Saturday's play

After comparing notes with Phyllis on how she fabricated her lilies over on machine_needle_felting,I thought I'd try for myself.

Using 4X Dissolv (cold water soluble stabiliser) I needle punched some wool roving into a piece of commercial felt.
Of course,I didn't check to see whether I should have hooped it all first,did I!
Because the 4X is a fairly heavyweight stabiliser I didnt bother,but in retrospect think it may have made life easier.

After cutting the petal shapes (I was planning on making a Fringed Lily) I gave the petals a "wash";
squeezed out the excess water and then placed each petal inside a teaspoon to try molding some shape into them.

Whilst they were drying (not fast enough to keep me happy)
I fabricated a background by needle-punching more wool rovings into a nappy liner:
All I was after for the background was a vague sky and meadow effect.
Small amounts of red were added as (contrast) meadow flowers.

Next I needle punched this background to a lightweight Timtex......and that's about where it is at this point.........waiting to be completed.


Other efforts today involved paint.
For the past week my Jacquard paints,a couple of nappy liners (I dont have a more upmarket name for them,sorry!) some Lutradur and some Tyvek have been waiting for me to play.

The nappy liners were done for 'ron........so I have some background fabrics at hand ready to go.

I also thought I'd quickly sneak in some sun printing, taking advantage of the bright sunny day;
BUT..........
fools rush in.........!!
I forgot half of what I should have done.........when the breeze blew the leaves off the fabric,
guess who remembered she hadn't dug out her old piece of netting...........

Tomorrow,hopefully the weather will be great again and I can attempt to do the printing properly!

From the archives

Using light weight water soluble solvy
(At the time I knew of no other type)
some examples of needle-lace/trash-bag quilting:

Discarded threads and thin slivers of off cuts of fabric were laid over a layer of cold water soluble Solvy.
The fibres were stitched together to form a "fabric"/lace;It was then placed in cold water to dissolve the Solvy,leaving a new fabric/lace (call it what you will) which I used as CQ embellishment,and for fabric and fibre postcards.

Art2Mail Group 29

Yesterday's mail delivered cards from two swap members the Art2MailGroup29;

The upper one featuring frogs (and reminding me of the Green Tree Frogs that lurk in our garden) came from Anneliese in North Carolina.
Unfortunately the bloke sitting down lost an eye in transit,but some surgery with a heat wand and a clear crystal will repair that.












Doesn't this card (from Eva in Colorado) make you think

SUMMER and water melons?

I'm feeling a wee bit guilty.........so far I've received four cards and sent none.
However,now that my Inchies,Plus sized inchies and embellished post cards are done,I can meet my committments with this group and feel less guilty.

PSI for Fiber Art Traders.

Remember the film a few years back...."Super size me" ?
Well, PSI (or Plus sized inchies") are slightly super- sized Inchies ;
These are 24 1.5 inch squares that left me today on their way to the USA.

With my recent run in the last six months of four or five packages apparently never reaching their destination I can only hope the postal pixies behave this time.
My colour scheme for this series was basically midnight blue and silver.........

So,how did that rusty pink square slip in?
I wanted to try enclosing an Australian stamp in Angelina film and I only hadsome "desert sunset sparkle" left.

By the way,Fiber Art Traders aka FAT celebrates it's second birthday today.
Happy birthday to Nj (the List momma) and all the others who have made this such a caring,sharing MAD place.

Postcards

Three postcards ready for travel!
Three are needle felted and hand embellished;the fourth was an experiment.

The second card showing the pheasant ? peacock ?
(I'm not really sure what it is) .........was constructed using a paper cutout I purchased in Beijing back in 1999.
At the time I found these cutouts,I had no idea how or what to use them for!

A week or so back I purchased some Misty fuse------
so,using a dark mottled green for background I placed a small piece of black Misty Fuse centrally.
Over that went the bird;and covering all I used some black bridal tulle.

Baking parchment over it all protected the various bits as I fused all together with the iron.
Some machine quilting to anchor the Angelina and outline stitch around the bird.

Next time,I'll take more time and care and do a better job of outline stitching the bird.

For now.......at least I have an idea how to finally use my Beijing purchase!

Plus sized Inchies P.S.I.

Another project I'm working on........for the Fibre Art Traders (aka FAT) are these "plus sized Inchies".

Instead of constructing and embellishing one inch fabric and fibre squares as I attempted for Textile_Challenges,these are each 1.5 inch square---a much easier size.

Also,instead of needing to make several batches in different colours, it was required that we make 25 squares in the colour of choice.
As I'm already waiting for Inchies in midnight blue and silver,I chose to repeat this in order that I can combine the two sizes.

I also learned by experience, that if I wished to used a stabiliser or batting,something like a (soft) Pellon was preferable if I wished to hand embellish rather than by machine.

I've used several fabrics: velvet,lame' type fabric and a taffeta.
Embellishments include hot fix Swarovski crystals;
laser mesh;
Angelina fibres
Beading in various shapes,FME with metallic silver thread,and some handstitched silver DMC.

Jaws & friends

Let's go kite flying

"Let's go fly a kite....................
Up where the air is bright
Let's all go Fly a Kite"



This weekend was the annual Festival of Kites at Clontarf on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

This festival brings together both amateur and "professiona' kite flyers and is so popular that this year,flying was by invitation only.

It was held on the foreshore of Clontarf in Pelican Beach.........the weather was perfect (from a specator's viewpoint anyway:
Temperature about 27 moderate south to nor easterly breezes,blue blue skies with a frosting of high cloud---------

and were those kites Spectacular!
(I really do need to improve my photographic skills before next year)