Quarantine block

ABC radio in Brisbane is calling for blocks to depict a snapshot of time in quarantine. What made you happy? What gave you joy? Using bright bold fibre, yarn and thread create a 15 x15 cms square from any technique such as knitting, crochet, patchwork, felting, embroidery, appliqué, weaving, dyeing, spinning and lacemaking in bright, bold happy colours. These will all be assembled into a wall hanging.

My block, made from bright patchwork and quilting fabrics using an English paper pieced method is all made by hand. The birdbath and bird were embroidered with black DMC thread.

During my time in lock down I had time to do some of those at home tasks that had mounted up. This included clearing, cleaning and tidying out my home studio room. Tucked away in many boxes were these bright fabrics from years ago. They had reached the bottom of the pile as I very rarely work in such bright colours now. So it was good to dig them out and when I was alerted to this project they were near at hand. The image of the birdbath came into this quarantine time as I set up a birdbath in my back yard and actually had time during each day to sit, watch and feel the joy of the birds taking a bath or having a drink. Mostly Noisy Mynas but at times a Butcher Bird and Magpies certainly hung around.

Avocado Dye

Three pieces of cotton dyed with avocado seeds. The colours shown here are not at all like they are,but it does show the middle piece is much darker than the other two. This one was prepared for dying beforehand with a soy milk treatment to get the protein into the fabric. The other two have taken colour slightly. At least they are not the crisp white they were. It depends on what is needed. I quite like the subtle colour. The middle one certainly is more pinkish than it looks here. The top piece was an old piece of a dress lining. The print is from a sketch I made of the boats at Gardens Point on The Brisbane river. I traced the sketch onto som transfer paper, put a bit of colour in with transfer crayons and ironed onto fabric.

Biscornu

can you ever have too many pin cushions or pin pillows. I made this biscornu while following India Flints programme within the School of Nomad Arts. Sailing in the Armchair around the world. It is made with an old scrap of indigo dyed fabric on one side and ecodyed Colton on the top. Some stitching and an offset way to put it together. Two vintage mother of pearl button to hold together into the pillow shape.

All hand stitched. 

UFO

I have decided to complete a few of my many pieces just waiting for further inspiration, particular colour of fabric or thread to finish or courage to go the next step. I read somewhere that so often pieces of textile art get to an ‘ugly’ stage where being unresolved , not quite there or simply in many pieces and directions.  We have to work on through the ugly stage to the beauty beyond. I wonder if this is why so many works in progress become what is termed a UFO in the quilting world. The maker was just unable to work through this stage, it all became too much, too difficult or too much time neede to complete.  The bag I started years ago . The outer bag was stitched together and waiting for the wool embroidery to go on top.

I didn’t do the embroidery because I was overwhelmed with choosing colours from my small stash of wool yarns. What if I picked the wrong colour , what if they don’t work or go together, what if I couldn’t do the embroidery?  So this bag sat and waited until now. With the lockdown I am calm and my time is not spent rushing from one activity to another always planning projects, doing workshops, reading about other textile artists, buying fabrics and threads but never finding much time to actually DO.
So here it is the embroidery is finished and now I will start on the lining. This is from a book by Ségolaine Schweitzer called A Trip Around the World.

Drawing

Two different kinds of drawing. Glimpses of the cockatiels as they are constantly on the move.

I just sat with my Journal and sketched wholes and parts, beaks, heads and legs. Then a little watercolour without over thinking any of this.

Next drawing on stitched paper. Made a brush from fabric and a stick. This was dipped in black ink and the drawing began. The next step , wrapped up with onion skins over night to add more colour. This changed the hand of the paper , softened .

Tree of Life

This is my wee experiment from Anne Kelly ‘s challenge in the @TextileArtist community challenges online. Folk art all came together by just going and not thinking too much.  Lace and pieces of a vintage doiley. Appliqués on with whichever method I felt was neede for the piece. It makes me smile as it is bright and cheery. I might add some old buttons.