hot hot hot and more hot

Seems the usual - record heat here for 47 years or something and floods in Qld. That's how it is folks and we can expect more of it. Harley went outside this morning and didn't come back - at 41 degrees - until Ian turned the water on tonight to give everything some relief. She is so good at hiding we will never know. She also doesn't know that tomorrow night we are off for a week.

As usual I have been collecting things to take with me for a little playing - this time sticking to my Marrakesh theme.

 A little background for hand stitching - I have chosen my hand  threads

 Some stencil work and colour in my Khadi  sketchbook and I have gathered my pencils and pens and a few other colours and I have also gathered some rough sketches to play with

 Then I have been scrumbling Tissutex which has been Shiva - ed and sprayed with Starbursts
 and stitched etc

and the old paper napkin on the layer trick

and a rubbing and spray and some gilding flakes - thinking about this.Moroccan work has gold and I would like to incorprate some flakes so this was both a use of a sample and a test. The wonderful pattern is the Marakesh stencil.

Quilting Arts 55 also arrived very late last night so I was up bright and early to get them all away before we go. There are just a few left over if anyone is interested. I had a quick read and was impressed enough to pop it in my back pack for plane reading.

One more sleep and off we fly tomorrow night. Long time in aeroplane for sure..... Lots to do tomorrow - Ian has cleaned all the gutters - this is what you have to do when you have all the lovely trees we have. now we are off to eat because the cupboards seem rather bare apart from our lemon yoghurt and banana for breakfast.

good news and bad news and some help

I am trying to put my new Marrakesh colours together and asked what people thought on facebook - I do love those blues but it becomes too muddled and I think this is more what I am after. What do you think?

This is a little piece I started in my workshop in Melbourne. A simple transfer of a drawing and silk carrier rods with all the added extras.

I didn't mask it so some colour merged in but it's all play and practice.

The bad news is - it is extremely hot and getting hotter - fortunately we will be off to Los Angeles on Thursday for the CHA (Craft and Hobby Trade Show) and should miss the 42 degrees for Saturday although I notice it is going to be around 26 degrees there. Heat likes to follow me. The second lot of bad news is that I am waiting for my new glasses and the humidity makes my one armed ones fall off my face all the time. Two more days to go.

Now for the good news - my bad seems to have recovered from its muscular debilitating pain and we have got an upgrade to premier class on the long leg from Auckland to L.A. Air N.Z. sent me an email inviting me to bid for seats so I struck a sort of mid range price and got lucky!. Didn't think we had a chance. Sometimes you just get lucky. I have also bought myself some compression stockings becasue the general consensus was that I probably did have dvt from my sulk back from London. SInce then I spend all flights exercising furiously.

some more artful journey from Melbourne

 I have found some more photos on my phone - bit of a mess - I may have to wipe them all off - these ones were way back in the depths of numbers. This was a lovely paper napkin someone had. There are gems out there. I found some wonderful ones in Provence.

 Another one using motifs

 June's one - love the bird slips - June got me thinking about grids and openings and closings.

 The patination effect was wonderful.

Dot's - who wasn't at all keen on sewing but came through....

It's still stinking hot and sticky here and my back is slowly coming good - last time you will ever see me lug a 20 kilo box and an 18 kilo suitcase up the stairs for any workshop - ever......

TAST 2

Nothing like being behind - but you know better late than never is okay. Tast 2 was buttonhole stitch - one of my favourites.

it is grossly hot here in Perth - anyone want it?

Artful Journey Workshop in Melbourne

I thought I had taken loads more photos than this - and I am very sorry I missed June's as she did some wonderful work. I have also not got names of whose is whose so I must apologise

 This was wonderful and we had fun with paper napkins -

 and more paper napkins and slips and the like

 and silk paper making

 and a colelction

foils of course and some wonderful things going to happen.

If I find the other pictures I am sure I took I shall share them.

Yesterday we finally got our shipment of Wet and Grow - the compresssed sponge which is great for printing with. And today in the extreme heat I packaged 24 kilos of new Corriedale wool colours. Think we have the full range bar one missing colour now.

My back is on the getting better - just have to be extra careful when I stand up - a right nuisance and in the extreme heat today my one armed glasses kept falling off. Hanging in until Wednesday like a one armed bandit!

