Is a puzzlement!

As Yul Brynner declaimed in "The King and I"
This is the little kimono I wondered about:
WHY the combination of Red with White,two colours normally at opposite ends of the traditional Japanese spectrum 

Stash enhancer

Monday and Tuesday's mail had me fairly beside myself in raptures.
A very dear friend down Melbourne way went shopping for me at Kazari. ......this is some of the beautiful fabrics now in my hot little hands:
aren't they super!
G included a couple of kimonos and Haori and one in particular intrigued me: A little white kimono.........it's size would fit a small 5 year old,but the intriguing thing about it,is that the sleeves are lined in red!
Now traditionally white is the colour for mourning,and RED is for joy/marriage.
The white fabric is patterened with the 16 petalled imperial chrysanthemum, and the red fabric is patterned with cranes.So we have a conundrum:WHY the combination of red with white? 

Cat-a-tonic

The completed mad cats: As I said earlier,not my usual choice of fabric or theme,but I needed something "different" to relieve frustration over a more "arty quilt not going to plan. 

Cat (a) Tonic

Because my "planned" Journal quilt for February was giving me the ***,
I decided on a no-brainer.......well, that's what I thought!

After making a fabric PC first to see the effect,
I fiddled with composition over the weekend.
This is the result,vlisoflexed,satin stitched and quilted in position.
So cats,I got news for you---

You're STUCK! you aint going nowhere!

Regards this quilt:
apart from the feline content,colour and cartoon shapes aren't normally my choice but it was a fun thing,that helped reduce stress levels.............
I now have LONGER to come to terms with my original February project!

And,when it's completed: bindings,etc,I'll "treat" you to a photo rather than a scan.

Ciao

A Tribute to the Naked Eye

A Tribute to the Naked Eye, originally uploaded by SkybellArts.

Isn't this fibre postcard fantastic?
SkybellArts is one of the members of 6x4lives

http://www.flickr.com/blog.gne

Cat as trophy ?

Today was nearly a no-sew day!
But I managed to squeeze this one through this afternoon----------which gives me an excuse to go out tomorrow and purchase more Vlisoflex;
I also wish to visit a craft store and see whether I really need a bone folder.or whether I can live without it 

In memory of Greg

Greg
As result of an industrial accident February 23,1989.
Sadly missed,never forgotten

The Glasshouse Mountains

http://sunweb.com.au/places/glassmtns.html

Because of a few queries of what/where are the Glasshouse mountains that I attempted to portray in fabric postcards,I include this link so you can see for yourself why I'm so fascinated by them.
There are two places in Queensland where my spirit feels "at home"...........this area----and parts of the western side of Moreton Island where you have bush down to the edge of the white,squeaky beach sand and the clearest,greenest water to swim in (with dolphins if you're lucky)

Post cards

">Link
Spent this afternoon "playing" with construction of fibre post cards:another "thing" that is new to me.
I ended up with six,that only require edge finish and printing on back.
Nothing startling,but I can now see how/why people do them in batches of 4 to 6,much the same.
I was attempting some of our local Glasshouse Mountains,but did not employ Vicky's hints "Taken for granite" I mentioned the other day......maybe tomorrow!
But at least I've made a start!!

Where do you live?

http://www.frappr.com/kenmaurscorner
I may have to do a bit of fiddling here........
(What's new I hear you ask?)
I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find a Frappr map through ChainofHearts to show roughly where I lived,so I have started a KenmaursCorner link to Frapper in the hopes I can discover where some of my online friends live.
"IF" the link works,please find your own map and leave a message.

On another note,I completed the fez for Martyn.....hope it fits OK.
Have some more ideas for my Fibre Art Journal;
MUST attack that February art quilt-----
Have drawn up "maps" for a couple of postcards,so better get to them I 'spose.

p.s. DON'T ask me WHY,but when I Link to an external,you need to click on the blog heading to get there

Fabric Art Journals: Page one: Adventures through the Looking-glass

Fabric Art Journals: Page one: Adventures through the Looking-glass

Page two

She has landed!

on the "other side"!
Now to add to my fantasy........... Cross-stitch queens, very LAZY daisies..... 

