Jun 27
Lumix camera as it flitted from spike to spike on an anonymous plant in my
garden. Tony came to my rescue and proceeded to take about 30 pics with his
SLR. Thank you tony :) Lastly, I wanted to share my batik fabrics again now thay are washed and
dry. I love the reverse side of them as they have become delightfully
mottled and will be great fun to use. PHEW it is SO HOT here tonight. I have
been awake since 5am as I was cooking. I can't bear the window to be open as
the dawn chorus is so deafening around here at 4am.... This is not a good
way to be awakened Tony's sister has been in theatre all day and tonight is in the high
dependency unit. She has a lot of life to catch up on so we're hoping she is
going to make a speedy recovery and can come and lie in our gorgeous garden
to recouperate!
Hemingford Abbots, cake and batiks!
It has been the most perfect hot summer weekend here in Cambridge. Yesterday
we went to Hemingford Abbots and strolled around the open gardens drooling
over the manicured acres, many of which went down to the water's edge and
even included a boat mooring. It was blissful
Tony always insists that these outings culminate in tea and cake otherwise
he refuses to come so we chose the most splendid house in the village to
take tea. We chose carrot cake topped with a dreamy Philly topping and a big
slices of walnut cake. It was so hard to choose...and the cupcakes looked
truly divine. It would have been very easy to go back for seconds!
Lumix camera as it flitted from spike to spike on an anonymous plant in my
garden. Tony came to my rescue and proceeded to take about 30 pics with his
SLR. Thank you tony :) Lastly, I wanted to share my batik fabrics again now thay are washed and
dry. I love the reverse side of them as they have become delightfully
mottled and will be great fun to use. PHEW it is SO HOT here tonight. I have
been awake since 5am as I was cooking. I can't bear the window to be open as
the dawn chorus is so deafening around here at 4am.... This is not a good
way to be awakened Tony's sister has been in theatre all day and tonight is in the high
dependency unit. She has a lot of life to catch up on so we're hoping she is
going to make a speedy recovery and can come and lie in our gorgeous garden
to recouperate!
Jun 23
Batik Fabrics....and time management
I had a really good morning today at Rikki Oiutis's class at Cottenham. Today we had a go at batik and I used several of the fabrics I have dyed in the last few weeks. Rikki uses soy wax as it is easier to get it out of the fabric. She had some melting in a large electric frying pan (skillet) and some in a melting pot which is good if you want to use a jantung.
I started off by cutting a stencil and then painting on the wax in a spiral design. (later, I over painted it with blue and red)
The next fabric I simply scrunched up and dabbed the wax onto it to create random texture. (I splodged red and purple dyes onto to this piece later on)
The yellow sample was folded in a concertina fashion and the edges dipped in the hot wax. I opened it, let it cool and then re-folded in the opposite direction and re-dipped it. (It was later painted with teal and blue)
The flowery piece was made by brushing on the wax onto pale pink fabric. (It was later painted with yellow and red)
I allowed them all to dry hard and then later, I painted them with soda ash and then with the Procion dyes we have used before. It was so lovely sitting on the grass under the apple tree doing this this evening. It is so warm here in Cambridge right now....I'm making the most of it while it lasts.
Apr 26
outing to the V&A museaum in London on Sunday and it was my birthday. How
amazing was that? I couldn't think ofd a better way of spending the day than
with frinds and we all had a great time. We were booked into the exhibition
at 11.45 and it took nearly 2 hours to look round.
By lunchtime it was hot and sunny and we sat outside in the park area
watching the children running around in the shallow pool getting incredibly
wet. Some had come prepared wearing their wellies....HOPELESS!!Withing
seconds they were full of water and being used as buckets. It was difficult
to think this was all within the museum walls in the centre of London.
Later, we visited the textile department, having taken in the glass,
jewellery and stained glass en route and I spent a long time recodring
design ideas from ancient tapestries, an old silk apron and a fire screen. I
think maybe it is time to move on from cup cakes!
I am quite excited to think that I shall not be at work for a couple of
weeks now...I am at a study day tomorrow focussing on muculoskeletal
injuries so am frantically learning about distal, and proximal phalages, and
lateral and medial bits and pieces! After the bank holiday, I have taken a day off so I can get some creative
work done before we go off to Blencathra for a photographic weekend.I am
planning to be very busy.....!
Day at the V&A
What a wonderful way to spend a birthday! Our quilt group had organised anouting to the V&A museaum in London on Sunday and it was my birthday. How
amazing was that? I couldn't think ofd a better way of spending the day than
with frinds and we all had a great time. We were booked into the exhibition
at 11.45 and it took nearly 2 hours to look round.
By lunchtime it was hot and sunny and we sat outside in the park area
watching the children running around in the shallow pool getting incredibly
wet. Some had come prepared wearing their wellies....HOPELESS!!Withing
seconds they were full of water and being used as buckets. It was difficult
to think this was all within the museum walls in the centre of London.
Later, we visited the textile department, having taken in the glass,
jewellery and stained glass en route and I spent a long time recodring
design ideas from ancient tapestries, an old silk apron and a fire screen. I
think maybe it is time to move on from cup cakes!
