Another day...

For some reason I have taken to 'playing' with my butterfly - like, it is not like I haven't a few other things before it to be done. Perhaps another form of procastinating - do something else!!!! I have been pleased with the progression on this because I have tried doing a couple of things differently - the body for one - I used a stitch which I believe is a form of thread painting using a long and short stitch. It creates soft shading if done with more than one colour but with one colour it has given the body dimension rather than just a flat surface. Whilst it doesn't give the body a 'real' look it gives it depth which is what I wanted. It isn't quite finished -the thread ran out - as it does - about 1/2 dozen stitches before the end. Doing the other wing is presenting a small problem as it can't be hooped - so the stitches on that wing are a little more uneven than the first wing. I have left the bottom tail end of the wings for the moment as I am undecided if I want to change the colour or not - in my mind's eye I see a lilac or soft mauve - my logial side keeps telling me - no - but my whimisical side sees the colours mentioned. I loved doing the 'feelers' at the head - it started to lift the butterfly from being a tracing on cloth to being 'real' if that makes any sense at all. I used stem stitch as I wanted the 'feeler's to have a continuous unbroken flow about them. Between this butterfly and the book I am using as a reference, it has whetted my appetite to explore more. Perhaps this 'playing' might assist me with my bags of fun.

I have bought another cross stitch kit on ebay. I haven't bought anything for so long and then I saw a fairy which I have watched being stitched in another blog. I thought she was lovely so imagine my surprise when she came up on ebay - I realy didn't think I would win as there were other bids against her - so I was pleasantly surprised when I did. I am thinking that as soon as she arrives I will attach her to a frame and start.

Still no news on the work front. We are all being 'kept in suspenders '- (my play on that saying LOL - I love the image that it creates) - while those who dwell in lofty heights make up their collective minds. We, the workers at the coal face are the last to know. I suspect that the descision has already being made - just a gut feel. Well, one can't every say that I don't like a challenge... Onto the next adventure...

Speaking of challenges -my jeans are still attached to their legs - after washing and air drying them they are still so stiff that they could stand on their own... I am going to give them another rinse with lots of fabric softener to try and make them softer...

I have just realised after reading my sub heading at the top of my blog that I have mentioned that my journey on these pages would also cover the books that I read. And I guess you can see that there has been a noticable absence of them. It has simply been that I had forgotten that I was going to include them. My reading is probably as obsessive as my interest in stitching - more so if the truth be known - and since gaining a casual position in a bookshop - make that triple. I have read since I was old enough to do it and to the largest degree nothing is exempt - if it has words I will read it. At the moment I have six books on the go at the one time. All quite different reads - I was asked recently if I became confused and mixed the plots up - but for some reason as soon as I open a particular book I 'pick up' from where I left off... I suppose it is similiar in a way to people who stitch on a rotation basis - they pick up from where they last stitched- me I pick up on the words. What do I read mainly? More about that in another entry...

I am going to be working six days straight so I could be missing for that time - but I shall return...

Pink bunnies...

I found these while looking for something else... These pair of hare are 30 years old... They were 'overstock' from a mobile I made for my eldest daughter... And they are perfect for my 'bags of fun'... I sort of feel a bit like Noah and his Ark - now that I have the Ark (jeans) all the bits are presenting themselves to come 'on board'...
As soon as I saw them I could image little soft 'bunny' tails... They are made from the softess felt and are lovely to touch... LOL I am moving very much away from my 'faces' bag and into a child's drawing. Perhaps I am allowing that part of me who wants to have a 'happy bag' really have some creative control here... LOL- goodness what I will end up with - but I think it will be definetly 'happy'... The jeans are having their last night with legs and hopefully tomorrow, they will start the transition as their new life as a bag...

I went to the stitching group this afternoon. While I didn't get a lot of stitching head way done I enjoyed sitting with a group of ladies all doing the same thing... There was some serious talk but also much laughter as we drew our individual needles through fabric... I am thinking seriously of joining the Guild as it would then offer me more in terms of meetings and learning more skills...

My thanks to P for helping me get the bits right for the 'bags of fun' ticker and sharonb's button... What a way to spend Saturday night with your man - huddled over the comp...

I have had...

... a most productive day today... Firstly I have finally found my jeans for the bags of fun challenge. They cost me $5.00 in the most wonderful op-shop. G and L if you read this -definetely one to remember... It is a Lion's Club op-shop on the corner of Canturbury road right next door to the Forest Hill Chase complex, just a few doors up from the big Asian restaurant... It is like an op shop should be - crazy - no polite shelving or santitized folded in this one - a real treasure hunter's paradise... I could have spent more than the hour I did - there was fabric off cuts, craft bits and pieces, some embroidered linen - no chicken scratch aprons - I looked!!!! All manner of things - the woman who seems to be the manager said just to ask her for something and she would find it - this person knows her stock and where to lay her hands on it. One lady was looking through the men's ties - she is going to make a skirt from them... I get the feeling a 'select' number of people have a 'closely guarded secret' in this op -shop... So girls - go look there is possibly all manner of things just waitng to be found here... Reasonable prices - I paid $5.00 for a great white - mostly cotton - shirt...