Through the Looking-glass

Reacting to a suggestion from another member of Fabric Art Journals http://fabricartjournals.blogspot.com/
I decided to use "The Adventures of Alice through the looking-glass"as a theme for my first Fabric Art Journal,
only it will be MY version of adventures in a stitching world gone crazy.........
after all, I am a passionate Crazy Quilter!
So the pic is the bare bones of page one:
Gazing at the mirror and preparing to go "through"----


I'm learning already,that if I want to complete my journal I'll need to switch from handwork to machine work.

Luscious landscape

">Link For a luscious landscape go and visit Chief-ten-bears where she shows us Wedge mountain a couple of days apart.
Make a good fibre PC don't you think?

Seriously senior moment

Today is just "one of those days" when my brain is not slipping into the right cog........Mistakenly I blogged my Art journal quilt disaster to Kurliskottage http://kurliskottage.blogspot.com/

kurliskottage: River bank:

kurliskottage: River bank:

kurliskottage: Major landscaping required

kurliskottage: Major landscaping required

Fabric Art Journals

As if I wasn't in enough hot water with a monthly Art Quilt,
the 6x4lives , two Postcard swaps , 1000 Journals, and Chain of Hearts ,I joined Fabric Art Journals
and found myself floundering:
Lack of ideas,
lack of expertise,
lack of imagination.I'm sure you can realise how depressed I've been feeling.

I was bouncing ideas off a NZ friend, when serendipitously Arlee of Fabric Art Journals posted a link to another member's blog;
Vicky has "Gone to the Dogs" and has published a great tutorial on rocks!! (and if you want to link to "Gone to the Dogs" click on the heading of this article,not the underlined blog name :-(
(Don't laugh....do you know how HARD it is to create a lifelike rock?)
So now I can try and improve my river bank.

But back to my FAJ.........okay it's a book title,and one I loved as a kid!
But,there's a twist......Think of an "old fashioned story"....published 1899 and.....??

Anyway,I hope I've whetted your curiousity,because it will get curiouser and curiouser ............

DONT FORGET to check out the links to granite making in the meantime,
I'm off to play with a river bank!

1000 Journals

And this should take you to the Yahoo group if you want to join the fun.

1000 Journals

There has been a fair amount of interest in the 1000 Journals project ,and as I can't find where I'd posted (or thought I'd posted) the relevent info,I'm sure Susan won't mind me cutting and pasting from the website info,particularly if it attracts more members!

