Textile Treasures

The Lady from America she say YES!!!

2012-02-02T15:01:00.000Z

Apologies if you're not old enough to remember the old del Monte advert that inspired my post title today.

Anyway, Erin Erickson who made the pattern and tutorial for the circle purse I made has said that I can go ahead and start making more of them! She will put a licensed version of the pattern on her blog (Dog Under My Desk) and when it is up I can pay for it and go ahead and sell the ones I make. Yippeee!!!

She seemed grateful that I'd bothered to ask permission as anyone selling them on Etsy at the moment doesn't have permission to do so! As Erin says, it takes an awful lot of time to follow up everyone who's ripped off your work!

It really does drive me nuts when people rip of what we do as artists. It's hard enough to make any money from Art in a recession without someone else benefitting from your hard work.

Stepping down off my soapbox now . . . . .

Cute and easy purse

2012-01-16T16:18:00.000Z

I've started thinking about things to sell at craft fairs when they start again in March. I'm also going to add a shop to my website (www.alisoncouchman.co.uk) so new ideas that are quick and easy are what I'm on the lookout for.

I hand dye a lot of my own fabrics and have been thinking about block printing on them too. Zip purses would be a good way to showcase some unique fabrics. So I went trawling the internet to find ideas and patterns.

That's where I found this;

This is a rather nice tutorial by Erin Erickson on her website called 'dog under my desk'
You can go straight HERE to get the tutorial.

I've had a go at making one of my own and am pretty pleased with it. I changed things up a bit in that I quilted my layers together before cutting the pieces out.

I'm going to try rubbing Markal paint sticks over the quilted areas to totally change the look of it too.

Here's the finished purse.

This is the back . . . . . .

And here it is, just like Erin's, with my headphones in.

I would really like to make a few of these and sell some but it's important to respect the copyright of another artist/author. Erin's pattern clearly says " For Personal Use" but I did find a couple of people selling these on Etsy. They credit the pattern to Erin but I wonder if they actually have permission or not? It really riles me when people spend ages photographing and writing tutorials only to have them ripped off - it's just not fair!!

I've emailed Erin to see if she'll give me permission to make and sell - hopefully she will as she is in the USA and I'm in the UK. Fingers crossed!

Finishing the diary

2012-01-11T11:52:00.000Z

I've finally got round to finishing my new 2-year diary. The photos I posted last time had been taken a week or so before I got round to posting them here. As we're now nearly in the middle of January it's about time I had it in a usable condition!

I used double-sided tape to put all the pages together then folded a piece of thin card and glued it round the spine.

I seriously mucked up cutting the pages to make them all level! I got impatient and did them before gluing the card onto the spine so, of course, the pages all shifted around and ended up looking more hacked than cut. Bugger!

This is what the diary page looks like inside;

To finish off the cover I needed to make it a bit stiffer so I ironed some Pellon interfacing onto the front cover and also to the pelmet vilene that I used as a lining. Lining isn't really the right word, especially as it's pelmet vilene! I just wanted a nice colour on the inside and pelmet vilene adds some stiffness. I used a few small pieces of Bondaweb to hold front and back together - a bit like tacking with an iron! The next step is simply to whizz round the sides with a zigzag stitch in an appropriate colour.

And this is the inside showing the pelmet vilene.

After that it is a simple matter of gluing the cover to the pages.

I decided to try some new glue. I recently bought some Pinflair glue gel to use for making cards. Specifically, to fix 3D elements to the front of cards so I have no idea if this is going to work although I can't see why it won't. The glue gel is spread along the spine of the cover and the pages put firmly in place. I use pegs to hold the whole lot together while it dries.

I'm not happy with some elements of the new diary - particularly the way I messed up trimming the pages - but it is far too much work to start again. I'm sure once I start using it I won't notice the mistakes and if I do . . . . .well, they will serve to remind me not to be so impatient!!

New Year - New Diary

2012-01-06T17:54:00.001Z

Happy New Year to Everyone.

I know I'm a bit late saying it but I saw the New Year in with a lurgy of some kind. You know how you feel when you first start a bad cold? You feel really rough but have no apparent symptoms so you get absolutely NO sympathy!! Well. that's how I felt for about 4 days or so. Ugggh!!!

Every year I make my own diary to carry in my handbag.
I've never been able to find one that shows a month-to-a-view - if I can't see the whole month I get in a muddle and end up booking too many things in on consecutive days when I forget to look over the page. I know, I know . . . . . . . if I can't do something as simple as turning the page in a diary then I must be a bit dim! It's true.
Well, we all have our little blind spots and diaries have always been one of mine.

I started making my own diary a good few years ago now. It means I get the format I want while also giving me a little project to play with - I've made the covers in all sorts of ways over the years.

Aren't these gimp threads delicious?

I was given these for Christmas 'cos I want to do some more of my water-inspired pieces with them. I decided I would start off with a new diary cover so going with the watery theme I used some water-soluble crayons on a piece of Evolon. The crayons I used are Caran D'Ache NeoColour II. I've used them on fabric before and when you add water you get a lovely texture where the pigment is pushed around. They aren't wash-fast but hopefully I'm never going to wash my diary!

I drew the crayons onto the Evolon and added water with a water brush.

Vaguely watery background so that the more definite lines could be put in with the gimp threads. I thought about couching them down by hand but couldn't face the idea of how long that would take so I machine stitched them with invisible thread.

I wasn't very keen on invisible thread until someone recommended Superior Threads to me. Previously, the ones I'd tried had been a little thicker than I liked and they also tended to stretch a bit - my own fault for using cheap stuff! The Superior monofilament thread is much better quality - I get some slight texture showing where the thread lays over the gimp and the Evolon shows where the needle pierces the fabric but overall I'm reasonably pleased with it.

Detail of monofilament machine-couched over gimp thread

And this is where I've got to so far . . . . . .

One of the ladies at TAGS suggested that I make a 2-year version of my diary and I can't believe that I've never thought of that before!!

So the next step is to decide how to finish the edges and to put a lining to hide the stitching on what will become the inside front cover. I might just add a few beads here and there too.

If anyone wants a copy of the diary page template then drop me a line.

Thanks for reading!

What a Difference a Day Makes!

2011-12-12T17:37:00.000Z

I should probably say what a difference a month makes!
I did the December Hoxne Artisan Market on Saturday and it couldn't have been any more differerent to the one in November.

I think several things were in play - firstly that in this rotten economic climate everyone has been hanging on to their money until nearer Christmas.

But I also wonder if it's because I simplified the amount of different items I was selling and also laid the table out differently.

Here's the table in November . . . .

I'd put out EVERYTHING (well almost!). And hanging behind were my new machine embroidered pictures. I noticed that no-one was looking above the level of the table so they became virtually invisible. I'd also put out the last few of this and the last few of that so it was quite jumbled. We'd been asked to make the stalls Christmassy and after this photo was taken I added some sparkly silver stuff around the top.

This is the table on Saturday . . .

I move the embroidered pics down to the table and put art quilts on the wall so they could be seen from a distance.

I also restricted what I had to sell - I had the pictures, 3 kinds of brooches, Kumihimo bracelets, Christmas cards and some beaded angels hanging on a wire tree. Much, much simpler and I think it was less distracting.

It could simply be that we are now very close to Christmas. People were so decisive - they either moved on without lingering or they stopped, looked and bought.

But who knows . . . .?

Trying to earn an honest crust

2011-12-01T18:05:00.001Z

I've been away from my blog for a while as I've been busy with my usual work of writing resources for teachers. I've also been trying to supplement my income by doing some local craft fairs.

The Hoxne one wasn't as lucrative for me as I'd hoped - apparently it was a real mixed bag for people. Those who usually do well had a not-so-great day and others had a brilliant day.
I wish I knew the magic formula for getting people to buy what I make.
It's definitely about venue in some cases - my kumihimo bracelets sold incredibly well at Snape Maltings in July, as did my brooches. They don't seem to do so well at the smaller fairs though.

I set about making some new stock - small machine embroidered pictures which I was really please with. They are done by printing a photo onto inkjet printable silk - purchased from Crafty Computer Paper.

Once the ink has dried, the backing is peeled off and away I go with the sewing machine!

. . . . and yes, you have see this image before!

This is much smaller than the last one though - about 5 x 7 inches.

I decided some machine embroidered images would be good because they reflect one of my main areas of textiles. Plus I haven't seen anyone else selling them.

So, I agonised long and hard over the price and decided on £22 which is probably not high enough. BUT . . . and it's a big but . . .I need to make some money so there's no point pricing them too high.

But no-one bought any!!! (imagine me wailing and gnashing my teeth here please).

Another textile-ey lady at the craft fair suggested the cream mount was too stark a contrast, especially for this one of the leaf . . .

The more I looked at it the more I thought she had a point.

I tried colour-washing the mounts on some scrap card to begin with but the only one I did in the end was the leaf. With all the others I just couldn't make up my mind what colour to do it! I was having a particularly dithery sort of day I think.

This photo doesn't really show the difference very clearly does it? (I blame the photographer)

And now I think the mount just looks grubby!!
It's actually got a light, watery brown wash over it but to be honest I'm just not sure. You can see it better in real life.

I ended up a bit grumpy and packed up in a bit of a huff in the end!!

