The Summer Of Buzz art exhibition at the Art House in Southampton opened yesterday. and my bee embroidery is there, which is exciting! It's on until the 28th September and is well worth a visit (I can also recommend the Beany Nachos and the spicy rum....).
If you want to download a free pattern for my bee, it's available on Craftsy and Payhip. Let me know if you make it and I'll feature your version in a future blog post.
A tale of crafty endeavours, garden battles and feline intrigue
Showing posts with label craft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label craft. Show all posts
Embroidery Using Fabri-Solvy - A Cautionary Tale
I've always been a bit impatient when using windows or light boxes to trace embroidery patterns. When I chose the Santa Monica Pier pattern to stitch from Studio MME's new pattern book, I knew I would have trouble with all the straight lines. I've tried an iron-on transfer pencil before and the results weren't as accurate as I needed, then I remembered that I had already bought some Fabri-Solvy*. Here's how I used it to transfer my pattern, and the lessons I learned...
First I printed the pattern. The Fabri-Solvy went through my printer really easily.
I then cut down the sheet to fit on the hoop and tacked it to my cotton fabric. It is sticky so I might not have needed to do this.
While stitching, the Fabri-Solvy puckered a bit, I don't know if it wasn't stretched tight enough. There was some resistance, but no sticky needle problem that others have reported.
After finishing stitching, I trimmed the Fabri-Solvy back to near the stitches.
I then swished it around in warm water until it stopped being gloopy.
I left it to dry on a towel, then ironed it.
Once it was dry, I could see marks where the printer ink had run (down from the struts of the pier and around the windows - just about visible in the photo below). Originally I thought it was the DMC thread that had run, but I have since found another site where someone has mentioned a problem with the printer ink, so I'm assuming it was that. I was VERY annoyed (especially as it was destined for Megan's book), tried rinsing it again, no change. Grrrrrr. Next time I try this, I will print the pattern in a very light grey to prevent this. Some of my stitches now look a bit wobbly, I assume that's due to stitching through several layers then removing one. My stitches didn't look at all loose when I was making it, but I guess I will have to stitch tighter in the future when using Fabri-Solvy.
Would I use Fabri-Solvy* again? Yes, as it made transferring the pattern and keeping straight lines a doddle. I really really wish I'd tried a tiny sample first to work out the kinks though.
* Amazon affiliate link
First I printed the pattern. The Fabri-Solvy went through my printer really easily.
I then cut down the sheet to fit on the hoop and tacked it to my cotton fabric. It is sticky so I might not have needed to do this.
While stitching, the Fabri-Solvy puckered a bit, I don't know if it wasn't stretched tight enough. There was some resistance, but no sticky needle problem that others have reported.
After finishing stitching, I trimmed the Fabri-Solvy back to near the stitches.
I then swished it around in warm water until it stopped being gloopy.
I left it to dry on a towel, then ironed it.
Once it was dry, I could see marks where the printer ink had run (down from the struts of the pier and around the windows - just about visible in the photo below). Originally I thought it was the DMC thread that had run, but I have since found another site where someone has mentioned a problem with the printer ink, so I'm assuming it was that. I was VERY annoyed (especially as it was destined for Megan's book), tried rinsing it again, no change. Grrrrrr. Next time I try this, I will print the pattern in a very light grey to prevent this. Some of my stitches now look a bit wobbly, I assume that's due to stitching through several layers then removing one. My stitches didn't look at all loose when I was making it, but I guess I will have to stitch tighter in the future when using Fabri-Solvy.
Would I use Fabri-Solvy* again? Yes, as it made transferring the pattern and keeping straight lines a doddle. I really really wish I'd tried a tiny sample first to work out the kinks though.
* Amazon affiliate link
West Coast Love Embroidery Book Review
A few month's ago, Megan from Studio MME asked for volunteers to help stitch patterns for her upcoming embroidery book based on the West Coast of the USA. I've always loved her patterns so jumped at the chance. The book has now been launched and looks GORGEOUS!
In Megan's own words: "West Coast Love lets West Coasters stitch up their local pride. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Seattle Space Needle, this 100+ page digital pattern book gives you a tour of the seaside states. In addition to man-made landmarks, you can stitch up iconic birds, alternative state flags, and national park monuments. West Coast Love is the first pattern book by Megan Eckman, the designer behind Studio MME. Her patterns are simple to sew but intricate in their design, letting you curl up on the couch with a beer while you stitch something beautiful."
