Workshops

Sunday, September 29, 2013

a little of this and a little of that

 I have been awake and ready at 4am every morning for quite some time - mainly for the America's Cup races which sadly did not pan out as all New Zealanders hoped but Dean Barker's gracious speech made me very proud to be a NZ citizen. The America's Cup world has a lot to thank NZ for and even Larry Ellison said it wouldn't happen without NZ. Such deep pockets you need though. I expect my sleeping habits will just come right when it is time to depart for London. This morning we got up early to watch the rugby  - far more important.  The bbq is in the scene because it has rained and rained and rained and we can't use it - actually it is past its use by time and Ian needs to go get another. Someone a while back mentioned a Weber - well we have one of those but we really love this little hibachi. I keep telling him to go get it before the rain stops in case everyone else buys one.  There was a tiny period of non rain today so we could plant half the front garden.



 I am still on the deli paper - this is the Aussie deli paper - it is very similar - I have been using it as a base on which to spray tags with Glitz Spritz - these are the basket tags for Ally Pally - and then I use the gelli plate to create lovely paper. Always more to do later. All the boxes went off to London on Friday night - lots of work - not so much so many boxes but being quite specific about what to take and trying to keep in a weight limit - it is never our desire to have to bring things back - even more expense on return than going. So I hope I have a great eclectic collection of our lovely stuff to appeal to the visitors who come to the show. then Ian has all the paper work to do which looks rather tiresome to me and then pop it all out to the carriers. It should be in London tomorrow.

 I decided to make a bowl whilst vegetating in front of the tv - there really isn't anything much to watch these days - I used the new silk cording we have http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/exotic/silkcording/text.htm - if you want to check it out. Pleased with how it turned out and then because I had nothing better to do, I made a lid for the top. All in an evening's work.


 Here's the lid on the top like a pudding. Each hank has a myriad of colours - with most Indian silk fibres you get a lot of red but I asked for as much other colour as I could have. Of course - what you stitch with makes a wee difference. I have used a multi coloured wool I had.


Finished the cover or page one of my Provence book/journal whatever you might call it/ Every time we go away I gather and start - drawings - stitching etc - but when we get home I pop everything in a basket and there it sits - I am hoping to get a few pages completed this week before we go away again.

I am trying to decide on a colour theme for my holiday stitch this year - I an setting myself a challenge to work with just one stitch as preparation for one of my articles in the e-mag. I thought of black and white with a touch of red but now I am not sure. Maybe I should stick to the bright colours or.... Any suggestions appreciated. I just am not good at being willy nilly - I have to have a colour  plan in my head. Anyone else like that? It will waste hours while I think and change my mind.

Spoilt Harley still on the go - she actually climbed a tree onto the studio roof yesterday - after Ian popped her part way up it. The other night we sat outside with a wine to watch eh sunset except that Ian had to stand because Harley sat in his chair - that is how spoilt she is. Chez Rollerson is the place for Harley.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

crumbs it is Sunday again already

 Not quite sure where the time has gone - we seem to have been incredibly busy. The bottlebrush tree is alive with flowers - the plants have still not been planted in the front garden - the rain and storms have arrived again although the damns are nowhere near full enough. Strange seasons.

 Grant has been and returned from San Francisco and they ended up 3rd so a place on the podium. The America's Cup is going on and on - the last elusive win for Team NZ is not here. Tomorrow they say - but tomorrow seems a long way away.

We enjoyed the rugby last Saturday and will do so next Saturday I am sure.



I have started on hand stitching again with the plan to move into experimental ideas. I have started one of my articles for Issue 3 of  threads-in.Fusion - I found one of my experimental pieces using buttonhole stitch. It looks like like fireworks, don't you think? 

Ian is down to doing the business end stuff for Issue 2 and the web page will change soon so that new subs will start from that. So today is your last change to subscribe if you want to start from Issue 1. http://www.thethreadstudio.com/catalogue/infusion/text.htm I am so impatient but he is working on all of the links etc - the sort of detail I always ignore. I will be sending the codes etc out as soon as he has finished.

Here is what I have been playing with - fly stitch - one of my favourites and ripe for experimenting with. Loads more to come. Issue 3 incidentally will be titled Stitchy Stitchy and we have lots of interesting articles coming up for that.

In the meantime I have started packing for Ally Pally - our boxes go on Friday - I have rolled and labelled many Flimsies and today I made up a pile of Time to Experiment packs. I hadn't realized how few we have left. So another busy week coming up. Just as well we have booked our holiday for after the show.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Hand Dyed Chiffon Ribbon

 These are our very new hand dyed chiffon ribbons - dyed by Martien and Jacinta - they are not on the web and Ian is super busy with the e-mag issue two so we can get it to you as fast as so I am doing my own little sales here instead. Each is a one-off and they are $10 each or any 10 pot luck for $70 plus postage.
PS The special has now finished but we do still have a lovely selection of different hand dyed colours.
There are more than these but this is enough for now. They are crinkly chiffon and will felt in really well so for dry and wet felting or any surface stitchery or for knitting or making cords or anything else exciting like that. If you want - just email me mail@thethreadstudio.com
So - choose from the numbers or take a punt. They are all lovely. I will put the colour each is most like beside each one but they are not necessarily true to the colour


