A view from a hill

This is my 4th and final page of the Collabor-ART circle fabric challenge.

My theme was architecture and for this page I dyed some of the fabric the familiar red/orange that the tobacco factory (large building on the right) and Cabots Tower (on the hill in the background) with pro markers (it is not going to be washed so does not need to be permanent) and thread sketched the outline of the hills.

I then used felt pieces to create the coloured houses that adorn several of Bristol's hills.

I was quite pleased how this one turned out and am tempted to frame it rather than bind it into the book I was originally going to make.

Happy crafting

Kyla

Beach huts and tumeric

 Over on the collaborART blog we are taking part in a Chinese Whispers circle journal-full details can be found in my previous posts here .

This month I was sent this parcel of goodies to try to incorporate some in the next make. The picture I was sent was of an autumnal quilt made of small rectangles so I used the inspiration of the colours and rectangles to create my next project.

 I used the dyed fabric as the background and added a piece of fabric I dyed with tumeric (from the colour inspiration) and some left over blue dyed fabric that I was practising stencilling and stamping on.

 Folded over the blue fabric just looked blue with a little faded black in parts-but turn it over and you can see my failed experiment!

 I then stapled it all to a frame to keep it taut

 adding stitching with the machine and some metallic thread for the sea. I also cut out some scraps for a beach hut (using the cardboard shapes as a template).  I painted up one of the brads I was sent and use it on the roof of the beach hut.

 I added  a couple more beach huts and some of the felt I was sent as a door.

 I then added lots of layers for the sea.  Everything from wool, string, silk throwers waste and net which I couched down with free machine embroidery.

So that's my 3rd make-half way through.  I have not received this month envelope yet so not sure what to make, but I am sure it will once again test my imagination-which is the purpose of me doing this, to get out of my crafting comfort zone!

Happy crafting

Kyla

 

Another archway!

 Over on the CollaborArt blog we are taking part in a six month chinese whispers fabric project.

Each month we use another participants previous project to inspire us and a small envelope of goodies are sent to try to use some of them in our next project (full details can be found on my previous blog post here).

  The lovely Chris sent me (a larger than expected!!) envelope of goodies 

(such lovely building fabric)

 

 and this fantastic card titled "The Socialites Boccee Tournament.  Friendly competition ensues on the course but it's no reason to put down the wine"  A sentiment I concur with!!

 The picture of the project I was sent had some stamped images on the fabric (a lovely art quilt representing a season) so I thought I would use that as my inspiration spring board.

I used some fabric I previously dyed in a tea bath and stamped an ornate archway and attached the printed fabric, batting and muslin.  I made a mask to ensure I was covering the archway with the patterned fabric.

 I then free machine embroidered around the stamped image and then with a deep breath cut through the top layer (being extra careful NOT to cut any deeper) to reveal the layers below

 I then added some of the decorative edging and a metal button Chris sent me and made 2 ribbon roses (thanks to Jill and Arlene at the Coven for their patience in teaching me how to do this!) and used some variegated thread to add a couple of hand stitched leaves

 I also added some hand stitching on some of the buildings to add to the quilted effect.

Month two down.  I have already had my photo for the next inspiration, but this project has taught me to hang fire on deciding what to make next as it can be difficult to incorporate some of the items you are sent (which is good as it stretches the imagination).  

So I await another visit from my postie

Kyla

WOYWW

Welcome to another What's on your workdesk Wednesday.

This week is not my desk but my kitchen.  I am trying to use up my stash so I decided to tackle my fabric and dye some of the cream fabric I have a large amount of.

On the left is a tea bath and on the right is a tumeric bath.

 I left the fabric to soak for about 15 minutes before rinsing it out.

The fabric on the bottom is the undyed, the middle is tea and top is tumeric.  I was surprised at to how bright is dyed the fabric!

I have a rough idea what to use the fabric for but I need to develop it a bit more.

No 'Man Bites Dog' cards this week as I totally forgot as this was late at night and not in the craft room!