Hoxne Artisan Market - 12th November

2011-11-06T15:13:00.000Z

Having got thoroughly fed up with craft fairs that always prove to be a disappointment I was really chuffed earlier this year to discover the Hoxne Artisan Market. It's a lovely market full of genuinely original, high quality things.

You know what it's like when you go to some craft fairs . . . . . . .you go in full of expectation only to have your heart sink when you see the same old people selling the same old stuff. And not all of it is that well made sometimes.

That's why Hoxne is such a treat. So much so, that I have taken a table there a couple of times already. The big Christmas market is on Saturday 12th November from 10am till 4pm at the village hall.

Among other things I will be selling . . . . .

Fabric Bead Brooches

All beads made by hand then turned into brooches. Here's a close up . . . . .

Then there are silk viscose velvet brooches. There will be a few more in other colours.

I've had some beaded charms that I made a while back so I have finally put these onto cards so they are displayed properly. (the flash has made the photo a bit over-exposed)

I will also sell a few vessels - I have some nice wave shaped ones. They look lovely but people don't seem to get the fact that they are decorate - they always ask what they are for.

The piece de resistance (or they will be if I get a few more done!) will be some machine-embroidered pictures. Each one is unique as they never get stitched the same way twice. This is an embroidered leaf.

While this, is a poppy.

If it looks familiar, that's because it is a much smaller version of the piece I put into the TAGs exhibition last year and sold, along with it's counterpart, the pansy.

If anyone who reads this is local enough then I would urge you to come to the Hoxne Christmas Artisan Market. It is sooooooo much better than other events I've been to in the past. You will get the chance to buy original and unusual work that you won't find anywhere else. The refreshments are great too!

Don't forget your chequebook!
(now that's something you hear less and less these days )

Water - Part 2

2011-10-18T16:45:00.001+01:00

I remembered to take photos before 'Ripples' went off to an exhibition in Ipswich - I ended up dashing round the house in my dressing gown but I did remember!!

These photos show the free-motion quilting. It all nearly went horribly wrong when I dithered a bit - I couldn't decide whether to follow the shapes of the fused pieces or to quilt all over with general, ripply shapes. I did one section following the shape but it looked wrong so I did it all over. Luckily, the different bit doesn't show.

I added a few beads here and there - trying to suggest the way the light catches ripples on the water sometimes. I had to keep taking them out and redoing them though - I was after something subtle and the beads I tried first just weren't right.

These tiny turquoise beads are prefect. They are much smaller than normal seed beads and they're fairly transparent. I got a bit carried away at first but took most of them out - this is a case of less being more.

Apart from being short of time where the binding is concerned I didn't want to have the overall image 'framed' by a traditional binding. I knew I'd seen something on alternative bindings on the internet somewhere and found just the right thing on Judy Coates-Perez's blog - here.

The photo is a bit on the wonk but shows the back - it's far from perfect but I really like the fact that it finishes the edges properly but doesn't intrude visually like a traditional binding would.

I felt really pleased that I'd remembered to take these photos but while writing this I've realised the one thing I forgot . . . . . . . . . . to take a shot of the finished piece from the front!!!

'Ripples' is now hanging in an exhibition at the gallery above Memorable Cheeses in Dial Lane, Ipswich. If it sells, I won't be able to take any more photos. Now that's a hard one - do I want it to sell or do I want to take another photo? I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out so I'd like pictures but then I do need to earn a few pennies so . . . . . . . . .hhmmmmm.

Water, Water Everywhere

2011-10-12T18:49:00.001+01:00

After the success of my 'Ripples and Reflections' piece at the TAGS exhibition in July I've decided to continue working on watery imagery. I'd like to do a series based on water, ripples, waves and such.

The first piece - actually, second piece - started as what I tend to think of as a play piece. If I haven't got anything else on the go I sometimes start a piece that doesn't matter - just to play around and try things out. I find if I think about a piece as being for an exhibition or as being even remotely important in some way I get all locked up and hesitant. So, if I start out working on a play piece I already have it in my head that it may not work, but it just doesn't matter. Quite often a play piece turns out OK but sometimes I abandon it if it isn't working. The main thing is that I don't put any PRESSURE on myself with these pieces.

So here is the start of the second piece in my water series, called 'Ripples'.

It is a piece of fused applique on some hand-dyed cotton. I did they dyeing ages ago and have been waiting for the right idea to use it on as it's not that big - roughly 45 x 35cm.

The fabrics fused on top are mostly commercial cottons apart from the turquoise.

Since taking this picture I've done the free-motion quilting (and boy did that nearly go horribly wrong!) and added a few tiny beads - quite subtle (had to take them out a few times till I got it right) and just to emphasise the movement of the water.

My next post will have show where I've got with the next stage

Lovely People at the day school

2011-09-29T13:52:00.000+01:00

Well, I taught the 'V is for Vessels' day school for the Suffolk East Embroiderers Guild near Ipswich and what a lovely bunch they were!!

I taught a different class there about a year or so ago and they were lovely then too. Only two of the students were the same as last time but as a group they are very dynamic and it makes a great day for me as the tutor. I can't put my finger on what it is that makes this group so different from others but they are very experimental and happy to just try things out and see what happens. Even the beginners!!

I forgot to take photos while they were overprinting the dyed vilene - we were all so busy it didn't enter my head. I eventually remembered once they started cutting out their pieces - probably 'cos they didn't need me so much!

This piece was dyed by Clive and it is so gorgeous I wanted it for myself! I wouldn't have overprinted this one but thought some chunky machine stitched lines would look good. Isn't it great??

I managed to get photos of these two before they were cut out too.

Having done all the printing before lunch we then got on with cutting out. Some people used my templates and others adapted them to make their own vessel shape.
Once cut out, each piece had to have zigzag stitch all the way round. The last stitching has to be done by hand and if the zigzag stitching isn't there the vilene can tear.

So after the zigzag stitching the base can be attached with a nice wide zigzag stitch.

That's the only bit of construction you can do with the machine though.

Once it is at this stage you can do a bit of machine work if you want - too much and the vilene starts to degrade if you stitch over and over in the same place.

Alternatively you can put beads on like Liz did on this one . . . . . .

She did this SOOOooooo fast!! My beading is pitifully slow in comparison - sad really.

Nobody got completely finished by the time 4pm rolled round but a good few of them were well on the way.I had a lovely time and they said they did too.

I haven't been looking for teaching work but will probably start doing so - I'm open to invitations locally but do need to let groups know that I'm back in circulation again.

Give me a shout if you are interested in a course.

Dyeing - me and the vilene!

2011-09-11T15:28:00.000+01:00

I have been invited back to the Suffolk East Embroiderers Guild next week (17th Sept) and will be teaching them to make vessels from pelmet vilene. I first taught them last year and they are a lovely, sparky bunch who were great fun to work with for the day. I'm looking forward to spending another day with them very much.

As not everyone has time or inclination to dye up a load of pelmet vilene I've done it for them and they will give me a few pennies for it. This is where I really notice the lack of a studio!! In fact, I tend to feel very hard done by and have to keep reminding myself that I traded my studio for an easier financial committment.

I ended up dyeing the pelmet vilene in the garden yesterday using a garden hose and a sprayer. The sprayer was very cheap as I wanted to try it out and I nearly regretted it - I hadn't realised that there was a lock feature on the spray button and had to hurl it away from me as the dye just POURED out and I couldn't stop it!!!!!

Once I got the kit under control (turquoise arms and feet!) I was able to spray it all up really easily. Today it got left on the lawn to dry off in the very windy weather.

Lumps of flint really came in handy today.

As it was so windy the puss cats were quite skittish anyway and this one was very warily watching a piece of dyed vilene that had blown across the garden and was twitching in the flower bed.

This is Ruffin and he wouldn't walk any further until I'd retrieved my errant vilene and got it firmly back under control - can't blame him really!

More exhibition work

2011-08-20T20:56:00.000+01:00

I posted pictures of my 'Ripples and Reflections' piece a little while ago so here is the second piece that went in the exhibition. It's called 'Memories of Burston'.

Burston is a little village near Diss in Norfolk and is the site of the longest strike in British history. To be as brief as possible . . . . . . . . . . .

Two teachers came to Burston in 1911 and they were radical for their day. Tom & Kitty Higdon believed that children should be educated as fully as possible instead of being educated to fulfil their place in society as determind by the landowners and clergy. Generally that meant that the boys were educated to become farm workers and the girls to become domestic servants. Eventually the teachers fell out with the powers that be and were sacked. The children went on strike and went to school with the Higdons on the village green. Many organisations supported the strike and sent money to help out. The strike lasted 25 years and eventually a piece of land was purchased and a small school built. The organisations were remembered with inscribed stones on the front of the school building.

Many of these organisations no longer exist. I do wish the Portmanteau and Trunk Makers Society was still around today!

I found the density of the inscriptions on the stones started to appear almost decorative as there was so much of it. My piece of work came from my fascination with both the names of the organisations and the sheer amount of text on this small building. Plus the fact that as a teacher I agree generally with what the Higdons were trying to achieve!

Method

I took loads of photos of the building then manipulated the images on my laptop. I applied a filter to the photos that took much of density away and left behind the text and a little bit of grainy black.

I'd love to know who Wendy and Punch are - but all I know is that they too supported the strike along with Leo Tolstoy! They were probably local to Burston.

