At last! have some time to do a fabric test with Derwent Inktense pencils.

Ive used 50 : 50 Jo Sonya's textile medium / water.

After heat setting with an iron I will wait 48 hours and wash the piece.  Im really hopeful for colourfastness.

Some of the bits n pieces Im using to decorate my seaside hook book.  I left the coaster there on the table because gallons of coffee go into every creation LOL  Ive taken out my first pics because they were too repetitive.... I think progress photos from this step on will be better.  I really love this hook book!

Second pic : for the needle book Im stacking some shell shapes.

Second pic : I lost the shell shape when I stuffed it for a pin cushion... but then I "quilted" and added runs of beads and now the shell shape is coming along nicely.  Ive some tiny "real" shells and sand to sew at the bottom.

Second pic : my crochet hook holder page is coming along nicely.  Will people want more than 6 or 7 hooks here?  I have so many crochet hooks... should I make another page?  Im just not sure... and Im not sure if I have another page in my brain to create.  Im using Tunisian crochet inside out to make the sea garden hook holders.

It isnt starched or blocked... but I really loved the work straight off the hook and had to share....

 I like picot instead of just plain chain.  And I like this Round 7 :

Round 7: 1 sc in ch 2 space directly below (working over the sl st you just made),

*ch 6, into next ch 10 space work 6 sc, 4 picot, 6 sc, ch 6, into next ch 2 sp work (1 sc, ch 3, 2 dc), (5 picot) 3 times, sl stitch into base of first picot, back into same ch 2 sp work (3 dc, sl stitch):

repeat from * around, sl stitch into 1st sc, bind off.

Link here to a very kind lady sharing a wonderful snowflake crocheted for Christmas

ENGLISH PAPER PIECING ... clam shells

I will be back with photos... but I HAD to share with you this lovely lady who does fabulous 'perfect' tutorials.  DO look up her other videos.  Some lovely scenery and very clear instructions.

Part 1 Tutorial English Paper Piecing Shells / curves

Silk mix, pattern : Diana, row 4 done

First tile plus 12 loop cast on stitches

Those 12 stitches all purled up...
in pattern row p2 tog to join to first tile

Pick up 13 stitches along the side of the
first tile and work only these for one leaf tile

 

3 tiers of shawl back from lowest point

Zentangles are really popular!  But where do you start?  I live in Australia and love walking through nature looking at the vegetation and color.  So I Googled forest floor images....and found a line drawing of some fungi.  I draw up some cards using the fungi grouping which seemed to give a nice "natural" feel.  Then I browsed clever artists' pages to find some zen patterns.  Here are 3 in the make... and one I just have to leave alone now... it is finished.

ZENTANGLES

I just must not add to the list of things to try, do, make, investigate.... except that through the sketchbook challenge Ive discovered Zentangles and Im fascinated with people's ability to bring out 3D perception.

My process :

1.  Take a look around the web.  There is a website. If you look through for some archive material... you will find newsletters with patterns and examples.  Really nice sharing.
   Gosh it just keeps getting better... take a look at this website to see some instant beautiful zentangles
2.  Take a tour of "Discover how to draw dot com"... I really need help "seeing" 3D and working on my shading.
3. Practice (Im off doing this)
4. Cut out some white card 3 1/2 inch square.
5.  Take a black pen.  Relax and doodle.
6.  Post some photos and swap and share
[Very much my first attempts at this fascinating style - try it you will be great !]

My Process : I edited photos I had opened in Picasa3.  I used Picnik to turn them into pencil drawings [go into create, effects, pencil drawing].  I can still print them and have... at the photo printing store... as they remain jpegs.

These are the personal flower photos that Im currently working.  Ive never done fractured pictures before but I see a lot of potential in these pictures.  Nature gives us shapes that naturally work.  Im not all that confident I can do them justice.  But I read recently that we should try and capture their essence NOT try and produce a photograph.  That suits me well.

My process : making two elephant cushions for my sister who once said she loved them and who know owns nearly all of Melbourne's elephant ornaments  (well Im sure she feels like that sometimes).

I searched around for an elephant picture I was happy with.

I bought two really nice European style pillow cases ready made from Kmart.

I CANT find the pattern but I do recall the design I wanted had plant life fabric behind the elephant cut in a circle shape.  Im sticking with this.

**Im still getting to this project but I am going to embroider some skin lines on the elephant.  And Im going to hand quilt around the elephant and the lines of the plants /leaves.  I will needleturn the circle of fabric to each cushion once all the work is done... to hide any thread tales etc. This is one UFO I want to finish but also want to take my time over.  I really want her to love the cushions.