So, dare you share and bare your desk this week?  Go on, we are a friendly bunch and there is always some great stash on show.

Happy crafting

Kyla

A card for a gardener

Just a quick update on a card I made the other day for a friends birthday.

I used a die cut I made from one of Hettiecrafts dies she brought to the WOYWW crop (thanks Sam) and the background was a thick serviette that I used to clean up during my fabric dying session a few weeks ago, it had a lovely colour and reminded me of a heather hillside.

I stamped my new boots stamp on gold card, distressing the torn edges and added some butchers twine.

A perfect card for my friend Ju who is a gardener.

Happy crafting

Kyla

 

What will the Neighbours say?

 This is a bit of a catch up post.  The other weekend hubby was away gigging (he is in a punk band) and it was sunny so I decided to take my crafting outside!

I sat in the garden and decided to play with dying wool with food colouring (my cousin's wife Kristina did it recently with their young son, so I decided I should at least try it!) and then grabbed some acrylic inks and shaving foam (cheapo 28p stuff!) and lined a baking tray with cling film before filling it with shaving foam and sploshing inks about.

Soon I was in a right old mess, hands, clothes, garden....foam, ink, wet wool, food colouring, paper and the odd gust of wind!  I am sure you can picture the scene.

 I do wonder if the neighbours think I am odd as this was the washing line!

 The wool (plain and £1 a ball from the charity shop) was soaked in a white vinegar solution and I microwaved it to set the colour, when I washed it this was the end result. The blue was not very strong (Kristina recommended a couple of different brands so I will try those next, thanks for the tips) but the red and yellows are lovely.

My foam marbled backgrounds worked out really well, I got about 8 pieces transferred before the ink became a little muddy.

 

Now, I thought I would try the food colouring on a piece of silk screen printed cotton I made previously.  I sprinkled the vinegar soaked fabric with dye and sprinkled some coarse sea salt over to see if this reacted with the dye and microwaved it also.

Note to self....DO NOT do this!  It burns the fabric.  The brown is all scorched.  Where the salt was it ate through the fabric (hence the holes) and the house STANK of salt and vinegar!!  Now, this is a mess but I am wondering that there may be a use for the salt burnt holes in fabric maybe in the future if I am doing some fabric rusting or a wall hanging?  As they say, every day is a school day!  So long as I learn something from an experiment I don't mind.

Happy crafting

Kyla

 

WOYWW

 Hello peeps, have you had a good week?  I hope so.  

This Wednesday on my desk are a few new goodies.  I rarely buy craft stash these days (as I have a room full of stuff) but Sunday saw me go to a small craft show where I bought a few goodies. 

 On my shopping list was spray and shine (as I have tried other ways to replicate the shine in Sheena Douglass' brilliant fake leather with no success), some glossy accents (as I am nearly out), a sizzix bigz die of a fob watch (I like these dies as I can cut leather out of them so I can easily make this into a circle) which was only £6 and also some great stamps which were only £3.99-bargains. 

 I also bought 2 colours of brusho a waterbased paint I have considered buying for a couple of years since I saw it demo'd at the NEC but had only seen the sets, whereas these were only £1.40 each so more affordable to try a new product.

 Last week I showed you a new photo printing kit I bought and this is the first t shirt I made from it

The idea is that you choose a digital image and create a negative which you print out on special film.  I chose a picture I took at night of the wheel in London.  You then apply the light sensitive dye to the fabric (in this case I used a black dye) then place the negative over and expose it to the sun for about 15 mins...wash it out and voila!  I am loving this idea and am thinking I would like to make cushions with this image on...ooh, once again SO many ideas but so little spare time!

My "Man Bites Dog" cards this week....'Blonde Wife Blames Naked Tourist',,,,ooeer missus....keep your eyes out if you are in a tourist area this week!!

If you fancy a legal snoop at desks across the globe then feel free to join us over at the lovely Julia's blog (link over on the right).

Happy Crafting

Kyla

 

 

PaperCloth bookmark and no new stash in sight!