Anyway I digress - I found the perfect jeans for my bag - I doubt that anyone ever wore them as they have the smallest waist... They are a deep denim blue - perfect colour. Because I wanted something small - without it being kids size - the area from waist to crotch is deep, but with such a narrow waist will be perfect for my bag... I am now excited about starting. The little miss with the balloon in the image who looks like she is walking on the grass was another find - along with four of her 'cloned' friends - in another great shop called 'Zart Art' just up the road from me... They are largely an art supply shop - they sell prism colour coloured pencils - my favorites!!!! - but have some scrap booking bits and pieces down the back. She looked so happy that I immediately knew she and her mates were destine for my fun bag... I am not sure how I will attach them at this stage but I am not going to let a small point like that deter me... LOL the more I think about this bag I am starting to quickly move away from 'serious' to 'lets have fun here'. I want it to be that if I sit on the bus with it people will look at it and wonder what is on the other side of it. I want it to be bright, colourful and cheery - a happy bag...

I also have made some progression on my butterfly, I played with its body as I wasn't happy with it and now I am really liking what I did with it... It also has one feeler - perhaps tonight I will get more done. Will update piccy when I have a little more to show... Using my new book -The Embroiderer's Handbook - I am so glad I bought it has helped me pick up my butterfly and 'play' with some ideas. It had been relegated to the 'too hard' basket as I previously mentioned - but something made me re look and re think about it. Mind you I am not really sure what I will do with once I have finshed it...

My work situation still hangs in the balance - but I have been offered some hours doing a 'set up' for them. Basically setting up a centre court sale table area at another shopping centre... Still if it offers me continued employment then I am happy to do it. The thought of starting all over again looking for another job stresses me out. Hopefully it won't come to that. Fingers crossed!!!!

Sunny Days...

This is one of the 'embroidered bits' from Leanne's House BOM... Unfortunately it didn't scan 'true' so the fabric looks like an even weave when actually it is like a calico...

This is actually my 'trial run' quilt... As I have never done anything like this before I decided to use some other material and make the quilt block for block - the plan being that I could try out my skills before actually making the 'real' one if that makes any sense... So the theory being that I would in fact end up with two quilts... My 'trial run' and 'my real one'... LOL - I am confusing myself here...

Has it worked you may ask? What you see here, plus another 1/2 embroidered piece and a needle turn heart is all there is - of the first block - I am now waiting for Block 5... The best laid plans - at least I won't be bored when (if) I ever retire...

As you can see the embroidery is a little rustic - but after worrying myself about it I concluded that when it is a part of the whole quilt, would those stitches be that carefully examined - after all I making it to be used, not as an exhibition piece to be 'turned over' with white gloves...

1/2 Stitched Butterfly...

This was one of my 'ideas' the original image came from a stain glass pattern I download from the net when I was looking for butterflies... I traced the butterfly onto the calico then started an outline stitch around the wings and then satin stitch for the body... I found some broken beads in my 'treasure' box and stitch three of those as the 'eye' in the wing... But it got boring and I stashed in the 'too hard' basket. I realised my mistakes straight away - isn't hindsight a wonderful tool - I should have left the heart shape traced on a larger piece of material rather than cut it out - I like to use a hoop and I found 'wiggling' the heart around in a small hoop drove me nuts. I also hadn't decided what to put into the wings... I wanted to give it an olde world look... I wasn't sure whether I wanted to colour them in or leave the calico underneath and just have the outline. This is where I can see the use of a visual diary coming in to its own.

E has had an upgrade on her drawing tablet and I have aquired her old one - I am hoping to be able to use it in things such as this perhaps getting some idea of what it would look like before I start stitching it. Next time...

The Boss...

Edith

I guess the title really says it all... Edith is - as far as she is concerned - the top of the food chain... We - the rest of us - fall somewhere below her... I keep telling her that in our last lives together she must have been the Queen and I, her handmaiden... But we share our lives - she does the bidding and I 'do'... Of course in the order of things this is the only way it must be...

We, P and I have just installed a scanner to my comp. So now I have my very own... I am like a little kid - what can I show you next????? Your latest stitching you say - I just laugh... Still the scanner will come in handy when I do do something worth showing...

A technical hitch...

I have realised that being without a digital camera may make my bags of fun progression harder to document... However I will not allow this minor fact to concern me. I have thought that I shall just buy a small film and take progression shots like that. They won't be as regular as the others but at the moment that is the very least of my worries. I have settled on an idea, if one can call it that...

I would like to explore via my bag my idea of the face plate which I wrote about some time ago - J's @ allstitchedup bag has 'inspired', 'niggled' and assisted me to explore this 'put aside' idea once again - as I have the 'templates' already cut out I can make a start. once I have the jeans...

Without boring you,who may read this, silly - below is part of a post I wrote Feb 9th 2005 - it was title 'Reflective Thoughts'

"For instance - years ago I bought a triangular plate with faces... I bought initially because I like its design... Over the years as I have looked at it at various times I have always thought of all the other great applications could be made from it... And how with a little 'playing' with could become a great cushion or even quilt design taking into account both the shape of the plate and the faces... Faces have always fascinated me - my windcheater painting days always saw me drawn to faces. I somehow felt a real 'connection' as I painted them - layer upon layer of paint would reveal the character... I digress... Back to the plate..."

I have thought about lots of applications in the way of themes - but I keep coming back to the face one... We will see what transpires - given that tomorrow night may see different things again happening in my life - who knows...