I thought I'd show you my finished October journal quilt for FAT. I think it has turned out well. I like the free machining on the wall. I am al
sso pleased with the compasition, but it does badly need pressing!

I thought I'd show what Ive been up to. I have been sampling some heat set gathers to make the ripples for my C+G work. I gathered the fabric, which is polyester satin, a very heavy weight one, and taffeta. I then cooked them in the oven in a baking paper parcel for 15 minutes. the creases are now set premanently. i think they have turned out well, I now need to work into them with stitches before heat setting. The last one was foiled before putting it to cook, but the scan doesn't show it well.

FAT work

These two images are pieces I have been working on for FAT. The first are my finished crayon cards for "Up close and personal" postcard swap. I melted the crayon onto the cotton between baking parchment, and then I added a piece on with free machining and picked out the markings with freemachining.

The second is the first layer of my journal quilt for this month, which I have now signed up for as I think I am far enough along to commit. I chose a black and white image of the walled garden at the front of Margam House at Margam in South Wales. I thought this was really complex, but I machined over a print out and that made it a lot easier. I am really pleased so far as it is turning out better than I thought it would be. I have a grey felt and a white cotton layer underneath so i will be cutting back next. Then I intend to free machine in details and shadows.

I thought I'd show you this piece of work I have been working on for college for two reasons. Firstly it is my latest sample for my sand project but secondly as it is the example I have given for my first challenge on textilechallenges. I have set a cut back applique challenge and hope that everyone will be able to find some challenge from this
, be it if they have never done cut back before or if they have done it a million times. I have tested some of the more experienced stitchers to add a challenging layer, like wireform, as in my picture here, or shim, or a pre-stitched piece etc. I haven't set a theme hoping that people will be able to come up with things for that. We'll see. Hope this thing works out. I am pleased with this sample.

Just a quick note to say that I have set up my group

Just a quick note to say that I have set up my group now, on yahoo. It's called textile challenges and it's basically a challenge site, no swapping work, or if we do it will only be momentos or charms etc. The hyperlink should be below to allow anyone to go have a look and join up if you like! Hope to see you there.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/textilechallenges/

Secrets in the bag

I thought I'd update you on the secrets in the bag project, since now Gwen, my partner has recieved hers. The first image shows the bag of goodies I recieved and the next three are the cards I made. Gwen generously allowed me to donate the third card to Fiberarts for a cause, which will raise money for the American Cancer Association. I enjoyed this task, it was challenging working with other peoples thoughts and preferences.

I also wanted to get a feeling for an idea I have been toying with. I have been thinking about setting up a yahoo group where there would be no swaps but rather challenges for people to have a go at and then post their interpretation of the task. A sharing of techniques and ideas really. I have been discussing this with quite a few people lately, especially Jan and I like the idea of somewhere we can be totally free of swaps and other people's expectations but still have a chance to see other people's ideas and to tutorial each other on what we could add\ do differently etc. Can anyone who would be interested leave a comment for me to gauge the worth of doing this? Let me know.

Momento's and crayon work

Hia, i thought I'd share these images with you. The two skinny ones are the front and back of the momento's that I made to swap with my journal quilt group on FAT. I used the lyric from the Stereophonics, "Everyday I thank the lord I'm Welsh" and translated it into Welsh "Pob dydd dwi'n diolch I Ddyw am fod yn Gymraes" and added the Welsh flag and a flower that I had used on my journal quilt. Having already recieved one from Judith I don't know if mine are as good as others, but what the heck!

The next image is from my recent experiments with
crayons for my C+G. I also am going to use them for my crayon cards for FAI. I melted some crayon chips between two pieces of baking parchment and then peeled them apart and placed a pice of cotton in the middle and then re ironed. I also ironed the crayons off the cotton onto some white photocopy paper, to remove the excess wax, and because I used transfer crayons I was able to use this to reprint onto polyester etc. Very economical! I have been messing with the colours of this scan so that it can fit in with my C+G stuff on water over the sand. I am playing with the idea of making a hanging piece that can be changed by the viewer, so I hope that it works out, as with my hubby's sight I would like the piece to be viewed unsighted also. Hope that it works out, will keep you posted!