Plodding along

I am back home again - brought the heat back, broke one of the arms of my glasses so it is like having opera specs and apart from the outrageous cost of new games and lenses (they cost more than the frames) just hoping they are ready in time for our trip to US next Thursday. As well as that the good bed in the motel was not so nice to my back so I am nursing that back to normal

But I thought I would show a wee bit more of some if the work fm my embellisher workshop


This is Lynda's woven ready to go - I do love weaving stuff





I am now not sure whose this was but it is a wonderful collection - don't you love the two shades.





Lois used some sari ribbon and cut it up




This is Margaret's


I managed to get everything back home safe and sound. I did spend ages studying the piles of stuff on the bed and every where and looking at the suitcase with trepidation - a sip of savvy and then a few loadings. It was like playing chess. At the airport I stuffed silk tops up to the 23kilos and then staggered onto the plane with a very full backpack, two carry on bags, a handbag and a boarding pass sticking out of my bra. Nothing heavy just bulky. The purser suggested I had rather a lot so I showed him my one armed specs and instantly got sympathy..... And no one sitting in the seat next to me.



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Needlefelting workshop

Finished the second day of my workshop and it was fabulous to see the work everyone did.


This was Lynda's




- this is part of my mess




Wilma's




Margaret's




Sarah's





Eva's

and some more tomorrow. Lovely class and I loved all the work they did.


Right now I am looking at my suitcase and then at the several piles on the bed and the benches and wondering exactly how I am going to fit everything into my suitcase. Maybe I will have a glass of sav blanc and a read of my book while I contemplate the situation.

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Glacier Fibres

Up bright and early and been for my walk - getting organized to go teach my last day of the two day embellishing workshop. The other night I went out to dinner with Jacinta and Rae - very nice. They delivered me heaps of Fibres and threads etc - wondering how I am going to get them back in my suitcase..... These are the Glacier slushies drying. I am testing the instant photographing using my new I pad.

Back to normal tomorrow when I am home. Very hot here in my little cell. This motel is very low standard - Carnegie Motor Inn. Don't ever stay here - they don't even make the bed - just put the over over the top of how you left it and the bathroom is soooo dirty.....



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Location:Melbourne

My little cell

Just finished two lovely teaching days at the Guild - very nice people who produced some lovely work to start their artful journeys - have some photos to load later but in the meantime I am relaxing in my little cell before I go out to dinner

Might be quieter tonight - the guy has assured me that the people who had the all night party in and out of their motel units have left.....



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Tomorrow starts a new class - looking forward to it



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Location:Melbourne

off to melbourne

I am off to Melbourne today to teach for 4 days - my bag is as full as I can get it but even then doesn't weigh 23k. We didn't bother to renew our Qantas Club especially when they didn't have the manners to reply to my emails and physical letter so a saving of over $800 feels good and I doubt if it will distress me not being able to get into the over crowded Qantas Club in Perth. I am hoping the weather might be okay - it is going to be 36 here again today. Ian is not going - he will be here working away as normal.

Kazuko's family return to Japan today - they will have a long flight back. Last night Bruce cooked us all a meal which was very nice indeed. This is Kaz's mother when they were in Fremantle. We have really enjoyed seeing them again - Kaz has been the interpreter - it is a shame our Japanese in non-existent and their English only a little better.

Harley is getting braver and braver - outside on her own and sleeping other than in the fireplace..

it's tuesday

Plodding along here today - supposed to be 34 and it is warm but last night sitting outside was lovely. Harley has found lots of hidee holes in my studio and has been helping me while I sort my Artful Journey workshop out and do a wee bit of play with my Provence theme. Kaz and Bruce and Kaz's family have been to the wildlife park - obviously they saw a koala.

Sakurako  made a friend.

 I just unpacked the Stitch magazine. Actually this magazine is getting better each issue - if I had time I would be back into sewing - there are some great articles inside. There are a few spare copies if anyone is interested.

Tonight we are going to Wot the Po with all the family.

TAST 1

I meant to load this yesterday but we had a silly internet day - our server was having some sort of drama and we could get some sites and some parts of some sites but never anything which required loading or downloading or viewing properly. Apparently it was a good day to have off! I got all my prep done for my Hot needles Cool Stitches workshop next Monday and Tuesday in Melbourne and i have a huge stack of samples to take which I will have to cull. today I am starting to sort my Sat/Sun workshop - Artful Journey - I am busy with Provence which is my next little explore not that I have finished my other little explores and i had promised myself I would close off Okarito but I keep working away on new ideas. I guess that is not all bad but I will tidy that basket up and make space.

