Monday morning

Rain has gone - big suitcase is packed - 3 pairs of shoes have been selected for the trip - which pair will be the lucky 4th? Still plenty to do today - all the little things one has to do when going away and plenty of orders coming in - we will be posting everything at the end of today. The rest of Australia which does, has started daylight saving so an order by phone at 6.30am yesterday should not have startled me - WA doesn't start daylight saving until we get back - waiting for us? it is light before 5.30am so I just get up.

Hope you liked the video - it was incredibly easy to do. Lots of wonderful bottlebrushes out at present - that one is by our gate. I rather like them.

Even got Ian into town to buy new clothes yesterday.

This is a piece I started in class in Geelong - my magic carpet - the background is a flimsie with slushie worked on the back - makes it quite a firm piece to work onto but incredibly soft - I love the feel of it - I have added strips of silk scrim - love this stuff- and pieces from created fabric. I will possibly mount it.

Breakfast at Soto

Silk Loom Ends

People have been asking what silk loom ends are - they are the end when the of the fabric has been cut off the loom. Dye up beautifully and have different raggedly middles. Here is one dyed in Warrandyte which is really my favourite for my Rust stuff.




A little piece of loom end embellisher over a slushie but not through the unwoven part which I have scrunched up. Makes wonderful textural stuff.


Some in my class had this wonderful organic looking lace which we embellished onto layers and then attacked with a heat gun. Quite organic.

I am working away at my Ally Pally workshop - think I am making progress. Embellishing fabric and cutting it out this afternoon. No more to tell until after Ally Pally.....

The vacuum cleaner had disappeared this morning. It may have gone to visit another street.

things you encounter

Every morning this week when I have gone for my walk I have met up with this vacuum cleaner - it started out over the road from our house but moves around. Today it is parked up at the end of a access road. Sort of like the travelling gnomes but not so exciting. I have a plan to create a small series of work based on my morning walk but it will have to wait until November when we get back. After a comedy of errors I finally sent the newsletter out this morning. People have been asking where we are going this year after Ally Pally - this year to Paris. We have rented an apartment on the Left Bank and really looking forward to it. This is the 9th year we have been to the Knitting and Stitching Show and every year we have had a week's sojourn somewhere in Europe. This year Ian wanted to travel on the chunnel so this is his chance. We got an email from Euro trains to say the service is almost back to normal after the 'incident' and our train will only be 10 minutes late leaving London.

Okay - another pair of shoes but these would have to be the best ones ever. I haven't taken them off yet (apart to sleep and shower) so they are definitely going in my suitcase. Just need to choose the other 3 pairs. This year I am NOT planning to take 2 odd shoes - I found it just wasn't comfortable - at least they were both red but just slightly different tones of red and one was slightly higher than the other.

Lots of new goodies have been appearing this week - every time I clear the kitchen of parcels more have arrived. This new metal book is excellent - very good description of different metals you can use and superb detailed information on how to heat/sew etc. People scared of stitching on metal need fear no more.

Today I really am working on my workshop for London - I had a new idea last night just before we went out for dinner with Val and Jim and I am off to work on it. And time is closing in on me.....

Geelong

Naturally I forgot to take my camera to Geelong although I did take my umbrella. I slid over in the mud one day and got awfully dirty - could have got another day's wear out of those clothes and I ruined a pair of shoes. Just as well Jaslyn and I went off to buy a new pair each yesterday - red once again. The biggest packing decision for London is which shoes to leave at home.
This is my wonderful class - note that my working table is all clean. They were amazed that all of nmy stuff fitted back into my suitcase. I arrived with it all neat in bags with the intention of putting things away as i brought out new samples but of course people want to see them again so in the end they all end up on the table.

I have stolen (with her permission) 2 pics from Penny's blog

Here is me and you can see that this one was taken before the other one.

I have written my share of the newsletter but it will be sent out tomorrow becasue we off to Eva and Malachy's and anyway people won't mind it being a day late, will they? Plus I am all refuchsia-ed again in readiness for my holiday.

Tuesday Bedlam and a surprise

Talk about bedlam today. This morning the boxes for London had to be delivered by noon as they were booked on the plane. I think Ian thought I wouldn't have them filled in time. I was beginning to think so myself. But off he went with the car all laden down and they should arrive in London tomorrow - plenty of time to sort things out if things go wrong. He had just left when a few different delivery blokes turned up - the man with many many large boxes of kunin felt arrived first - and now we have lots and lots of colours in squares and white and black on bolts. Difficult to get out the front door but the parcel postie arrived next with a big box full of new Radiant Rain misters - yummy. Tomorrow I plan a little play with them. And somewhere in there was a parcel from Doreen with my special piece I traded with her for something else.



