Textile Pomegranate Variations

 I have been trying to sew small pieces for sale for the weekend. The first image is a pomegranate  applique- I did this for the chapter page in my caravanserai book. I had only cut it out ut decided it would make a nice piece on its own with a counter balance border that I had made out of the same fabric and painted at another time. It measures 12 inches by 11 inches ( 30 cm  x 27cm) and is for sale for $125.00US inclusive of postage.

The second image is another pomegranate variation-  8 inches square iand is also for sale for $50 US inclusive of postage.

I have been trying to clean up around the house- there are many deciduous trees and so many leaves to rake up, it was tooo wet to do it before- I have to burn them all before Novemeber the 1st as the burning off season ends on Saturday- hard to believe the fire season is already upon us when we have had so much rain. We have also been cleaning up the block of land- getting it mown- the grass has leaped- unfortunately no one seems to be in the mood to buy it- it would be so nice to seel it before we go away.

How Fast Can Grass Grow???

Teapot and Rosewater Jug                                           Boabab Tree SOLD

The teapoit and Rosewater Jug is for sale for $55US inclusive of postage ( it measures approx  8 inches square- 20cms square)

The Boabab Tree is for sale for $125US inclusive of  postage it measures 11 inches by 18 inches, 27 cm x 45 cm)

It seems like i only mowed the lawn the other day and now it has to be mown again! I am trying to do some sewing, but the car debacle has left me a bit blegh! I intend to do lots of small pieces in this next week as well as getting the fabric ready for my next waterways piece.  I am tempted to make a big linocut also reflecting waterways so I can make a number of different prints , using different fibres.

As Laura mentioned in the comments of last post- I am teaching a masterclass in Belgium  in Essen on 13- 15 April 2010. You can see details on her website, but we will be dyeing fabric, printing and painting on day 2 in order to make original one off pieces ont he last day. There are not many spots so if you are interested let Laura know via the website link I have given- just click on workshops.

I am also teaching in Switzerland  16-19 June 2010 at Leysin- for residential workshops. If you are interested just follow th ewebsite link I have given..

If anyone else in Europe is interested in workshops please contact me . I have updated my workshop list ( i have actually included images and one or two new classes- why didn't I do this before???) We will also be doing residential workshops  at Le Triadou- near Montpellier- these will take the form of masterclasses where you will spend a week developing work-  class numbers will be  small ( no more than 8) so it will be intensive and  it will be a great opportunity to explore your creative process  and vision!.

River Red

It is turning into a horror week with very little work to show for it and plenty of anxiety. I seem to be having a bad bad run with cars- first my white Nissan Micra died at the end of last year just before Christmas, i then bought an old car which  was driven into a ditch during a driving lesson by miss youngest, and then I bought a replacement good car, thinking my eldest daughter would have it when I left- it's now blown a head gasket- don't know how bad it is- but it's not going to be pretty ,or good in fact I am dreading what it will cost. It is just what I neeed at this time!Argggh

Then I was booking airfares- I was getting one quote of fares from Singapore  Airlines website ( and bear in mind that  when we fly from Australia it is much dearer than for Europeans to fly here)- but the site wouldn't accept my card- and I had to contact  my bank, did all that, re booked and still payment wouldn't be accepted. I  re did it several times- over a two and a half  hour period- each time the fare quote was the same but in the end I had to go through a travel agent ( whom I usually use) and they had been quoting the same fare early morning, but after I had wasted several hours  trying to  go in through my Frequent flyer program, the fares had gone up by $200- so I wasn't happy. Singapore Airlines said because their quoted fares go fast- but that doesn't excuse about 2.5 hours of trying and getting the same fare quote each time. I bet their response would have been different if I was flying Business class- sometimes it's frustrating how powerless you are when you always fly economy class- it's like you are a meaningless number! And despite  having had sufficient points on various occasions I have never yet managed to get an upgrade either.

