ALAW - Burnt Letters presented

Before the end of 2014, I finished the Presentation for the second set of letters I did for A Letter A Week. As you may recall, I used a soldering iron as a wood burning tool, but onto British Calico. The letters were from a book with Celtic designs.

I decided to create a sort of swatch book with the Burnt Letters.

I kind of like the look of the pages swirled round like that. The burnt edges make their own pattern.

I stitched a bead between each letter on the upper left to hold them together.

They could be flicked through as well.

December days - 17 and the final ALAW Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 v-z
At last caught up with the Burnt Letters.

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here and here.

And now to do the presentation is left. I do have an idea of sorts.

But for now, here are all the Burnt Letters together.

ALAW - Burnt Letters and December days - 4

Second ALAW set for 2014 q-u
Still catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 m-p
Still catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 i-l
Catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

info about the technique and concept here.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 e-h
Catching up the Burnt Letters

And the Burnt Letters up close...

I trace the letters onto the fabric using my lightbox. If I did this again, I wouldn't cut all the squares of fabric first because sometimes it gets pretty hot when you are burning a section near the edge. Or perhaps if I centred the letter, there would be less problem, but I am considering doing something in the open spaces.

You have to also take into account that the just burnt section of fabric will be HOT. So when you reposition where you are holding it you have to be careful not to touch the section you just did. It cools fast, but you don't want to touch it straight away.

ALAW - Burnt Letters

Second ALAW set for 2014 a-d

I never got around to starting a second set of letters for A Letter A Week 2014. Partially because it is quite hard to jump right in when the first set is finished and also because July and August are very busy months for me. It wasn't because I lacked for ideas, but rather that I couldn't settle on one.

However, the other day I followed up a link to Fiona Dempster's blog (Fiona runs ALAW) where she had used an incense stick to do some burning marks on paper. Funnily enough, I was thinking of doing some more burn mark work with my soldering iron. You may recall I used it for B is for Book for the Stretching Art Illuminated Letter challenge.

So, I decided to do the second set using the soldering iron in a similar way to a wood burning tool. This time I chose to use calico - actually the back of some calico I used years ago for a toile/sloper when I was first learning pattern drafting. So, recycling!

The calico takes a bit longer to create a strong mark than silk and needs more heat. For silk or for cutting synthetics like I did for the S yesterday, I use my Margaret Beal soldering iron with a curved tip. But for the thick cotton, I use a fine tip soldering iron made by Drapers which I got at the ironmongers in Great Hollands in Bracknell quite a while ago.

As you see, it isn't as fine as the M.B. one, but I find it gets hotter and so works better on the calico.

Anyway, I managed 4 letters today before the chill from the open patio window (for ventilation) got to me.

Actually I spent over 2 hours getting to this point because I had to choose the letters I wanted...these are lower case letters from a Celtic Design book. and I had to cut the calico into 7cm squares. And then trace the letters onto the calico using my light box. I have traced up to O, which brings us to this week of the year. But I will probably only do about 3 or 4 a week til I catch up. Then back to what it should be A Letter A Week.

And the Burnt Letters up close...

ALAW - W-Z - Place

Finishing my map letters from places around the British Isles for A Letter A Week.

W-Waterloo (station)

X- I couldn't find an X town, so I opted for a place in Kent where there were a lot of X marks for railway crossings.

While making it, I remembered that Exeter is on the River Exe, So, the Exe might be better qualified because it says the name of the letter X.

Anyway, we have 2 for X!

Y-York

Z- Zouch

and the backs

from the area in Kent

from the area near the Exe.

I have some ideas for presentation, but also have several deadlines for end of June, so I will try to do the presentation as soon as possible. I have ideas for the other letter set for 2014, so will take it on holiday with me in early July to get it organised.

ALAW - S-V - Place

I got a bit behind on the letters for A Letter A Week because of events and deadlines for other things in May. So, I completed these yesterday.

Places around the British Isles.

S-Slough

T-Thirsk

U-Uxbridge

V-Vale

There were plenty of other V places, but I decided to look to the Channel Islands as we went to Guernsey 2 years ago for our 25th Wedding Anniversary. So, I saw on the map the little village of Vale.

And the backs

ALAW - N-R - Place

Places around the British Isles.
Apologies for the photos. I am finding the coating on the map pages make it difficult for my camera to focus.

N-Newbury

O-Oxford

P-Porthmadog

in Wales

Q-Queen's Bower

I could find very few Q places in the British Isles and those were little villages. Which surprised me.

Quite interesting to find that to be the case in a place where 2 Queens have reigned over 120 years between them in the last 177 years!

(I muddled up the attempt to give the place name a green box like the other letters have. But it isn't so bad if you aren't doing a close up photo!)

R-Reading