Sorry I forgot this one!

True to form I forgot this piece. This is also a C+G sample, using chiffon and free machining. This is very soft and tactile. Cries out to be touched. I love the way that the free machining gives a more matt and dull texture from the same material. I like the contrast. I have been really influenced by Sandra Meech. Well
there we go. Hope the scan is good enough to be able to see it properly.

I have a couple of things to show you today in response to a few emails I have gotten lately. I am feeling very popular at the mo! The fist is a journal quilt page for fiberarttraders, a yahoo group I have recently joined. I have loved doing this one. the topic was "All about me" and you don't swap, you keep the page and you swap charms or trinkets relating to you. I haven't done mine yet but I thought i'd stitch something in Welsh, since I am fluent. The second and third images are relating to my G+G course and are based on markings in the sand. They are just trial pieces and are unfinished. the technique is to use pin tucks in cotton and tyvek and then to chop them up, shrink the tyvek and then combine them with free machining. They are very tactile and I have used glittery metallic paint to colour them up. A decent start to the project i think. The topic for this term is "Touchy feely" and so I am going to make a very tactile piece based on the fact that hubby is registered blind. Hope you like anyway!

Thought I'd give you a sneak preview to work I have done lately for fiberartistsintl.yahoo group. I will be uploading them to the site but after they have been recieved. I loved the butterflies, it is a gift bag recycled given to me by a lovely leaving pupil from my form, I had a great glass haning for my classroom in it. I thought it was too interesting to throw out and as if by magic Lynn put up the mixed media swap a few days later. I love the leaf quilting, it looks like the butterfly is sitting in the leaves. The other is for a tie dye swap and I have made a couple extra so that I can send them to Virginia for the fiberart for a cause project. I will send them off soon. I have also finished the secrets in the bag cards but think I should send them off to the swapper before posting, so watch this space. Lastly my textiles group in year 11 are making me so proud and I wanted to say that publicly. The quality of work is fanominal. They are going to do really well I think.

I thought I'd show you some of the lucks I have had this last two weeks. The first is Gillian's, Devon,and is for a first letter of your name theme, I love the fabrics used. The next is also Gillian's based on waterfall's and my little girl ET loves the sparklies and I have to say I agree. The third is from Jan Lewis, in the UK and is for a tie dye theme. I love Jan 's work, she and I have a similar style and eye on thing's I think.The last is for a crayon card swap and is by Susanne in Switzerland, the circles are fab, a great idea. Hope mine are as good.

Here is the contents of my secrets in the bag challenge for fiberartistsintl. yahoo group. I am swapping with Gwen in the US and this is what she has sent me to use to make her postcard. I think I will be able to do more than one with this lovley fab
ric and bits. I think i will go for a leaf theme since she has sent me a leaf skeleton.I am going to try to at least cut out tonight and lay it up as school is so tiring! I came home today and had an hours sleep, where did that come from. I haven't slept in the day all holidays, weird!

Thought I'd show you some of the nice pressies that I have recieved through the post from Fiberartistsintl yahoo group.
The first is from Ramona on a hearts theme and the second is from Sally on an August moon theme. I love them both.

Postcard example

This is a photo of the knid of work I have been doing. I am really proud of this one. I made it for a birthday on the fiberartistintl, yahoo group, it was for Ramona. I painted and shrank the tyvek and then attatched it to the patchwork with beads and sequins. The feathers were left over from making over my wedding facinator, I took it apart as it looked like a red indian headdress!!! I loved the shiny dance fabric I used here, but it was a bugger to sew as it has so much stretch.

Hello all

Hello all this is very new to me but I hope will become useful as time goes on. i will keep track of my postcard work here.