The book is beautifully laid out, with very clear patterns and a beginner-friendly stitch guide. It also includes extensive instructions on transferring the patterns to fabric and finishing the projects, which are shown as hoops and pennants. The patterns themselves look really impressive once stitched up, and I love the cute introductions to each section of the West Coast, and Megan's interpretations of the state flags, including a grizzly bear for California!
You can see the level of detail she has included here, for a hoop showing the Golden Gate bridge. It's really easy to see which stitches to use to get the same effect as the picture, and the suggested colours work really well.
I love the sketch-like effect of the grass and plants in the Hollywood sign pattern, it's really representative of Megan's style.
I was sent the Santa Monica Pier hoop to stitch. It was a new challenge for me as I haven't done much stitching involving straight lines, and there were lots of them in this pattern! I used Fabri-Solvy to transfer the pattern (not one of the transfer suggestions in the book) and had a few problems with it (more on that next week) but the pattern itself was really fun and easy to stitch.
I've never been to the West Coast (I've only been to New Orleans) but so many of the landmarks in these patterns were immediately recognisable. I've also only been on a Ferris Wheel once and I thought I was going to throw up every time it went over the top. I'm not great at fairground rides...
You can buy the book on Megan's site at: http://www.studiomme.com/shop.
In Megan's own words: "West Coast Love lets West Coasters stitch up their local pride. From the Golden Gate Bridge to the Seattle Space Needle, this 100+ page digital pattern book gives you a tour of the seaside states. In addition to man-made landmarks, you can stitch up iconic birds, alternative state flags, and national park monuments. West Coast Love is the first pattern book by Megan Eckman, the designer behind Studio MME. Her patterns are simple to sew but intricate in their design, letting you curl up on the couch with a beer while you stitch something beautiful."
The book is beautifully laid out, with very clear patterns and a beginner-friendly stitch guide. It also includes extensive instructions on transferring the patterns to fabric and finishing the projects, which are shown as hoops and pennants. The patterns themselves look really impressive once stitched up, and I love the cute introductions to each section of the West Coast, and Megan's interpretations of the state flags, including a grizzly bear for California!
You can see the level of detail she has included here, for a hoop showing the Golden Gate bridge. It's really easy to see which stitches to use to get the same effect as the picture, and the suggested colours work really well.
I love the sketch-like effect of the grass and plants in the Hollywood sign pattern, it's really representative of Megan's style.
I was sent the Santa Monica Pier hoop to stitch. It was a new challenge for me as I haven't done much stitching involving straight lines, and there were lots of them in this pattern! I used Fabri-Solvy to transfer the pattern (not one of the transfer suggestions in the book) and had a few problems with it (more on that next week) but the pattern itself was really fun and easy to stitch.
I've never been to the West Coast (I've only been to New Orleans) but so many of the landmarks in these patterns were immediately recognisable. I've also only been on a Ferris Wheel once and I thought I was going to throw up every time it went over the top. I'm not great at fairground rides...
You can buy the book on Megan's site at: http://www.studiomme.com/shop.
Adventures In Steamed Shibori
I've been taking a City and Guilds level 3 embroidery course at a local college, and this week we tried steamed shibori which was SUCH FUN!
The basic idea is to create structure in fabric through the use of steam. Synthetic fabrics keep their shape when washed, natural fabrics do not. We used a vegetable steamer for 20-25 minutes at a time, tying or stitching objects and creases in the fabric, steaming them then untying the fabric to see what effects we had created, which were often quite unexpected.
This was satin tied around screws. I realised afterwards that the tying thread should have gone more accurately in the threads of the screws to get a more realistic effect.
This is organza tied around screws then coloured with silk paints (which then bled all over the steamer). This doesn't show the screw effect as well as the silk one but I still quite like it.
Beads gave a much more even effect.
I have no idea what this fabric is, kind of nylon Tyvek? It held the bead shape really well.
I love the organic look of this one, which was the most fiddly with using pearl-sized beads in the middle. The larger beads unexpectedly bled colour - I would rather it was all one colour with just texture differences but I don't hate the effect.
