Rust Dyed Paper

Hello, it has been a bit quiet around here recently hasn’t it.

All is well for me and my family but I have a few friends needing support in various different ways just now which has meant my blogging mojo has gone on holiday.

Still plenty of crafting going on though and my obsession for rust dyeing has not waned. I can set up a pan of rusty pieces in the morning, go out for the day and find the magic on my return. It is truly amazing and completely addictive!

I hope you enjoy the little video.

Happy Sunday.

Silent Sunday

Textile Tuesday Number One!

Helloo! Happy New Year – Happy New Decade – Happy New Photo Challenge!

I am really looking forward to sharing 12 glorious months of Textile Tuesdays.

Textiles of all sorts are my first love in the land of Creativity, so I’m starting off with a bumper crop of archive makes that I have just excavated from my many and various boxes in the loft – it is like a museum of my life up there.

The archaeology was prompted by a photo by Sheila on The Great House Exmoor on Instagram  of a doll’s house she had found.

Sheila and her family have bought a fabulous Georgian house on Exmoor which they will be renovating ready for Bed and Breakfast guests. My goodness what a task, but I am SO looking forward to watching the transformation of the rooms as I know they will be fabulous.

About 25 – 30 years ago I had a crush on needlepoint – I had seen someone making a cushion cover and had to have a go – so I bought a kit

This was my first

Then this one

As you can see I liked more subtle colours in those days – it was all terracotta and soft greens – very grown up!

After a trip to Turkey, I was interested in kilim designs

but I didn’t love this one and could not find the patterns I wanted to make so I started designing my own. Following a visit to a Doll’s House Fair I started designing and making doll’s house carpets – a perfect craft for travelling. They are all to the 1:12 scale. 1 inch = 1 foot.  They were wonderful little projects to pack in a backpack

I made this one on a canal boat in Shropshire

and this one has crossed the Equator twice –  travelling right round the world with me in 1994. I designed it as I was travelling, adding in motifs I came across.

The bright colours soon burst forth I became fascinated by how the same colours and the same design could create such different patterns.

A computer programme helped me design these ‘Andy Warhol’ daffodils. I made them as cushion covers but then wondered if they would be better frames as pictures and my indecision consigned them to a box in the loft.

Some need a bit of cleaning. But – what to do with them – having unearthed them from their box, I realise they should not stay there, something needs to be done with them.

These could be cushion covers

I think some could be framed, even in their unfinished state – but what do you think – are they art one would want hanging on the wall?

Food for thought.

~

That is a long post from me! Some months I will most probably post just one Textile Photo – do you have any textiles to share – one piece or many – current or archive. You are welcome to dig deep into your blog archive and revisit old posts – anything goes so long as the photos are your own.

I’m really excited to see your very own Textile Tuesday.

Just leave a link in the Comments.

 

 

After the Fire

It often surprises me how the piece of creativity I’m working on, reflects what I’m surrounded by or preoccupied with.

This piece of rust dyed fabric with a few simple stitches is a work in progress. It is suggesting scorched earth to me, and raindrops falling into puddles making ripples to quench and cool.

It connects me to Australia and Aboriginal art and my heartfelt yearning for those fires to calm and for people and wildlife to find safety.

Running stitch.

The ripples go out to cover the world – we are all connected.

Rain

Fires in Australia

I would not normally post about things like this but these are extraordinary times.

It seems the government in Australia are largely responsible for the inability of the fire services to contain the bush fires that are causing so much devstation, because they have radically cut their funding. When Governments do not step up, we have to.

It is hard to know what we can do from this distance, but money can provide all sorts of resources that the Fire Fighters need. One messaged that they need more face masks to protect them from the fumes and volunteer Fire Fighters are having to pay for the petrol that goes into their fire trucks.

There are a few places to donate. The Red Cross being one. However I am sceptical of large organisations. I have been following Celeste Barber for a couple of years now and as far as you can trust anyone you only ‘met’ online, I trust her. This is where I have donated and I share this just in case you wanted to do something to help but didn’t know how to.

Celeste Barber on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/donate/1010958179269977/2477326602586291/

Willing it to rain in Australia, wishing everyone involved safe.

 

Silent Mist