Isn't it wonderful? I love the colours and the design and the stitchery. I am planning to have it framed and hang in my studio.

Then while I was sorting through the kunin felt on the front porch (imagine loads of felt flying everywhere) another man appeared with a big shipment of Valdanis. Christmas comes everyday here!

Tonight I have spent ironing - no not clothes but silk loom ends - and I have been making up new experimental packs so having fun.

Hoping to get into the studio tomorrow to put all my stuff from forum away and have a little play.

I'm Back

Well I actually came back on Saturday but time seems to be impatient. Catching up takes a while. I had a fabulous time at Geelong - the bestest class and the work they did was so wonderful. It shows the continuing inspirational stuff you can do with your embellisher. We were all tired by the end of the week and I learnt so much from my class. Thank you all if you read my blog.Ii got a wonderful card from them all - hence the 4 pages here - along with a wonderful red wine - thanks Penny - you have good taste Ian noted - very nice indeed. How come good people always know what we like?

co






This is a little piece I made during class. I love what you can do with the loom ends and have a few ideas further. Jacinta gave me a bag of 'stuff' which I used - knitted and opulled apart and all of that and played with my embellisher. I took my Babylock on the plane but this time remembered to remove all the needles etc.


Packing boxes for Ally Pally which go tomorrow so I guess tomorrow will be a busy day but in the meantime we are off to eat. Ken and Raylene are getting excited as they fly to London on 1st and will beat us. It was very nice to be back in my own bed.

Many thanks for all the comment on the Stitch magazine. I am still not sure what to do. In the meantime in my absence, Studios arrived and it is a good issue. Last year I was in it - this year Elizabeth Armstrong from Melbourne is in it so down under we are still represented.....

saturday before sunday

You will all be delighted to hear that Wellington won the Ranfurly Shield today - after 27 years in the wilderness. 27 - 0. And the Silver Ferns beat Aust in the netball and after the Warriers win last night in the rugby league, that's a pretty good run.

I am off to Geelong tomorrow at 6.10am to Forum to teach and trade - just one half a suitcase to pack - that's my clothes etc part. Ian has reminded me that I am only one person and not to fuss about what I haven't taken. I will be back next Saturday. Thanks to all the people who have commented or emailed me with their sewing thoughts. I am none the wiser actually - I suppose we will get them - have to decide soon.

ducks and books and sewing

Mandy had some visitors arrive overnight - aren't they cute? Means your pool will be in good use, Mandy and justify the cleaning of it!




We had the new book from Jane Dunnewold, Clare Benn and Leslie Morgan arrive - Metal Leaf Lamination - another superb book - I shall take mine to read on the plane to Geelong - I have resisted more than just whizzing through as I am supposed to be packing a suitcase or two for Geelong and sorting my workshop stuff. ETC.




Now I have a question of anyone who cares to answer - are people sewing? I don't mean embroidery machines, exciting hand and machine stitch - I mean actually making things with seams etc. I ask this because QA has a special issue magazine coming out in November - Stitch - and I also see that Stampington has one as well called Sew. So I curious as to the demand. Would you buy the QA one? I am having to make a decision on whether or not to stock it - we do have to bring in a minimum. I haven't sewn a garment for a number or years so I need some opinions.

more lines

I have managed a little stitching on my Lines piece - it really isn't as red as this but I think this is Incandescent Copper trying to be stroppy. I am fascinated by what the twin needling does to hand stitching so I am planing to stitch on my commercial fabric by hand and machine before I twin needle it - might be a while in that case.

wintery wednesday

Winter came back today and we had lots of heavy rain - very nice - we will soon miss it.
I am not a dollie person as many people know but this new book by Ray Slater which I never would have got in except that a few people pestered me, is very good indeed. It is all the other stuff which appeals to me - the interesting fabrics she has made and stuff.

I have finally got my new Kimberley Dreaming Kit all made - the bookmarks arrived from Broome and I had stuff spread all around the kitchen while I got them packed. Quite pleased with it really. Jacinta has dyed up all manner of strange fibres for me to include - she calls some of the yeti arm pit hair but don't let it put you off.

Last night we went to Musica Viva concert it was very good and our own fault we were late and had to sit outside until the end of the first piece. It was the Eggner Trio and they really enjoyed their playing and so did we.

