I've discovered You Tube!!

Yes I know it's been around for ages, I'd just never thought to look for art clips on it. But I did today and there are heaps. Some are great, some are average, but I can't get over how many!!

Here are a couple that I enjoyed...

Uncommon Threads - Fabric Dyeing


Junk Journal - made by a father and filmed by his son


Nuno Felt



(you thought I'd run away again didn't you - I know, it's been a while but the computer's been down and it's difficult to blog without a computer)

I started stitching!!!!!!

I took the plunge today and started stitching. I'd show you a photo but I can't find the camera anywhere, and to be honest there's not a lot to see at this stage.

I'm working on a heavily hand-stitched... something... I'm thinking quiltlet but that sounds weird - basically 7" square quilt sandwich. The plan is to make a series of them and frame them either individually or in groups, for the exhibition. I'm also working on some smaller, 2inch square hand-stitched quiltlets (for want of a better word) that I'm using as a test-drive for my 7" pieces that I'll turn into broaches or something (the small saleables for the exhibition).

The results are in!.. *Eye Candy*

At long last, after a week of promises, I have the results of my dyeing to show you.

Here is the colour study triangle that I told you about. 28 fabrics (7 metres) made using 3 colours.

I did this in plastic bags with each bag having 6 spoons of dye in various combinations of the 4 colours. In this picture I have written the formula on some of the fabrics to show you how I did it - It seems more complicated than it is. If you want to know more just ask.

These are the dull colours. When I first pulled them out of the machine I figured that they were all duds (bad and would need overdying). As I ironed them however I found lots of sections that had some great shapes and colours and lines (and a Spider that B found! in one - an image not a real one...)

And here a some more pics just cause I love the colours....

I also did another dyeing batch today because I needed some more reds and purples. There's some interesting colours amongst that batch too.

Soap

Soap on the winsdcreen in the carwash edited in photoshop.

Mosaic Mural

I came across this on the Aus_NZartquilters list and had to share.

Remeber I was looking at photomosaics as inspiration for one of my exhibition peices. Well here's an artist who does art mosiacs in the same way - Lewis Lavoie.

What I love most is how they are created.

Basically (although there's nothing basic about it really) he prepares a series of panels that other artists then paint. The artists don't know what the final image is so they are not influenced by it.

Have a look at the mural at this link and then go to this link to see how he does it.

It's quite ingenious really - by giving the artists a base, and some loose guidelines (colour, tone or shape) Lewis is able to reassemble the artworks to make the originally planned image.

Perhaps this is how I could look at making my mosiac (without the element of surprise of course). Choose and image, blow it up, cut it up, create individual artworks and then reassemble them.

Dyeing yet again plus something random.

The ironing is coming along.... slowly... I haven't had a lot of time this week but each morning when I iron my clothes for work I do a few bits of fabric as well so the ironed pile is started to grow.

I neglected to mention that the other hard-part at this stage is untangling them. Because I dried them in the dryer (because I would have been blown over the fence as well as all of my beautiful fabrics if I attempted to hang them on the line) they are all tangled into a nice mess of fabrics and frayed threads.

But all that (untangling and ironing) is all just part of the fun of dyeing. As Trish said in her comments "think of it as an opportunity to daydream". I do find it interesting, because it's during the ironing that you find some really intersting colours and lines and shapes that you may not see when you look at a pile of ironed fabric.

And because I hate a blog post without pictures.... Here's some photos taken from inside the car whilst in a car wash - I love the patterns and shapes and lines the soap made as it streaked down the windscreen (B thought I was very weird!!)

Dyeing results

Here's a first look at my dyed fabrics (some of them anyway - the rest was still in the dryer at the time I took the photo). They're all washed and ready for the dreaded ironing. This may take some time but I promise more pics when they're looking respectable.