Anyway i did dye the silk piece above- thinking about river red as part of my waterways system- I am still thinking about it- the lighter colour is not quite as orange as I wanted it- I can repaint it, but I will need a nice sunny day for that- and none of this timewasting runnign around for bad news!

Pomegranate lino cut

I am slowly getting my head around the idea that I have to pack up everything and that there is a mountain of stuff to do- three more pieces to make for my waterways series for Southern Lands( I did dye the silk yesterday but I am still thinking about it- whether I like it enough or whether I do it again)- and what to do for the smaller complementary pieces. I also have to make a coloured 72 MORE Ways piece for my book which will be published in french.I also have to make a lot more small pieces. I am trying to track down a machine hwne I am in Europe but at the moment I will not have a machine.

Anyway in some of the desultory packing I have been doing a found a half finished pomegranate lino-cut and decided to finish it. It is for sale ( as I already have a number of lino cuts of pomegranates :-) ) for $60US inclusive of postage. It measures 6 inches square, is hand carved, and the resulting print is on the red fabric. If you look after it carefully you will be able to use it again and again. I simply wash them in water with a small scrubbing brush .

My Place, Fabric and Dreaming

Autumnal tones- For Sale ( 1 metre of fabric) $40US inclusive of postage

Multi Colour- For Sale ( i1metre of fabric ) $40US inclusive of postage

I spent the weekend at Craft Expo- minding the My Place exhibition which was much admired. I also caught up with a number of people from Finley High School- for years I never see s soul from this school and then suddenly on one weekend I run into three different people who all  hail form the Riverina.

MY PLACE- Last  Chance to see it!!


There is only one more opportunity to see this exhibition in Australia when it will be shown at COPACC in Colac ( which is my local biggish town) on 31st October and 1 November. Entry is a gold coin donation. There will also be a champagne Opening on Friday 30 October at 6 pm and I will give a floor talk as well. There are still a few place left in my master class I am teaching on Saturday and Sunday- we will be transfer painting and printing on lutradur and will sttich the pieces thus created. This will be the last workshop I do in Australia for quite some time- at least until 2011 and possibly until 2012 ( unless someone pays my airfare back to Australia :-) ) I will also have some of my own work there- for exhibit and sale.

I did quite a lot of handstitching on my small waterholes piece- it's just about finished- as you can see from the photo a lot of stitching has gone into it and I really wonder whether it is worth it ?

Unfortunately I have had to raise the prices for my books for British pounds/UK buyers- our dollar is riding ridiculously high- and i realised with some alarm that with the postage costs also increased and printing costs I am barely breaking even in the sterling currency- sorry about this .

On another note- it looks as if the Syria Tour and the Arts& Craft Tour of England Belgium and France that I am doing with Creative Arts Safaris will go ahead. so if you are at all interested please contact Creative Arts Safaris and book a place we are going to have a lot of fun and hopefully will inspire you!

More Forest Fabric

Forest I For Sale $ 40 US inclusive of postage- 1 metre of fabric SOLD
ForestII For Sale $40 US inclusive of postage - i metre of fabric SOLD

I have been dying fabric these last days and did some forest pieces. I have done very little dyeing since moving to a rented house as I am petrified of getting dye on the white grouting in the laundry and  well the whole set up to dye is a bit convoluted- so it is not as easy as it used to be. And then there is the issue of moving to Europe at the end of Novemeber- I don't want to have to store too much dyed fabric- so I don't carry the stock I used to ( all of which imapcts on a small business like mine) Anyway I don't think I shall be dying too much forest fabric in the next few years so here is your chance to get some.

I am off to Melbourne in half an hour- to install the MY  PLACE exhibition at the Craft Expo to be held at the Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne. I shall be there for the next four days ( October 8-11) minding the exhibition, talking about it and I might deomnstrate how to do some printing and maybe lino-cutting. It depends  how tired I am as I am driving to and from Melbourne everyday ( that's about a 25 hour drive each way)

Then I have to come back and do soem serious work on my waterways work for Southern Lands and pack up a house and life!

