Ramshackling

Nearly a year ago, I had a lovely afternoon working with my friend Sue, to develop her own Ramshackle buildings to tell some of the stories in her life.

Sue used to live in Thailand, but is now in Bracknell. I visited with her a couple weeks ago. I was really excited to see that on her design board was some of the work she has further developed.

I really love the way she has made this her own. Her granddaughter knew just what building Sue had made to represent the hospital where the granddaughter was born.
The more you look, the more you can see the story Sue is trying to tell with this work. And if you think about it, you know you are looking at Thai villages and homes!

As for me, I was so glad to see that it is possible for me to show what I do, explain the technique, and then for someone else to adapt it for their own work.

Bead on 22-28 April

week 17 - 2018

bead on fabric

The right half of the beaded area.


completed bead netting bracelet/cuff closure

It is a bit stiff and not particularly well done, but it extends the length enough to fasten it.

I am not sure if it would be called a cuff. It is wider than most bracelets. (If I had stuck to their plan, it would have been wider and thus narrower. But that's how you learn.!) But perhaps cuffs are more of a bracelet that is wide and can stand on its own?
What do you think?

Something on Saturday

cow 67

Compared to last week's wire, this is more likely for a cow.

another cow and calf combo.

Beginner Machine Embroidery

On Wednesday I taught another Beginner Machine Embroidery class. This is free motion, not programmed stitches.

There were 7 very hard workers! Vanessa from Lady Sew and Sew came up to show someone the classroom and remarked on how quiet they were!

Some images of the work - showing the progress from the start of the day to the finish.

Anne

Ryszarda

Laura

Ann

Janet

Julie

Emma


As they packed up, several of them were saying they couldn't wait to get home to do some more practicing! They were thinking of quite a few ways they could use their new skill.

On 25th May, I will be teaching an Intermediate course. We will cover these techniques. and possibly try out work on water soluble film.

• Refresh your understanding of Tensions, and Speed Control with raw edge appliqué.
• Use zigzag and other stitches on your machine: Start with-Colouring in shapes and move on to textures like fur and hair
• Introduce your machine to metallics.

I like Thankful Thursday

I was teaching all day yesterday, so not much energy for writing.
But,
I like that the Thankful Man likes to bake now and then.

The other week he made this modern take on an ancient recipe for 'Gingerbrede'.

Sorry there is none left!
But last night he played about with different cake flavours and inclusions like cherries to serve when our friends come round tonight. That will be something to look forward to!

I also like pebbles which, at different times, want you to pick them up and then decide to get together in the kitchen for a surprise!

And this one that has an indentation and if it were more round, could be mistaken for a cough sweet!

Actually, this is a close up. It is around the size of a cough sweet and around the same size as the bottom one in the photo above.

If you want to see some of the other likes, go to LeeAnna's blog.

Bead on 15-21 April

week 16 - 2018

bead on fabric

Detail this week - the last ones in the line going right to left

Netting - Finished!

6 1/2in long 2in wide

I used all of the accent beads + 2 which read as the same at the end.
It is just about big enough for a bracelet for me So, rather than a trim, I made a loop in the last row. I have developed a plan to make something lovely to go on the other end so it will fit through the loop. So, I will work on that this week.

Something on Saturday

cow 66

As you can tell, this mug was a favourite.

The dishwasher has worn it away.
I always wondered... what made them choose chicken wire for a background for a cow?

I like Thankful Thursdays.

Some weeks, like last week, it seems Thursday happens before I know it. And as I haven't been doing much going out and about, I am running out of things to take pictures of!

But, this week, we've got it. Besides, it is warmer, suddenly, which makes it easier to go out...at least in the garden.

I like these violas I planted in October - around Halloween - in a spot where not much else grows. They had flowers when I bought them, but then basically went a bit dormant over winter.

But now, they are beginning to send up their mauve and pumpkin faces. When the daffodils get to the point to cut them back, there they will be brightening a plain spot in the garden.

I like the Snake's head fritillary . They go well with the yellow tulips.

Like my son says, Isn't it amazing that God made a chequerboard pattern on a flower!

Different stages here, near the bottom a new one coming towards the back, one about to open and in front a close view of recently open flowers...you can tell because the chequerboard is clearly defined.

As they get older, the colours darken and blend a bit.

  

And each one has different shaping to the pattern!

And then there are the plain old fritillary - white ones!

And I also like that SAQA Europe and Middle East is well represented in the current issue of the SAQA Journal.

