Acorn frames

It has been quite a long time since I wrote on my blog.
I have been pretty busy making festive stuff, and also finishing work for the next South West Textile Group exhibition. This will be happening next year at the NEC in Birmingham.
One of my last textile workshops was all about textural surfaces using muslin,scrim polyfilla and pva.
My students made some interesting surfaces involving landscape. I also made a few miniature frames, incorporating acorns and twigs.
I would like to develop them further, and plan to continue with the idea in the new year.

Also I really must try and post stuff more often.

Acorn cups

What a fabulous sunny October morning.
Went out for my usual morning jog, and collcected some acorn cups.
There seem to be lots around this year.
Have some ideas of how I might be using them in some of my work.
I think that they would make really lovely brooches too.

Will have to experiment with some ideas before I post the results

hand made paper books

I have finished making a series of hand made paper books using silk cocoon strippings.
Bits of lace, honesty and dried flowers wer incorporated into the paper.
Coptic and simple binding was used to construct the books.
They are to be exhibited in my friend s gallery shop Magpie.
I have made lots of books in recent years, and love the process.

It is also a subject that I teach in my workshops.

Space dyed muslin workshop

A few images taken at the last workshop.
Muslin was dyed using procion dyes , and space dyeing method.
Next week the fabrics will be developed into stitched pieces

Onion skin dyeing book

The book was made using fabrics dyed with onion skins
Small pieces of fabric were appliqued on the cover using machine stitching.
The pages were made using paper also dyed with onion skins.

The book was stitched together using coptic binding.

Dyeing with onion skins

I dyed a variety of natural fabrics and threads ( cottons/silks/linens) using an onion skin dyebath.
This was made after boiling up lots of onion skins . ( Around 25).
This was then strained, and the premordanted fabric added and simmered for a couple of hours.
The fabric was mordanted in a solution of alum and cream of tartar.
I also dyed some paper in the dye bath.
I will be making a little "manual" using some of the fabrics.
Watch this space!