I was really inspired by textile artist Michelle Griffiths - I found a Pinterest board here that has some of her amazing screw pieces. I don't know if this technique will fit in with my plans for the final 3D embroidered piece for the course, but I do really want to try it again.
Have you tried any unusual textile techniques that I should investigate?
The basic idea is to create structure in fabric through the use of steam. Synthetic fabrics keep their shape when washed, natural fabrics do not. We used a vegetable steamer for 20-25 minutes at a time, tying or stitching objects and creases in the fabric, steaming them then untying the fabric to see what effects we had created, which were often quite unexpected.
This was satin tied around screws. I realised afterwards that the tying thread should have gone more accurately in the threads of the screws to get a more realistic effect.
This is organza tied around screws then coloured with silk paints (which then bled all over the steamer). This doesn't show the screw effect as well as the silk one but I still quite like it.
Beads gave a much more even effect.
I have no idea what this fabric is, kind of nylon Tyvek? It held the bead shape really well.
I love the organic look of this one, which was the most fiddly with using pearl-sized beads in the middle. The larger beads unexpectedly bled colour - I would rather it was all one colour with just texture differences but I don't hate the effect.
I was really inspired by textile artist Michelle Griffiths - I found a Pinterest board here that has some of her amazing screw pieces. I don't know if this technique will fit in with my plans for the final 3D embroidered piece for the course, but I do really want to try it again.
Have you tried any unusual textile techniques that I should investigate?
Christmas Craftiness Part 2
I completely forgot to take a photo of this before I wrapped it up, luckily Anna Marie was kind enough to send me a photo of it on her wall.
This was made from the weelittlestitches "Pixel People In Love" pattern featuring the Joker and Harley Quinn. It was mostly stitched on the ferry to and from the Isle Of Wight (I'm determined to go looking for red squirrels the next time I'm over there).The strange green Aida was a lucky find at a local charity shop, and I painted the hoop with black acrylic paint. I always forget how long cross stitch takes when there aren't many large blocks of colour - probably why I have so many unfinished projects!
This was made from the weelittlestitches "Pixel People In Love" pattern featuring the Joker and Harley Quinn. It was mostly stitched on the ferry to and from the Isle Of Wight (I'm determined to go looking for red squirrels the next time I'm over there).The strange green Aida was a lucky find at a local charity shop, and I painted the hoop with black acrylic paint. I always forget how long cross stitch takes when there aren't many large blocks of colour - probably why I have so many unfinished projects!
Christmas Craftiness part 1
I hope you had a great Christmas! Mine was full of non-Christmassy films and far too many chocolate oranges. As usual, I'm finding the few days between Christmas and New Year a bit strange - I'm feeling like hiberbating but I need to do some serious tidying and organising.
I made a few presents this year, these ones were using the patterns from the Alphabet Motif Club designed by Carina. The club patterns are still available, but Carina is temporarily shutting her shop from 1 January to deal with the EU VAT changes. There are more details and coupon codes here.
I had to frantically finish this piece, take a photo and wrap it up in the same evening which is why this photo is a bit washed out - it's much prettier in real life! It was the first time I'd used the "yay!" stitch... I wrapped the 4" hoop with dark greeny-blue wool to add to the rustic feel.
This one was finished on Christmas Day in front of Doctor Who (I wasn't that impressed with the Christmas episode, I actually fell asleep at one point. I like the new Doctor but the scripts have been pretty weak for a while). I'd had very little sleep that week so my tracing on a window was a bit wonky - the green lines at the bottom aren't where they're supposed to be, but I think it still works as it's consistent. This hoop is wrapped in brown wool. I prefer the wool wrapping to painting the hoops for these motifs. I want to try more hoop decorations next year, especially using crochet.
I suspect several more of my friends will be getting these alphabet hoops over the next few months and I'll definitely be making one for myself!
I made a few presents this year, these ones were using the patterns from the Alphabet Motif Club designed by Carina. The club patterns are still available, but Carina is temporarily shutting her shop from 1 January to deal with the EU VAT changes. There are more details and coupon codes here.
I had to frantically finish this piece, take a photo and wrap it up in the same evening which is why this photo is a bit washed out - it's much prettier in real life! It was the first time I'd used the "yay!" stitch... I wrapped the 4" hoop with dark greeny-blue wool to add to the rustic feel.