One of our Co-reps.

Three of us who are volunteers

and followed by an article about the work of my friend Uta Lenk, who only stepped down from being co-rep last year!

Check out the 'likes' of the others over at LeeAnna's blog.

Green boxes

Green boxes have been cut out.

And a deconstructed template - I decided I like the overlaying of colours, so I am making some boxes that are made up of 2 different colours.

books

I have been doing a lot of reading since about November. I realised I was just getting more and more weary of pushing myself.

Two of the books I recently read, just looking through books at the library and seeing what might be interesting. Not always the best results, but here are 2 which I read lately that were very moving.

The Book Thief

Wow. Very thought provoking. I like reading books from the WWII period, but had never come across one from this setting and point of view.

Just finished Invention of Wings

Again, Wow. I liked this most for the story and how it intertwined. But quite a lot of it is factual or based on facts about Abolition in America in the early 1800's and how that movement also opened up the idea of women's rights.

Bead on 8-14 April

Week 15 - 2018

Bead on fabric

detail of turning the corner

remember I am going back and forth, not returning to the beginning of the row for the next one.

and the Netting trim/sample so far

Something on Saturday

cow 65

Another mug. Part of a set with 2 cows, 2 sheep, 2 pigs.
The other cow is broken. 😞

But, at least there is one.

red boxes

Slow but sure.

red cubes cut out.

yellow boxes

more little plastic boxes

yellow

You can begin to see the changes in colour with overlapping. I am not sure how or if I am going to make that a part of this work.

Just to show you my set up to cut the cubes with the scalpel.

Beginning on the red. (and you know I am keeping the popper closures for something they will be just right for in the future!)

I had a question about which Fourth Plinth Sculpture I was using for inspiration.

Here is a photo collection of the ones we could choose from

And now you can perhaps guess.
Model for a Hotel - 2007 designed by the German artist Thomas Schutte
(the architectural model was called Hotel for Birds)

I am glad I read this. Going by the images I have seen, I thought it was just blue, red, yellow. But I also wanted to include green. And it seems this article at least says the piece included green glass.

more boxes

Beginning to cut out more of the little plastic boxes. This time in colour.

I need to make some up properly now so I can figure out the next step for display. I know what is in my head, but I am not sure that is the best solution.

Beadon - 1-7 April

week 14 - 2018

bead on fabric

from right to left you can see what a busy weekend it was last week. A Certain Young Man's birthday, Good Friday, Sewing club, new month and Easter!
This is where the over all look will have interesting clusters of 'random' patterns. But to me, I can look and see the places where interesting things happened.

And not chenille stitch trim. Not sure how many times I unpicked more than I progressed with that, so I stopped...

...To do something I hadn't done yet.

Netting.

Yes! I can do this. I found a set of instructions that used the accent bead, which I wanted to do.

I still don't think I will  have enough of the accent to make a very long piece, but longer than the chenille would have been. I can already think of different variations for this.

I think I will have to look for a better chenille stitch instruction because that is what is causing me grief. I can't work out the right turning on some steps from the instruction or image. I think I get it, but then I get to the next row and it isn't right, so I have to take it back. Or I go off and come back the next day and can't do it again!
Now I know why I stopped where I did with the pink one!

Something on Saturday

cow 64

Another mug with a similar look to last weeks.

but a bit funnier!

No, I don't use it much. I don't need the teasing that comes with it! 😁

I like Thankful Thursday

A few of the things I like this week.

When the boiler broke, the Thoughtful Man moved the garden bench from the front of the house, to give more room to go back and forth.

Now it is in the back garden. I really like the look of it there and seeing it when I look out the dining room window.

I like this bench a lot. It  used to be at my mother-in-law's house...having belonged to her husband (who I never met). I have no idea how they managed it, but somehow it was packed into the car with other things when Mum went into a nursing home. A nice reminder for my husband of his dad.

Not sure if it will stay, because there is a Buddleia to the left as you look at it. and a Black elderberry bush (a bit like this) in the corner behind.

I like these marks. photos from the autumn.

Buggy wheels and footprints in front of South Hill park entrance.

with the stone semi-circles, as well.

Actually, another like...that last photo is evidence of my photo programme. I use it all the time. Very cool to be able to put both photos together. I know I don't use half the features and the ways I do use some of them are  probably not the easiest or best way. But Paint Shop Pro generally does enough to suit my needs.