The next stage was to prepare some fabric with Bubble Jet Set 2000. This makes the fabric suitable for inkjet printing and works well for most images. It can make bright colours a little muted but as I was only printing in Black that wasn't an issue. I could have used ready prepared inkjet fabric but that would have been more expensive and would also have meant that I would have to dye the fabric as well. I used a combination of hand-dyed cotton, grey silk and some commercial fabrics.

To get the fabric through the inkjet printer it needs to be ironed onto to some freezer paper and I always put tape along the leading edge so the wheels in the printer have something the grab onto. All went well on the first two prints then the printer decided to play silly whatsits!! I really struggled with the next few prints and it kept chewing up the edges.

Eventually I found a way to get the printer to accept the fabric. I cut some strips of normal printer paper and folded them in half then taped them onto the leading edge of the fabric BUT I didn't butt the fabric right up to the fold. This meant the printer thought it was just taking through normal paper and it fed through nicely. By the time it gets to the fabric part it is all going through without creases and the printer is happy. A tutorial on inkjet printing on fabric can be found on my website here.

Once all the blocks were printed I added batting and a backing fabric then free machine embroidered all of the text. It was such a long fiddly job I had to spread it out over time to avoid going cross-eyed!

Each block was then trimmed and laced onto mount board before being stuck to a piece of shaped MDF. My aim was to make it look like a section of wall.

I knew the piece was unlikely to sell at the exhibition and it didn't. Having sold the other piece I'm not too bothered. I think it is so subject-specific that you need to be interested in that kind of social history to want to buy it. I will see if the trust that manages the Burston strike school are interested in showing it at the school for a while and then put it into other exhibitions.

Great service from a supplier

2011-08-10T16:52:00.001+01:00

For a while now I've been making Kumihimo braided bracelets. I put some pics on here a while ago.

I've been hunting around for a supplier of end caps as they have to be a decent size to take the braided satin cord I use.

These are the ones I use and the hole is about 5mm. It takes the cord I use as long as I bind it tightly with some strong thread. This compresses it as well as making it secure.

Once I've glued the cord into the end cap I use a jump ring to attach a magnetic clasp.

I always use magnetic clasps 'cos I can't be doing with fiddling around with lobster clasps or other fiddly types. With the magnetic ones I just wave one end near the other and CLUNK, the magnets find each other and it's all secure.

As they also do lovely beads and other useful stuff I thought you might like to hear about them.

They are called Nosek's - Just Gems!

Apart from having the bits and pieces I need their service is superb!! As long as I send my order in by 3pm on a working day then I usually get my order the next day (apart from Friday of course - then it comes Monday). My last order was placed late in the afternoon on Friday and it arrived yesterday. Postage costs are reasonable too - just £1.70 for standard first class.

There are so many jewellery suppliers out there that personally I think fast service is really important. I can't wait to see all the gorgeous colours of satin cord!!!!

They often have good discounts which are on their website home page but if you sign up for their newsletter you sometimes get a bit extra discount. My last order had 30% off - great hey?

Successful exhibition - yippeeeeee!!

2011-07-25T18:40:00.000+01:00

I posted recently about making work for the TAGS exhibition.

It closed on Wednesday 20th July and I am so chuffed that I sold one of my two pieces.

The theme this year was 'Time and Tide' - chosen after the group couldn't decide between time as it relates to the fact that it is TAGS' 18th birthday this year, and tide because many people are inspired by the beautiful Suffolk coast. As a theme it worked well and nearly everyone produced work that fit the theme for once!! We are contemplating no theme for 2012 and I would be delighted personally. I would like to see what I produce when left to my own devices.

I put in 2 pieces - one called 'Ripples and Reflections' and the other one is called 'Memories of Burston'. Ripples and Reflections is the one that sold.

The piece is based on a photograph taken about 5 years on a trip to Cornwall. I went with my sister who is a painter and we had 5 days as an artists holiday taking photos and producing work while we were away. The photo that inspired this one was taken in the late afternoon / early evening at Padstow Harbour. The reflections are the masts of boats moored in a line.

The background was hand-painted using a mixture of acrylic paints mixed with Ormoline medium and fabric paint. The cotton fabric was then dried scrunched up to allow the paint to settle in horizontal lines. The ripples are made from very loose scrim and the reflections are densely machine embroidered. The whole piece is backed with calico and hangs like an art quilt with a hanging sleeve, wooden dowel and cord.

The piece was bought by a lady who sails and said she instantly recognised the reflections of the masts. I was really chuffed to meet her when she came to pick the work up as the exhibition closed.

Phew! What a week!

2011-07-14T14:42:00.000+01:00

I've had a helluva week or so!!

I disappeared from Blogland temporarily as I was beavering away on my work for the current TAGS exhibition. We exhibit at Snape Maltings at roughly the same time every year - usually around the 9th July to about 20th July. We hire The Pond Gallery and this year I was one of the group that hung the exhibition. They've done a lovely re-vamp of the gallery and it looks much nicer but it does mean we've lost some space. It was a struggle to hang the work and fit everything in and it was a struggle to hang due to some of the hanging committee determined to have their voices heard - note - an increase in volume doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get your own way!!! I found it incredibly stressful, especially compared to the last time I did it.

. . . . . . . aaanndd relax!

While I was away from my blog I went on a really good weekend course led by Janet Edmonds
She has written a new book about printed surfaces. I absolutely adore her 3D work and have been a real fan since I got the book. Despite it probably being a tad naff I still got her to sign my copy!!

The course itself involved us exploring 3-dimensional forms, firstly in paper and then in fabric and stitch. We made some simple print blocks, some of which were designed to fit the folded sections of paper. I found this difficult to get my head round as I tend to print across a surface rather than fit the print precisely into place. I am so NOT a precise person!!

I love this first one even though I doubt I will ever make it again. It folds completely flat then opens out to make a shallow tray-like vessel. This one is about 20cm along its longest side.

From there we moved onto other forms including this one . . . . . . .

It's about 12cm along each side of the base and sits only about 15cm or so tall.

I struggled a lot with another form so decided to make this one into a larger vessel using fabrics and stitch. I had some dyed cotton organdie and block printed over it to give a random print.

What was a revelation to me (and shouldn't have been!) was the stage where we were encouraged to experiment with layering fabrics together. The aim was to achieve something strong enough to hold the folds but not so heavy that it dragged the overall form down. I played around with bonding the organdie to cotton but ended up with two layers of the printed organdie bonded together with Bondaweb. It gave me a fabric that looked light as the organdie is semi-transparent but by bonding two layers together it made it crisp enough to hold the folds.

Although the photo doesn't show it, this is actually about 3 times bigger than the one I made in paper. I'm very into large vessels at the moment. I'm interested in the stage at which they go from a vessel to a sculpture - there seems to be a size at which it is too large to be a vessel. I haven't finished this vessel as it needs some stitches put in here and there to hold the folds in place. It has also suffered a little and is a bit dented!!! Not sure it will ever get finished really.

This is a close-up of the base showing the print and some of the added stitching.

Braiding Obsession!

2011-05-10T14:11:00.000+01:00

I was given some Kumihimo braiding disks as a Christmas present last year and have somehow managed to get myself hooked!

The disk is made of foam and is much easier to carry around than a traditional Kumihimo Marudai.

If you are interested in knowing a bit more about Kumihimo then this is a good website for an overview although there are loads more.

I have been making braids with lots of different threads, just playing around to see what works (and what I can afford!). Mostly, I am using cotton perle size 5 although I have tried some thicker threads. Rat tail cord makes a lovely chunky braid with good colours and a lovely sheen to it.

I borrowed books from the library and then settled on this book to buy as it goes from basics of round braids to flat braids and using beads.

I like a lot of what Helen Deighan does as she writes in a very friendly and approachable way. Click on her name to take you to her website - lots of interesting stuff plus some helpful tips.

This is the first braid I did with beads . . . . . .

Since then I've done a lot more . . . . . .

In fact, I've done loads more than these but haven't had time to take photos just yet. But I will.

New website

2011-04-12T18:06:00.000+01:00

I've been away from the blog for a while.

In February I had a big chunk of work for a client making pieces of artwork suitable for Key Stage 3 children, taking photos and writing the text which the client is turning into worksheets to go on their website.

The other reason for my long absence is that I have been working on my new website and it is finally fit for publication!! You can see it . . . . . . . . here

I bought a website in a box package that includes hosting so it is very economical. It advertises itself as being very easy but I was really surprised how much I struggled with it. I think it comes down to me having such a clear picture of what I wanted in my head and discovering that the website format couldn't do all the things I wanted to do. My own fault really - if I'd started without so many preconceptions I would have made life a whole lot easier for myself! Ho hum . . . . .

2011-02-11T12:58:00.000Z

Back in November I started work on some Fabric Coil Pots - I've been doing a bit more work on it so you can see how far I've progressed (or not!).

I've started taking the pot off to group meetings - when I go to TAGS, Twisted Chain or to Pro Tem meetings. It is easy to transport as I have it in a nifty box with a lid that has a handle on it. One problem I can forsee is that it will soon be too big for the box!

I've started to split the vessel into two branches and am intending for them to start curling round a bit like goat's horns. Or they might just end up a bit wavy. I'm only playing to see what I can do with the technique but each time I take it to a meeting people seem very interested in it. I think it's that it has got so much bigger and is looking a bit more unusual now.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder . . . . . . hopefully!

