Still Waters - woven swan

I have always loved the tranquillity of swans when they are swimming and thought a swan would be a suitable subject for a weaving entitled Still Waters.

I found some pictures and then drew a cartoon for my weaving frame.

I drew very simple lines onto the warp threads and then wove the reflection and the water. Using a textured thread I wove some bubbles on the surface of the water

The body of the swan was woven with two different types of yarn, a smooth and an eyelash yarn to give the effect of feathers.
The weaving was cut from the frame and will be mounted in a ring.

Weaving cut from frame.

Close-up of swan.

Finished weaving mounted in a circular frame.

Tote Bag

This month I am leading a workshop on a follow-up to using Colourcraft art materials. I thought of making a tote bag in fabric and decorating it with some of the techniques we had learnt with Colourcraft and then embroidering over the top. [See some of the ideas below]

Patterned bag with evolon pocket

Close up of pocket decorated with Markal and stitch.

Bag stamped with wood block and embroidered

Bag decorated with angelina circles and stitch

Bag shape decorated with Markal, applique, print and stitch.

Bag shape to show wadding

It is much easier to embellish the bag before stitching together, then sew side seams on bag and wadding as one, followed by the lining. So you end up with 2 bags after you have sewn across the bottom to make the bases.

After stitching the bases you make the straps using two pieces cut 5" x 32".

The straps are ironed long-wise in half, then opened out and then folded to the centre and then in half again making the strap 4 layers thick. They are then stitched both sides and stitched to the top of the bag as below.

The two bags are then put inside of each other right sides together. The top is then stitched around leaving a gap at the back between the handles.

The bag is then turned the right way around so all seams are on the inside and the gap is closed with slip stitch. The top of the bag is then machined to keep the lining in place and below you see the bag.

New Year trip to Hereford

My friend and I travelled to Hereford by train and from the train windows we could see rolling farmland with the higher Malvern hills in the distance. However the thing which struck us the most

 was how wet all the fields were with some areas under standing water.

The cathedral is a beautiful building but I love the black and white buildings.

This old coaching inn still has the stables out the back.

Hereford was a border town and it did have a castle to protect it from the Welsh but there is no sign of it now.

It also has a Nelson's column with civil war artillery around the base

The river Wye runs through Hereford and I think it is one of the prettiest rivers in the country.

Nell Gwynne was born in Hereford who later managed to catch the eye of Charles 11

Through the winter when the trees are bare the mistletoe can be seen as you move south and west and because it is the only green you can see how it was considered mystical.
Hereford is a very interesting place and we had a very enjoyable weekend.

Silver Birch Bark

One of the prettiest barks is that of the silver birch. It is almost white and has little black lines often with lozenge shaped patches. The more you look at these patterns the more colours you can see.

Across Russia they have whole forests of birch that stretch for miles and miles.

I decided that my next weaving would try and capture the patterns, textures and colours of birch bark.
Below are some photographs of birch bark I took locally.

In my weaving I attempted to show the colours, patterns and texture of the bark.

Leprechaun Leapabouts

This month at our embroiderers meeting we were given a pattern for leprechaun shoes. 

We could modify and decorate the shoes any way we wanted and bring them back to the December Meeting completed.

I chose some green material with flowers that I painted gold and then embroidered them with gold thread

 The basic shoe pieces were cut out and the points at the back and front were elongated. Loose french knots were made over the pattern.

 Perle thread was zig-zagged around the edges and over the surface to add interest.

 The front seams were  joined so the top edge could be decorated.

Leaves were cut out in orange felt and stitched to the top of the shoes.

The back seam and soles were attached and edges embellished with beads.

Orange cones were attached to the toes and decorated with bells.

Orange and green leaves were embroidered by machine over a sheer and applied to a cord attached to the back of the shoe.

The completed shoes worthy of a leprechaun!