Dedication.

I want to show you where I've put my flags - above the window in my study-oh (a combination of study and studio...)

They are dedicated to my wonderful mixed media teacher, Rosemary Lapping-Sellars,  who found the small flame of my creativity and tends it with care and dedication. She inspires me always.

Flags 5

The fifth (and final) word is Narrate.

Flag 5: Narrate: hand-dyed (with rooibos tea) cotton base, other fabric strips, embroidery, stamping, ribbons, gauze, batik, stitching.

So there you have it. Five flags:
Look (which includes listening) - Explore (go deeper and wider) - Analyse (why, what, how, similarities & differences) - Record (your result in any medium) - Narrate (show and tell).
L-E-A-R-N.
Learn.

Flags 4

The fourth word is Record.

Flag 4: Record: hand-dyed (with black beans) cotton base, other fabric strips, stamping, ribbons, gauze, batik, stitching.

Flags 3

The third word is Analyse.

Flag 3: Analyse: hand-dyed (with turmeric) cotton base, other fabric strips, stamping, buttons, silk flower, ribbons, gauze, batik, stitching.

Flags 2

The second word is Explore.

Flag 2: Explore: hand-dyed (with red food colouring) cotton base, other fabric strips, stamping, buttons, ribbons, gauze, batik, stitching.

Flags 1

Yay! I finished my "prayer" flags. As I've explained before, they are based on the Buddhist prayer flags - 5 flags, in colours green, red, yellow, blue and white. (I adapted the white and used an earthy/orange colour instead.) Each flag has a front and back - so there are 10 surfaces in total.

I used 5 words that for me symbolize the creative process.
The first one is to Look.

Flag 1: Look: hand-dyed (with spinach) cotton base, other fabric strips, ribbons, gauze, batik, stitching.

Leg warmers.

I've always wanted to make my own leg warmers - especially as I have two pairs of boots (one suede and one from knitted material) that sag down sadly around my ankles after a few minutes' wear. I knitted a pair of leg warmers last year, but used cheap leftover wool, so they looked ...well ... like cheap leftover legwarmers. Also, they didn't provide the required bulk for these particular pairs of boots. Earlier this year I spotted a picture on tumblr (I forget where) of an old man and woman in traditional clothing - they may have been Chinese or Russian - I honestly can't remember. And they wore these lovely thick fabric embroidered boots/socks. So that got me thinking to making legwarmers from fabric, and quilting them with a layer of batting.

I used the legs of an old pair of jeans - the section from knee to ankle- cut them open, narrowed them down, and attached buttons to fasten. Then I added batting and fabric for the inner lining and embroidered the top section (which peeks over the top of the boot).
They look pretty nice if you like a rough gypsy/peasant effect, but most importantly, they work!