2011-01-26T20:39:00.000Z

I know I'm posting at odd intervals at the moment but I'm in the process of updating my website and it's taken me a week or so - nearly finished but not quite there yet.

I will trumpet the completion of it loud and long when it's finally done in the next few days.
I'm using a DIY and hosting package called Mr Site which was recommended to me by my brother-in-law who did my old website. I do very little in-service training for teachers now and as that was the main focus of the old website it seems fairly important to do some updating!! It's very affordable and fairly straightforward - you just need to make a series of decisions about colours, fonts, styles etc. the thing that's taking a fair bit of time right now is re-sizing my photos so that they fit and will look good (fingers, eyes and legs crossed!!).

Not much creative work of my own going on at the moment what with doing the website and work for clients but I have bought some wonderful new books with money I was given for Christmas. Take a look at Amazon for these . . . .

Three-dimensional Textiles with coils, loops, knots and nets by Ruth Lee
(Click on the author's names)

Uncommon Crochet by Julie Armstrong

Drawn to Stitch by Gwen Hedley

All gorgeous books - very different but inspiring and all related to things I want to do . . . . . when I get time.

Ambitions not Resolutions

2011-01-07T17:50:00.000Z

I hate New Year Resolutions - it always feels like I'm setting myself up to fail before I've started.

I like to think of them as Ambitions . . . . that way there is no limit of 365 days and if I don't achieve them I can think of them as long-term ambitions and I won't feel like I've failed.

In no particular order . . . . .

Re-vamp my website - almost everything on my website relates to the days when I was travelling around the country training teachers. Now I'm diversifying it needs to reflect what I'm doing now. I have invested a whole £38 in a website template and hosting package called Mr Site. It means I will have total control and it will thrive or fail by my own hand (scary thought!!).

Just get on with it!! - I have a habit of having several ideas about work I want to do but I tend to faff about and not actually get down to working it out. I need to do some samples for my ideas then maybe it won't feel so daunting.

Sculptural Crochet - I have a yen to work on some large-scale, chunky crochet that could end up as large vessel forms. I love to crochet but can't be doing with the fiddly fine stuff. Added to which I have some gorgeous unbleached linen fibres and want to use them in something 3D.

Which leads me on to . . . . . . .

Learn to use a drop spindle - If I'm going to use some interesting fibres then it would help if I could learn to spin them myself as this is be cheaper and also lets me use custom mixtures. Not sure I have the co-ordination for this but we'll see . . . . .

So go on then, I've shown you mine . . . . . . . . what're yours?

Time flies . . . . . .

2010-12-30T16:46:00.000Z

I can't believe it's a month since I last posted!
How time flies even if you're not having much fun.

I hope everyone did have a good time over Christmas. I'm not a great fan of Christmas as it seems to start so early then revs up and up and up, when before you know it, it's all over in 24 hours leaving everyone a bit flat. Altogether too much hype for me personally.

December seems to have been quite busy even without Christmas to contend with.
I belong to a new group called Twisted Chain made up of Textile artists from all over Suffolk. We held our first exhibition at The Upstairs Gallery in Beccles. This is a good venue because once you have booked your space it is commission-free. We did pretty well for a first exhibition as two large pieces sold and a number of smaller items.

I have some large vessels in the exhibition proper;

Silver River vessel approx 80cm

Green Flow vessel approx 110cm

I also made a number of hand-dyed silk viscose velvet brooches and managed to sell a few. Every little helps right?

Not great photos - the colours haven't come out at all well but you get the general idea.

Onwards and upwards now - I'm starting work on sample pieces for the TAGS theme of Time & Tide and am also continuing to explore my larger vessel forms. The ones that went into the exhibition are about as big as I can go with pelmet vilene and also the larger they are the more expensive they are. Perhaps if I work a little bit smaller they might sell.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

New work

2010-11-29T19:54:00.000Z

The theme for the TAGS (Textile Art Group Suffolk) exhibition in 2011 is 'Time and Tide'

It's the 18th anniversary of the group which is where the time aspect comes from - after some brainstorming we settled on the title as many of us have wanted to explore some element of sea, the coast etc. Some of us live, or have lived (me!) near the coast and have plenty of source material.

Just for once I've started to think about it this side of the new year!!

I tend to leave things to the last minute in most areas of my life so I'm quite pleased to have at least made a start.

I've doodled some words and phrases and ended up thinking about how they could all be collected together. Somewhere in the murky depths of my brain a little flicker of an idea occurred . . . . . . . . they could all be put on the planks of a wooden boat.

The 'planks' are made from brown paper that has be scrunched and scrunched and scrunched to make it soft and crinkly. It was then glued down onto cartrdige paper. I had done this ages ago and the paper has been inside a sketchbook so has been flattened a bit which works well for this. I cut the paper into strips and stuck them down so they overlap a bit.

To get some idea of how this might look I roughly painted a few phrases across the 'planks' and added some nail heads. I added a bit of shadow and depth with some of those lovely Koh-i-noor dye-based paints - the ones in the the small palette which have such brilliant colours.

My plan is to take some hand dyed fabric and back it with a light batting then machine stitch the words and letters on. I shall make a sample to see if the materials and process work together.

The next thing to think about will be what the overall shape of the piece should be - I can't quite see it as the shape of a rowing boat. I'd like it to be quite large though.

Any ideas?

Fabric Coil Pots

2010-11-08T13:18:00.000Z

There is a faint flicker of creativity in my brain at last ( although perhaps I shouldn't mention it in case I frighten it away? ) - it has been quite a while since I actually felt inspired to explore some ideas. I think the continual feelings of exhaustion have a lot to do with it.

Anyway . . .. . . . ..

This is a coil pot I made on the sewing machine a couple of months ago. I had dyed some fabric and didn't like this yellowy/green so decided to play with it on the pots as it wouldn't matter if it was all a disaster! Machine stitched pots are surprisingly easy - I first saw these when Helen Deighan was at Knit & Stitch some years ago. She'd made some big AliBaba style pots and also elongated them to make them into baskets & bags. I bought a kit to have a go and have since experimented with a variety of shapes.

I want to make some that are skinnier and have a more varied shape - I want them to be a bit more organic-looking and for them to distort a bit. I have found it difficult to make skinny coil pots on the machine. I have done the base by machine with an invisible thread like this . . . .

and am now working on the shape by hand like this . . . . .

I want the pot to be quite a lot taller and for it to eventually lean over with a curve at the top. I'm planning to use photos of a lovely blue clematis printed onto inkjet-ready cotton then cut out, backed with batting and machine embroidered. The clematis flowers will be added to the outside along with some green cords meant to look like the stems.

To make the pot quite firm I have linked each circuit of stitches into the ones on the previous round. If I don't do this the pot gets a bit floppy. I've discovered that the thread makes a huge difference too. I have a lovely shade of green in a shiny thread that I was given - perfect colour but the shiny thread makes it slippery and the pot got seriously floppy so I am sticking with some ordinary cotton perle.

I learned how to do this from Janet Edmonds in her book '3D Textiles'. She shows how to do a figure of 8 type stitch that goes around the coils to join each layer together. There are ways to stitch more conventionally but I find that really hard on the hands.

If you never see another photo of this coil pot you'll know it hasn't worked!!

I am deficient . . . . .. as if I didn't know!

2010-11-02T20:12:00.000Z

I had intended to avoid too much personal stuff here on the blog but was declared deficient today and feel that the problem is so common, but so often unknown, that it is worth sharing.

Apart from my (many) other deficiencies apparently I have a major vitamin D deficiency. Also a low iron count and vitamin B12 that was described as "borderline" - much like the rest of me, my mental state and the rest of my life at times!!!

What interests me in particular is that low vitamin D is so common in this country. Apparently vitamin D is involved in helping us process calcium (& so avoid osteoporosis), inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, it supports our immune system and according to this study it has been connected to chronic pain, especially in women. For once the study was done on good old British bods rather than some obscure group of people who I tend to think don't actually exist!

As I have an arthritis-y type of problem this was of major interest to me. Might also explain why I have such a problem with fatigue too . . . . . . .

New Exhibition

2010-10-22T17:50:00.000+01:00

I spent yesterday morning hanging the latest Pro Tem exhibition. There are only 4 of us in the group which makes a really nice change from other groups I belong to.

Exhibition details:

Friday 22nd October - Tuesday 9th November

The Old Print Works Gallery                                9am - 5pm Monday to Saturday
(above H G Crisps)                                              (9am - 1pm Thursdays)
27 High Street
Saxmundham                                                        Free Admission
Suffolk
IP17 1AF

Meet the artists on Saturday 23rd October. Refreshments available.

If I say so myself, the exhibition looks really nice. There is a good variety of work including quilting, machine and hand embroidery as well as some mixed media work.

It would be great to see anyone who is local enough to drop in on Saturday!

Zentangles . . . . .what on earth . . .?

2010-10-15T17:25:00.000+01:00

I received my latest Quilting Arts magazine a few days ago and as usual I am slowly working my way through it. I don't like to rush 'cos then I've got nothing interesting to look at until the next one arrives 2 months later!

While flicking through the magazine I saw a mention of Zentangles and decided to investigate via Google. Wow! I didn't expect to find this . . . .

