on Monday

On Monday I went up to Lady Sew and Sew to spend the afternoon demoing Free Machine Embroidery. Sort of meet the artist, but it had been a second thought when I was setting up, and I was asked to come. Mostly I sat and made patterns on my fabric!
The heating was not working and I was lucky to sit near the temporary one they had set up for the shop. I forgot to take a photo until I was nearly packed up!

I did get to speak to several customers.
One man, whose daughters(wife and daughter?) were in full burka, was very interested in the work. Eventually he had the ladies come over to speak to me about how they were done. The one in particular was fascinated by what I was doing on the machine. I gave her the leaflet about the next beginner embroidery class on the 23 April. Not sure she will come to this one, but maybe in the future. And if the dad/husband is already behind the idea, maybe more possible?

Besides the textile art pieces, the Dragon Gown and the Heat and the Flame Gown are on display. I realised I had never got a good photo of the Heat and the Flame, so here they are.

Front

Back

And in the centre between is a dummy with a 'gown' draped straight from the bolt, by Sarah Blundel. Something to perhaps inspire the customers.  You can see on the left that the bolt is still on the back of the gown. Clever!

I was told that 2 large coach groups had come to visit - particularly to see the exhibition. So that was good!
The exhibition finishes the 30th March. But because of the Easter weekend, I won't be taking it down til Tuesday, the 3rd April.

and so the Net

I have mentioned the net a few times this week. The reason I wanted it was to pin my small pieces to, so it would be easier to hang them for my exhibition.
The idea being that it would blend against the wall.

It took some effort on my table to lay them out in a decent order, but I got them done just a short time after the boiler men left this morning from their finishings off.

Mr Thoughtful came with me to do the climbing. When we got to Lady Sew and Sew, the ladies had a different idea. Rather than hanging them in the front entry room, they wanted them hung within the shop floor so more people would look at them and so they could talk with visitors about the work. It took me a while to see how that could work, having prepared for the original plan. But we soon worked out a system.

So, here are the pieces hung on the net.

Dragons

Tudors

A few pieces I didn't want to leave out.

So, it wasn't what I had in mind, but it works ok. Because you can see through the net, you can pretend it isn't there easier. There is a lot going on behind it, but you can stand close to look at detail.

And then we hung some other work as well. These are just quick photos. All these are hung from dowels which are hung from metal beams.
You can see the backs of work, but there is enough space between the beams that it isn't reading as a surround, which can happen if you hang different sized work back to back.

Captured Butterflies  (not as dark in real life!) next to Dragons

Some of my work with unusual materials included.

Cloud Puppy

Rainforest Dragon and D is for Dragon

in the centre area at one end will be the table with Lady Sew-Forth and leaflets about the exhibition.

And at the other end will be the dragon gown. And I have been asked to also bring the Heat and the Flame to display as well.

I will get better photos on Monday. I didn't get the labels done, and as it is Small Stories,  there has to be some reference to the stories! So, that is the job for the weekend.

More from the exhibition

A few more photos now that I have had time to sort them. I am going to have to retake a few that were too fuzzy to show.



we made collections of gowns that worked together.
 - silks and lace

 red velvet

 the rust piece above, made in 2007, worked well with the 2 new pieces that also make a statement about global issues.


you should have seen the efforts to make a suitable display for a 10 year old! The one on the right had lacing that could open enough to get it over the shoulders of the dummy. But though it was a thin model, it is quite busty and tall for a young Tudor. The other 'dummy' is made up of a child soft manikin piggyback on the shoulders of a half child model!


and we hung the coats for the ensembles from the rafters open so the scene in the inside back could be seen, as well as the back of the coat. But I need to get a better photo of the other side.

Several things

We went to Yorkshire at the beginning of the week. And then I have been down with a bad throat. Still, here are a few items of interest for you.

My Sister-in-law wearing a scarf I made her.

One of the lovely bits of fabric someone brought to an Offcuts meeting. It was a piece from the end of a bolt, so needed a bit of thought on how to do away with some of the faults. I had to cut about 1 inch from one side and 3 inches from the other side. So, I sewed it like a tube along the faults and then trimmed the seam and turned it right side out.

This was a big birthday, so we went for a meal.

I caught them reading menus or discussing their latest phones! The siblings at the end and my mother-in-law in the red. She was really brave! First time she has come out for a meal with us after moving to the home. She will be 95 in September.