Busy Busy

My goodness October crept up without warning. here was i thinking I had plenty of time to  write two articles  but they are due this  coming Friday. Then I will be installing and  minding My Place at Craft Expo which starts later this week in Melbourne - and all of a sudden the week is totally chock a block full. I also have to dye loads of fabric for the one and only shop I supply with hand dyed fabrics in Melbourne- Patchworks Unlimited. I guess it is a good kind of business but i really thought I had an extra week up my sleeve. It doesn't help that it has been school holidays these last two weeks- it inevtaibly means less time to do things.







The two pieces are for sale. I had to make them for the book Ravissant Lutradur. The piece above is a Stone Angels variation  and it measures 10 inches by 14 inches ( 25 cm x  36 cm). It is forsale for $120US.

The piece below is a Boabab tree variation- it measures 11 inches by 15 inches and is for sale for $125US. Please email me if you are interested.

Travelers' Blanket Blue

The time has flown- where has it gone ?? We are still finalising the Carvanserai book- I know it needed to have been done at least a week ago but we had a few tech problems and photo problems- and now I will have to find someone in Melbourne who will digitally print so that at least it can be presented in the folio.We have also been in Melbourne for 4 days as my eldest daughter was doing a folio preparation course, and I wanted to show our French exchange student some of Melbourne's sights. I think many of the sights are over priced and the focus of everything  is to shop for rather kitsch tourist goods, which are often just bits of trashy plastic and  fake furry animals produced offshore- surely they can do better than this?

We also went to the Dali exhibition which had  rave reports but I have to say i was rather disappointed. Yes i did enjoy seeing some of the earlier work but much of the later work was not there. They did show some of the film projects he was involved with but as I had two young teenage girls with me I wasn't sure of the suitability ( the first movie with Luis Bunuel , Un Chien Andalou,has what is  still considered one of the most gruesome opening scenes ever) and  it wasn't as if you could get a glimpse- the exhibition was packed to the rafters with visitors- it briefly crossed my mind that if there was some kind of emergency the end result could be a disaster- you could barely move. And I have to admit by being spoilt- seeing Cap Reus and Cadaques and the Dali Theatre in Figueres two years ago- and on a different but much  less high art note....

I have been working like the blazers trying to finish the blue travelers' blanket, it's a long  slow process with such dense hand stitching- I still have quilting to go- but the end is in sight and I still have  some  squares to embroider.The quilt will be for sale when I finish it- so if you are interested email me. It is entirley hand stitched- layers of musling with hand dyed bump ( heavyweight flannel) as the batting ( it measures 35 inches wide x 56 inches long- 90cm wide x  145 cm long)

This travelers' blanket  like its predecessor is a form of  visual and haptic storytelling. It is of a traveller in search of new cloth and fibres and new inspirations, collecting snippets and scraps for  reuse and  refabricating  into another whole, which is like an aide de memoire, one which can be seen and which can be touched. Little moments of time captured in stitch with leftovers form all kinds of older and other projects , given a different meaning . The cloth has all been hand dyed and printed.

Prints for Sale

Village linocut print on hand dyed cotton ( 12 inches square- 30 cms square) $18US inclusive of postage- 2 prints available SOLD

I had an order for one of my little dolls for a small cjild- I tried to make him as bright as possible but with the directive that the doll be purple. He looks at home in the village scene!

Thank you for all the positive comments  for my last post and also the suggestions. I am still dreaming!

Ravissant Lutradur!

Marion Barnett and my book Lovely Lutradur is now out in French with the title "Ravissant Lutradur". It came by courier today so a lovely surprise.  I am really pleased with the way Editions de Saxe have done the layout. This is now my second book out in French and there will be a third next year as well- and so my love affair with France continues!! I have only ever had one book published in English by a publisher ( Tifaifai Renaissance which is now out of print) apart from those I have self published like 72 Ways and 72 More Ways. Book proposals have been sent to the US in the past, by Australian editors but  it was said that  I wasn't well known enough in that market place, and that the content was too meager ( which is interesting given that a  good proportion of  the readers of this blog ar American or Canadian- though I have quite a lot of French , English and Dutch readers too)

Anyway I like that they were prepared to do bright for the cover- the orange sings!