This one was finished on Christmas Day in front of Doctor Who (I wasn't that impressed with the Christmas episode, I actually fell asleep at one point. I like the new Doctor but the scripts have been pretty weak for a while). I'd had very little sleep that week so my tracing on a window was a bit wonky - the green lines at the bottom aren't where they're supposed to be, but I think it still works as it's consistent. This hoop is wrapped in brown wool. I prefer the wool wrapping to painting the hoops for these motifs. I want to try more hoop decorations next year, especially using crochet.
I suspect several more of my friends will be getting these alphabet hoops over the next few months and I'll definitely be making one for myself!
Craft Fair and (gulp) Christmas....
This weekend I organized a craft stall at a local goth/EBM/alternative night. After a lot of panicking about lighting levels (which is why I now own all the fairy lights in the entire world) and timings it went pretty well. Also on the stall were the amazing Esperanza Em (Mexican-inspired jewellery - I reviewed her shop last year here), Katy's Sock Monkeys (self-explanatory) and Imp of Mischief (gorgeous jewellery). It's a really welcoming club and venue - they are also holding a New Year's Eve event (details here).
My snowmen danglies will be adorning the Christmas trees of Southampton and Portsmouth this festive season thanks to the lovely customers this weekend, but you can now buy Christmas monsteryness from my Etsy shop. They will be joined by more tree danglies as I make them! Yes, I know it's not Halloween yet...
Christmas Bob tree hoop:
Christmas pudding monster tree dangly:
Halloween Monster Embroidery Pattern!
I have a new embroidery pattern available! Yaaay! This pattern shows Jeremy's response to his first Halloween (it isn't celebrated in his home dimension and it was his first encounter with pumpkins).
It is available on Craftsy, and includes suggested stitches and DMC colours along with instructions for tea-dying. This is my first non-free pattern which is quite scary/exciting...
You can also see the original textile portrait that Jeremy patiently sat for at Mad's Monster Emporium, along with portraits of his friends.
Update: pattern is now also available on Etsy.
It is available on Craftsy, and includes suggested stitches and DMC colours along with instructions for tea-dying. This is my first non-free pattern which is quite scary/exciting...
You can also see the original textile portrait that Jeremy patiently sat for at Mad's Monster Emporium, along with portraits of his friends.
Update: pattern is now also available on Etsy.
Art House Summer Exhibition
I was so excited when I got two of my textile art pieces into the Southampton Art House Summer Exhibition. These were pieces that I originally made during my City & Guilds Level 2 Machine Embroidery. Here they are hanging in the exhibition.
"Castles" - inspired by moss, plants and weathering of ancient castle walls after visits to Chepstowe and Corfe Castle. I created printing blocks using giant pencil erasers and lino cutters, then used a heat transfer press to create the pattern on the fabric. I added batting and thick calico backing, then I quilted using dense machine stitching to suggest moss, adding some hand embroidery in places using different types of threads (including buffalo wool!). I couched various wool to create vines, and used soluble fabric to embroider leaves to hang at various points from the vines.
"Falling" - a large piece combining tea-dyed calico, organza, satin and scrim. I machine embroidered leaves in various neutral tones onto the calico, and created individual leaves using satin and organza, singeing the edges with an incense stick! I shredded holes in the organza and scrim to create a tattered effect and strung it from a large twig.
The exhibition is on until the 28th September and includes lots of lovely pieces in many styles and mediums. The Art House hosts a huge variation of live acts, workshops and other events and serves gorgeous chocolate cake!
"Castles" - inspired by moss, plants and weathering of ancient castle walls after visits to Chepstowe and Corfe Castle. I created printing blocks using giant pencil erasers and lino cutters, then used a heat transfer press to create the pattern on the fabric. I added batting and thick calico backing, then I quilted using dense machine stitching to suggest moss, adding some hand embroidery in places using different types of threads (including buffalo wool!). I couched various wool to create vines, and used soluble fabric to embroider leaves to hang at various points from the vines.
"Falling" - a large piece combining tea-dyed calico, organza, satin and scrim. I machine embroidered leaves in various neutral tones onto the calico, and created individual leaves using satin and organza, singeing the edges with an incense stick! I shredded holes in the organza and scrim to create a tattered effect and strung it from a large twig.
The exhibition is on until the 28th September and includes lots of lovely pieces in many styles and mediums. The Art House hosts a huge variation of live acts, workshops and other events and serves gorgeous chocolate cake!
