On Friday my Fibres and Fabrics friends gathered to play. We based our play on ideas taken from the book: "Stitching to Dye in Quilt Art - Colour, Texture and Distortion" by C. June Barnes

 These are the steps I took for my sample piece:

Two layers of unspun fibres, one east – west, the second north – south – (It works best with all wool, mine was a combination of wool, silk and alpaca – so it took more effort to felt). The fibres are laid onto water soluble fabric.

A layer of fabrics of various weights, velvet, chiffon, organza, silk and yarns

A layer of fine nylon tulle, not quite as fine as bridal tulle (this turned out to be my big mistake – luckily I was only planning a sample)

A stitched grid to hold everything in place

Stitching with both matte and metallic threads, - at this stage I was realising that the nylon was blanketing everything out, I slashed some of the top layer.

The water soluble fabric on the back showing stitching

After the felting process, and heat gun (trying to melt off some of the tulle) ready for embellishment
 

On Friday, my offline friends are planning an experimental day of fibre fun. The task on Friday will be to lay Wool roving as for felting onto water soluble fabric, then add various fabrics, that will either be sewn on or will get caught in the felting process (like nuno felt) into the wool tops. After the sewing process, the piece will be felted and then interesting things will happen.

 Therefore, in preparation I have brought out my dye stuffs and began a day of fun at home. 

 Last July at Rockhampton Fibre Forum I learned to dye using Landscape dyes, wool, silk and nylon.

 I have done a lot of dyeing in the past but the majority was using Procion and Drimarine cold water dyes. It has been seven years since I did any serious dyeing.

In my mind I have been planning a Nuno Felted Wool and Cashmere on Silk Tissue Shawl for about three years. At a Geelong Fibre Forum at that time I bought 3 Wool Dyes, 300g of unspun Cashmere, and 5 metres of Silk Tissue. I bought the Wool (dyed but uncarded) from the Woollen Mills at Geelong.

 On Sunday I decided to use Friday’s workshop as a practice run for the colours I want on my shawl. I realised midday Sunday that I needed a steamer, all my previous dyeing has been cold water so my steamer is great for rice, vegies and eggs.

 I wasn’t prepared to compromise my steamer; I also wasn’t prepared to pay $50 for a new steamer that I would probably use only to do my shawl… I have moved on from my love affair with dyes so I had to improvise.

 Now you must promise not to laugh.


 

 An old frying pan, a gauze spatter guard, the top of a plastic bucket, and the frying pan lid.

 This is what I picked out to dye, knowing that the cottons, and nylons, would be pale, if they worked at all.

wool undyed

wool coloured

This is where disappointment set in, I remember specifically asking advice from the lady at the dye stall, (by the way she worked for the company that makes the dye, she was not just on-selling, so she should have known) if the colours would go together, ok a matter of opinion, however she sold me Opal and Kingfisher, and Quarry. 

In the photo above, I have used Opal then Kingfisher then Quarry as you can see Quarry turns out to be a Dark Grey, and Opal and Kingfisher are so similar in colour you can barely tell the difference. She should have known that one or the other would work in a project and that I didn’t need both.

 By the way I also knew at the time that in future I would need other colours and was planning on yellow to extend into green and magenta to go into purples. But this was a long range plan and I had already spent several hundred dollars that week (including $60 for 300 grams of Cashmere).

So my day of dyeing was over at the start I didn’t want everything virtually the same colour, so hunting through my old dyestuff, I found a hot water dye labelled “cream”, ok let’s try that, this gave me a lovely range of greens, when combined with the Opal and Kingfisher. I have a range of fabric paints, and thought why not, heat to set, maybe steam would work, so I began playing and hit jackpot when I included fuchsia fabric paint.

My makeshift steamer was a great success. (Unfortunately the paint did not set with the steam but I found if I dried the fabric out in the sun before rinsing the dye out, I got a fair result with the fabric paint.

