Spring is on the way!

Finally some better pictures of my bag, made from Stonehaven, black doiley, polyester shirt.....







This is the jumper dyed the other day.



Not planning on wearing it, shame really because it's a 'Country Road' one from the op shop.


These are the baby chicks from a week or so ago, luckily haven't lost any, but wow- they can eat!


Rotten snails!!!!

A Saturday Afternoon.

Thankfully not our dinner. Steaming up some Barrier Reef batts for Dale, and a jumper from the op shop.


I lay stuff on my stainless steel bench in the shed and apply the dye randomly.

Layers of batt and old blanket.

This is a new book by Jan Messant. It's lovely and very inspirational. Highly recommend it. It's not really a 'how to' book but more a visual feast. It's available from The Thread Studio.







Maybe another go at making books? Oh- washed my phone today in the machine. Realized that all my numbers were in it- oops.

Silk Carrier Rods

Today finally I got into the studio. I just wanted to see how many different things I could do with some silk carrier rods I had from a previous batch that weren't as good as I have now. So, I just made straight silk paper today.

This pic is of the four layers peeled off just one rod.


Dip each layer into water and lay onto non stick paper- glad bake or teflon- whatever you have that is a non stick surface.


Overlap the layers, they are going to stick to each other, This pic shows the first vertical layer and then the laying down of the horizontal layer.


Then teasing the fibres apart, I lay bits down on areas that look thin, play with colour and diffuse the appearance of 'lines'.


Cover with another layer of glad bake or non stick surface....


Using the iron on dry and a cotton setting I iron back and forth until all of the water has evaporated away.


Remove the paper and you should have a firm piece of silk 'paper'.
The photos are not very good, I just can't get the depth of colour in this light.


This side is the 'right' side.


It's pretty stiff, the silk worm's sericin has not been processed out so it enables the silk to fuse together in the presence of water and heat from the iron.


I'm bending it here in my hand.


Not sure what I will do with it, probably stamp it, apply fabric, gold leaf, vintage paper.......
Tomorrow, I'll do something else with more rods.

And the excuses start...

New baby chickens staying warm in my studio, least the studio is good for something.


Uki, again. The rabbit loves being snuggled up in blankets and just sits in the stroller. Most bizarre rabbit I've ever known. Belle adores her.

Yes, already an excuse why play has not started. Belle and I were back at the Royal Children's Hospital this week sorting her out again. They are all good people there. She was seen by the head of Paediatrics and we have a new health plan in place that hopefully will get her into a better head space, give her more control and support. So in the meantime, another pic or two.

Out of the comfort zone.

Willow likes my new colour done for The Thread Studio- Glacier.
Sorry about the cat hair with your wool Dale.

Vessels by Amalana Felt

I don't like pink but I love this necklace!



Stitched pieces Cecile Meraglia

I have been pondering for a while on which direction my work and creativity will go when I finally get back into the studio. I know what catches my eye and I figure the best way to approach it is to just play first. I have collected so much stuff over the years, paint, oil bars, gold leaf, hand dyed fibres, textiles, beads, buttons, tools, found objects, stamps, stencils- you get the picture. So, tomorrow is day one of play. Why write about it? It's a commitment! No procrastination allowed because I figure several of you will be pinging emails my way if I do. I'll take pics along the way, that way hopefully i'll stay focused.
Just received the two new stamps from The Thread Studio. I think that will be the toys for tomorrow. In the meantime, here are some pics from other artists who catch my eye.

Dust Bunnies

My studio! A disaster. I threw so much stuff in there the last few weeks since moving out of the outside studio that I don't know where anything is. So, after receiving Julie Arkell's book from Loop and how she has organised her studio, I feel inspired. This is the before shot. I'll keep you posted, or not depending if I succeed. Ha Ha.





Bella and Uki, believe it or not, the rabbit loves the attention.






Gone from under my bed! Having taken the week to get over my cold I decided that our room needed a clean. I found presents I had bought last year for Christmas that I thought I had lost! A set of earrings for my aunt, fabric and yarn for my daughter's sewing kit.....And a flock of dust bunnies with their own economy, democracy and city under my bed. I can't remember the last time I vacuumed all the way under there. Probably the last time that I was sure if I bent down that far- I would be able to get up again without calling the fire brigade. I've decided that being organized might reduce the stress levels in this house. We will see. I'll give it a go.
Finally I have managed to replace the hand bag I have used for the last year. I bought it for .70cents at the local op shop and it's been good but too large. So the photos are of the bag that I spoke about making a few weeks ago that I turned pink by my daft mixing of fibres. It's just waiting for it's handle to be stitched on.

And lastly- my thoughts and sympathy to Marina in Moscow who is enduring what Victorians did on black Saturday. The fires in Russia have created noxious smoke now blanketing Moscow and I hope that she and her family are ok.