A busy week in March

I knew this was going to be a busy week with Kreative Momentum workshop on snow dyeing, teaching English, Felt workshop with Marjolein Dallinga, and then teaching my own workshop on disperse dyes and finally Friday's cross-country skiing in West Bragg Creek to finish (me) off.

The snow dye workshop was successful. 

We did the dyeing on Monday and met up on Thursday to share out the basins' goodies.  I had orange and yellow (turned out to be more orange than yellow) and the violet became blue with a hint of violet.  All my fabrics went under the snow with out dampening.  I think this made the colour pick-up stronger.  I saw that my sail-cloth fabric took the dye very well (bottom right).  Pure colours didn't give as good an effect, this was as expected.

I had kept the left-over dyes in their pots at room temperature for 3 days, but I used them up on more sail-cloth just to see how well they worked with mixing of colours. I was really pleased with the results.  Some areas are really very interesting and these fabrics will form good grounds for more stitching and samples.  Sail - cloth is quite stiff though, but will be great for machine embroidery.

Instead of using inclined plastic sheeting as suggested in Quilting Arts magazine, I used pieces of fabric - muslin=cheesecloth (canadian English) taped to the bowl and forming a surface on which to place the fabric and drain away the snow/dye mix.  The advantage is that the muslin is dyed at the same time...

I have just found this tutorial from Rebecca J Kemble who wrote the article in QA. if you would like to take a look

These are the results of the Felting workshop with Marjolein.  Where we learnt to felt with very little wool roving.  A 12" square was laid out using only 10g of roving and felted down by 50% to create a very sturdy piece of fabric.  On the right you see one legwarmer!  which used 30g of roving and was fun and thrilling to make.  I would have been happier to learn more techniques of 3D surfaces but we only had one day...  and M. did well to cope with the mixed-ability group.

Important outcome - Kiss your Face olive oil soap (used for felting all day long)  is wonderful... especially for my skin in this dehydrating atmosphere of Calgary.  Recommended.

Next stop during the week was a workshop with Kreative Momentum where we looked into disperse dyes. And created lots of interesting surfaces with so much potential that we are going to carry on with this at the next workshop... I had better start preparing some more progressive samples....

Something new

I am buzzing with so many ideas (aren't we all?).... but at least it is with a purpose.  I have an opportunity to put some work up in a hospital here in Alberta and want to create something that might be contemplative.  I am now making 20 (or more) of these little cup  shapes.  They are like 3D mandalas.  Or prayer mats you can sink into.... They are only a couple of inches across. They remind me of those brass prayer bowls... where have I seen those.  This is just a beginning for these Sweet Dishes.

I just don't believe it

This is beyond synchronicity. 

Which came first?  

This blue brooch did...

And then, today, I had a few minutes and decided to check on some of the blogs I have popping up on the lower right (see lower right) and found that 2 days ago Nudibranch central have added another gem of a Nudibranch.  I do hope you don't mind, Gary, but I continue to post images of that you and your fellow divers' observe...

Courtesy of http://nudibranchcentral.blogspot.com/
I know the colours and the symmetry aren't there but come on, work with me here... can't you? See the resemblance...
Here is a photoshopped version in brown! if that helps.

And my work isn't flat either... let's see if I can get a pickie that shows the relief...

Anyway must get on today.... working on something for the next Epcor show right now... although these little fellas would be nice in that show - the method is hardly suitable for working whilst on the go...

Stamp and Stitch - over two weeks and Valentine's Day 2011

A card for my dear.

From time to time people ask me "What do you celebrate... ?" I have had such a wonderful opportunity to sample traditions in Europe, India, The Middle East and North America.... I say I celebrate as much as possible.  So no need to be overly concerned about St. Valentine... just use the day to show someone you care.

More Class

I now have two Kreative Momentum workshops running - Not the first and the second, but the Thursday and the Friday classes.

Here is a bit of output from the second group....  I hope they let me show you more work after part two.... on March 4th.  For now these pieces show stamped white felt.

More Kreative Momentum

During January and February we have been working on stamps and embellishing with the embellisher machine.  This machine is wonderful as long as you have enough money to pay for the consumables.
At $17 for 5 needles  it costs a lot to keep the machine working!
(Just like the Cricut and its expensive tacky mats and cutting blades.....  moan, moan, moan)

I am pleased to post a bit of the work from the two groups:-

 The first is an image I snatched from one of the stamps, which was inked up with fabric paint and comprises merely 6 elastic bands.... very clever.

And this the work of one lady whose colour choices give her away!

And one sample of mine - unfinished....

Is that all?

Friends in Canmore

I was fortunate enough to be invited with half a dozen others to a condo in Canmore for the weekend.  We had a lot of fun relaxing, eating and eating and I demonstrated wrapped frame work.

Lots of fun. And a class I will certainly repeat and develop for the Kreative Momentum workshops.

What have you been doing since early December??

Simple Screen-printing

For years now I have coveted a Thermofax machine.  But fate being what it is, these machines are out of production and not available even reconditioned in Calgary...  The nearest source that I have found is Houston, and they wont ship their reconditioned machines abroad unless you are prepared to forego the warrantee.
Anyway as luck would have it there is an alternative.
My first encounter with the Cricut machine was in 2008 when I saw one in Michael's Store (that is Hobbycraft on hormones for those of you in Britain).  I was put off the Cricut because it appeared to be of limited application owing to its dependance on design source which are supplied on proprietor cartridges and  the huge expense of these and other consumables (blades and mats).  Then I discovered that there is software that allows you to transfer your original designs from the computer to the machine.  And this year I discovered that Mac software is available (*although use of it will violate your Cricut warranty* Cricut told me they are working on a program for Mac currently so it might be better to wait for that if you are a nervy type).
So, no more expensive cartridges for me... I can make my own designs using Photoshop or Illustrator and once these are saved as pdf files they can be cut out of card or vinyl.
And now we get to the application that I was interested in... Using vinyl sheets one can cut out a stensil and by transfering this to a screen (and blocking out unused areas with more vinyl, one can screen print without all that emulsion, dark room, possible errors from inadequate exposure/black out not being dark enough... etc etc....
Below, by very first screen and a product of it...  I was using Acylic paint that has travelled the seven seas at temperatures of above 35degrees... old stock in other words, and my screen was made of net curtain!  So what do you expect.

I have a lot to learn about screen printing, but I think I do get the chance to say Thermofax, eat your heart out.