This above is Take a Stitch Tuesday week 1 - fly stitch - I have plans to complete each week this year - if not each week then some together.

We had a lovely bbq on Sat night with Kazuko's mother, sister and niece - another night coming up soon. They had a long flight from Sapporo and I am sure they slept well.

I also have a helper making it difficult to work on my computer and she is purring very loudly. Harley is well and truly at home but still anxious outside. The slightest noise and back indoors she races.

Yeah it is Friday

I know I put this on Friday but it is a lovely photo of hand dyed chiffon scarves. I send a heap of white ones to Jacitna and occasionally she sends me back some dyed. lovely little lot yesterday and I htought htey looked so nice. We have had a busy week once it actually started and today we got this 50 kilo bale of wool off to Jacinta - luckily the TNT man could almost do it on his own.

And I got a big box of stuff off with him as well for the workshops next weekend and beyond at the Vic Embroiderers Guild. So we have finally stopped work for today.

Kazuko's mother, twin sister and niece arrive tomorrow so we will be having a bbq - the weather is still strange - at 6.30pm it is quite cool.

I asked a question on our facebook page and I have now noted that at least 100 people are ready to create this month. That is wondeful stuff - I hope they share some of these wondrous things.

Storms and dramas and strange weather

Not much creative stuff going on today although I have been cutting up foil like it is going out of fashion and gathering stuff to send to Melbourne tomorrow for my 2 workshops starting next Sat - I have no idea how many people are enrolled etc but i am sure it will all work out. In the meantime Jacinta and I have been planning some colours in our city series - do this part first and then I will have the new variegateds dyed to match. This is Venice - I wanted something Turner like - the ethereal feeling. There are heaps of colours of Venice - the masks etc but I was thinking dreamy. This is the slushie and silk hand threads. What do you think?

and this is the wool top.

and here is Venice.

The other night when it was going to be hot the next day (and it was) we suddenly had all this rain and wind and thunder and lightning - all the washing was out - the chair covers etc. Harley was unhappy and suddenly our car alarm went off long enough for Ian to get out of bed and then it stopped. Of course.... Quite a bit of damage but here fortunately. Sure is strange weather.

another year moving right along

I do love my flower stitcher and like to stitch up a piece of kunin felt full of different ones - these are all the smallest size.Then I have used the Versa tool to burn them all out so I always have a jar full ready to play. I am working on a few little cameos mainly as prep for my embellisher class in Melbourne - have no idea how many people have enrolled in either class and I will need to send my stuff off with TNT this week. Time is going too fast already.

 Had to share one of the new metallic foils - this is lime green and I am busting to play with it because the colour is so good. there are now 43 colours and Ian spent all day photographing them and getting them on the web to find that some people can only see three colours. Looks like he will have to photograph them all again but in the meantime I loaded them all to our facebook page so if you are one of those who can't see them on our website do have a look at facebook so my work is not in vain. Make you cry really. I have spent a lot of time today cutting up foils to fit in orders. Surely time for me to play with them too!

Happy New Year and Welcome to January

Hope everyone is all fired up for the new year - Kazuko gave me a cat calendar which I have hanging by the computer so I don't forget. We had a quiet night - well I went to bed early - watching a bollywood movie and got a bit bored and my head hurt a bit. Another relaxing day today slowly getting back into action. No resolutions - just be busy - be healthy - be creative - be travel etc etc.

 If you have been checking out my latest Taster on Grilon you will have seen the piece I did on Tissutex. I wasn't entirely pleased with it as it didn't seem to shrink as much as I thought. Looking at it today I can see I forgot to use Grilon in the bobbin so of course it wouldn't shrink much. So I stitched another as I want to use it in my work. If you look at the piece above it takes up the frame.

This one is after shrinking in hot water and you can see how much it has shrunk. It's not a good photo but I am very pleased with it - it had been bothering me a little. Shows you must do all the right prep.
I have been stitching and layering with the embellisher today and then hand stitching which is good because I have been lazy about things, Too much on. I am working on a little series in preparation for my workshops in Melbourne. I also finished this little landscape. I am enjoying these.