Playing in Picasa!!

Just made a little collage of some of my work. You can very exciting things with your photos if you visit: http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/ Very cool!

Busy like a beaver

I have been busy busy!! Co-ordinated an Art Award and exhibition a few weeks ago so I was just quietly freaking out about not getting of my own stuff done because I was at work or sleeping!!! However, I am back on track now and feeling good about what I have accomplished today. Above is a commission I am working on. I know! A commission! I am really excited about doing this piece and the 'commissioner' and I both love the colour!! It is a little greener than it looks in the photo - my camera gets excited about the flash and tends to overexpose the pic a bit...

This is another piece...even have what I think is a great name for it! It's about half finished I'd say. I've been having great fun discovering a few new techniques and playing with some others. For instance I've been embossing velvet - I've also put embossing powders on top of that. Free machining on organza then cutting it out with my soldering iron - no fraying!! AND!!!!!! I just discovered the joys of embossing on organza! I haven't seen this done anywhere before, so I'm quite excited. Didn't want the powders to blow off or the organza to melt, so I've been heating it over the toaster... Aaaaanyway, the above piece will have gum tree flowers embroidered on it, a lot like the gum nut bag I uploaded a little while ago.

Tyvek flowers -Bernice Langley - who ran a machine embroidery class I went to recently had made flowers with petals like this so I extended it a bit using the fibre/string thing in the centre. This one was a test.

This one was for my mum for Mother's Day. Once again, the camera doesn't like photographing aqua/turquoise. Such a shame!! I have an exhibition coming up in October, but I need a name for the show!!! Perhaps you can help me out with suggestions? I'll tell you about my concept... I was initially going to call it transformations, but someone is having a show before me called 'transformed'. oh dear. so new name. Concept was exploring my internal transformations in response to the transformations going on in the world at the moment...by transforming my materials - sewing, felting, burning etc. Now I feel even more strongly about exploring this theme. Make the viewer consider the impact of what's going on in the environment. I need a name that is short, catchy. Maybe some awesome synonym for transform/transformation. How about I send a fibre postcard out to the person whose name I use? Thank you in advance, Fabulous People!!!

Velvet and Friends

We have a group exhibition coming up with the WA embroiderer's Guild as part of a bit Craft Fair. To submit work it had to be in a padded calico bag. I normally wrap my stuff in a towel and chuck it in the back of the car. So anyway had to make a bag and here it is!!! It is so large I can fit my head and shoulders in it. hmmm that might not be such a bad idea some days...

Pat from Redland Bay came to Perth and we caught up for a chat!! Here we are in Cottesloe. Perhaps not the best choice of places in hind sight because the cafe I chose was so expensive! haw haw!! Oh well. :)

In readiness for embossing velvet....

Some embossed. 6 Months since I saw this done so I was vague on how to actually do it. But it turned out fine. Iron needs to be right up though. The stamps don't melt. You stamp onto the velvet with gel medium, leave the stamp in place, flip over and iron from the back for 5 secs. Then you simply peel off the velvet. The picture shows panne velvet. Doesn't work quite as nicely as non-stretch but still good results, I think. I also found that stamps without many raised areas are best - like the one in the top centre of the photo. Definitely worth a try, it was very easy.

Bits and Pieces

I have been on an inchie rampage!!! Why make 9 when you can make 39??? Above are 'metallic' inchies for a swap I'm doing on Textile Challenges.

I have been doing a few little things - work has been so busy that I really just worked and slept last week. Not how I like to be, but then I now have quite a few days off up my sleeve in return. So a long weekend this weekend! and another in a fortnight so I can do a textile workshop!!! I'd say that works out nicely.

Here are the paper castings all painted up. Once I've sewn them into something I will probably add more paint to blend them in. I have also played with some meat try pieces. Unfortunately I can't seem to get the same results that I did the last time I played with it.

Here we are, Mags!! Only took me about 2 weeks to get to the post office to send them!! I look forward to my surprise! :)