Flat Felt Friday.

I am feeling a bit flat on this Friday, actually.
But that is not what this post is about.
It is about learning how to make a piece of flat felt.
Although I did not make it on a Friday, but on a Tuesday, in my mixed media class. But I am sure you won't mind.
Seeing that I am posting it on a Friday.
Okay, so that is my heading all explained.

It involves different layers of roving, some bubble wrap, Sunlight dishwashing liquid, boiling water, a tray, and a bamboo mat. Easy, hey? If you want to see real and proper and most amazing felting, look at Linda Sue's blog and shop. I can but dream only. Oh well, I think I will stick with flat for a while.

Have a great weekend, everyone.

Patchwork.

I am busy making a small patchwork - again using only scraps of fabric I already have. (For the first time I am using batting, which of course I did have to go out and buy.) 

As you can see I am covering the entire piece with running stitch. Somehow I thought this was my own entirely unique idea, and then a friend told me about kantha. Oh well, nothing new under the sun, I guess.

Darn.

Ha!!! I have discovered the secret of drawing with one's sewing machine - you have to have a special attachment called a darning foot, which allows you to twist and turn the fabric. (Of course this was a secret to no-one but me.)

Anyway, once I realised this, I was off like a shot to the sewing machine shop, and got my darning foot. This is the result of my first experiments, a small canvas called Bird.

The two left-hand faces, the birds, the word and the figure are all stitched, either on canvas, vylene-covered paper or muslin. The right-hand face (slightly obscured by the figure) is the result of an experiment where I had to draw a face with my eyes closed and without lifting my pencil.  I still have to paint the sides and cover the whole canvas with acrylic gel medium, and then I'm done. Whoooo hoooo!

Have a great weekend, everyone. Do some art!

Experiments with surfaces.

Last week's mixed media class was about different surfaces, and working on them with watercolour pencils. I wanted strong, sharp lines for my faces, like a cartoon or comic, rather than a more realistic look. (I think I achieved comical rather than comic-like but nevermind. Let me not be too harsh a critic.) For inspiration I looked at a book of Faiyum mummy portraits.

Canvas calico with gesso and blue watercolour pencil.

Plain calico with gesso and acquarelle graphite 8B.

Plain calico with gesso  and acquarelle graphite pencil 4B.

 Paper and vylene with gesso; blue watercolour pencil and acquarelle graphite 4B.

What to Pack.

Some weeks ago I received the newest addition to my collection of zines - the creation of the fantastic editorofthatblog; "that" being Up and Down Town. I adore her work, absolutely adore it! What made this one even better is that I received with my zine a tiny envelope with stickers, which I promptly used to adorn some of the pages. Interactive art - what could be better? Here are a few pages to whet your appetite.

Get yours here. And then go plan your trip!

Experiments.

I made a small A5 fabric book to contain all the experiments I carried out for my first mixed media session. Here are some pages:

Transfers with transfer glaze; stitching, and a nappy liner applique..

My first attempt at drawing something with my sewing machine.

Colour experiment with fabric squares, gauze, netting, fused to black nylon felting and then zapped with a heat gun. Quite hideous. If I try it again I will do it sans colour.

 Experimenting with drawing tools and seeing which ones will take a wash.

Stitched teabags as a surface.

Bleach.

I have been experimenting with bleach.
In this first one I sprinkled ordinary household bleach straight from the bottle.

And here I painted the bleach with a fine brush using a stencil for the letters.

Might use this idea in one of my patchwork lappies, and/or my altered book.
(I will maybe write more on the altered book later - it is in its first stages only ...)


Have a lovely weekend, wherever you are, dear friends! Experiment a little!