Paper-cloth

I went to the Craft Show in Brisbane yesterday which was terrific and very inspiring.
Of course, had to buy some beads, some  packets of luscious fabrics, threads, book.
One book Stitch Alchemy shows a technique to create sheets of paper-cloth.
Basically, you put a piece of fabric on some freezer paper, slap some diluted white glue on it and cover it with strips of paper. The resulting sheet can be used to paint, stitch, embellish, cut..whatever.
I did 3 today.
#1: gold tissue paper and the handmade paper our washing came back in when we were in Bali many years ago plus some junk mail.
#2: a no longer required dressmaking pattern
#3: I used pastels to colour ordinary printing paper and added a paper serviette and some coffee crystals.
The sheets are about A3, but I could only scan part of them.





#3

 


#1







#2



Unfortunately, I cannot seem to control where this pictures go.

What can I do with these sheets?

If I want to add stitching, these are nice and firm and need no further stabilizing.

Maybe I'll make some bookmarks? Some ATCs? acrylic paint? 

Next projects

I was gently pushed into making an entry for the Glen Rock Quilters' Challenge: Wine, Roses and All That Jazz.
I agreed, because I happen to have something already half made!
This
This is a quilt made with gold fabric, music fabric for the binding and for a previous exhibition, I temporarily attached some postcards. They were a gift and I had to give them back, but I still have this quilt.
Unfortunately the gold organza I used cannot stand the heat of the iron necessary to have something fused to it.
But I can make some elements and just hand stitch them on.

The deadline after that is "Down to Earth" I don't want to make anything that takes too long. Painters are lucky in that respect, they seem to be able to do a painting in a week with lots of time to spare.

At the moment, my thoughts are going to a snake. This is an outside exhibition, could I make a fabric snake that curls and that can be hung from a tree?
What if: I cut a wide spiral out of fabric, wide enough to stitch the edges together, stuff it to make it into a kind of spirally sausage??

I can then decorate it with stitching, beads and whatever.

Creating background

The quilt sandwich is made and is approx. 32" square.
Layers: Iron on interfacing on the bottom fused to bamboo wadding fused with paper backed fusible to the Dupion Silk.
I made templates of the outline of my hand in 3 sizes. (resized in CorelDraw).
25 Hand outlines are drawn on the back of the quilt sandwich, which is the interfacing.

I went through my threads and yarns and selected 2: an orangy hand spun silk thread, given to me many years ago by an 80 year old lady called Norma, a variegated jeans topstitching thread.
I made a test quilt the same as the main quilt and tried them out.

I liked the orange thread the best, with it slightly lumpy texture.

More ticky-tocky

 

It is looking good, isn't it!

I love the way the organza mutes the design of the fabric underneath. 

The stars are now defined.

Being able to design on the computer and print has made this element so much easier. especially the numbers on the clock. 

What I like about blogging this project is that, even though I think I am not getting anywhere, I can see progress.

I've ordered the wrought iron quilt hanger, I am committed to enter a new piece in the Musical Gems exhibition at the end of next month. Thank goodness for deadlines!

I am going to start on another element, while I consider how to design the hands of the clock with a sense of movement.  If I can't think of any way to get that effect well, I'll just put 2 hands in.....

36" x 34"

I discussed my dilemma about the size with husband Gerry. By that time, I had the size down to 24" so I could hang it from the wrought iron hanger I already have.
When I showed him the 30" triskele and discussed the impact I wanted to make, he suggested I go with that size and get a hanger to fit.
What he said was "You'll make it beautiful and it will be well worth getting a nice hanger for it"
Next I had to find the materials to make the base and a fabric to cover it:  I have the iron-on Vilene for the back, wadding for the middle layer and the only fabric I had enough of for the actual background was a piece of ivory Dupion silk. Considering how much of that is going to be covered by the triskele, it seems a waste of time and materials to cover it with embellishments. It is better to embellish once the triskele is on.
What I don't have is enough Vliesofix to fuse the silk to the wadding, hopefully I can get that at Twilight Craft today.
Meanwhile there is plenty I can do: get the triskele ready to fuse on, start working with the elements. Thank goodness I have enough printable cotton!
I am now at the stage where I am happy to let the piece design itself.
What it means is that I take it the way it wants to go. For example, the decision which fabric to use for the background is simply based on a choice between the fabrics I have enough of. No agonising, no racing to the shop to buy another fabric.
The hard decisions are made, now comes the fun part!

Quick and easy pointed fan blade

Here is a quick and easy way to make the points for the blades.
Blade template has to have a straight top.
Fold in half lengthwise, right sides together. Press.
Stitch the top as per sample.
Turn right side out. Push the point out. Use the pressed centre line to make sure the points is in the centre.
Press.

You can now stitch blades together. I don't know about you, I avoid needle turn applique like the plague, but this type of applique I can handle!

What is this?

When you use Fan blocks that you intend to rotate,the blades of one block can meet the quarter circle seam.

I made a trial block and found that didn't happen, it was maybe 1/8"  out.

That, to me, is a problem, because as the blocks were joined, they would look like I was a sloppy quilter who just couldn't be bothered to have those points meet.

The solution is to redesign the block so that the points are offset, rather than meeting. 

Here is how that would look.

I've taught classes where this "not meeting" really bothered some of the students and of course, if that's you, this method wouldn't suit you. However, I like the fact that I don't have so many points to meet when joining the blocks. 

Tarots and baby quilt

People on the AT forum suggested I could create my own Tarot Deck. I immediately shuddered to think I would have to creat another 56 works! The 22 took over my life for nearly 12 months and I want to do other things.
But they said: "Just do the Majors". For the uninitiated: I did the Major Arcana, 22 of them. Full deck includes the Minor Arcana...another 56.
I am thinking, how do I go about that, find a publisher? But no, you can actually buy blank Tarot cards to print yourself. I can just see that: with a fancy little bag to store them in! Some people on the AT Forum tell them they would buy them!
Anyway, would make lovely gifts and definitely doable.
Traditionally, all Tarot decks have a name. I don't have one. Any suggestions?
Besides Tarots, I did a bit more work on the the first Dutch quilt. Only worked on the design. Did I tell you I have some blocks fused ready to stitch? Kangaroo, platypus and the name of the recipient. I don't want to put the name here, it is very unusual, I don't want the parents even to know i am making that quilt: let's call him Fred. :-)
Won't do much tomorrow: I am having an artist date with Kathy from Koolkat Quilting
We're going to see Deb's (my drawing teacher) exhibition and have lunch together.
An artists day is something suggested in Julia Cameron's The Artists Way book.
Saturday is Toogoolawah Show day, looking at cattle, fine art, craft and cooking entries as well as horticultural and agricultural entries. A small side show alley and catching up with people.