Or this . . .

Or even this . . !!

Click on the word Zentangles above to go the the website and here to go to the blog. There are other artists who do Zentangles too.

I think they are fascinating - some of them remind me of free-motion quilting patterns. I like the fact that they are all so individual even though there are some guiding principles to follow to make sure you are doing a Zentangle. Basically it is all about repeated lines and patterns.

I'm off to have a go . . . . .

Little Autumnal Gems

2010-09-29T20:54:00.000+01:00

I just couldn't resist - aren't they beautiful?

They laid like little brown gems in the grass when I went out collecting on Sunday afternoon - that was before the heavens opened.

I was actually helping collect conkers for a fellow teacher who is going to attempt to make soap from them because apparently that's what the vikings did. I sense a disaster looming . . . . . . .

The horse chestnut trees line one side of the shared drive up towards our new house - about 8 trees in all. They look much the same size so must have been planted at the same time but the variety in the size of conkers that each tree produces is enormous.

Chatting to another teacher at school we were also mulling over the fact that each tree exists in order to continue the species so really only needs to produce one new tree in its' life time. Yet each tree produces enormous numbers of conkers!

Apart from the beauty of the conkers - I just love their colour - I took the photos so that I can use them in some stitched work. Like I did with the poppy and the pansy I want to play about with the photos in Photoshop Elements then print them out onto inkjet ready fabrics before machine embroidering on top.

I am wrestling with Photoshop to some extent - I have used the 30 day free trial and now need to pay for the full version. In the meantime I have loaded a much older version onto my laptop but find it much much harder to use. It isn't massively expensive - about £75 I think - but having just had our roof completed money is in short supply right now. Then again, I'm at an impasse - I get so frustrated with the older version that I want to put my fist through the screen and end up doing nothing - or I have to pay up and look happy!

I've got very excited by the possibilities that arise from using my own photos and stitching into them. If I manage anything that looks OK I'll post up work in progress.

Burston Strike School Rally (there is a textile-related reason here - promise!)

2010-09-05T19:02:00.000+01:00

I went to a really interesting event today - The Burston Strike School Rally.

Held on the first Sunday in September, the rally commemorates the events in Burston near Diss when children went on strike when their teachers were sacked. Tom and Kitty Higdon were sacked for the heinous crime of properly educating the children of local farm workers and for wanting reasonable conditions for the children to learn in. Children were educated to take up their place in society in 1914 - boys became farm labourers and girls became domestic servants. The Higdons wanted more for their children. This became the longest strike in British history, lasting 25 years. There are tons of links to this if you look it up on Google.

Apart from this being an interesting event in itself, I learned from the local press that Tony Benn was going to be speaking at the rally today. I'm not hugely politically active but every time I listen to Tony Benn he makes such good sense to me. As he is soon to turn 86 I felt it might be the last chance I had to hear him speak in person - he is bound to travel less as he gets older.

Apart from listening to Tony Benn speak and enjoying the commemorative walk along the one and a half mile route that the striking children took, I was very struck by all the union banners that were on display.

Naively, I had always thought that these banners were commercially printed as I had never seen one up close. What amazed me was to see how beautifully constructed many of the banners were. Some of the most intricate were pieces of highly detailed applique. Some of them were really beautiful pieces of textile art.

Have a look here to see some examples of modern banners and here for some more traditional banners.

Textured Velvet Brooches

2010-08-17T23:35:00.001+01:00

I had a dyeing session recently at Helen's studio as I don't have space since the move. I random dyed a whole heap of cottons, organdie and a few little pieces of silk viscose velvet.

silk viscose velvet

Originally, I wanted to insert pieces into some of my large standing vessels. I'll probably still do that but I'm investigating smaller things right now.

I saw someone demonstrate how to make gorgeous rippled textures with this type of fabric - to tell you the truth it reminds me of brains!! The proper method is to make your velvet larger than the backing fabric - typically cotton - and the ripples are created as you stitch the larger piece of velvet onto the smaller backing by securing it with single stitches scattered across the piece. As you keep adding stitches so the fabric ripples a bit at a time.

Because I wanted to make brooches I found it hard to do it the usual way as it was too small and fiddly. So this is what I did . . . . . . .

Put a piece of backing fabric into an embroidery hoop then cut the velvet larger than I wanted the finished brooch. I fixed the two together with a single stitch in the centre then gently nudged the fabric to create a small ripple. Place a single stitch on either side of the ripple to hold it securely. Change direction every so often so that the ripples don't end up too regular.

You can see here that once you've done a bit the fabric naturally creates ripples which you can just manipulate a little until they are where you want them to be and stitch down as before.

Keep going until you have done enough to cover the size of the brooch but make sure you leave some unstitched fabric round the edges so that you can turn them to the back to make it neat and tidy.

As I had plenty of space on the backing fabric I did 2 pieces to avoid waste.

Once the hand stitching is complete beads can be added . . . . . . .

Cut the backing roughly at first to separate the two pieces then cut the backing away carefully leaving about 5mm all round and avoid snipping any stitches. I trimmed the velvet a little to avoid the back of the brooch ending up lumpy - not a good look!

Cut a small piece of thick card to the desired shape and attach to the back of the fabric with a dab of PVA glue. Next I used an invisible monofilament thread to lace the fabric round the card, gently manipulating the fabric so that it lay as flat as possible. Like this . . . . . .

Once the back was neatly laced I cut a piece of similar coloured felt so that it was a few mm smaller than the brooch, stitched a brooch pin to it then glued it in place with some special PVA-type glue that is designed for fabrics. For small areas like this I use Fray Stop by Impex although if the back was smooth enough you could probably iron the back piece on with Bondaweb.

The red brooch went off in the post to my sister who looks gorgeous in deep reds - she's had a rotten few months with her health but has recently discovered her heart is in the same condition as someone 20 years younger - result!!!!

The blue/purple brooch needs a back pin but is going to be mine . . . . .

Next, is to experiment with some different shapes - I want something distinctive and maybe a bit unusual but that can be tricky without it ending up looking like a complete dog's breakfast!!

Let me know what you think.

Sold some work. . . . . Yippeeeee!!

2010-08-04T15:19:00.001+01:00

The theme for this year's TAGS exhibition (Textile Art Group Suffolk) was 'Taking Root'. A theme with plenty of scope for all sorts of interpretations.

As usual, when the theme was agreed, I had all sorts of interesting ideas about what I could do with it.

As usual, life got in the way!

The main thing was all the work we did on our house in order to sell it, move and downsize. A fairly major upheaval so I think I'm justified in getting sidetracked where my work is concerned (I'm probably the only one who thinks it needs to be justified . . . . .).

I did two pieces of machine embroidery and also made 6 oversized flowers - they were intended to be tulips but ended up as non-specific fantasy flowers.

'Fantasy Flowers'

The machine embroidery originated from my own photos, printed on inkjet-ready cotton and then free-machine embroidered.

I then had my first experience of using Photoshop Elements , cropping and playing about with the backgrounds to try and bring the flowers into more prominence. The two pieces ended up like this . . . . . .

'Pansy'

'Poppy'

Each piece is framed in a light wood with cream mount and are now owned by Mr and Mrs Rosenburg from Stoke on Trent!

This is a detail of one of the fantasy flowers - for some reason Blogger won't let me move it where I want it to go!

I've Moved!

2010-07-12T19:54:00.000+01:00

Phew!

Moved at last!

We finally moved house towards the end of April and I feel like I am finally getting my head above water. We have been very lucky and have found a lovely barn conversion on a farm so I look out of the window to see paddocks full of horses and lovely view looking over towards Eye.

It is amazingly peaceful here. We are set back from the road and surrounded by countryside. It was lovely living in Westleton and I still love the Suffolk Heritage Coast but the village had got more and more crowded and noisy - especially at weekends when I wanted a quiet time!

I have photos of the work I've put into the TAGS exhibition and will post them here shortly - no more long breaks between posts if I can help it.

Viking Knitting

2010-03-10T17:51:00.004Z

At last I have found the photos of my viking knitting that I have been wanting to put up here for ages. My laptop died and I am now using my new one but it has taken ages to find the photos amongst all the stuff I managed to save on CD. I posted about viking knitting previously and also gave you a great link to a tutorial.

Viking knitting is done with wire and apparently does genuinely date back to viking times!

This is single stitch. . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . and this is double stitch . . . . . . .

It is also possible to put beads into the viking knitting. I've used beads that are probably a little bit too big but I love these lightly frosted beads in muted colours.

This is the first bracelet I made . . . .. .

. . . . . .and here is a detail showing the beads . . . . .

Then I had another go with coloured wire and exactly the same beads . . . . . . .

I made it with some added beads to make it asymetric but that bit didn't work out too well as it still looks symmetrical when it is on the wrist. . . . . .

I made some more bracelets with glass beads for Christmas presents and they seemed to go down fairly well. I managed to get the asymetrical ones to work better too.

Why not have a go. . . . .?

Moving House and Other Troubles

2010-02-08T15:36:00.003Z

I am thoroughly glad to see the back of 2009 as I was poorly for much of the last few months. Rhuematoid Arthritis can get a girl down after a while!