This is the 1000 Mini-Journals FAQVersion 2: 6th January, 2006*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Welcome to the 1000 Mini-Journals group.
Please read this file and save it for the duration of theproject. If you have a question about the project that isnot addressed in this file, you can send your question to me at mailto:1000Journals-owner@yahoogroups.com or visit
http://www.Inspired2Write.com
and use the email form to contact me. I'll respond with an answer, usually within 48hours, and I'll also add your question and my response tothis FAQ.
Q: What is the background to the 1000 Mini-Journals group?1n 2005 a group of artistically-inclined writers from Europe and the USA combined their talents to create a miniportfolio of their work. In December 2005 their portfoliowas among amateur artworks auctioned to help Oxfam fund itslife-saving help-to-self-help projects around the world.But time marches on, especially for people in need. As oneproject comes to a close, we need to take a deep breath andmove ahead with the next. This time I've come up with an idea I know you'll love, and I'm secretly hoping you'll loveit so much you'll want to jump in and take part.
Q: What will we do in the 1000 Mini-Journals group?I'd like to complete a 1000-mini-journals project. The aim of the project is to collect 1000 or more tiny journals created, embellished, and written/collaged in by writers,artists, crafters, and scrapbookers around the world. At theend of 2006 the journals will be put on exhibition and thenauctioned for charity.
Q: Why 1000 mini-journals?
You may have heard of the Japanese tradition of folding onethousand origami cranes to make a dream come true. I wantedto pick up on that delightful idea, but I also understand the need to be practical. I can't see anyone bidding for1000 paper birds, so we need to offer items people willwant, and how many people can claim to own 1000 journals,however tiny? This project will be a highly original collaborative achievement.
Q: What is the advantage of this approach?The advantage of the 1000 mini-journal project is that itoffers individuals the opportunity to make a differencewithout having to make grand sacrifices, and to do sothrough their creative skills. I call it "the raindrop strategy." We will, if you like, show the strength and beauty of raindrops merging to a stream. We'll do that bydoing good through what we do well.
Q: Will there be cost involved?
The financial cost to participants is minimal: we're talking about cents for materials and a few cents more for postage per journal. The journals are so small you can make themusing leftovers from your other art and craft projects plus photos, junk mail, magazine pictures.... The time investment is also low: a basic journal takes less than five minutes to make (and looks great!), and the amount of time (and money)you choose to invest in writing and embellishing the journals you contribute lies entirely in your hands. All I ask is that you make the effort to create journals you'dwant to bid for and feel proud to own.
Q: Can you show me examples?
You can see some examples on this page:http://www.Inspired2Write.com/workshop/1000jour.html
You'll also find examples in the "how to" file you receivealong with this message.Once the group is running, you'll also be able to look at examples in the folders in the group "files" section. Youcan upload scans of your work to these folders, too, soothers can see what you've done.Q: How will we work?
Participants will sign into this Yahoogroup. I provide bothwritten and visual instructions for creating the journal.All the journals will be in the same easy-to-make, no-fussformat, and the beauty of the project will express itselfthrough the diversity of the writing and decoration. I'llalso post writing prompts as suggestions on a regular basis.We'll be able to use the group to share questions, tips, andideas. We'll also be able to scan and post images ofjournals so we can share in each other's creativity.Q: Is there anything you want to avoid?What I'd like to avoid is having a group full of people whoonly want to have the prompts and instructions. It'scompletely unnecessary. There are hundreds of websitesonline where people can pick up craft instructions andwriting prompts at no cost. I'd prefer they use them, andnot the mini-journals group.Q: What's the commitment?What I'm hoping for are writer-crafter-artists who will commit to this project from January through October 2006, or for part of that period, and then act on their commitment.
The specific commitment is small and simple:
each participant will create one or more journals for the project each month from January through October and send them to me.I'll share my postal address in late January.Participant Q: Who is the charity? Will it be Oxfam again?The name of the 2006 charity isn't chiseled in stone yet. Inpast years, I've chosen Oxfam, because it is an established charity with a "help-to-self help" approach. It's also well-known world-wide (also to potential amateur art purchasers),which makes it easy to link the art and the aid.I am very open to participant suggestions, but (a) wouldlike to avoid charities that try to evangelize (in any way)or that support warfare in any respect. I also need to give to a charity that I can donate to without giving money to the banks by paying currency conversion fees. In otherwords, the process of turning the art into a donation must be easy for me. If I use the art auction, it is, and I don'thave to do all the work myself.I'll be asking for suggestions as we reach the end of theproject, so if you have a favourite charity, you're welcometo propose and present it then.names be listed or acknowled
Participant Q: Will our geonline as well as, presumably, during the exhibition?All participants will be asked to complete a short bio. The artist bios will be bound into a booklet to be displayed along with the mini-journals. There will be no special online display/exhibition. Artist-donor's names will beacknowledged on the Inspired2Write website and in theInspired2Write eZines, but other than that, there isno online aspect involved in the project.
Q: What else do I need to know?Participants declare that they are aware that the journals they donate to the project will be publicly viewed and be auctioned for charity in late 2006. Participants will not receive any form of payment for materials or postage and packaging. Journals cannot be returned. Susan Letham and/orInspired2Write cannot be held responsible for losses ordamage to journals in transit.
Q: Can I tell my friends about this project?
Please do! The more of us who work together, the easier itwill be to meet the target and go beyond it!
Your friends can join by sending a blank email to:1000Journals-subscribe@yahoogroups.comor by going to:URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/1000Journals*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*Important susan.letham@inspired2write.com*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

I hope this is of some use to you!