FFFoF "Black" Swap Part One
This Weave swap theme was quite tricky - "black" has so many possibilities. This is my piece for Sister Twisty of the amazing catfish. I was originally going for black lacy flowers and spirals, but Gavin decided evil sheep were the way to go.
Luckily I'm a bit of a goth so had lots of black supplies. I certainly got lots of practice with french knots.
I ignored everything I learnt about french knots at the RSN, no way was I going to try to thread that many strands through a small needle so I would only have to do one even knot rather than 4.
I've mostly been doing my Frosted Pumpkin Halloween Town cross stitch and designing my next Unexpected Kitty embroidery pattern, but it's been too hot to do much crafting in the south of the UK recently. Flash has also developed a liking for sleeping on my chest which doesn't help! He and Miskit are gradually getting used to each other, a few tiny spats but I caught them both sitting on the garden bench yesterday so I'm not worried about needing Jackson Galaxy just yet...
Luckily I'm a bit of a goth so had lots of black supplies. I certainly got lots of practice with french knots.
I ignored everything I learnt about french knots at the RSN, no way was I going to try to thread that many strands through a small needle so I would only have to do one even knot rather than 4.
I've mostly been doing my Frosted Pumpkin Halloween Town cross stitch and designing my next Unexpected Kitty embroidery pattern, but it's been too hot to do much crafting in the south of the UK recently. Flash has also developed a liking for sleeping on my chest which doesn't help! He and Miskit are gradually getting used to each other, a few tiny spats but I caught them both sitting on the garden bench yesterday so I'm not worried about needing Jackson Galaxy just yet...
Exciting news about my embroidery patterns (exciting to me, anyway)
My bee/flower pattern is currently the second best-selling free embroidery pattern on Craftsy! I have no idea where it was featured, but lots of people seem to have downloaded it yesterday.
It was originally part of the Bugs & Fishes flower tutorial linkup, there are loads of other lovely tutorials and patterns here.
It was originally part of the Bugs & Fishes flower tutorial linkup, there are loads of other lovely tutorials and patterns here.
#30for30crafting
Most evenings I just collapse on the sofa in front of the TV after work. I have a gigantic pile of half-finished craft pieces that doesn't seem to be getting much smaller. When I read about #30for30crafting on HugsAreFun it seemed to be a good way to kick myself into action so I don't feel so guilty about the hours I spend on the sofa! It was set up by The Crafting Geek and is simply doing 30 minutes of craft a day for 30 days. I suspect I started it on the 5th June, as the 4th June mostly involved playing ukulele in the rain at the Queen's Baton Relay in Southampton (as well as watching men set themselves on fire and dive from an insane height into a giant paddling pool).
I bought a 2014 fabric calendar panel from Polka & Bloom and had only managed to stitch "2014". As this is obviously of limited use after this year, I thought it was an ideal project to spend the next 30 days on. This is how far I had got by Sunday.
Obviously I will iron it at some point...
Flower - I think I will leave the grid and spiral pink. Not much point choosing the pink version to go with my one-day-pink-and-green craft room if I embroider over all of it.
Bird - I have since sewn his eye which makes a huge difference. I'm leaving the rest of his markings pink.
I don't know how much of this I will actually embroider - I'm doing it symmetrically so it won't look weird if I don't manage all the flowers etc. I think the 30 days is a good deadline to stop otherwise I could spend all year on it. Maybe I will cut the embroidered bits off after December and use them as patches for something.
I bought a 2014 fabric calendar panel from Polka & Bloom and had only managed to stitch "2014". As this is obviously of limited use after this year, I thought it was an ideal project to spend the next 30 days on. This is how far I had got by Sunday.
Obviously I will iron it at some point...
Flower - I think I will leave the grid and spiral pink. Not much point choosing the pink version to go with my one-day-pink-and-green craft room if I embroider over all of it.
Bird - I have since sewn his eye which makes a huge difference. I'm leaving the rest of his markings pink.
I don't know how much of this I will actually embroider - I'm doing it symmetrically so it won't look weird if I don't manage all the flowers etc. I think the 30 days is a good deadline to stop otherwise I could spend all year on it. Maybe I will cut the embroidered bits off after December and use them as patches for something.