I am thinking about doing another book- haven't quite decided what- seomone suggested the Travellers' Blanket would be a good one to do int he 72 ways format ( but self pubslihing in colour is too expensive). I am open to suggestions???

Dreaming

I am back after a week of being internet challenged - don't ask!!

Taught a dyeing workshop at Leopold yesterday- it's given me some enthusiasm to do some dyeing again- now all ihave to do is wait for fabric which has been on order for two weeks..... You can see some of the dyeing results on Joanne's blog. The workshop was organised byt the Geelong Sewing Centre.

The photo is of the entire Tracks Across the land quilt which is being shown at Ste Marie aux Mines this weekend- I can show it now. I intend to make some more waterways quilts. The top is entirley lutradur , machine and hand stitched- and is a reflection upon all the peoples that have traversed Australia , the importance of water ways for the land and the problems of salination which besets so much of fringe agriculutural land.

And I have spied a little house in France- which has set my heart dreaming- there are a number of co-incidences which my daughter says are signs ( about place and waterways and history and people). I will need to sell all of my quilts or my block of land- but I haven't dared dream like this for quite some time...It needs lots of work which can be done over time, but it's all the other factors which are calling me.

Ohh and there are still afew places in the on-line lino-cutting course which starts next week- email me if you want to join. The lessons take you through basic stroke making to designing your own more complex lino-cuts.

And whilst i was internet challenged my blog reached a few mile stones- 250,000th visitor (as I was unable to access I don't know when that exactly happened) and 170 countries- thank you all for visiting,leaving comments and being friends!

Small Waterways piece

I have been stitching and stitching colonial knots- to create the waterhole kind of effect on this smaller water ways piece which will be part of the Southern Lands exhibition I am taking to France next year for exhibition at Centre Europeeen du Patchwork. Looking at the photo it looks a bit sun flowery- but these water holes from an airplane windown really look otherwordly.

Don't forget there is still time to register for my on-line lino-cutting course which starts September 21st. Participants have produced some wonderful lino-cuts in the past- some of which I wished I had made!!

Off to Bright to teach tomorrow- it's a bit of a drive. Back on Sunday

Colours of Africa

I worked today on fulfilling some promises. Firstly ( but actually second picture) an A4 sized piece for an DUQ auction to fundraise for the National Breast cancer Association in Australia which will be held in early October. Fifteen artists were invited to submit pieces so here is hoping they will raise some funds.

The first piece is for my friend Laura's Colours of Africa project to fund raise, to build a safe school for poor children in South Africa. I intend to make another A4 piece to send to her, because once I got started ideas were brimming, and I found all the right bits of fabric. The leopard is a gocco print from an actual photograph I took of a leopard in Africa. It is a really worthwile project and promises to be a wonderful event for a textile weekend in Essen, Belgium next year.

Village Scene and Breakdown Printing

I am going a little stir crazy as it does not seem to have stopped raining for months now- yes we did have a couple of good days this week, but I did a lot of catch up washing as we have no dryer at our present house and there is no point buying one now seeing we pack everything away late November. I also can't do any dyeing as I do it outside, or much printing either as I also do that outside.

I have been doing a lot of hand stitching- but progress is slow so very little to show for what takes up a fair bit of time. The other day whilst crusing blogs I saw mention of using water colour pencils and breakdown printing. I think I simply read about it on Gloria Hansen's blogpost about the wet studio at Festival of Quilts at Birmingham- but immediately a little light went on. When we were in New Zealand earlier this year I bought some Derwent Inktense pencils and fabric medium to play around with on fabric whilst we were travelling around. Then I remembered I had bought some water colour crayons ages ago- not sure why, I think they may have beckoned to me, although I also remember going through a coloured stage in my journal a couple of years ago. So I thought if I can do a rubbing with transfer crayons then I must be able to use the same process to transfer with water colour crayons.

