Lights

Well here as promised is my next light. I have had murder with this, I thought it was going to be easy and I would just stamp as I have for other recent things and then work over with doodles. But this didn't work out, I hated the first piece you will see and so ended up colouring up another piece of lutrador and starting over just doodling this time. I used the first one as a test for making a join with the soldering iron, and it does work, but isn't great as it was really hard to hold the two pieces firmly together along the whole edge. however it has held.
Here is the printed piece.
and this the doodled piece with a metallic marker
The printed one lit up
The doodles one lit up
and finally the doodled one in the light.

I don't know, you tell me was I right to just doodle it??????????

On the off chance any UK based textiles, RM or child development teachers read this i have set up a yahoo group for DT teachers to be able to bounce ideas off of each other. Here is the link.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/design_technologyteacher/?yguid=263564517

New Light!

A new light has come on in me this week too, I am desperately trying to catch up my design work for C+G, last unit I really let it slide (Truth be told it was the last 2 units!). So with the light I made earlier on the weekend working out quite well, I thought I might do the one for the resolved piece for my colour unit in the same method. Well, on lutrador anyway. I am not supposed to use textiles as it is for design, but I am not going to use any stitch, and am going to treat the lutrador like paper and print and doodle on it rather than stitch.I thought I would have a play with the lutrador tonight to see what I could do. I had a lot of success in soldering it together to make a join, so that will work out, but I have a back up of wiring it too. I used fine liner pens on it and crayola Metallic markers on it too. I am going in to school tomorrow to retrieve my stamps that I had taken in to show the kids, and then forgotten!Now what to put on it, this was where I had gotten lazy. This work is all based on mandala's and so as part of my book I was supposed to have looked into personal symbols and meanings for me. Now I always had this planned but hadn't been bothered to get off my butt! But then I saw Susan D's Art of textiles blog this week and she inspired me to get moving.
She had been doodling with ink and sticks, so I thought I would have a go and here is what I did. I didn't think too much about it, just tried to use things I doodle in the staff room when the Head is talking! or when I am on the phone.
Next I moved on to fine liners. In my mandala (which I have cheated and already made!) I used circles and radiating lines over woven strips. So I stared with the idea of circles.
Here are some of my favourite bits.

Thanks Susan for getting me fired up again!

Vessel finished

After showing you my vessel yesterday I have now completed it! I stitched down the join and then distressed the top with the soldering iron. I liked how the soldering iron worked so much I made some holes in the length of the vessel too, giving great casting of light as you will see in the photo's above. I am really happy with how this has turned out and have already layed up some in reds and orange to do for my light for the resolved piece for design C+G, it shouldn't be made in your main skill so no textiles, but I thought If I print onto it and use the soldering iron to join parts etc then it won't be all about textiles!

Vessel and Needle felting with foil

Inspired by Lynda, Purple Missus, I have been having a go at using foil and needle felting. I don't have an embellisher yet, note the empahsis on yet as I have asked all my reli's for hard cash for christmas as that's what I am going to get!!! So in the spirit of not being able to wait till then i have had a go at it. I painted bondaweb with orange in darkish tones and then ironed that onto a pretty lightish orange felt. I then foiled in patches as my theme for this term is industry and I have been looking at rusty things, like rivets and screws and plates that join metal etc. I have an accessory to make and i can't decide whether to do a bag or some jewellery. So anyway here is the piece after I have added a piece of turquoise organza and then needle felted it with the hand tool that Craig got me for christmas last year.
This is a piece I showed you a few weeks ago now, which has been sitting waiting to be finished. Well this is a multi tasking piece of work, it is using Carol M's (Textile tales) lutrador and lace technique used in the first edition of Fibre and Stitch. It is also going to be made into a vessel for this months challenge on my group Textiles Challenges. I intend to make it into a light to play up the translucency of the lutrador. I free machined it today with some strong orange and turquoise thread. I have pinned it up to see what it looks like as I am waiting for the rub and buff to cure.

