Card making

I had a session making cards for the next time we exhibit our stitchings. I used the collage photos on Snapfish to print 2 small photos on one 6x4 photo. These work out at 11 cents per photo. I am pleased with the end results and now have plenty of cards for birthdays etc.

 

 

 

 

Trout River

Trout River actually exists. It is a very small place on the border with Canada and the US. We crossed from Canada there in 1980. We were with our friends Jan and Jerry and were going to visit Jerry's folks in upstate New York. The border guard was thrilled to see us because his people came from Ireland. He loved the fact that between us we had 2 Canadian passports, 2 English passports, 1 Irish and 1 US passport. There was lots of stamping! I remembered all this this year when our friend Jan made her first visit to Ireland.

 

Kevin says my trout is very realistic so that is high praise. He was very difficult to do because the fabric frayed and fish have very clean lines. The gold coloured organza on his back had to be done twice because of fraying. Sukey gave me a good tip - use the selvedge edge of the fabric as this is bound and doesn't fray.  He looks good in his Matalan frame, their frames are a great bargain.

 

 

Keepsackes

I keep thinking of new ways to keep hold of the stitchings that I have completed and now live somewhere else. I have recently discovered the collage photos that snapfish.ie do. They are a perfect size to cut up and use on small cards so I have ordered some. I also like their lunch boxes and have ordered two with my images on. They are quite expensive but when there was a 40% discount offer on I got two for 18euros including postage.

 

The idea of using small jars and keeping the scraps of material is another one I like. You could add one of the small collage photos and you have a record in case you want to do it again. They would look cute displayed too.

 

 

Druzy Days

It feels like winter is round the corner and the nights are drawing in. It will soon be time to set up my jewellery making workspace in the conservatory. I found some gorgeous beads so it will be great to make a start.

 

The beads are metallic coated druzy agate and are shades of turquoise with a sheen of purple around the holes. I may use some silver with them or perhaps some rock crystal??

 

 

Silk Paper

I had a go at making the silk paper using mulberry silk and wallpaper paste. It is very messy! The end result was ok but next time I need to lay out the silk more carefully and be aware of the amount of shrinkage and that the design moves. I have dried some sea aster flowers so I am going to have a go with them next and I will add some lace and stitch into the paper when it is done. I ordered more silk from Oliver Twist.

 

 

Crossing the Borders

I crossed three borders to get from West Cork to Northumberland. There were no borders or barriers at the Border Textile Group meeting though. I was welcomed with open arms as their first International visitor!

 

It was a great afternoon and I learned how to make paper using mulberry silk and wildflowers. I bought a kit and have ordered some mulberry silk from Oliver Twist Fibres on etsy. I found some wild sea asters on the beach at Bamburgh and Joan has given me some of Aunt Florrie's lace so I can't wait to have a go myself. The process looks easier (if a little messier) than wet felting and you are left with a much finer product.

 

 I took a few photos on the day, my favourite piece was the snowdrops.

 

 

 

 

Crazy Wool

I bought some new solvable fabric and have been wanting to have a go at crazy wool for ages. August was the perfect time as I had banned myself from stitching. I had plenty of odds and ends in my stash. I used quite a few silky yarns and added some strips of sari silk too as the experimental one I did a while ago was a bit scratchy.

You need two pieces of the fabric the same size. This is coated in glue so the whole lot will stay in place while you sew. You can buy a spray glue too. It makes your sewing maching a bit sticky so be prepared for a clean up afterwards.

Lay out your yarn on a strip of the fabric. I kept mine fairly dense but you can use less for a more open fabric. Put another piece of fabric on top and stitch the whole lot together in different directions. Wash away the fabric following the instructions and carefully lay it out to dry making sure it is not folded. I found it needed to be washed and rinsed three times as the glue makes it sticky. I might even have to wash it a couple more times. I am now trying to decide what to do with the ends. Will I leave them hanging, cut them off or sew them in? 

 

I do like the finished scarf and of course it is my colours! I have plenty of purple yarns and might make a purple scarf. I would make some felt in purple tones which I can cut into leaf shapes,  and perhaps embroider and add beads. That will have to be a project for next August as it is back to the stitching now!