I am in the process of trying to sell my house so life has got a little turbulent lately. We are due to exchange on Friday this week so fingers, eyes and legs are crossed that it all goes smoothly. Then we only have the small problem of where we are going to move to...............! There seems to be very few houses available to buy so most of my spare time is either on the internet looking at RightMove or out and about in the car looking at houses. It's a seriously frustrating business.

My email address has now changed to: alison@alisoncouchman.co.uk if anyone wants to get in touch.

I was going to post some pictures of my attempts at viking knitting before Christmas but as that would have given the game away to a few people about what they were getting for Christmas I didn't put them up at the time. If the idea is intriguing then this is a great tutorial.

Where does the time go?

2009-11-02T15:54:00.004Z

I've been really poorly for the last month - hence no posts. I don't know where the time has gone! I wish I could say that I've been off doing something exotic and exciting but sadly I haven't.

I'm still working away on my large vessels and have recently had these 4 as part of an exhibition at The Gallery in Dereham.

I was very flattered to be contacted by Marion Barnett and asked to take part. She was also very kind and came down to the Norwich Textile Fair last weekend to collect the vessels for me - she saved me a long journey when I was feeling rough. Kind as well as talented!

While I was at the Norwich Textile Fair I saw a lady demonstrating Viking Knitting with wire. She was selling a kit for £15 and as money is decidedly tight at present I looked it up on the internet to see if I could find instructions. I found loads of references and have just started doing some. Surprising how easy it is to get good results.

Come back to see photos of my Viking Knitting with wire which I will post soon!

I'm back with long post & a mini tutorial.......

2009-09-09T10:48:00.006+01:00

I'm horrified to see that it is a month since I last posted anything here!!! After promising myself I would keep the blog up to date and not be one of those frustrating people who leave it weeks between posts too. Slap on the wrist has been duly delivered. It has been the school summer holidays and we have been busy painting, decorating, fixing and mending as we are going to put our house on the market and try to sell it. The grand plan is to downsize so that I can work less and do more Art, my partner can give up teaching full time and do the same as me - supply teaching 2 days a week. This keeps the head above water financially but with nothing to spare. If we sell the house and buy something cheaper we end up with a smaller mortgage and a little bit of disposable income................or at least that's the plan. Plan A has to work 'cos there isn't a Plan B!!

I have managed to sneak a bit of my own work in between coats of gloss paint. I'm currently working on some much larger vessels - floor standing - the smallest is about 2ft high. This photo shows the cardboard models I've made to work out the shape and check that they will stand up! The smallest one is finished and you can see it here surrounded by all the junk in my sitting room!

The second one is taller and dyed blue at the base fading upwards to green. I've gone a bit overboard on the embellishment with the second one. After dyeing I block print the pelmet vilene. For this I made some print blocks using some thick spongy foam that I got from the Scrap Store in Ipswich. If you don't know about scrap stores they are fabulous treasure troves of 'stuff'! The one in Ipswich is a charity which provides employment and training for adults with special needs who sort all the different materials and organise it all. Companies donate their unwanted waste materials as they are now legally required to recycle rather than dump it. There is a wonderfully bizarre mixture of stuff including offcuts from tie fabric (lots of pictures of pheasants and shotguns!) to oddments of silk thread to CDs, cardboard and odd things I can't name.

So having made my print blocks by sticking the cut out foam onto thick card with double-sided tape I printed the dyed vilene. I also made a print block from string by just sticking onto card with double-sided tape again. You can see it here as the thin gold lines in the background.

Then I went a bit doolally with the embellishments..........................

I've used:
dyed textured papers cut into ovals
coloured yarns and threads couched down
gold thread stitched into hoop shapes
hot glue gun glue coloured with gilding wax

If you've never tried making embellishments with hot glue gun glue you are seriously missing out! Here's how it's done..........

1. Lay a sheet of baking parchment on the table (it's silicone coated so the glue won't stick to it)
2. Heat the glue gun up then draw with it - in this case it was hoops, ovals and loops.
If you want to do something specific you can draw what you want in a black pen and slide the
drawing under the baking parchment so you can trace over it with the glue
3. Allow the glue to cool and harden - this takes about 5 minutes unless it is very thick
4. Rub gilding wax (Treasure Gold or one of the other colours) over the glue with your finger. It will
wash off your hands and nothing seems to work quite as well as a finger.
5. Leave to cure overnight or for about 24 hours so that the colour doesn't rub off when you touch it

It really is as simple as that and you can use the glue gun shapes for a whole heap of different ideas. I've even glued a brooch back onto one and used it as jewellery! The photo here shows the indigo gilding wax and below you can see some in gold and I also used a nice soft green called aquamarine.

Below you can see all the embellishments in place. Now I've just got to stitch all 4 sides together and put the base on. As this one is about 10 inches taller than the first one it could take a while......

I have loads of interesting stuff coming up so will definitely be posting more often.

Information on new courses for the Autumn coming soon so please visit again!

Embroidered Papers

2009-08-10T18:12:00.003+01:00

I've been making papers from different fibres for ages - it seems to go in cycles in that I'll make loads and do stuff with them, then I won't make any for absolutely ages. Recently, I started to embroider onto the papers that I'd already made like the ones here. This top one is recycled denim fibre paper with the flowers cut out from other papers (silk, cotton and bamboo I think) then machine embroidered down. The denim fibre comes from offcuts of the fabric that are left over after garments have been cut out. The pieces are beaten to a complete pulp but I like the fact that it is still recognisably denim. there are even tiny bits of red thread in some areas which makes me think of the little red labels you get on some jeans. This fibre comes from Fibrecrafts.

This pale blue paper is bamboo fibre and I have been experimenting with bobbin stitching. If you haven't come across it before it is where a thick thread is wound onto the bobbin and is effectively couched down by the top thread. I love the effect you get with the thicker thread laying on the surface but it does mean that you have to work on the back of the piece to get the thick thread in the right place. I put a piece of interfacing or some kind of stiffener behind the paper when I stitch so all I do is draw on it to give me a guide for the bobbin work.

This is another one with some bobbin stitching on it but it also has some ordinary free-machine embroidery and a little bit of metallic thread that doesn't shown up in the photo. I really like this one. It is on Linen Noil paper which is one of my favourites. The noil is what is left after the main linen fibres have been combed out. It is a kind of waste product I suppose but it has a lovely slubby texture with bits of fluffy fibre and bits of firmer threads so the finished paper has a lovely surface texture. I think the fact that there is so much stitching on it works well too.

Fabric Beads

2009-07-27T18:55:00.002+01:00

Brooch made with silk fabrics and embellished with copper gutta

I've got a course coming up very shortly on making fabric beads so I thought you might like to see some of the things I've done. They aren't necessarily my best examples as I managed to sell a few things at the TAGS exhibition recently. they do give some idea of what you can do once you've got a lovely pile of finished beads.

These are beads from the same batch as the first brooch but arranged differently before attaching and putting the brooch back on.

This necklace is still in its plastic bag so ignore the reflections and the fact it looks a little bit cloudy - it's just to give you an idea really. There are a mixture of fabrics, some of which have had foil applied. Each bead is on a length of coloured wire with some toning beads and they are all hung on a coiled piece of enamelled wire. I like using the coloured wires so I end up making my own loops and coils just to get the right colour.

This one is a completely different style but I rather like it. It hangs quite long and would look good with a long tunic-style t-shirt or jumper. The beads are made from a cotton fabric that has had some cold resist medium used on it before dyeing. One of the great things about this method of making beads is that you can use such small amounts of fabric. So if you only have a little bit of something that you really like you can still turn it into a few beads and get a piece of jewellery or use the beads to embellish some other project.

Another brooch with a mixture of foiled and plain beads.

If you like the look of these beads, then click on the course title on the right hand side 'F is for Fabric Beads'. This will open up a document that gives you more photos and the supply list (no - it won't ask you to sign into anything - I've fixed that problem, honest!).

The course is only half a day at The Raveningham Centre on Saturday 8th August starting at 1pm. The nice thing is that you can either bring your packed lunch and eat with us before the course starts or you can come along to the lovely cafe they have there and indulge in a nice lunch and a wander about before the course begins.

I have a few people booked up already so I hope some more of you will decide to join us.

Making an Exhibition of Myself

2009-07-13T15:58:00.005+01:00

I've always been determined that my blog would never be one of those " here's what I had for breakfast and a picture of my cat" type of blogs. Great for those who want the world to know everything about them, but definitely not for me. I want to blog when I have something to say or something to show the world rather than it being an endless stream-of-consciousness type of thing.

That said, real life can just get in the way and I've had so much going on that I haven't had a chance to sit down and tell anyone anything!!

So apologies if anyone has been for a look only to find that the Textile Treasures 'office' is vacant.

That's if there's anyone out there paying any attention at all........................................that is the intriguing thing about a blog isn't it? You just never know if anyone is paying the slightest attention to it!

I've been finishing the work that I have put into the TAGS exhibition which went up on Thursday at The Pond Gallery, Snape Maltings in Suffolk. Given that there have been lots of things conspiring against me this year I think I've done pretty well to get 3 pieces complete. I'm reasonably happy with them in some ways and in others I just think they aren't as inspiring as I would like them to be.

Now this one you've seen but here it is finally bound. I wanted to use a hand-dyed fabric for the binding but just ran out of time. The thin pinstripe of pink inside the binding was my sister's idea and a good one I think. It helps pick up the pink in the centre and the pinky / purple tones from the bricks.