I am really pleased with it so far. I think i am going to cut the top edge with the soldering iron, maybe even burn some marks into the lutrador too. i am enjoying playing with this stuff.

Trip to Ogmore by sea

Hia all I am still around, school has been a bit mental even after the inspection, and to be honest I Have been a bit of a drip and under the weather. Everyone in our house has had this horrid tummy bug. I thought I would show you the quilty I made last month for Sandy on the topic of colour combinations. You can't really see it in this photo but the "White" background is really orange.
Here are some of the lovely pictures that I took of Ogmore by sea, which we went to on Sunday for a family dinner. My sisters were home from England and so we couldn't resist getting together. Great views and of course my daughter loved the princess castle and I couldn't resist taking a piccie of the slip way which was really eroded by the see and showed the metal grid inside, which had gone all rusty and lovely!


Have a great weekend all, I am on half term next week and really hope to get lots done!

Thanks

Hi all, I just thought I would pop in ans say Hi and let you all know that the inspection went really REALLY well! We are now officially the best school in swansea!!! We got 6 outstandings and a very good. I am so pleased, we all work really hard everyday and this is just a confirmation of what we hoped we were! Thanks to all of you who have wished me well and sent me some pretty strong good vibes. and because I hate a post without a piccie, here is a card I made for a swap on unlimited textiles, which was for Alis, thankfully she took a photo for me, as I forgot.

A quick plea for help???

I was wondering if any of you who stop by here could help a pupil of mine. She is wanting to make swimwear for her major project and I have never done this before???? If anyone has and has any advice, could you leave me a comment. Also anyone know of a good fabric supplier for swim fabrics??? Thanks

Colour

Saw this on Anna's blog, weird I thought the questions were vague but the dicription is pretty good!

You Are Grape

You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that. People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts. You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you. People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.

What Color Purple Are You?

Hello strangers!!!

Hello all, yes I am still alive!!! I am in the murky depths that is ESTYN school inspection. It all kicks off on monday and I thanksfully am being seen on monday so it will be over and done with and a little less painful I hope!
I have made the ATC above for Chris in my C+G groups unmentionable birthday. It was the glimps I gave you the other day but couldn't show you all of it as I hadn't given it to her yet. It is with her now so it's all good, Happy Birthday Chris if you check in here.

In the mean time I have had my hands on something other than paper work. I have been going to design class for C+G and have been really enjoying myself, at least it was nothing too taxing ESTYN having stolen my brain! We have been doing some block printing. I have been looking at rust and industrial remnants, a hint at a life once full but now gone to seed. I have been particularly enjoying this flickr members photo's:
pixmaniaque

Here's what I produced:

This one above is on fabric so may get turned into a sample.
Then I have also been fiddling with the lutrador and lace from Carol M's article for Fibre and stitch. I also took a collograph of this which is below, one on paper and the other on tissue, which i intend to stitch into at some stage too.

I also wanted to thank Summerset of Pins and Needles Blog. She has done me a big huge favour. Ever year my GCSE kids find it really hard to get advice from experts, especially USEFUL advice. You would be shocked at how many sorry we can't help emails they get every year. Summerset not only answered Zoe, one of my girls, questions with gret detail but put it on her blog, which i have to say made Zoe even more happy. She came skipping in to tell me that it was there and we had the whole class huddled around the scree to read what was said. I can't thank you enough for this act of kindness, you are a gem Sumerset and will forever be a total star to me. Thanks so much for enthusing kids and making one young lady feel so special.
Have a great weekend all, hope your all off sewing!
PS, I for got to say it is also the 1st anniversary of my group Textiles Challenges. Things have gone a bit quiet there at the mo, maybe down to my long absence and lack of attention at the mo. If you are a member, we miss you, come and play in a vessel/3D challenge. Prizes are being given this month since it is our birthday.