I am quite excited to think that I shall not be at work for a couple of
weeks now...I am at a study day tomorrow focussing on muculoskeletal
injuries so am frantically learning about distal, and proximal phalages, and
lateral and medial bits and pieces! After the bank holiday, I have taken a day off so I can get some creative
work done before we go off to Blencathra for a photographic weekend.I am
planning to be very busy.....!
Apr 21
fine, just very contagious so she came over to help me do some blanket
dyeing. I have a stash of old woolen blankets and an equally big stash of
Dylon cold water dyes. Wool needs acid for the dye to work and acid equals
vinegar...an awful lot of vinegar I have to add! It stank in my kitchen
today....hot vinegar and wool is a bit like the smell you get from wet dog
and cooking chutney at the same time. Anyway, the results were good. I was delighted with the blackness of the
black dyed piece! I used two tins and there was not a drop of dye solution
left in the bucket by the time I'd done.
I also dyed one piece 'koala brown' but the blanket must have been a mix of
viscose and wool as it dyed two tone and looks like a discarded dog blanket
now! Well...maybe Rosie will be getting a little gift!
I dyed several pieces last week using pinks and purples and then pannicked
as there was still dye in the bucket so chucked in more and ended up wilth
paler versions of pink, purple and orange.
Elaine came over for lunch today and we had a go with Citrasolve as
described in Quilting Arts. We slapped it onto the pages of National
Geographic magazines, pressded the pages till they oozed black ink and then
waited for twenty minutes. MAGIC! The ink has dissolved and melted into
lovley muddly puddles which we stamped onto to create background
pages....just in case we need any scrummy, yummy, muddy papers anytime!
Blanket dyeing and altered pages
I've had a wonderful day today. Hope is off school with impetigo but she isfine, just very contagious so she came over to help me do some blanket
dyeing. I have a stash of old woolen blankets and an equally big stash of
Dylon cold water dyes. Wool needs acid for the dye to work and acid equals
vinegar...an awful lot of vinegar I have to add! It stank in my kitchen
today....hot vinegar and wool is a bit like the smell you get from wet dog
and cooking chutney at the same time. Anyway, the results were good. I was delighted with the blackness of the
black dyed piece! I used two tins and there was not a drop of dye solution
left in the bucket by the time I'd done.
I also dyed one piece 'koala brown' but the blanket must have been a mix of
viscose and wool as it dyed two tone and looks like a discarded dog blanket
now! Well...maybe Rosie will be getting a little gift!
I dyed several pieces last week using pinks and purples and then pannicked
as there was still dye in the bucket so chucked in more and ended up wilth
paler versions of pink, purple and orange.
Elaine came over for lunch today and we had a go with Citrasolve as
described in Quilting Arts. We slapped it onto the pages of National
Geographic magazines, pressded the pages till they oozed black ink and then
waited for twenty minutes. MAGIC! The ink has dissolved and melted into
lovley muddly puddles which we stamped onto to create background
pages....just in case we need any scrummy, yummy, muddy papers anytime!
Mar 5
A bouquet of flowers
Today I have been working on a few card designs and here is one of them. The
background is brown paper treated with cooking oil and stamped in gold. I am very flat at the moment so nothing creative coming out right now. To be
loved is everything. Thank goodness for friends.x
Mar 4
blog and keep creative but I have been busy and here is what I've been
making. First, I made 11 paper mazes for stock. We are having a sale in
October so I thought I'd start making a few small things to sell.
Next, I have finished a piece of paper fabric that I used as part of a demo
at the quilt group a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what I shall do with
it yet but am off to Belstead next week so might take it with me and convert
it into something pretty!
Lastly, I have filled a little book I made, covered with fabric from a
workshop years ago, with pictures of frinds at Belstead. I'm off into
Cambridge today to check out the Country Market as it might be the place to
sell my cards.
Brag Book, paper fabric and scrapbook
Now that 'Thing a Day' has finished it is difficult to discipline myself toblog and keep creative but I have been busy and here is what I've been
making. First, I made 11 paper mazes for stock. We are having a sale in
October so I thought I'd start making a few small things to sell.
Next, I have finished a piece of paper fabric that I used as part of a demo
at the quilt group a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure what I shall do with
it yet but am off to Belstead next week so might take it with me and convert
it into something pretty!
Lastly, I have filled a little book I made, covered with fabric from a
workshop years ago, with pictures of frinds at Belstead. I'm off into
Cambridge today to check out the Country Market as it might be the place to
sell my cards.
Feb 28
Jelly baby apron, teacosy and big bag!
Today is mum's 88th birthday and here she is modelling the apron I made her
from just SOME of the jelly baby bags she has been collecting over the
years! She was so thrilled. The big bag is not going to be used for
shopping...Oh no.....it is going to be used for storing her STASH of JBs!
It has been fun taking part in this year's 'Thing a Day'. I hope to keep in
touch with people through 'posterous' and hope to keep up the creative
momemtum as much as possible. It is so easy to blog here so no excuses!
