Monday 11 March 2024

Change of heart .


Sue had been thinking about her choice of shells for 'Found ' and had decided to set that idea aside for now.


As a fairly recent resident of the Bristol area she had chosen instead to explore the 


places ,events and famous engineering  associated with the area.


She enjoys creating Kinoptic art so is using the technique


with paint and stitch to put her own slant on the iconic .



 

Encrust and crush ?


Jemima Lumley gave a workshop at Bristol Stitchers on 'Encrusted Embroidery'
Carol took the Forest Floor as her inspiration and you can see her progress above. 


One of the techniques they were introduced to was 'Crushing' .Basically it entails solufleece under fabric which is then steamed .The steaming makes the fabric crinkle ,the more steam that is applied the crinklier the fabric becomes.A very useful way to create texture.


She also brought  along her Garden birds 


which has been an ongoing project.


The detail she creates in her choice of fabric and the 


carefully chosen stitching really brings them to life.


Just a few more to complete but they will be stunning .



 

On a roll.


Kirsten has really taken to exploring her creativity.She is taking workshops whenever she can .This one was about developing Abstracts with Nick Moore.Drawing with their eyes shut and using spontaneous movement to mark make .She didn't quite feel she had let go enough as the shapes are recognisable.



The next was working in a zig zag sketchbook with Karen George .The drawing was made in the middle of the surface then the viewfinder was used to isolate areas .The  shapes were then taken and rotated to create patterns.Both seemed to be very interesting ideas to explore.


In her Print club they had been using fish as their theme.She chose an Anglefish .Each member prints 20 so that they each get a bound book containing all the prints from the group.


This is the next prompt 'Leaping'




She has found her ceramics course has woken a desire to do more. She has taken the plunge and enrolled for a degree course which will fill two days a week starting in the Autumn term.




For 'Found' Kirsten has been working to develop her cabinet of curiosities . Creating a workbox containing the usual items but made from unlikely materials .Her scissors are cut from aluminium and coloured ,and cut ,by her hand.


below are items on organza drawn with Inktense .



She is on fire!

 

Friday 8 March 2024

In it for the long run !




Fumi is challenging herself to keep up with stitching everyday.Above is her 'CALENDAR' .She has divided her fabric into a square for each day of each month so she can keep on track ,and it's a visual reminder of the shape of each month.


She has worked again on the 100 day project which will morph into a twenty page book .


She did a workshop a little while ago and asked to keep the Kaffe Fasset scrap pieces which were going to be binned .The colours and her stitching sing out.


She ,like Debby , did a postcard for QuiltersGuild using commercial fabric but adding her own touches  such as using  lace encasing the  edge and stitch outlining the  leaves. Can you pick out the tiny mouse?



She continues to innovate with her crochet ,this time on some curtain rings picked up in a charity shop.



Some more tiny weavings 


on various shells 


and delicate crochet coral .




 

More inspirational workshops .


Debby has a knack of seeking out and finding the most interesting workshops.This one was at Badminton School where she created batik fabrics.


The fabrics themselves were great and will no doubt feature in her work ,


but........look at these papers !



They are waste...... what is left behind after ironing the wax from the fabrics.


Debby couldn't resist collecting them instead of binning.We think they are delicious for collage.









She had also created fabrics at theYard with Sue Brown 


Turning them into a lampshade. It has opened her eyes to the possibility of working Three -Dimensionally.She admitted that it might be something to explore as she usually sticks to Two -Dimensional work.






She had picked a child's poetry book and worked into the pages responding to the words.


More printmaking ,this time Collagraph -making a plate in a day and printing from it .Theses plates are made using sticky tapes of all kinds and exterior wood glue.