Thanks for the coment on the line piece -I am still working on it. I have done rubbings on a fat quarter of hand dyed fabric - I very rarely buy fabric but I saw a pile I thought would go well with my rust stuff and I have been staring at them for some time.Ii think I will twin needle it on the diagonal and then cut it up. The tissutex piece is not as red as it looks - I have sprayed it with Moonshadow Mists in Copper, Blue and Red so I guess the pink is showing on the scan. I have done more hand stitching - it will be the centre of whatever it becomes. But I will have to stop and get back to Geelong thinking and packing and London thinking and packing. I have started working on my Ally Pally workshop.

Tonight we are off to Sweet Java - a lovely little Indonesian restaurant we discovered not far away.

Lines and play

I said I was playing with Lines - I have an interesting block I did some rubbings and casting with. This first pic is of tissutex sprayed with Moonshadow Mist, rubbed with Shiva stiks over my block and with aaded machine and hand stitch.



Then I twin-needled it all and hand stitched my cast to the surface.




More to come - I have done lots of rubbings to a piece of hand dyed and printed fabric for more development and the above piece needs mroe hand stitch.

can't resist this one too

I couldn't resist this one too - it was a very satisfying end to the Tri Nations and Bledisloe Cup after a controversial time this season. Actually both sides played well and I was worried - but Ian does point out that I am always worried until the very last second.

So now I can get back to more pressing matters - have started packing the boxes for London, have started sorting my stuff for teaching in Geelong, have started accumulating what goes in the suitcases for Geelong, have nearly got everything to send to Canberra for the Embroiderers' Guild display and have been playing with water soluble paper and Tissutex and Radiant Rains. I am working on some patterns which I hope to develop with hand stitch as well and thinking more of my little rust book which has been neglected lately. Plus I have found that ironing gummy cocoon strippings between two layers of Tissutex makes a wonderful surface which the embellisher doesn't mind. Oh and I still have to sort pictures for my talk at Geelong.

wot a nite

big rugby game coming up tonite

CONNECTIONS

Visit our website for the information on the embellisher challenge. Since I have seen such wonderful work from so many of you, I hope lots of you will put in an entry or two. I have had a couple of people already who have told me they are - the challenge will be exhibited in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and London in 2009. I am really looking forward to seeing it all.

Above is a Landscape by Doreen Grey - it is a wondrous piece and should whet your appetites. You have got until the end of January to get your entry in to us.

625th birthday

Here is Grant at Annette and Terry's 625th birthday party in Sutton. Apparently even the torrential rain outside didn't prevent a great happening.

another beautiful

day - another round of packaging and packing but a little sneak out in the sun to have a read of this wondrous book which has just arrived - Painting With Thread by Shirley Crapp - it is wonderful to see Australian artists - Shirley has been a customer of ours for a while - I am not sure if I have met her in person but her art is exquisite. Thanks for creating it, Shirley.




Gill - yes you can easily stitch on and over and around the lace borders - it was a bit of a wonderful find as far as I was concerned.....

Springtime

Springtime is a wonderful time of the year in Perth - before it gets too hot - we had a very relaxing weekend pottering about in the garden, going up the road for coffee and breakfast yesterday at Sotos before all the lucky Dads got there. Just in the nick of time too. Very lazy but at least the front garden is looking much tidier. We hav e had little birds helping us in the garden - they love our place because we have lots of trees. The bottlebrush is just starting to emerge.

I have been busy packaging and packing stuff for Geelong Forum and for London - those boxes have to go the Monday after I get back from Geelong so my brain is doing two lots at once - not easy. Have also finalised the next two on-line workshops - the Embellish Stitch Enrich current one is going well and they are producing some lovely work. And Ratty Tatty Papers is making excellent progress too. As part of my playing for that I have found this wonderful adhesive paper lace. Below is the black one sprayed with Glitz Spritz. It's wonderful. You get a packet with the 4 different laces - we currently have 3 different white ones and 1 black set and you peel off the back (which you can use as well over fusible webbing) and stick it down. All manner of possibilities. I have left the top black so you can see better when you enlarge as always.




Very interesting election results in WA - hope the Nats stick to their guns and get whatever it is that they want.

Embellish Stitch Enrich Challenge

Embellish Stitch Enrich Challenge

CONNECTIONS

Announcing the inaugural worldwide embellisher textile challenge.

The Challenge is to create an original art work using the embellishment machine plus optional hand and/or machine embroidery.

The theme of the challenge is CONNECTIONS

Full details and an entry form will be on our website in the next few days.