Flowery Crafty Tutorial Linkup
Here are the other tutorials that appeared on the Bugs and Fishes tutorial linkup. I am definitely going to try a few of these.
Dandelion Puff Embroidery Pattern - Hugs are Fun
Paper Flowers - Life is Like a Triple Chocolate Cookie
Super Cute Scandi Style Embroidery - Hoogally
Felt Flower Brooch - Little Black Duck
Buzzzzz - Unexpected Kitty
Felt Pansy Bookmark - Grace's Favours
Flower Power - Pickle-Lily
Easy Love Heart Cozy - Sara's Texture Crafts
Thank you so much Laura for arranging this, it was a lot of fun.
Dandelion Puff Embroidery Pattern - Hugs are Fun
Paper Flowers - Life is Like a Triple Chocolate Cookie
Super Cute Scandi Style Embroidery - Hoogally
Felt Flower Brooch - Little Black Duck
Buzzzzz - Unexpected Kitty
Felt Pansy Bookmark - Grace's Favours
Flower Power - Pickle-Lily
Easy Love Heart Cozy - Sara's Texture Crafts
Thank you so much Laura for arranging this, it was a lot of fun.
New embroidery pattern - Buzzzzz
I'm taking part in another tutorial linkup organized by Laura of Bugs and Fishes, this time the theme was "Flowers" and here is mine:
It was really fun to design and make, I used water colour crayons again but this time I used calico rather than cotton, after the trouble I had with my "Monsters Deserve Love Too" pattern where the water colour ran outside the lines. Here it mostly stayed where I intended it to, but gave a rougher effect due to the texture of the fabric. I also used clear seed beads for patterns on the flowers, but I think they also look like raindrops. I have been drawing this bee since I was a teenager (although normally he has a few legs the other way around) so I love the fact I can now share him!
You can download the pattern for free here. If you have any trouble, contact me (unexpectedkitty [at] gmail [dot] com) and I'll email you a copy of the PDF. Please note that when you first view it in Google Drive, the main picture will look really horrible (due to something weird to do with Google) but when you download it everything should be fine.
If you make this pattern, I'd love to see it! Email me and I'll put your version on my blog if you want.
I'll post details of all the other tutorials in the linkup when I have them, I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with.
Update: here are the other tutorials.
It was really fun to design and make, I used water colour crayons again but this time I used calico rather than cotton, after the trouble I had with my "Monsters Deserve Love Too" pattern where the water colour ran outside the lines. Here it mostly stayed where I intended it to, but gave a rougher effect due to the texture of the fabric. I also used clear seed beads for patterns on the flowers, but I think they also look like raindrops. I have been drawing this bee since I was a teenager (although normally he has a few legs the other way around) so I love the fact I can now share him!
You can download the pattern for free here. If you have any trouble, contact me (unexpectedkitty [at] gmail [dot] com) and I'll email you a copy of the PDF. Please note that when you first view it in Google Drive, the main picture will look really horrible (due to something weird to do with Google) but when you download it everything should be fine.
If you make this pattern, I'd love to see it! Email me and I'll put your version on my blog if you want.
I'll post details of all the other tutorials in the linkup when I have them, I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has come up with.
Update: here are the other tutorials.
New! Monster brooches! Raaaaar!
I have added three new monster brooches to my shop. These have no names as they were just described to me by the monsters staying in the back room of Mad's Monster Emporium.
FFoF Bestiary Craft Swap Part 2 - Catfish!
Look at what SisterTwisty sent me as part of this swap! It's the most adorable thing ever!
There are even little snails!
Her blog post about the piece is here.
Go and look at her Flickr stream (which is where these photos are from) - it's full of incredibly intricate embroidery (here is David Meowie!) and imaginative artwork. I am in awe....
Updated as I realised the Flickr player doesn't work in Feedly, grrrrr.....
There are even little snails!
Her blog post about the piece is here.
Go and look at her Flickr stream (which is where these photos are from) - it's full of incredibly intricate embroidery (here is David Meowie!) and imaginative artwork. I am in awe....
Updated as I realised the Flickr player doesn't work in Feedly, grrrrr.....
FFoF Bestiary Craft Swap Part 1, books and kitties
The latest Fifth Friday Festival of Fabulousness swap was moved from Flickr to Mr X Stitch's new stitchy social network, Weave. The theme this time was "Bestiary".
