Tuesday 14 May 2013

Time flies

Well, I was shocked to see that it has been two weeks since I lasted posted here on my blog...time sure does fly by. I've been really busy trying to finish all my City & Guilds projects and at last, I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

It's been a stressful and emotional few weeks too. My of my childre, the girls, are very close in age and they share a circle of friends who are all of the age of starting their own families. It's been a very sad time as one of the couples from their very close knit group sadly lost their baby son, a victim of cot death. Such a beautiful little boy and his funeral was the day after another friend gave birth to a gorgeous baby girl, so I'm sure you can imagine what my girls have been feeling.

We also had a bit of a scare with our little doggie Meg. We took her for what should have been a routine operation but as you all well know, things don't always go according to plan. It turns out that our little furry friend probably has a problem with her blood not clotting properly and after a second emergency op, blood transfusions and all sorts of other stuff, I am happy to say that she is now doing really well but that was not a happy few days I can tell you.

On the creative front, this is what has been taking up most of my time recently. This is the final project for my C&G course. It's a project that is a bit of a collage of many of the techniques that we experimented with over that last 16 weeks.



The leaves on the tree are all paisley shapes so it is in-keeping with my Indian theme,

 
Each of the leaves is cut from a sample of fabric that was a test piece for many of the techniques we covered in the course.
 
 
I carved a few new stamps specially for this project which worked really well. Can't wait to find the time to carve a few more, it's really very relaxing and a lot of fun.
 
 
 
I really like this part. There are layers of organza over the top of some hand dyed fabric. The fabric was dyed in a jam jar with layers of different colour dyes. It's called parfait dying and I still can't get my head around how it works but the results are amazing....all marbled and blended....right up my street!
 
 
 
And last but by no means least, my Taj Mahal. It has actually got Grunge Paste on it!! 
 
 
 
I did a bit of an experiment a few weeks ago with Grunge Paste on some calico that I had coloured with Walnut Ink and I liked it so much, I was determined to use it in this project somehow! The original sample below is a lot darker than my final piece but I love it, very grungy, very me.
 
 
Having spent the morning tidying up my studio and getting all my class kits and equipment ready for my Secret Garden classes this weekend, I decided that I had a couple of hours that I could actually use to make something for me. I don't do as much blog hopping as I used to and it's not often that I see something on a blog that makes me think " I have to make one of those" but when I watched this video by France Papillon over on the PaperArtsy blog, I thought just that! It's a simple but genius idea and I love it. If you haven't seen this yet click here to go and take a little look, I'm sure you will want to make one too.
 
 
 
France used quite neutral colours in the videa nad they looked stunning but I decided to use Vintage Lace, Chocolate Pudding and Blood Orange Frescos on my cotton reel with stamps from ID10



In the video, France said it took about 45 minutes to make, that was a really good estimate so you don't need much time, why don't you make one too and enter the challenge on the PaperArtsy blog, you never know, you could be the winner of some PaperArtsy goodies.

14 comments:

sam21ski said...

WOW your C&G project is fantastic, love the tree trunk detail - fabulous!!

Tell me about the PA post that France did and your looks great, only trouble is I don't have any spools, been trying to source some today but to no avail - lol

Sam xxx

Carol Q said...

oh my Lin - this really floats my boat. I've had a lovely close look at the pics and enjoyed all the detailed work you've put into it - so many different techniques and effects. Just scrumptious!

Helen said...

So sorry to hear about recent events - what a terrible time for everyone involved; a real mixture of emotions for sure.
Your C&G piece is absolutely beautiful - love the colours and textures and all the stitching. It's also lovely to see you joining in with other challenges too - your spool looks fantastic - it was fun to do, you're right!

Steven said...

lovely version of this make!

snazzyoriginal said...

This quilt is just so beautiful, the details are just wonderful xx

Netty said...

loving your gorgeous quilt.Hugs Annette x

Netrix said...

Love it all Lin. Gorgeous, thanks for sharing
Jeanette xx

Lin said...

Well Lin you have done yourself proud!! and to have kept it all going the past couple of weeks with everything else that has gone on wow!! The colours are amazing..the attention to detail is just great!! I just love it all! hope you are going to bring it to class. What do I think well A* is what I think!!
And so good to see you joining in with the PA challenge :) xx

Paper Paradise said...

Thinking of you all, you have certainly faced some very difficult times.......
As always your creativity amazes me Linda, beautiful x

Sophie said...

Wundervoll, ich liebe Indien, war schon einmal dort.
Du hast etwas so Schönes gezaubert.
Ich bin begeistert.
Ein herrliches Kunstwerk.

Liebe Grüße
Sophie xx

Anonymous said...

Your textile project is most beautiful. So much to look at and admire.
Wonder what your next adventure will be.
Margriet

Cocofolies said...

Bad news for your girls and their friends, I understand, life is so sad and so injust sometimes.
Your first project is really FABULOUS... Full of various and rich textures and colors... WOW !!! And your reels used as key rings are gorgeous too ! Love all what you do Lin, and even if have not enough time to leave a comment each post, I appreciate much all your artworks. Especially the last ones with your new stamps were WONDERFUL.... Thank you for the inspiration ! Coco x

Unknown said...

Wow Lin, that's gorgeous!! Looking forward to your class in July
Anita x

Jo said...

No wonder you've been off the scene! Your C&G work is fantastic, so much detail and texture. Lots of hand sewing I see with all those seed beads on the Taj Mahal. So worth all the effort. jo xx