Rinsed and Dried in the same order as the first picture



 

The week in review – I finally caught up on the ATC that failed miserably last week, and am happier with how it turned out in the end. I also began a Falcon page in my art journal, and on Sunday chose fabrics for a dye day scheduled next week

June 29 – July 5

 Monday – Falcon First Layer
Tuesday – ATC June
Wednesday – Falcon Third Layer
Thursday – Knitting
Friday – Falcon Fifth Layer
Saturday – Falcon Eighth Layer
Sunday – Undyed Fabrics  

Creative Every Day Week Twenty Six

June 22 – June 28

The Week in Review – This week I seemed to be standing still not going anywhere, I am pleased with my journal cover, however the tryout using unnatural colours didn’t work so well, so I might have to stick to Nature’s colours

Monday – Journal Cover
Tuesday – ATC failure
Wednesday – Journal Cover Second Layer
Thursday – Journal Cover Third Layer
Friday – Journal Cover Fourth Layer
Saturday – Learning to Card Fleece
Sunday – Journal Cover Try out Colours

Due to a run of bad days I was late with my ATC

Here is the one I received from Joan

and the one that I eventually put into the swap myself.

Unfortunately Bad days have outweighed the good days lately so I have be lax in updating my blog. Hence these back dated entries

In late June I went to a Fibres workshop and learned how to card fleece for spinning or in my case felting. I bought the wool already dyed from Geelong Woollen Mills several years ago. I was disappointed how the beautiful green tips merged into the blue during the carding process and all you can see are hints of green.

before carding

after carding

The Week in Review – This week I was determined that I wouldn’t have another nothing week. I started the week in fine form and finished a page in my art journal. I had intended to begin the Altered Book Swap, in which I want to use similar techniques; however I played around half heartedly in my art journal without achieving very much

Week Twenty Five – June 16 – 22

Monday – Art Journal – Page One
Tuesday – Art Journal – Page One Completed
Wednesday – Art Journal – Page Two Completed
Thursday – Embroidery – Twisted Fly Stitch
Friday – Art Journal – Stripes – Page One
Saturday – Art Journal Stripes – Layer Two
Sunday – Art Journal Stripes - Planning

The Week in Review – This week was a nothing week creative wise. In an attempt to get myself motivated I began a new intricate bookbinding technique, but stalled at the first mistake.

Week Twenty Four – June 8 – 15

Monday – Mixed Media Monday – Planning
Tuesday – Mixed Media Monday – Failure
Wednesday – Folded pages for Book
Thursday – Punched Holes for the stitching
Friday – Stitched main block (the easy bit)
Saturday – Mistake central
Sunday – Altered Book Swap – Planning

This week I have been inspired by an Artist Profile of Jane Maxwell in the latest Cloth Paper Scissors.

I have been playing in my art journal with the idea of doing something similar in my friend Joan’s altered book which is entitled The Human Form.

I am thinking of using a similar page to this as the background and painting the figures from the second page in the foreground.

The Week in Review – This week I participated in an Art Journal Scavenger Hunt. I also finished my To Do List for June.

 Week Twenty Three – June 1 – 7

Monday – Scavenger Hunt – Planning
Tuesday – Art Panner – Background
Wednesday – Scavenger Hunt Page One
Thursday – Art Planner - June
Friday – Scavenger Hunt Page Two
Saturday – Art Planner Finished
Sunday – Mixed Media Monday – Lace Planning

Here is my To Do List for June




x- posted to   art_planners

In late May I was privileged to received Carol’s (Li Bode) ATC  - Outback Trails
 

My card for May's swap continued with my Footprints theme.

I have been cross with myself lately for having so many things that I want to do and not making the time to do them so this morning I was determined to be energetic. I got up and ate breakfast with my husband at 5.30, and as soon as he left for work, instead of sneaking back to bed to read and eventually drift back to sleep. I decided I was going to finish my Scavenger hunt page. 

 

A couple of weeks ago, Sarah Whitmire (Caspiana) issued a Scavenger Hunt Challenge:

 The items to be used and only these items were:

Your primed Journal page PLUS

	Something from your rubbish bin (Clean Up Tissue)
	Something found on the Footpath (Take-Away Voucher)
	Something Plastic (Envelope Window)
	Something Starting with the Letter A (Address Book Image)
	An image of someone smiling
	An image starting with the Letter R (Yes I cheated - RED Umbrella)
	Something that came in the mail (Brochure)
	A Paper Clip
	Something Soft (Fibre)
	Acrylic paint – 3 colours and a bottle cap
	Something with a Number on it
	Two types of Pen (Gel Pen and Sharpie)

 Something Shiny – Needle
Something Metal – Scissors
Something Sticky – Gel Medium – My son came up with the bright idea of using a paintbrush because it has numbers on it but I wanted the barcode as a symbol of modern living so I used my fingers instead

	Scavenger Hunt Item List
	Scavenger Hunt

One of the first exercises in Sarah Whitmire's Soul Journalling revolution is Claiming Your Journal.  As I am beginning a new journal I have redone my title page. This journal was going to be called Serendipity, I have had the name in my mind for months, and then suddenly it became Fragments.  The pink purple page is actually hidden under the Fragments layer, not sure how that happened.