Sea Dreamtime

Sea Dreamtime, originally uploaded by curli.

With this Journal I used a clam shell patterned fabric;and ocean blue pages.I really must colour the ties to blend in,as this cream is too stark and detracts from the theme.

Sea:Dreamtime

Sea:Dreamtime,

Showing the pages of my second "tiny journal" for 1000 Journals.

I've continued with the sea theme that starts with the clam shell patterned cover by using Aboriginal Dreamtime stitckers

Friends of the Pound

One of my online friends is a "friend of the pound".
For those of my overseas readers,the Pound is neither a unit of money nor a weight measure in Australia,but a place usually controlled by local government where lost,strayed or dumped household animals are held for a very short time in the hope they will be reclaimed by their owners.
More often than not,sadly,this is not the case,
and as the Friends aims are to..........

Our primary purposes are to rehouse the animals to save them from destruction and improve conditions at the pound.
We would also like to encourage responsible pet ownership such as de-sexing and micro-chipping.

I'd suggest you check out the link and take a second look at yourself:are YOU doing the right thing by your animal friends?

The second pot pourri heart

The second pot pourri heart,

Using plum and white as my main colours this second heart features tatting SRE and BDE,and some bead work to liven it up.

Having cleared my conscience regarding these swaps, I did a little more work on my Art Journal quilt for February;

I discarded my plans for applique and played with laying different texture s for the effect I was after........

but until I add the next component in the scheme,I can't be sure that my ideas will work.



My final block for a Redwork swap is about 75% complete,thankfully!

I'm getting weary of cows jumping over the moon :-(

I wonder if the other participants in the Swap are feeling the same way.

Pot pourri hearts

I finally managed to complete my two Pot Pourri filled hearts for a Chain of Hearts swap.In this one,the central patch is waste thread lace and I've added SRE and BDE flowers.I hope.. will like it.It WILL be in the post tomorrow. 

kurliskottage: Update on Jesse

kurliskottage: Update on Jesse

Against the light

Showing the 'paper' held at arm's length against the light to show the fibres. 

Take Silk

About two years ago I read an article in a CQ magazine on making and embellishing silk paper and this led me to the book "Take Silk" by Judith Pinell (a Milner Craft series publication)
She described an easy method for making 'paper' using silk tops and textile medium.
"Tops" is a term used to describe a thick ropelike mass of parallel fibres which may be eit5her silk or wool.

The photo above shows two batches of silk tops: one a spiral dyed fibre by Jacinta Leishman and a blonde/undyed tops I buy from Elaine at her HIGHLAND-COTTAGE-CRAFTS http://stores.ebay.com.au/HIGHLAND-COTTAGE=CRAFTS
Apart from a sheet of plastic (I use bubble wrap) some sheets of netting;water,a dash of detergent and Textile medium,plus of course the tops,and a drying screen or tray,nothing else is requiredexcept time and patience. 

Silk paper

A sample of the paper made yesterday. 

Villains--

As well as heroes and heroines,a great story must have at least one villain!
May Gibbs made the Banksia men fit the bill;
Hairy,knobbly and nasty,they were depicted as the ogres.......or as my kids called them:the BIG BAD Banksia men! 

Bush babies

Bush babies, originally uploaded by curli.

