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

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

 

What do you do to protect yourself?

 Hello from a sunny west country!  Yep, finally Summer appears to have arrived...lets hope it decides to unpack its suitcase and stay a while!


Last week on WOYWW  was a small orange dolls dress.  I gesso'd the dress, stamped it and made a chain belt for it which I attached small items, a wrench, sewing machine etc....all items that a woman has at her disposal as part of her daily life.


The box was a left over freebie from fellow Coven member Trace and Julie's dad gave me some edging-thanks girls.  I thought I would make something to represent a Woman's Armour-some days we wear certain clothes to protect ourselves (a suit for  a meeting may put us in the right frame of mind for example) but I find that being a woman means I can do ANYTHING....so long as I have the correct tools (and a large dose of bloody mindedness!)

 The box represents all the tools a woman uses, clothes, a bit of bling, food, sewing, timekeeper, keeper of family contacts and memories.....so many tools!

The box was covered in vintage book pages and whitewashed with a little distress ink to add some age, I added feet which were old domino's.

A one of  a kind piece, I put my heart and soul into it, and I must admit, I really quite like it-it's not my usual style but does sum up my determination to try and do EVERYTHING in my life!!!!

I am entering this into the Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge which is Hey Girl and can be found here

I hope you get to enjoy the sun for those in the UK, and Happy Crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Some new techniques

I have made a few cards recently trying out different techniques.  This is stamped using 2 ink colours onto fabric and mounted onto some card which I sanded back around the edges.  Not sure how to attach the fabric without it showing through so decided to use brads.

 I'm loving the stamping onto fabric, its so tactile and adds another dimension to your card making.

Now, my first love for many years is photography, I loved transforming my bathroom into a dark room (complete with a red light...goodness knows what my neighbours thought I was doing!!) but after the initial flush of success with digital I found I was getting bored.  So, after flicking through my dad's camera magazines I noticed someone creating scenes with every day objects and 00 gauge railway 'people' (had to use '' around the word people....they're not real are they.....I mean, they don't wait until my back is turned and play around with my crafting stash do they?  They'd better not....my hubby knows what happens when I find him ferreting in there looking for a pair of scissors!!).

So this is my first attempt.  The 00 gauge construction workers have been placed on some black kale (tastier than it sounds...honest!!!). A nice different male card I think, do you?

Next, this is a card I made for my Dad's birthday.  The frame is a copy of a medium format negative, the background paper is a downloaded from some clip art I found.  I couldn't find any vellum (I wanted to somehow 'dull down' the background) so I used the backing sheet from some rub-ons I had and mounted a clip art of a retro camera.

So, a few different techniques...I need to decided on one as I have my 2 lovely nieces over at the weekend for a crafting day...not sure whether to do some altered art or Christmas cards (get them to make mine.....oh, now that is a good idea!!).

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting

Li'l Pidge x

Using up the stash...part 2

Hello, if you are in the UK then I hope you enjoyed your extra hour crafting (or the extra duvet time)!

In an attempt to trying using up my stash I have been stamping on fabric (inspired by the card Karen sent me for the WOYWW anniversary PIF).  This is stamped with stayz-on and I have added a little yellow the bee with some permanent markers, I aged it with my distress inks and frayed the edges a little them spritzed the lot with my perfect pearls spray in heirloom gold.

I attached it to some torn patterned vellum and used brads to attach it to some pretty blossom paper.

I stamped these the same way (using my new Tim Holtz stamps-these are the first ones I have bought as they are usually SO expensive, but Craft Obsessions had a good deal on them so I couldn't resist!), after aging with DI I then dropped some reinker and blotted it , finishing with my perfect pearls spray again to bring it all together (I love the way the ink moves when you spray it).

 I mounted the whole lot onto some of Tim's papers (I do like his paper stacks) and added a vinyl butterfly onto some old plastic packaging waste and bent the wings up to add some dimension.

I still can't bring myself to think about Christmas....maybe my trip to the NEC show will spark me off (or make me SO fed up of looking at Christmas stash that I may loose the will and buy my Christmas pressies this year!!!).  If any of you are going tot he NEC, I hope you have a fab time, and dont forget I am still taking bets on how different my haul will look from the shopping list I have!!!!

A big welcome to Marjo my new follower who also takes part WOYWW-Hello!

Happy Crafting
Li'l Pidge x