Creative Every Day Week Twenty Two

 The Week in Review – This week for Mixed Media Monday the theme was feathered friends and as it was also Artist Trading Card Swap week I made a card along the same theme. Still spending a lot of time on my Soul Journal pages.

Week Twenty Two – May 25 – 31

Monday – Mixed Media Monday – Planning
Tuesday – Mixed Media Monday – Footprints
Wednesday – Artitst Trading Card – Footprints
Thursday – Soul Journal Page - Gratitude
Friday – Soul Journal Page – Gratitude Finished
Saturday – Playing with Pop Up Stairs
Sunday – Soul Journal Page – Scavenger Hunt

 

Creative Every Day Week Twenty One

 The Week in Review – Another week of many different things. I finished the Altered Book Offline Swap and this was a weight off my mind. It has taken over 12 months to complete. I went to my local embroidery group and decided to do some embroidery while I was there. A Couching sampler that I have been working on sporadically. I am spending a lot of time on my Soul Journal pages.

Week Twenty One – May 18 – 24

Monday – Mixed Media Monday – Altered People
Tuesday – Altered Book Offline Swap – Paper Dolls
Wednesday – Soul Journal Page – Planning
Thursday – Embroidery
Friday – Soul Journal Page – Primed Layer
Saturday – Soul Journal Page – Claiming My Journal
Sunday – Soul Journal Page – Title Page - Fragments

The theme this week for Mixed Media Monday is Feathered Friends. I enjoy birdwatching. I have been playing with the footprints theme for a while.

Techniques – Painting, Collage, Stitching
Media: acrylic paint, clipart, watercolours, fabric, machine stitching

The theme this week for Mixed Media Monday is Altered People. Here is my family. I am making a page with pockets in my art journal as part of Soul Journal exercises written by Sarah Whitmire.

Techniques - Altered photos
Media: photos, watercolours, cardboard, brads

The Week in Review – This week I spent a lot of time reading my creativity was pretty much limited to my knitting which I do each evening when the television is on. It is to be a jacket.  I have completed twenty inches which is almost up to the waist. You can’t tell on the circular needles but it shapes in at the side seams. I am now going straight before starting to increase to shape the bust and then divide for the armholes. I am having fun joining yarns and knitting for a couple of rows and then choosing another. Very serendipity.

 Week Twenty – May 11 – 17

The Week in Review – This week I continued working on my Personal Map Making Prompt. I began working on the last of the books in my offline altered book swap – the theme is antique, so I am doing paper dolls.

 

Monday – Mixed Media Monday - Hope
Tuesday – Knitting
Wednesday – Soul Journal Page – Personal Map – Page three
Thursday – Stenciling – Quilt Journal Book Cover
Friday – Altered Book – Offline SwapSaturday – Soul Journal Page – Personal Map – Title
Saturday – Soul Journal Page – Personal Map – Title
Sunday – Soul Journal Page - Personal Map – Page five

Week Eighteen – April 27 – May 3

The Week in Review – This week I kept working on my Soul journaling prompt - Personal Map Making - given by Collage Diva. I also joined a community called Artplanners and did a May To Do page for my art journal.

Monday – Soul Journal Page - Personal Map – Page one
Tuesday – Altered Book – Offline Swap
Wednesday – Soul Journal Page – Personal Map – Page two
Thursday – Art Planner – May – Planning
Friday – Art planner – Finished
Saturday – Knitting
Sunday – Soul Journal Page - Harmony
 

The theme this week for Mixed Media Monday was “Inspirational Word” I chose Hope

I haven’t posted on MMM for a few weeks as I have been participating in an online art journal class taught by Sarah Whitmire. You can check out my efforts Lessons 1 and 2, Lessons 3 and 4, Lesson 5

 Techniques: water colour, transparencies
Media: watercolours, water soluble pencils, inkjet transparency, Rub on Letters