Hello peeps, I have finally finished my first paper and cloth project, its only a small bookmark but I was quite pleased with how it came out.

I thought I would do some steps to explain how I made it, but for full details on how to create some amazing projects then I recommend the book "Stitch Alchemy" by Kelli Perkins (mentioned in a previous post) as its SO inspiring.  

So grab and coffee and kick back for a couple of minutes if your interested in how to make one. 

 First I laid out some ironed cotton fabric onto freezer paper (the freezer paper protects the table).  I then mixed PVA with water (about 50/50) and soaked the fabric with it adding torn vintage book pages, tissue paper and pattern tissue paper.  I kept adding the PVA/water until it was all soaked through.

 I added some colour with mica powders and sprayed a little water over to help fix the mica.

 I then left it to dry overnight.

 I then added fabric dye sprays and some water to help the colour flow.  I am sure you could use paper spray ink, but I wasn't sure whether the colour would transfer to other surfaces and I knew that the fabric dye was permanent once heat set so I played it safe.

 I then added some more colour and texture with stamps

Here is the finished sheet.  I then decided to free machine embroidery all over the sheet to add some additional colour and texture.  Now, this was a BIG mistake as I was going to make a patchwork bookmark so when I cut the sheet up the embroidery started to come apart, so I had to unpick it all!  That's an hour of my life I won't be getting back!

I then cut the sheet up into random pieces and sewed them together with a zig zag stitch on the machine to create a long thin piece.  I then backed it with grey felt and machine stitched all around the edges several times.  I finished it off by punching a hole in the bottom, adding an eyelet and some fancy fibres.

 

Voila, a new and unique bookmark using only old stash, but with a new technique.

So there you have it, a nice colourful fabric and paper bookmark using my current stash!  Its so easy to buy new stash (I know, I am terrible with it!!  Missing the NEC this year so I am having withdrawal symptoms but I have SO much stash I really need to concentrate on using up what I already have!!).

Happy crafting

Kyla

 

Dying fabric with Distress Inks

 Evening all....we have just had the most awful storm!  It lashed it down for about 15 mins, complete with lightning.  The roads flooded almost instantly as the ground was already so wet!  Add to that the fact that Dr Who is filming their Christmas (oops...sorry the C word again!) episode in the centre of Bristol over the past couple of days and the fact that there was a security incident in the centre of the city today meant that it was GRIDLOCK!!!!

What fun.....so I have retreated to my craft haven (I can say haven as its still tidy!!) to chill (you have to admit crafting is SO very therapeutic....apart from when Mr Mojo decides to take a wander!).

I decided I didn't have a enough tags (gulp....please don't look behind me at the basket full of them!!) and made a tag out of pearlescent card, distressed it with DI and stamped the background with the same DI and inked through some sequin waste.

I added a leaf and some flowers with a tag and some vintage book pages (also stained with DI).

I then tried dying some satin ribbon with DI and water, and guess what...it worked!  I got lots of this ribbon, which was a neutral colour from the scrap store for next to nothing (I had a carrier bag full for a couple of quid, including leather scraps, boxes etc....so it really was a few pennies for several meters of this ribbon). 

When I dried it with the heat gun, I loved the fact that the satin shine was still there.  I think it complements the pearlescent card rather well (even if I do say so myself!!).  I attached it with some coloured mini staples I picked up in a discount shop (you know the ones, where things are 99p or £1) and mounted it on some TH Crowded Attic papers.

I love the fact that this uses almost free items (I need to go back to the scrap store to see if they have any more of this ribbon!!) to make something so dimensional with many layers-I had to buy nothing for this, it was all scraps I found hidden on my desk when I cleaned up last week! 

 I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and show challenge which this week is 'No Rules'.  I have not tried using just one colour before or dying with the DI, it was a 'what the hell' moment and I gave it a go.....and I think i will give it a go again!

You can find all the details for the challenge here, there are some lovely design team pieces which are totally inspiring.

Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x