I found an old silk screen I had in the shed ( which isn't terribly useful for breakdown printing as it has holes in the bottom- I need to buy some new mesh)I put my village linocut underneath the screen mesh and rubbed it with a black water colour crayon. I then coloured in the bits that weren't black with the other crayons. I have to say the space where I printed was far from ideal- there were bumps in the surface ( which you can see on the resulting print) and I only had a tiny amount of Extender print base ( the emulsion that printing ink pigments are suspended in). I was really blown away by the resulting colour and neatness of the print- and even the greyed second print has a certain amount of charm- I couldn't do any more prints because I ran out of the extender base (will have to buy some more now that Kraftkolour is up and running again). The greying of the print could have been avoided by using fresh extender base with each pass of the squeegy ( and I seem to have lost my larger squeegy- so much of my stuff is all over the place because I have no set base to work)

Anyway i can see myself doing more of these!- and needing some more water colour crayons.

Arabian Nights Village

For Sale ( measures approx 30 cm square ) $75 US inclusive of postage

The first image is of a print I have made on evolon. I rubbed fabric transfer crayons on paper over my village linocut and then painted the paper with transfer paint. The resulting print was quite soft- that is the image wasn't clearly distinguishable though there was a pleasant patina of the orange coming through. I then decided to stitch it after all ( I wasn't going to as I thought the print not distinct enough). I firstly stitched around the village components in orange but this wasn't contrasty enough so I ended up stitching around with the 12 weight rayon Ihave been trialling for Aurifil Threads. I then decided to darken the background elements- it looks very arabian now with those colours!

I am teaching transfer dyeing and printing at Sew Bright Quilting in Bright north eastern Victoria on Saturday Septemeber the 12th in case anyone in that area is interested.

If you are interested in an on-line lino-cutting course- just email me- the next course commences on September 21. If you are worried that your english is not good enough don't worry ( plus I can speak dutch, some french, some german and some italian)- I put a lot of images in my lessons so people can clearly see what is required

Last Lino-cutting On-Line Course for the Year

Thank you for the very supportive comments regarding my previous post- yes it is partly angst, and the fine balance of creating and getting your work out there. I just get enticed by glossy magazines and forget that their main game is to sell magazines and disseminate information.

The images are part of a page from a book entitled "Historic Textile Fabrics" by Richard Glazier published by B.T.Batsford, London sometime during the first World War.This particular textile was said to be a Persian Silk Brocade from the XVII Century- isn't it marvellous?? The next image is my attempt to make a linocut of a protion of the textile and it is taking quite a lot of cutting- I think I need to get better tools- perhaps once i move to France!

It is less than three months before we move- so I am having to do quite a bit of planning as to how to pack things away and what I will need to take with me- granted I cannot take much with me as I also have to take the My PLace quilts which take up a whole suitcase.

As I looked at dates and as I do have a wait list for my next on-line linocutting course I decided I needed to start the next course on 21 September 2009 so that participants have time to finish exercises whilst I still have regular internet access. I expect that will be disrupted until we settle down in February of 2010- there is a lot of running around to do!

The course consists of three fortnightly lessons delivered as a pdf document which entails a number of exercises- building from relatively simple marks, learning to know your tools, to more complex designs and interpreting photos and drawings and coloured printing in the last lesson. I set up a Yahoo group so you can share photos and so we can also discuss and troubleshoot- there is always different things that come up. I have also set up a blog to which participants will have continuing access- which will be a resource of linocutting in its variations- looking at different artists and different applications. The cost is a one off fee of $30US. If you are interested just email me. Payment can be made via Paypal if in Australia via bank deposit or cheque.

Creative Scrap Heap

I came across some articles in Handeye Magazine which set me to procrastination, and feelings of inadequacy- I am not good at marketing, I do hone my skills but to what end, to make a barely sustainable living?

