Ho Hum

Picture so far ........

Lots of faffing about this afternoon placing fabrics and papers on the piece; and taking them off again ..... on and off ....... on and off ........

This is where I have got to now. Layers of fabrics and papers for the "sea" at the bottom.
Layers or sheers, organza's and some tissue paper at the top.

There is supposed to be a boat sailing away in the middle - but when I cut out a paper template and placed it in position - I didn't like it. The sea and sky overpowered it.

So I am having to have a re-think about the design. Meanwhile I still have the original design in my head.

I think in preparing this background - I strayed away from my original design - which was quite ethereal - and have done a more literal sea scape - sort of on automatic pilot - and now I don't know where to take it!

Anyway - no studio time tomorrow - and I must tend the veg garden on Sunday - so that will give me lots of thinking time to resolve the design and process.

Oh ..... my piece "Sacred Mysteries" has been accepted for hanging at the open art competition, so I am pleased about that.

To days Journal Page

Tissue Paper, print and fabric layers stuck together, then cut and re-pieced.
Stitching and felt pens.
(size aprox 8ins high)

Very fed up with all these grey skies we are having just now. Not much time in the studio to-day - just enough to do a journal entry.

To Day in the Studio

Had some time today in the studio - but was not very focused!

I was contemplating these papers - When I paint bondaweb - these are the backing papers once the bondaweb has been removed - and they are a happy accidents - and far to good to chuck away - but didn't come up with anything I really want to do with them today - maybe tomorrow!

The next "event" that I have to prepare for is a craft fair here in the village in September - and I want to make some greetings cards.

When I do "small embroideries" as greetings cards, they take a phenomenal amount of time. So I wanted to do something quicker and I am playing around with paper layers and stitching - using papers I created over the years.

Golden Music Paper

This is a piece of paper I made last year (size approx A4) It is made from layers of tissue paper, some of which were stamped or drawn on. Pages from a music book and loose fibres, with more tissue paper on top. The whole piece has been brushed over with quite a thick gold acrylic paint - which was quickly rubbed away. It also had some pearl ex powder sprinkled on top and rubbed in.

I am going to cut this up to make "toppers" for greetings cards - hearts and flowers are always popular. So I have started cutting out hearts from another piece of laminated tissue papers - and stitched this onto the background.

Close up detail of heart



size approx 4 inches high

Still quite fed up with the blog being off line for a day or two this is why;-

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Is it going to happen again? - If they check you out once does that mean it wont happen again? Should I take my blog elsewhere? All these silly little questions going on in the back of my head. I am glad it happened after I finished the big piece - because the piece and the blog were very linked in my mind.

A Gift for a friend.

Rain again today - so another studio day as no gardening!

I wanted to make a piece as a gift for my cousin who became a priest on Sunday - and I wanted to complete the piece in one day. I nearly achieved it - but I have got a few finishing touches to do tomorrow.

I have taken the angel element from the large piece - as this angel is meaningful to both of us.

For the background I layered dyed pieces of tissue and tissuetex left over from the last project. I bonded these layers together using bondaweb. As I really did not like the colours - I was left with very dark blue and acid yellow - I over painted the bonded papers with golden and pearl acrylic paint - this left me with quite a strange plasticy surface - but that was fine. I then cut an arch shape out of the bonded papers.

I printed the angel onto ExtrvOrganza and then bondawebed the organza onto heavyweight vylene - which had all ready been coloured with a dilute mix of fabric dye and gold acrylic paint.

I placed the tissue layers over the angel do that she was sitting in the arch - then machine zig-zaged around the arch in gold thread. Then I did my usual thing of putting the whole lot onto water soluble fabric as a support while I did the machine and hand stitching.

As for my big piece - I have ignored it all day - and looking at it this evening - it is finished!
And ...... its OK