Just as I suspected, adding the quilting to this one has spoilt it for me in some ways. When it was all fused it was smooth and lovely and the minute you start to stitch you end up with bits that move, bits that fray and something that is althogether quite different.

In many ways I'm proud of both of these as fused applique is a technique that I have never done before so I've learned something completely new and, I think, done it pretty well. But they still lack anything that says 'WOW' to me. Perhaps I've just spent too much time with them or maybe it is just that I've discovered that the technique needs to be used in a different way or as part of a piece of work rather than as an end in itself.

Now 'Date Stone' is altogether different.

I read an article in the most recent Quilting Arts magazine about enhancing quilted fabrics with Markal Paintsticks. Having tried a quick sample I knew this technique would give me the kind of surface I was after. The design is free-motion quilted cotton over a polyester batting that is designed specifically for wall-hangings. Once the stitching was completed I dyed the whole thing, painting the dye on so that some areas were more grey in tone and others were more brown. Once the dye had dried completely I started rubbing over with the Markal sticks. This picks up the textures in the fabric and also gives a slightly leathery finish to the fabric depending on how thickly they oil stick is applied. I worked quickly and pretty freely into the piece then left it overnight before giving it a closer look the next day. I find it I live with a piece e.g. walk passed it several times in a day, then I can really assess whether it needs anything else doing to it or not. It did need a bit more work to lighten the central stone and to add a little touch of metallic here and there. The whole thing was left to cure for 24 hours or so before doing all the finishing work - adding a backing and a method of hanging etc.

I am really happy with this piece - I suppose because it is much closer to the kinds of things I normally do - and it went really quickly in the end. This one also caused the most comment among other members of the group so I suspect it might be the best out of the 3 pieces.

Anyway, the exhibition is done and up for the public to enjoy. I just hope we get lots of visitors and that one or two of us sell something.....now that would be really nice!

Conquering the Technology!

2009-06-26T12:39:00.003+01:00

I've finally sorted out a way to put information about the courses I'm running onto the blog without anybody having to sign into anything, join a group, list or anything else!!!!

So....I'm sorry I didn't manage to get it right the first time round but with the help of my lovely Brother-in-law who is a computer genious (professionally as well as personally) I now have the information up and all you have to do is click on the title you are interested in!

Click on the course title and you will find a document opens with the date, cost, venue, supplies you need and a couple of photos showing the kind of thing we will be doing.

As a certain advert running in the UK would say.....Simples!

Still More Fusing!!

2009-06-16T19:59:00.002+01:00

Ta Daaahh!!!
(That's my written attempt at the noise of a fanfare by the way).

As you know from an earlier post, I discovered the wonderful world of Robbi Joy Ecklow's method of fused applique a while ago and showed you my first attempt. Well this is the second attempt and, as the home-made fanfare might suggest, I'm pretty damn pleased with it at this point.

Of course, I've only done the fusing so far...................................

Detail of interlocking sections

This piece, just like the first one is destined for the TAGS exhibition at Snape Maltings in July. The group are working on pieces based on the regeneration of this lovely old maltings and this design is based on the wall ties that hold some of the older buildings upright! I love geometric designs so decided to overlap the wall ties, simplify them and emphasise the circles within circles. When it is finished, the quilted piece will also be cropped so that you don't see the edges of some of the circles - I think this will be a more interesting composition.

I just wanted to record what I've done at this point as I am really chuffed with how accurately I've managed to cut and fuse the pieces, especially as this is only the second one I've done with this method! Can't quite believe it myself........

If it all goes horribly wrong from here onwards you will never see this work again!!!

Ooops!

2009-06-08T12:21:00.002+01:00

Just when I thought I'd got the hang of this technology stuff.........................

I've put course information into my blog so that you can click on the course title and up pops a document with all the details including a supply list. All sorted.....so I thought!

I tested it out and everything seemed to be fine.........so thank you to the people who have taken time to let me know that clicking on the course title brings up a window asking you to open a Google Docs account! I didn't expect that to happen!!

If you already have a Google account then you can use the same log in details but if you don't have one they are very easy to create and Google are very good....they won't send you emails or bombard you with marketing rubbish that you don't want. And of course I understand that some of you won't want to sign up at all so..........

I'm off to wrestle with the technology once more, and find another way to do this that doesn't need any signing in. If you don't hear from me for a while then you know the technology beast has got the better of me!!!

Making Vessels

2009-05-26T18:49:00.003+01:00

These lovely pieces of dyed, painted and printed pelmet Vilene were done by two of my students on the 'V is for Vessels' course on Friday. This is the stage they had got to by the time we stopped for lunch and they carried on and did some more work afterwards. Although the course was about making vessels no-one actually made one! They were so focussed on the embellishment process that they used the time to continue printing on several pieces - great use of the space (and time) when you get moaned at for making too much mess if you try this sort of thing at home! The construction of the vessels is easy and can be finished off at any time.

This is a detail of one of the printed pieces. The slightly ghostly image of leaves is done by using interference colours. These are acrylic paints that have tiny mica flakes in them - the light hits the mica flakes at different angles making the colour look different depending on which angle it is viewed at. There is a significant difference between using interference colours on dark colours and on light colours too. They are sometimes known as 'flip' colours.

V is for Vessels 22nd May 2009

2009-05-13T18:45:00.006+01:00

These images show the kinds of vessels that can be made on the course next week

Click on 'V is for Vessels' in the courses list on the right and you will find full details as well as the supply list.

The main material is craft Vilene which is dyed before printing, painting and adding texture. The edges are machine stitched with a zig zag stitch which makes it much easier to complete the construction with hand stitching.

My new batch of vessels have far more texture and are getting a bit wilder with each new idea!

The Birthday Present Part 2

2009-05-13T17:37:00.004+01:00

Finally!!

I said I'd add some more photos of the embroidery I did for my sister's birthday and at last I've got round to it.

These 2 photos are details of the finished piece.

Over the years I've tried so hard to do machine embroidery with massed stitching like this and I've failed dismally each time. The fabric became so distorted that I couldn't work on it. Now, I expected the fabric to distort to some extent but not that badly!!

I had a chat with Susan Chapman at The Knit and Stitch Show in 2007 and she gave me loads of suggestions on how to improve my work. The main thing that worked was to use zig zag stitch rather than starting with straight stitch. I painted the design on a thick canvas-type fabric then stitched all the areas with zig zag - I didn't fully cover the fabric - I just wanted to even out the tension all over. Once I'd put stitching everywhere I went back and started to fill in some areas more densely. I did eventually add some straight stitch but not much in the end. I really liked the way the appearance of an area changed depending on the angle at which I applied the zig zag. When everything was stitched I added just a little hand stitching using a hand-dyed thread.

The Birthday Present

2009-04-28T19:43:00.003+01:00

This is a photo (wonky again!) of the machine embroidery I gave my sister for her recent, significant, birthday. Sometimes I think you just have to give something as well as a bought present and this was one of those times.

Lorna and I went to Cornwall around 3 years ago on an artists working holiday. She is a professional painter, muralist and does amazing trompe l'oeil. The idea was to see if we could get enough source material, photos and general inspiration to do some work and exhibit and/or sell. I don't think I've ever taken as many photos of rocks in my life!

These are the two photos I used for the embroidery........

The orange swirls are reflections of a big mechanical digger at Padstow Harbour and the other one was from an area with a number of boats moored. I suspect the patterns come from oil on the water.

I've combined the two photos and used them as inspiration rather than as a direct copy.

Now this is my second attempt at posting this today but as my computer is playing up something rotten I'm going to finish off another day. I've already lost most of this post once and don't fancy writing it a 3rd time!

F is for Fusing

2009-04-21T21:22:00.003+01:00

Fused but not quilted

This is my first attempt at a fused quilt top using Robbi Joy Eklow's methods mentioned in my last post. The design itself is a mixture of 2 simplified photos taken at Snape Maltings - this is where I will be exhibiting as a member of TAGS. We exhibit there every year and this is my second year as a member. Each exhibition has a theme and this year all our work will be based on the regeneration of the Snape Maltings site.

I've taken a simplified wall tie and laid it on top of some bricks.

This is the photo I used................

Considering that this is the first time I've done anything like it, then it's not half bad!!

This is after quilting........

.......and this is a detail shot on a very wonky photo!

It definitely isn't good enough to go into the exhibition but I am still going to put a binding and a hanging sleeve on it. Now that I've tried it once I have have an idea for a different design for the piece to go in the exhibition. I think that one will be 4 overlapping wall ties without any bricks and blown up so that the shapes go off the edge of the quilt. It is also going to be larger so that it should be easier to make the shapes more accurate. Or that's the theory.....................!

More Dyeing

2009-04-09T18:33:00.003+01:00

Having asked for (and received..hooray!) some Amazon vouchers for my birthday I spent ages poring over the textiles books on Amazon to find exactly the right book. You know what it's like...very little money so don't want to end up disappointed ....... I eventually bought "Free Expression: the art and confessions of a contemporary quilter" by Robbi Joy Eklow.

I really enjoy her articles in Quilting Arts magazine called 'Goddess of the Last Minute' and like her fused applique quilts. It isn't a method that I've tried before so I've done a heap of dyeing recently and have just started making my first fused quilt top. I'll put some photos up when I've finished fusing it all together 'cos it looks a bit rough right now! It is all working the way it should but you know how things can look a bit dodgy before they're finished sometimes? Well this definitely does!