From an article entitled Rites of Spring from Handeye Magazine Li Edelkoort comments on the global consumer economy: “The world is now a market, governed by mega-mergers and mega-brands. Suddenly, almost naturally, men and women are looking again at handmade, man-mastered, artisan arts, as a refuge from mega-monotony. In terms of economy, employment strategies, and social development, we believe that quality arts and crafts will have a very important revival.”
There is room in this world for broader thinking about societies near and far, and for what products are needed by makers and consumers alike. Just ask any Parisian wearing handmade indigo."

LI Edelkoort has a airy light studio in Paris, is a trendsetter and forecaster in trends and colour.

And from another article:Madeline Weinrib's Own Voice and interview with Madeleine Wienrib
MW: Find ways to understand the aesthetic of the market you want to enter. There are real differences in what people perceive and appreciate. The challenge for artisans is to see what people who are not artisans and who live in another culture will value highly enough to purchase. “How do I make what I do seem beautiful to these customers at this moment in time?” Linking with designers can be a big help, as they are, on a visual level, professional translators.

I like to work in isolation, but when all the other aspects of your life fall away as in divorce and the dismantling of a dream, that isolation can of itself be a shackle, because there is nowhere to turn. The isolation also makes it difficult to market yourself-I am not part of any mainstream let alone any stream in art textile or design sense. Yes I make and I do exhibit, but it all seems to be in a vacumm- what strategies do I have to market what I make- because I do have to sell in order to make a living.I do aspire to make beautiful things or at least decorative things, but I know very little of the market place in terms of trends or forecasts- should I know more?If I did, how would it influence what I make- is this just a bad dose of angst? So the photo is a little of how I feel- a heap of scraps that once emerged at the behest of a creative urge that suddenly lost its impetus.....

More Circles

I am intrigued by the landscape from above- it is so different to the normal landscape one normally thinks of- you have to take imaginative leaps with the landscape from above. One of the strangest landscapes i have encountered from abocve is a small part of western Australia in the south, as the flight path heads towards the great Australian Bight. The plane has reached it's cruising altitude and the landscape is dotted by what appear to by water pools- in the weirdest colours- lots of turquoise and terracotta and yellow. This little piece is inspired from what I remember seeing from above.

And I have finally done it- creatd an album on my Picture Trail site detailing all recent work which is for sale. I would love it if you feel inclined to comment, and I am prepared to consider all reasonable offers.. I will also be adding to it periodically. There are also albums there of earlier work.

Concours Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork

Another Teapot and Rosewater jug FOR SALE $45 US inclusive of postage.



I posted off my quilt "Tracks Across the Land" to the Carrefour Europeen du Patchwork yesterday- I am only showing a close-up shot at this stage as the Patchwork meeting does not commence until 17 September- wish I could go!Oh well. I need to get creative- have some ideas for more waterways quilts- but the weather has been so bad I can't get outside to do any dyeing or transfer painting.

Another Teapot

 

For Sale $45 US including postage.

I forgot tomention in The Wattlepoint post that if you click on the image a large image will come up.

And I wanted to share two projects that two friends in different parts of the world are involved with that will help disadvantaged and poor people. You can also help!!

The first project is being planned by Laura Liebenberg from Belgium in conjunction with the city of Essen called Colours of Africa , to create an installation of A4 quiltlets to be auctioned at a textile event in Essen in 2010 to help raise money to create a safe play centre for children living in a shanty town in South Africa. The deadline is 1 December 2009- so please if you have the time use colour as your inspiration to send a small quiltlet ( A4) size to help build an installation to help children have a safer place to learn and play .

The other project is called Iraqi Bundles of Love- and has been organised by Kristin la Flamme's husband-he was stationed in Iraq- and as a way of leaving more behind than war memories, he is co-ordinating a project to help women in Iraq have parcels of fabric and sewing notions to make things with- and the project has now expanded to include knitting.So if you ar ein anyway inclined to help with this project check out the blog for the project- it is a very worthwile project to help women be able to make things (maybe we should send such bundles to the pollies as well- help them understand that building bridges is more important than destruction)