as a resist, so applied colours only came through the thinner areas. As the paste got wetter and broke down, more and more transferred onto the fabric, meaning that each screen placement resulted in a different print. While the process was hard to tame, it wasn't entirely unpredictable, and produced beautiful results.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/heatherramsden/6227515071/" title="Heather's button print by Purple Heather, on Flickr"><img alt="Heather's button print" height="281" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6158/6227515071_730841b175.jpg" width="500" /></a>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sadly, someone accidentally picked up two of my three finished pieces of fabric so I can't share them with you at the moment, but the MAC are trying to get them back for me.</span>Heatherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11418653951833168379noreply@blogger.com0