These are some of my hand-dyed fabrics, all piled up so that I can choose what to use for the fused quilt top.

I thought I'd been busy covering the whole colour wheel but am distinctly lacking in browns and reds so that's what I'll be doing in the next few days.

F is for Fibres

2009-03-31T20:08:00.006+01:00

Blue bamboo paper with machine embroidery

I ran another of my 'A-Z of Textiles' courses last week and one of the nicest things was having some different people sign up and attend. There was a good mix of people who have been on previous courses and some that are new to me and that just made a great mix. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to see people regularly but it is just nicer as a tutor to have new people to work with. Their reactions, questions and responses are different.

F is for Fibres was all about using silk, bamboo, linen and other fibres to make pieces of handmade paper. Depending on which fibre you choose, the texture of the paper varies considerably. I taught the group how to lay the fibres out on the nylon netting and how to apply the silk paper medium. I don't buy dyed fibres as I never quite know what colours I want to use in what fibre. Instead I add Procion dye to a small amount of the silk paper medium. I use small quantities of medium so that I don't waste any when I mix the dye in. I often start with a pale colour and add more dye as I go along - in this way I end up with a range of tones in each colour.

But what to do with all that handmade fibre paper.....?

On the left is textured cotton fibre dyed brown. Linear marks were printed on the paper with the tip of a flat paintbrush. Once the paints were dry I hand stitched lines on top using hand-dyed threads.

On the right is a piece of yellow bamboo paper with fan-shaped prints made with a fan brush and pearlised paints. Long hand stitches on top emphasise the fan shapes.

This is one of my favourites although I didn't like it after I had stitched it. This and the pale blue one at the top are stitched with free-machine embroidery and then a thicker thread is stitched on top. This is done by putting the thicker thread in the bobbin, loosening the bobbin tension just a little, and embroidering from the back. You actually have to turn the paper upside down so that the bobbin thread ends up on the top. This is a lovely technique that gives a raised stitch and so adds texture to the piece.

Dyeing Fabrics

2009-03-15T20:07:00.007Z

I've been promising myself a day of dyeing fabrics for a while but it's just been too damn cold!! All that rinsing is no good for the hands when it's brass monkey weather!

I borrowed an interesting book from the library "Hand-Dyed Quilts" by Marquetta Bell-Johnson
Fabulously vibrant colours, although piecing is not my thing. This artist advocates the use of airbrush paints to dye the fabric which means no soaking in soda ash solution, no rinsing in copious amounts of water etc. Now I don't have airbrush paints but I do have acrylic inks which seem to me to be the same thing. She also suggests folding, pleating and gathering the fabric before colouring to make patterns.

These two show different folds that are a bit like making a paper fan when you were little. They look very similar although they were folded quite differently and one is more subtle in colour than the other. My favourite though, is the random circles................... .

The first photo shows the fabric drying (lovely and sunny today!!) and the other one is after it has been heat-set and ironed. It reminds me of those lovely pale blue flowers called 'Love-in-a-mist'!

The next challenge will be to see if it is repeatable. Hhmmm.......

P is for Pyramid

2009-03-06T19:38:00.003Z

This is my first quilted and dyed pyramid and I'm REALLY happy with it!!

The photo isn't great because it looks like it's floating on one point on the base but I think I just took the picture from a slightly higher view point. The fact that the pyramid was sitting on paper on an open drawer of a plan chest probably doesn't help either! I was lacking a clear space in my studio to stand it while I took the photos so just pulled open a draw and put white paper around it to give a neutral background. And all because...as usual...my studio needs tidying!

Back to the pyramid...................

I'd borrowed a book from the library where the artist had quilted some lovely 3D forms in a gunmetal/silver coloured fabric and they inspired me to have a go at pyramids. It also gives me a chance to practice my free-motion quilting which I need to do regularly.

I've quilted curves, swirls and spirals on one face, lines on another and angular shapes on the third side. After quilting I dyed each side with Procion dyes, making the colour darker towards the bottom. The gradation of colour isn't as defined as I wanted it to be. I think it was just that the fabric got so wet with dye that a lot of colour dripped out as it was drying. I think laying it down to dry rather than hanging it up would have been better. But that goes back to not having enough space because my studio is so untidy!

I flung a few beads on while I watching telly one evening and all in all I'm feeling quite chuffed with it! Watch this space for more pyramids. You have been warned!!

Working in 3D

2009-02-28T18:43:00.005Z

The next meeting of TAGS (Textile Art Group Suffolk) is on Wednesday 4th March and we have to bring examples of things we've done in 3D. I do a fair number of vessels but was mildly concerned that they are all the just variations on a theme until I started to really think about it and I realised I've got all of these......................................!!

These 4 are coiled fabric. The first one is machine stitched which I thought was going to be really hard but turned out to be incredibly easy!! It also has a cord inside which makes it firmer. The others are hand stitched and the red and white one is wrapped using a figure of eight. This is the floppiest one and had to be stuffed with paper to make it stand up enough to be photographed.

These two are layers of different materials like fabric & felt or fabric & paper that are stitched or glued together.

Then there are the ones I've made to sell and the really BIG ones...........but I'll save those for another day! So I can stop worrying that I don't have much to show on Wednesday.

T is for Texture ......the results

2009-02-21T18:46:00.005Z

Those posters really did work!!!
Not only did I get 2 people booking the day before the course I even had a lady book on the day itself at about 9.30am!! She'd seen a poster in a different shop...............just proves that it's worth doing. I've tried this before, putting posters up around the locality and no-one......but abso-bloomin-lutely no-one.........has ever responded before! This time it worked twice......ho hum! Delighted to be proved wrong of course.....

It was a lovely course on Wednesday. A really good mixture of interesting people. We looked at using 3D Medium (also known as puff binder and Xpandaprint), using acrylic paints and texture gels on fabric and using acrylic paint on a roller to give texture to the fabric. Almost everyone chose to experiment with the materials rather than take it through to a complete vessel.

Maddy, however, did this.....

.............................and isn't it just fab??!!

She used brown acrylic paint mixed with a texture gel to make mono prints of leaves.
She then used a dark hand-dyed fabric at the bottom of each side and whizzed the whole thing together remarkably quickly. The only one to complete her samples and complete a vessel. I love it!!

T is for Texture

2009-02-17T19:24:00.003Z

It just goes to show that putting posters up locally really is worth doing (..I've always had my doubts!) as I've had 2 last-minute bookings for tomorrows course 'T is for Texture'. That makes a nicely sized group of 6 which is lovely. Big enough to be interesting but not so big that it's going to be particularly hard work - it means I will enjoy myself hopefully as much as the students!

I've got to spend the evening sewing up the examples for tomorrow but here are some of the textures.......

Texture gels and acrylic paints with machine stitching

3D Medium mono printed onto fabric and stenciled onto fabric

We are going to make 3-sided triangular vessels using some or all of these methods. Pictures to follow after the course.......................................

More Fusing.....

2009-02-13T17:29:00.005Z

Another vessel with a fused surface. Layers of organza on cotton fabric.

The cotton fabric is important because this is the backing fabric and must not melt when the surface is soldered. Layers of organza snippets are laid on top of the cotton and then covered with a larger piece of organza or other synthetic sheer fabric. The whole sandwich is then machine stitched to hold it down and to give a structure. The stitching can be regular lines or flowing shapes....whatever you like.

Once stitching is complete the soldering iron is used to draw, mark and incise into the layers of synthetic fabrics to create patterns and textures. In this example I've also added a little bit of hand embroidery (I'm not the world's greatest hand stitcher....severely lacking in patience!!) in toning colours.

I decided to give this vessel a slightly tapered shape and stitched a dart into each side. The soldered layers of fabric are then attached to some firm felt in toning colours and the vessel is stitched together on a square base.

To finish it off I hand stitched some gorgeous multi-tonal beads around the top. It just gives a nice finish without being too sparkly. I'm not into glitz and glitter but do love a bit of subtle sheen or a touch of metallic to just catch the light.

H is for Heat

2009-02-09T20:09:00.007Z

I had a great day on Friday teaching some lovely ladies how to fuse synthetic fabrics with soldering irons. Between them they had a good deal of knowledge of textiles and, much more importantly, a willingness to explore and experiment. It is such a buzz when you are teaching and students use your initial process then take it off in all sorts of interesting directions. Exactly what this group did.

This red vessel is one of the samples I showed as an example of how fused fabrics could be used.

.......and this is a detail of one of the sides.

Layers of sheer fabrics fused onto a base of acrylic felt with a soldering iron. Simple hand stitching has been added along with beads then dots and lines drawn on with copper -coloured gutta. This is a neat little pattern based on a felt vessel my sister brought back from the design museum in Vienna. It closes itself at the top because of the way each section is pieced together. Really simple and could be adapted in any number of ways.

The next course I'm teaching is 'T is for Texture' ......all about creating texture on fabric and paper with a 3D medium that raises when you heat it. After playing with some small samples we will make a 3-sided vessel that showcases the materials and techniques. The course is on Wednesday 18th February at The Raveningham Centre near Beccles. If that sounds like fun then get in touch................