Some of the bush babies

Gumnut Babies

Some one on the Chain of Hearts group http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/ChainsofHearts/ was querying what Gum nut babies were,so I thought I'd help out by scanning some pics to illustrate.
The above is a scan of the book cover.the book being bought in 1969 and devoured by a couple of generations in our family.
Snugglepot and Cuddlepie were two characters brought to life by May Gibbs and were two foster brotherswho lived with Snugglepot's Nut (gum nut,not weird) father and the book deals with theri adventures in the bush.
Think of the kewpie dolls of long ago and you have something similar.
 

Winter in the Garden

Winter in the Garden, originally uploaded by KathieB.

KathieB produced this Winter wonderland for Fibre Art Journals and I just HAD to share it with my readers.
Doesn't that glimmer remind you of an Aurora (Borealis)?

Jesse,our black panther

Jesse,our black panther, originally uploaded by curli.

Jesse needed to go visit Dr Eric today.

Jesse has had alump over his right ribs that has increased in size over the past month.

Hopefully it's only a cyst,but fluid obtained from a needle aspiration were sent off for evaluation after microscopic survey revealed unusual cells,

Jesse is 15 years old...but still preety active and agile.

He behaved like a perfect gentleman in the Vet's rooms.....not even a twitch when Eric inserted the needle.

I.m not sure whether Jesse thinks he's a cat,a superior being(probably) or a higher form of humanity!!

He is a most superior cat and we're hoping the surgery with a GA is not indicated.

A Swingle for CJ

A Swingle for CJ
Round about now,this Swingle should be arriving in CJ's postbox..if Ozpost are doing their job!
Why "SWINGLE"?Some folks call them Amulets,others "swing purses" I like swingle!
It can be used for mobile phone,car-keys,fantastic plastic,a comb,lippie,iPod;........wear it like a pendant and keep your hands free!
This is a fairly simply embellished purse:There is a butterfly with wings made from silk tops using the silk fusion/paper method;there are flowers made from Mokuba picot edged ribbon,some SRE featuring Joyce/Fargo Roses; some BDE and a few colour co-ordinated acrylic "gemstones" to add a little bling!

1000 Journals

 
Here is the Journal,resting ,before I proceed to embellish its pages;
The dimension of the triangular shape is 5 inches along the base(longest side)and 3.5 inches on the other two sides. 

Sydney Opera House

 
Move over Jorn Utzon,a coloured version of the Sydney Opera House has arrived in the guise of a tiny journal. 

My first tiny journal

My first tiny journal, originally uploaded by curli.

My first "tiny journal" for 1000 Journals:the first step is the hardest!

Another Kate Greenaway design

Another Kate Greenaway design from the Dover Needlework Series edited by Julie Hasler,1990

A Kate Greenaway pattern

Circa 1880,this Kate Greenaway design is one of my favourites.
WHY?
Because it's feminine,wistful and evokes the innocence of a by-gone era,when there was Time to sit and think.

A classy lady

 
At a time when I was finding it difficult to obtain crinoline or Period style designs to stitch for a proposed quilt,I discovered some historical costumed ladies designed for Blackwork in an English magazine:This lady was one of them. 

Another Blackwork pattern

 

At a time when I had no computer as yet to trawl the web for more Crinoline style patterns,I adapted this lady from a blackwork design. 

Poke bonnet & Parasol

 
Unfortunately my photographic skills aren't good enough to show the ecru threads more clearly,so the sausage curls and her bunch of flowers are fairly obvious 

Crinoline ladies

 
Over the past five years or so,I've been stitching "crinoline,or period ,ladies with the view of making yet another quilt.
Along the way I've veered from the traditional ecru of Candlewicking and added touches of colour,and further dimension with bullion stitches etc.
This "lady" is one of the earlier blocks. 

Give yourself permission to fail!

In an article by Maxine Farkas in Issue10 (Summer 2003) of the Quilting Arts magazine I found that her comments of

"First,give yourself permission to fail"

were relevent.

The best way to learn tecnique is simply to practice and experiment.Not every art quilt you make will be a masterpiece.

And that is why you will be assaulted with my trials and errors:
because I have given myself permission to fail,and I'm going to have fun doing it!