******************
Today I went to collect The Heat and the Flame from Lady Sew and Sew in Henley. It was there for the Henley Art Trail. I had forgotten my camera when I set it up. So, I grabbed some quick ones. The Thoughtful Man had taken the day off to chop back the ivy, but he was willing to do the driving...and carrying Mademoiselle.

front

back

*****************
And then whilst I was away, there was an email about the 6th European Triennial hosted by the Textile Collection Max Berk in Heidelberg.
Although I am still unable to show the work on my blog, they have actually posted my piece along with other 'big names'! So, you can get a glimpse on the site. Museum webpage. If you scroll down, you can read the text in English.

The list of accepted artists is on the pdf which opens when you click the first long link. Or direct to the pdf. Several SAQA members and some who are CQ members.

Henley Art Trail - Heat and the Flames

Right - things are starting to settle.

Today I sent the info for my Heat and the Flame gown/ensemble to Lady Sew and Sew for the Henley Art Trail. When I saw them at Festival of Quilts, I promised them I would enter it this year.

What I also realised is that I never did get good photos when I finished it last year. The ones in the Fashion Sans Frontieres show were very blurry.

So, here they are. I took some with flash and some without and have decided to show both. Different details highlighted with either setting.

Without Flash front

Without Flash back

With Flash front

With Flash back

Interesting to visit it again all this time later. Things you wish you had time to do then no longer matter!

I am linking this to Off the Wall Friday at Nina-Marie's.

The Heat and The Flame

I thought you might like to see what the completed gown looked like being modelled in the show. The models were students, so went a bit fast. I set the camera on sport and even then some of the photos were blurred because of their speed!
I have cropped her feet off because for some reason she was barefoot! Yet other times wore shoes made to fall over in. Still, better than me being up there.

I just realised they probably chose her because of the ginger hair!

I will show you some more of the gowns on another day when I get the photos processed.

The Heat and the Flame - front skirt beaded

And here is the front of the skirt beaded...spread on the back of the settee...

and draped on the stand.

Now to carry on with the back. It is based on a 'hi-low' or 'mullet' shaped skirt idea. But with my own twist of course!

The Heat and the Flame - front skirt

Finally some progress on the front part of the skirt. I needed to wait til I had some fusible to cut the appliques. I fused a blue-ish nearly right colour synthetic organza with a Kelly green which has made it the just right colour to go with the rest of the gown.

Because of the fusible, I was able to cut them out without fraying. So, they are only attached with beads to make it more wispy floaty.
So, stitching beads over the next few days. I haven't started on the beads for the back of the skirt yet.

The Heat and The Flame and a Dragon Glare

Head down, nose to the grindstone machine and one of the results.

Release darts in the bodice neckline are highlighted with top stitching
and beading, while a flaming dragon glares below.

This is part of the description I sent off to be read out at the Fashion Sans Frontieres show at the Festival of Quilts.

The large beads for the eyes seemed just the thing when I went digging in the 'old necklace beads' stash. And the result is better than I had envisioned! It sure helps him to glare, doesn't it!

Heat and the Flames

And then onto the skirt

Besides the main flames, I have built flames from the cut-outs.

Checking the look

Adjustment to the one on the lower left which was pointing the wrong way for flames.

and then adding the heat to the flame.

And the next step for this will also be the stitching and the beading.

Heat and the Flames

Dragon on the front bodice

The photo shows me the head is a bit skewed. So, I put it on the dummy to see where I would need to re-position it, but find it is just right.

So I am not going to meddle with it! Except stitch into it and do some beading.

The top image is pretty much the actual colour.

Heat and the Flames

Developing a dragon for the front of the bodice

Here is a good tip...

Don't build your dragon on a surface that can't take an iron!

So, now transferred to baking parchment and further developed and fused together.

Heat and the Flames

Working out the flame placement

and the bodice back flames fused down

Heat and the Flames

I had to come up with titles and details for the garment for Fashion Sans Frontieres. Although I still have more to do to get this to the point I want, just having to commit myself to a description helped to bring a focus on what I want it to finally look like.

And so the title - Heat and the Flames.

and here are the main Flames cut out
orange -

yellow -

Flame pattern

I got the B piece to the point where it needs the handwork to be finished. So, time to get back to the garment I am doing for Fashion Sans Frontieres at the Festival of Quilts.

Today, after adding a bit of decorative mark making with the soldering iron in the plain spaces (top and bottom) of the B piece, I made flame patterns for the skirt of the FSF garment and the upper back of the bodice.

I may get them cut out before I go off to the sewing group. Then they can be stitched down and embellished with beads while I am there.