 1 - Victorian Rose
 2 - Rivendell
 3 - Royal Shiraz
 4 - Feast
 5 - Symphony
 6 - Canopy
 7 - Grey Power
 8- Pilgrim
 9 - similar to Rivendell
 10 - the closest to a black - Grey Power
 11 - Kimberley Dreaming
 12 - blues and greys
 13 - a Gelati with a difference
 14 - Shades of Ochre
 15 - earthy kinda
 16 - Sandslip
17 - Pinky Marshmallow

Thursday, September 12, 2013

some sailing

 We are enjoying the sailing in San Francisco - first the America's Cup which we have managed to see on catch up - things are going very well at the moment for the kiwi.s
Grant is also sailing there in the 18ft skiffs - there are 21 of them and they seem to have to fit around the big boats - in fact yesterday the big boats (probably no road sense) came a tad wee close and the race dinghy popped in between. I expect it would have been frustrating - no doubt we will hear more if it was.


There are quite a few kiwis in the fleet and they are running 1st and 2nd after 6 races - Grant is coming third. There is the on Fisher and Paykel in the middle - he has a back swan on his sail and a nice black spinnaker.

Back at base we are working away flat out - I have decided it is time to cut and roll all the silk laps - they are everywhere in the kitchen but I got through a few today. A little more under control now. I have also started packing etc for London because it will catch up on me so one box is done. full of threads and fabrics so far.

The other night we went to the Apple Daily - Perth dining down town has grown up and we could have been in Melbourne or London. It is in Print Hall - excellent food. We don't usually go into town to eat but will be back here again.

Tonight, though, we are off to Ace Pizza because James the chef is finishing this week - things might change after that.

Sunday, September 08, 2013

all sorts




Pottering around with the black and white painted and printed deli paper, wax paper and Tissutex, I decided to cut and weave them and stitch them. Then I cut a flower shape and stitched it with red. It doesn't show that well but simply playing while I think.

We have had a busy weekend - first we had to go and vote, something we object to as we don't believe it should be compulsory and anyway both leaders are totally unbearable. And the cohorts who run with them. How to avoid opening one's ears for the next few years because you can bet that all those false promises will be exactly that. With the rhetoric to match.

Then we enjoyed two games of rugby - the All Blacks (and I am so pleased the weather was not like that in Wellie) and then I doubt if the Wallabies would have been happy with their result - maybe they still haven't got the messiah they thought they were getting after disposing of Robbie.

Still playing the deli paper - I did a rubbing with a Shiva stik and then sprayed over the top with Sun Dye Fabric paint - this is acrylic and I was interested to see how it worked or didn't work. Good texture though.


So I tried another and sprayed with different colours. This is the local wax paper and when I hit it with the heat gun it started distorting. Very interesting. Not sure what I will do next though.


I sprayed a sheet of Tissutex with Flat Fabios (they are the Moonglow without the mica) and when dry, did a rubbing with a red paintstik.

This one I did a rubbing on deli paper and then sprayed - you might be able to see how the spray bubbled rather than soaked in. And the paintstik stands out more. I have done a few others using Paintstiks but you will have to either wait for or subcribe to the e-mag to see them. Ian is working hard on it this weekend so we are getting closer.

Grant is in San Francisco for the 18ft Skiffs - his boat is Fisher and Paykel if you happen to be watching the America's Cup as they are racing their heats straight afterwards starting today. Of course he will be enjoying watching the AC - NZ have had two great wins so far.

Thursday, September 05, 2013

spring has sprung

 Spring has sprung and the days right now are glorious - a good time of the year. We have had lots of rain which we need and before too long it will be hot hot and more hot so this is oxtail just out of the oven for basically our last winter meal. Waiting for bbq time to start - Ian has to go buy a new one first. I am gathering some new salad recipes in preparation but actually the back garden needs a spring over first. however Issue 2 of threads.In-fusion comes first.


 I have got my three different sorts of paper - deli paper - local waxed paper from the supermarche and Tissutex. I don't usually work with black and white so dithered around a bit then I decided to collage some to a background but not with a medium like most people do but with CMC paste. Why? Who knows....
The deli paper everyone tells me is great translucent but as I have painted it with Opulent paints and blanche and triesse are opaque not translucent, there is no seeing through. Then I just had a play and stitchied all over the surface. The interesting thing is that triesse which has gold mica in the black (yum) came out black on the deli paper and the waxed paper but you can see the gold on the Tissutex - this will be because Tissutex is a fibrous paper and the others are not.


I simply turned it upside down to photograph it. Play play very important so we will see where I go with this one.


We have been very busy this week - lots of things arriving some not on the web yet but very nice to see one of my little pieces on the front cover of Embellish.

I haven't replaced my laptop yet and am missing my inkjet printer so when I have cleared a space by the big computer I will be able to pop it there. Too much stuff but I can't play with what.

Last night we went out with Val and Jim who are supposed to on their way back on a cruise which didn't and tonight we are off out with Jaslyn to a new restaurant for us. We will be enormously pleased when the election is over and the way the polls tell it, the voters will get what they deserve but don't complain to us. Far more important - two rugby games to watch on Saturday.

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