Thursday 12 December 2013

12th December already.

I really wanted to just take a moment or two to say thank you to all you lovely, lovely people for the emails and messages following my second bout of surgery recently. The surgery went well and I just have to be patient now and give my shoulder  plenty of time to fully recover. I have to say that I am really not good at sitting at home doing nothing, I am bored silly and it is sooooo tempting to head out to my studio and starting playing with all the fun stuff that is lurking in there. I have managed a little dabble with a little bit of hand sewing though, just ten minutes at a time. I've been working a piece that has been hanging around since the summer and it has finally turned into something that I really like.

I painted a piece of Egyptian cotton with some Dye-Na-Flow fabric paint when I was still working on my City & Guilds projects. I filed it away in the "not needed now" pile but knew that I would use it one day as I loved the vibrant colours. When I did finally pull it out again to use, I decided it was a perfect piece for a spot of Sun Dyeing. It's so easy, I couldn't believe my eyes. All you do is position a few items on top of the fabric and lay it in the sun. I used some of my Green Pepper Press masks and a heap of buttons and trinkets. I have no idea how or why this works but the colour underneath the objects gets bleached out and creates such an amazing effect. so the brighter and more vibrant colours of paint will create a better contrast than pale, pastel colours.



Some of the larger leafy images had quite a large blank area so I placed the matching stencil over the image to create a mask and used some Archival Ink to stamp some script and patterns on the foliage.

After placing my fabric on a piece of wadding, I started to hand stitch around some of the larger images to create a quilted effect.


Then I turned to my sewing machine and randomly stitched gold thread all over the background. This took FOREVER!!! It was one of those things that I wished I hadn't started but I couldn't ditch the idea and un-pick it as the stitches would have marked the fabric, so I had to continue. Luckily, this part was finished before my shoulder surgery.


Now for the embellishments. All the little beads and trinkets have been attaching with some pretty gold thread. Positioning everything was the hardest part as I didn't want to completely cover all the sun dyed patterns but I wanted to create a dimensional garden.

At the moment, the piece has a simple bias binding edge but I think I will mount it on another piece of fabric before framing it. Just need to find the right fabric now.


I really can't believe that it's 12th December already. I have been very organised with gifts this year, I knew I had to have all gifts purchased and wrapped before my surgery and I have to admit it's a nice feeling not to be in panic mode for the first time ever!


20 comments:

Lin said...

Wow lin that is gorgeous!!! I hope you are not over doing it!!!! What a fantastic tecnique....you need to do fabric orientated class!!

Anonymous said...

What a stunning piece of artwork. Love the bright colours, the stencils, the stitching and the embellisments.
Glad the surgery went well.
Now relax and wait for Christmas.
Margriet

Ineke Original said...

Fantastic! You love the same things, I do.

jojo79 said...

Beautiful, glad to here your sholder is on the mend.
Jo

Hazel Agnew said...

It's absolutely beautiful Lin. Glad to hear that the surgery went well and you are itching to go again. Hope that you have a fab Christmas. X

Jacqui Chimes said...

This is very beautiful - take care and happy Christmas to you and your family

massofhair said...

Oh Lin how you make fabric sing, you are a constant source of inspiration & i thank you for sharing your creative journey.

A unique & special project indeed.

Glad you are on the mend, looking forward to seeing more when you are feeling rested & recouperated.
:-) xxx

Darcy Marshall said...

So Gorgeous Lin, glad to see that you are ok. Take it easy, xxx

Daniele said...

omg what a gorgeous creation
hugs

Helen said...

What a beautiful piece of artwork - I love the sound of the sun bleaching! Take care and don't push too much with your shoulder (physically or metaphorically!) Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.

Lucy Edmondson said...

This is absolutely gorgeous!

Lucy x

Words and Pictures said...

Glorious creation... so glad to hear surgery went well, and that you're all set for a nice relaxing run up to Christmas!
Alison x

Renee said...

Beautiful creation! Take care and get well soon.

Linda M. Cain said...

STUNNING! I LOVE the colors. It is simply perfection!

Get Better,

~Lubda

Anonymous said...

Hello Lin, I'm so behind with everything I didn't realise you'd had your surgery. I'm glad it went well, but please take lots of time to recover fully. And write down all those ideas you're going to get. :)
This piece is stunning. I love the contrast of vibrant colours with the bleached out areas & all the embellishments look perfect. I shall have to remember to try this next summer.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Lin! Left me gob-smacked! That gold wiggly-woo stitching is just unbelievable -- must have kept you going for a week non-stop (at least). Absolutely gorgeous piece - your colours are out of this world. Must stop burbling --
Much love - Sal xoxoxox

Carol Q said...

doesn't that look just stunning Lyn - an aurora borealis of colour.

Glenharon said...

Good afternoon Lin,
So happy to hear that you are through the otherside but PLEASE, take things easy and do what you're told. We want you back in full health as some off us know the down side of not behaving, but i know the temptation to get up and do things as "it's only your shoulder". Please take care and enjoy the help when offered, take it and say thank you very much. Have a good Christmas as pain free as you can get and we will enjoy what your mind has been swirling around when you are fit and well again.
Love and crafty hugs
Mrs Bossyboots, Norah

Ellie Knol said...

This looks FAB!

Art By Wanda said...

GORGEOUS!!!!