Snails

 Remember when the garden used to have snails? As a child I would sit an watch them slowly oozing their way across a path or along a leaf. The silvery trail left behind and the squishy eyes that were sightless waving gently out front. When picked up they would retreat into their home. For my grandfather it was a different story as he waged war to keep them from his vegetable patch. Well it seems his side of the relationship with snails has won and my side can only reminisce. 

This snail is a sample, a prototype of what I envisage, a cloth snail with all the charm ,slowness and sightless moving. It’s for an upcoming group exhibition. 

I made this one from rust dyed poly cotton . I like the rust dye but maybe I should make his shell a different colour. I am not trying to produce something that looks exact , but something that gives the impression without reverting to the stuffed animal, cutesy toy. 

Buried Book

I have been reading about @emmafreeman who is making small books and then burying them for 1,2,3 months or more. She is sending some to participants offering to bury them in other countries. To meditate and the bury your intentions, to release something ,to transform from one state of being to another. The term ‘terma’ is used as the process of burying artifacts for future generations to follow.

I decided to join in the meditative an.d transforming process. To see the change in fabric and thread. So I stitched a wee book using a hanky, some old linen, cotton and tea dyed fabric.  Then went to bury it. Under the frangipanni tree which is a special tree. When digging the hole I was amazed at how dry the soil was even after a wet few days and just after a thunderstorm which brought a lot of rain. Must remember to water this garden bed more. 

I am going to leave it for one month before unearthing. 

Quilted vase

 I saw Heidi Parkes showed some of these vases with fabric applied to them, so thought I would give it a try. Wrapped a nice shaped bottle in scraps of left over Pellon,  Then taking smaller fabric scraps  I patched the bottle together. This was a simple and engaging activity. I enjoy the feeling of recycled fabrics and threads being turned into something so sweet and special. 

I am now looking closely at bottles and jars as I finish something. Some beautiful shapes in some. Could get a bit addictive

Off loom weaving

Inspired  by this quote by Emerson I found part of a spent seed pod on my daily walk. It looks like wee boat but the part we’re breaking apart. So I decided to try to hold it together with a weave across its middle. 

These warp threads are made with an old crochet cotton on a cardboard spool that I wrapped some onion skins into and left outside for awhile. Lazy kind of natural colouring without fussing with boiling water and pots and mordants and modifiers. Just nature taking its course. 

So this is where I got up to and will start the weaving using the same cotton wild dyed thread. May not stay that way as I found this thick string that I may add. Colour as well ? Not sure . I just start and go with the flow.