Washed and drying

So here they are freshly washed and drying in the breeze. I am really pleased with how the handkerchief turned out. The grid is well defined and may lead to a good story. In the corner you may see a small embroidered flower and other tiny details that was already on it.The calico scrap has two little people shapes cut out of it, so maybe I will place a piece of fabric under and reverse appliqué the shapes.

Rusting

I have made a little rust bundle of an indigo dyed handkerchief. Didn't look too good so now over dyed with rust. I wrapped the hankie and a piece of calico around a rusty grid I have saved for this purpose. Soaked in a vinegar and tea water. Left over night and now for the reveal

Now I will wash and rinse really well in bi-carb soda to neutralise the rusting process and stop it from further rusting. I want to try with only tea in the water as it gives blacker colour as the tannin in the tea reacts with the iron, and have no vinegar- next time.

30 days

30 days has April - it even included 5 days in Taiwan where I had to photograph and sketch my fellow travellers. Great practise at really looking. Mouths were difficult and I found only about 2 faces that really look like the person. Some of the others have familiar look to them but the rest don't really reflect any thing about the person.I am looking forward to doing more work on them to stitch down. 30 days has June.....maybe? And yes there is one cat in there as well as The Queen of Hearts from an early playing card on display in a Medieval exhibition at the Queensland Museum.

Story book

A new page in my story book being worked at in a follow along video inspiring 'classes' with Karen Ruane from Contempory Embroidery.

SaPa Textiles

Here are some of the textiles I purchased on a recent trip to Sapa a small mountainous township  in Vietnam.
The background piece is batik on handwoven hemp then dyed in indigo. The others are either old pieces or newer stitched by women from the Black Hmong or Dao tribes who live in or near SaPa in smaller villages. All of it an enormous amount of work. All soft and wonderful to touch and hold.

Faces

Here is one of the faces I have sketched with a black aquarelle , then lightly wet to give the water colour look to it. We are now 1/2 way through the 'challenge' and I am laying them out as I go on a very pale green vintage damask serviette. Not sure how I will attach them , needle turn applique , raw edge with a running or overcast , kantha the whole surface or join all squares together then attach. I will wait until they are all done

30 day project

My small art / textile group Broardstrokes is working on a small repetitive challenge. For every day in April we have to make a small component ,to be repeated each day over the month. At the end we will all have 30 small 'bits' that may add up to something else....or we can continue. These were meant to be to actually create each day, to get your mind focused on something, to be aware of small details. It doesn't have to be fabric, it doesn't have to involve stitch,can be whatever you want to focus on in a repetitive manner- maybe to fine tune a technique  . I will post mine when I finish my first for the month.