I made this griffin for Sew Jenaissance (check out her blog for the amazing Doctor Who-inspired piece she made for her partner). He is made out of purple, pink and brown appliqued felt, with different stitching for his birdy front half to his tigery back half, with a fluffy thread tail. (You can also see the hideous wall texturing on one half of our kitchen. Bizarrely, the other half is smooth. The textured stuff is also cracking and falling off in places, especially where I tried to get rid of the incredibly "countrified" tiles. I try not to spend too much time in there.)
I was reading the second Stormdancer book when I was designing this piece, which is how I ended up deciding on the griffin rather than woodland creatures. I would never have normally read this sort of book (Japanese-themed dystopian steampunk/fantasy) but I'm reading along with the book club of the International Geek Girls Pen Pals Club which is introducing me to some fantastic books. Unfortunately, one of April's reads is the first Game Of Thrones book, which will probably take me the next decade to finish.
In kitty news, Miskit has taken full control of the rocking chair in my craft room (she was very confused when she found me sitting in it earlier today) and has started attacking everything that moves, therefore signalling that it is definitely Spring. Noddy has got skinny in his old age (we need to take him back to the vet for another weigh-in in a couple of months to check he's not losing more weight) so we are on a mission to fatten him up. Today's attempt - chicken livers (bleurgh). The internet is being very unhelpful over whether to cook them or not.
Finally, I have started using my Instagram account again. If you are on there, come and say hello!
I made this griffin for Sew Jenaissance (check out her blog for the amazing Doctor Who-inspired piece she made for her partner). He is made out of purple, pink and brown appliqued felt, with different stitching for his birdy front half to his tigery back half, with a fluffy thread tail. (You can also see the hideous wall texturing on one half of our kitchen. Bizarrely, the other half is smooth. The textured stuff is also cracking and falling off in places, especially where I tried to get rid of the incredibly "countrified" tiles. I try not to spend too much time in there.)
I was reading the second Stormdancer book when I was designing this piece, which is how I ended up deciding on the griffin rather than woodland creatures. I would never have normally read this sort of book (Japanese-themed dystopian steampunk/fantasy) but I'm reading along with the book club of the International Geek Girls Pen Pals Club which is introducing me to some fantastic books. Unfortunately, one of April's reads is the first Game Of Thrones book, which will probably take me the next decade to finish.
In kitty news, Miskit has taken full control of the rocking chair in my craft room (she was very confused when she found me sitting in it earlier today) and has started attacking everything that moves, therefore signalling that it is definitely Spring. Noddy has got skinny in his old age (we need to take him back to the vet for another weigh-in in a couple of months to check he's not losing more weight) so we are on a mission to fatten him up. Today's attempt - chicken livers (bleurgh). The internet is being very unhelpful over whether to cook them or not.
Finally, I have started using my Instagram account again. If you are on there, come and say hello!
Marbling
This year, Crafty Creatives changed their subscription boxes to concentrate on a single craft each month. I decided to stop my subscription because I knew I would end up getting duplicates of things I already have (as my craft supply collection is way out of control) but I did get January's box, which was marbling. It was a lot of fun trying out different techniques, I mostly used the "randomly swizzle a needle around in the ink" one...
Here are some of the best results on paper:
The kit included some fabric (I think it was a thin cotton - on the right below) and I also tried some thicker calico (on the left below). The thinner cotton took up the colour way better than the calico, both ended up quite stiff so not suitable at this point for the embroidery I had planned. I haven't tried washing or rinsing them yet though.
There was also a ceramic heart pendant in the kit, which came out really nicely. I'm going to try varnishing it with glittery ModPodge.
Here are some of the best results on paper:
The kit included some fabric (I think it was a thin cotton - on the right below) and I also tried some thicker calico (on the left below). The thinner cotton took up the colour way better than the calico, both ended up quite stiff so not suitable at this point for the embroidery I had planned. I haven't tried washing or rinsing them yet though.
There was also a ceramic heart pendant in the kit, which came out really nicely. I'm going to try varnishing it with glittery ModPodge.
The monsters are getting restless...
Portraits of Phylisss, Maximilian, Castiel and Clarissa are currently available in my shop.
They would add monster magic to the walls of any home or office!
They would add monster magic to the walls of any home or office!
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