Malala

Working on my Malala quilt. A young girl with strength . While listening to inexplicable acts.

Spring Flower Magic

I began working on this as a response to a 'floral carpet' as a a challenge for my six member Broadstrokes textile art group. It remained unfinished. So when I read that Atasda (QLD) was having a challenge due in the September meeting with a similar topic I continued to work on it. The challenge is entitled Spring Flower Magic and a quote from Ralph Waldorf Emerson 'The earth laughs in flowers' used as an inspiration. But I had not read the fine print where the date of this challenge is 2013. So I am 2 years too late!!! But here it is I will still take it along to the meeting to show.

The background is made up of an old  Chinelle bedspread as the carpet. Then silk flowers machine embroided on . These came from the effects of my Aunt Jill when we had to clear out her house for sale. She always had flowers both real and artificial decorating her home. Other flowers are cut from fabric and old lei pre made embroidery patches and some stamped images. The black and white adds the touch of magic and the eyes to give it life .

10 years

I have made this piece for a display for ATASDA Queensland branch to help celebrate 10 years. The pieces have to be attached or worked onto a canvas with a 10 cm edge. I have made a background collage of blues, some indigo dyed, a piece of silk, two commercial fabrics and a printed piece on the left. The buttons are vintage and luckily I had enough of them to mark out number 10 in Braille. I have since changed the buttons as the cell for 0 was stitched on incorrectly but I didn't have time to photograph.

Soft pink Hard message

 Here is my quilt Jus Animalia. It is a message for animal rights that are sometimes so commonplace we don't even have time to notice. I have always been haunted by the poem Bells of Heaven written by Ralph Hodgson since being required to learn it in the fifth grade. The background is eco dyed with onion skins then it is stamped with a wheel motive ( for all the animals who spent lifetimes walking in circles turning wheels for humans). I have stitched animals representing various forms of abuse. The religious symbols speak to the poems message of good people turning their backs on those in trouble ( in this case the animals). There are other symbols and messages in the stitching .I really loved slowly thinking and stitching this piece.

Avocado dye

Put a pot on to boil with some avocado skin and a lot of avocado stones. I cut them into about thirds, softer to cut than I thought they would be. I put a copper rod into the pot . The large piece is a very soft old cotton remnant. I did not pre- soak in soy or anything to add protein to help the colour bind. The next size is silk and the small piece is wool batting, which probably has some percentage of polyester. I also have now in the same pot added some eucalyptus leaves and have clamped together some silk pieces between Perspex with eucalyptus leaves between the silk. I will let this dry well before opening.

Tea bag dress becoming

Tea bag dress is becoming more.  Embroidered  daisies down front and across shoulders. Maybe more to come . Swathed from back to front hem. Around the hem is some vintage lace that came my way. Pondering on what it needs at the front to close the opening- a button, old earring, brooch, mass of french knots, beads? Will keep it out to just look some more. I did some printing samples on more Tea bags with the Acacia leaf prints - another dress?

Back view 

Leaf Printing

I have been practising some leaf printing. These were printed onto some vintage linens and a rough piece of calico ( which also serves as my clean up cloth). I used Setacolor fabric paints and I have yet to iron set them. The colours were a primary blue and green with a little bit of white. When rollered they melded to a lovely green. The plants were two kinds of Wattle ( Acacia) that were growing at my Dad's house. I am considering a piece inspired by the back yard. To look closely at what is in my immediate environment. Look .See .Notice it will be personal it will reflect on where I live right now in this moment, maybe rubbing, printing, Eco dying, photos, colours, moods, flowers.
,seasons in my little speck on this planet.

Log cabins blues

Had some strips of white and some 'acquired' indigo blues from Ali George in a throw out pile. Making them up into little log cabins and the set as a nine patch. The triangles at the top I had appliqued years ago for some project that I have forgotten about. Might make it bigger with some more white log cabins as I have several cut strips in the stash and I am coming to like this. It may go further....

Transfer Dye

Yesterday I transfer dyed these fabrics during a demonstration / mini workshop by Robyn and Meredith ( not sure of surnames but they are from the Boonah area) at Queensland Quilters Art Quilters meeting day. The colours are not as good as they really are! I have tied small rocks in one before sponging on the dye . In another I tried to use lace as a resist. Another I painted on one colour then added rock salt as it dried in the sun. One simply had several colours painted on as in a landscape and the final one I had done the painting of the dye with the fabric on the top of a piece of photocopy paper .This paper was then ironed, with its residual colours onto fabric which is the traditional way to use transfer dyes.

Tea Bag Dress

Some time in the past I stuck some tea bags onto a piece of calico for what reason I don't recall.
I am looking at them now with different eyes- I have an old Barbie doll dress pattern and if I stick on a few more Tea bags I can cut out and make up the dress

Paper Dolls

On my design wall at the moment is a small piece in progress. This is a challenge for Queensland Quilters Art Quilt group. More dresses to be added as well as the doll...maybe....now deciding edges and extensions. Each dress is designed according to each months  inspiration cues for the challenge.

Look See

I have been re reading my childhood during these winter holidays and of course looking at the words and images thru different 'eyes'. An inscription in the sequel Down the Bright Stream reads:
The wonder of the world, the beauty and the power, the shapes of things, their colours, lights, and shades; these I saw. Look Ye also while life lasts. The Little Grey Men was written in 1942 and is full of minute and detailed images of the English countryside. I am inspired to go into my backyard and look closely at life that may inspire some textile creation- maybe a sketch, some Eco-dying, printing with foliage, a photo to be taken and transferred to fabric or simply the colours from the blue sky down to the deep dark soil.

King of Tonga

I read recently that on 4 th July the Coronation for the new King of Tonga  ,Tupou VI ,took place. This brought back memories of when I was in Tonga in April 2012. This was  only weeks after the reigning King , George Tupou V passed on 18th March 2012. The country was in mourning and metres and metres of purple fabric were stretched around the streets, on fences, houses, shops. I made this piece to commemorate that time in Tonga. It includes the purple colour, photos I took that were printed on paper and  momogamied ,and sea glass findings from the beaches.

Making a start

This  is the first post where I simply want to record the progress of my textile endeavours

Angel made during a four week online class with Sara Lechner