Soldering Project

I am doing SueB's online Easy Soldering Workshop through Joggles. Forever I've been wanting to make those wonderful little soldered pendants, and guess what - NOW I CAN!!! I'm so pleased with how they turned out. My hubby even asked me if I had bought them, and I said "nope, made these today"...... The images are cut from fabric - one being a "Klimt" inspired fabric, and the other of some lovely ladies. The cords are machine made cords made to match the images. Both sides of the pendant have lovely images on them - mine are the same theme as the front, just a little different.

Padfolio/ATC's

I revamped the padfolio I had made earlier, and this is going to be sent to Carol for our Fiber Art Friends Padfolio Swap. The texture on it is created by painted vliesofix, and I've then rubbed LOTS of green and red treasure gold over the top. I added a favourite piece of fabric paper to the top of the padfolio and some rectangles down the side. Thought Carol might also like a book mark, so made one from the fabric paper - and added some fabric paper beads to the yarns. It looks so much better than before - and I really hope Carol likes it!!!

Today I made 4 x ATC's for swaps owed - one of them is for the theme "Green".

Postcard for SuZ and TAST (Chevron Stitch)

Okay, SuZ, this is for you!! I sent it on Friday, so hopefully it's winging it's way over there right now. The background is silk paper, and the dancing girl is made from fabric paper. Hope you like your "Dancing Girl"..... For anyone else reading - we are doing a birthday card swap on Fiber Art Friends, and March is SuZ's birthday month.

Very late with this, but here is my Chevron sample for TAST. I've sewn it with DMC thread onto some painted stretch velvet.

March Technique - Tyvek

Experimented with the FAF technique for March today - which is tyvek. I painted some curtain lace and some tyvek with ordinary acrylic paints. I then sewed the lace on to the tyvek with some FME - I mainly just followed the pattern on the lace. Then the fun part - out came the heat gun. The tyvek shrank, gathering the lace in with it, and the texture is really lovely. It really is much more textured than what it looks in the photo. I tried the iron first, but that wasn't doing what I wanted it to do, so went for the heat gun (my favourite tool)......

Painted Tyvek and Lace














Lace sewed to the Tyvek















The Zapped and Finished piece!!!

Wall Art for Earth Day Auction

I sent this off today for the Earth Day Auction which Joanna is organising. It is free motion embroidery on netting, which has little treasures trapped inside the grids. It was sewn on dissolvable film to achieve the embroidered edges. I covered the wire hangings with felt wrapped with organza and then zapped with the heat gun.

FAF Fabric Page for Carol

I finished Carol's fabric page for Fiber Art Friends page swap. Carol chose the theme of creamy/white. This was a great page to do, as I used a technique which I had read about in Stitch magazine and really wanted to try! Items are sandwiched between 2 layers of calico and stab stitched into place, which then creates a raised image. I used various buttons for the flowers, some paper string for the stems and stuffed some calico for the rocks. I then embellished the top with hand and machine stitching, and also added some flowers made from chiffon.

January and February Journal Quilts '07

I finally managed to create something in my new art/craft room..... It felt really strange at first, and I just sat there!!!! Sitting, sitting....no inspiration, then I grabbed a piece of wool and sat at the embellisher and just went for it. So my first piece to be made in my "new room" was was my February Journal Quilt (a bit late, I know!!). The middle panel of the Feb journal quilt was made on the embellisher, then free motion embroidered. I hand stitched the panel onto painted muslin and then added some cross stitches around the muslin frame. So, not only have I finished my Feb quilt, but also managed to incorporate TAST cross stitch (also a bit late - I know!!)....

I've also added a pic of my January journal quilt. The middle panel is hand painted fabric, with a stencil added and lots of FME. I've also couched a piece of lovely yarn on the inside of the border. AND - I've started on Carol's fabric page for our Fiber Art Friends page swap - I'm really happy with the progress........

February Journal Quilt '07

January Journal Quilt '07

Catching up on swaps owed!!

Slowly trying to catch up on EVERYTHING!! I had 125 new blog postings to look at, lots of new emails to read and then those swaps which I committed too!! Sorry ladies about being so late!! I have been working full on, and also swapping art/craft rooms. I was kicked out of the room I was in and have now moved to the spare bedroom. My husband wanted his reading room back!!, which has the open fire place and the lovely big windows (not that we need the fireplace now). Anyway, fair enough - so that's what I've been doing!! WHAT A JOB!! How much stuff can one girl accumulate???!! You name it, I had it....... But, I managed to make a tag doll, a few ATC's and a postcard..... Ladies, if I owe you something, then these are likely for you!!!!

THANKYOU DOREEN!!!

During the week, I received a little packet of treasures from Doreen. Everytime I put my hand in, MORE treasures came out. Doreen is very generous with her knowledge and is so talented!! Doreen you are also a treasure!! Thankyou so much...

This is fabric paper, painted and distressed tyvek, plus some paper clay pieces made from various molds.

This is lots of really yummy fabric.

This is rust dyed fabric, some satin ribbon which has been embellished and some beautiful threads.

AND, what about this!! Isn't it just gorgeous!!! "Fireworks" is felt with mulberry bark, tyvek, tyvek beads, FME, machine whipped cords and beads. This photo doesn't do this justice - the textures and the colours are just beautiful!!! I'm going to frame this......

THANKYOU DOREEN!!!!!!!

Strip Felting Workshop

Over the weekend I attended a "Strip Felting" workshop with Polly Stirling. What a great technique this is. It is kind of a nuno felting, but with strips of fabric incorporated with wool roving. What fun!! I made 2 samples - one being a cross hatch of strips, the other one I weaved strips of fabric together. I loved the end results - the textures of the fabric came out as such a surprise, and I learnt so much about what fabrics work well and what don't. A lot of the ladies, who were much more experienced at felting made wraps, vests and skirts. WOW! I know, I should've taken some photos - but they all turned out beautifully and different, with a variety of fabrics used - so the textures were so varied in each and every one. So, if any of you have a chance to do a workshop with Polly, take it - she is a lovely and talented lady!!! Now that I've experimented, I intend to make a wrapped shawl or a vest with the method.

So, because of the gorgeous texture produced by this method - I have incorporated it into Fiber Art Friends February Technique of the month, which is texture.