What have I been doing??

Sorry I have not blogged for a few days but I am still excited and nervous following my announcement.  I go on Monday to set them up and I hope they will be well received!! In the meantime - in what have I been up to?

Well I had a great day last Saturday with Maggie Harris (click HERE to go to Maggie's blog), playing with collographs and the Big Shot. I did just a couple of prints... very subtle,  and I have been stitching on some of the previous ones (will show you another time).

This one was stronger but its second print was delicious.

 

QUEEN OF HEARTS

I have started a new idea for the Queen of Hearts costume.  I needed first to create a back ground fabric. i need 3.5 metres of black cotton - so I dyed my own and for once it actually came out black!! (Sorry photo is sideways - I hate this new Blogger post writing thing!!)

PIECED QUILT

 I have finally put this quilt together.  The photo does not give it justice - look at the photos HERE for the correct colour way. 

SARI SILK BODICE

I purchased two bundles of recycled sari silk.  

Spent a whole day ironing the stuff - that was an exciting exercise as several of the pieces looked boring until ironed.... see this tangle ...

became.......

 This tangle was

  really exciting when ironed....

  

 Then I stitched the strips to a backing fabric 

and added some sari threads....

Today I cut out a bodice but there is nothing much to show just at the moment. So that's up to date.  I have loads of ideas and not enough time to work on them!!

Happy Mothers' Day and More Collographs

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all you mums out there. I am alone today, the young people are busy so I have done two loads of laundry, vacuumed the house and cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms !! OK so that was this morning I have now started to enjoy myself making more collograph prints. Before that though can you tell what this drawing is.... I am making myself draw every morning for at least 10 minutes before I go to work. I have noted what this is at the bottom of this picture heavy blog in case your guess is wrong!!. Anyway to collographs - yesterday I spent the day with my daughter, playing with the Big Shot - she made cards whilst I made three rather twee collograph plates. As I have the long plate for my Big shot I decided to make three long plates.

Falling leaves.....

Cogs and lace

and Daisies.

This morning I decided to try printing with the Daisies - the first print on paper came out rather well

so I thought I would try one on cotton (with a view to quilting it)... not bad...

Now I am starting to cover the kitchen floor with drying paper and cotton prints.

I will move onto the other plates in a moment, watch this space - I am loving this game. I will need to get some better ideas for plates (less twee) for the future. Such a versatile piece of equipment - this Big Shot.

The answer to the drawing at the start of this post - It's a dead rose minus the petals. Did you guess it correctly or is my drawing so bad??

First Collograph prints - Big Shot

My first attempt at collograph prints.. OK so the plates are not too briliant but I was just trying to make a plate that would work! Also my use of colour leaves a lot to be desired but again this was my impatience to see if the principle works - and it does!! Next I will think through a better plate and colour combination but at least I know I can do this too!!

Muse 4 Update and Sizzix Big Shot playing - photo heavy post

Another day at 'Aunt' Jane's and the 'grouting' on the main Muse 4 Body is complete and I am now starting on the 1 inch border of grouting that will run all round the piece - it's not easy to see here because there was not enough space to hang the piece fully.

Back at home my dining room table currently looks like this - at one end I have drawing stuff - yes I am trying to make myself draw for 10 minutes every morning before I go to work -

YES I am trying to draw - here is my latest 'dead' rose (sorry pic is on its side) it needs to be a bit longer. I will show you more from the sketchbook another day..

At the other end of the table is the Sizzix machine and my practice runs.

I ordered some more dies - yes more - Have to show you them as they excite me and I need to share!! :-).

These are the most beautiful tiny flowers - it is a 20p piece next to them to show the scale and they cut out of fabric just perfectly !!!

Next two Tim Holtz dies - the cogs

and tattered leaves - both are great !!

Then the 'sale' priced (ie 1/3 the price!!) Sizzix Fleur de Lis - I cut this out of stretchy velvet and it worked a treat !!

Sizzix say that their fine Sizzlit dies are just for card stock but hey - they don't say you can't try fabric - so I did - These flower dies work just fine on crisp cotton

and here is a close up of the check fabric just freshly cut still on another sizzlit die, which also works through fabric.

Oh and crisp cotton even embosses...

I know it would wash out if washed but the ideas running around in my head never get washed so the embossing may be another string to the bow of excitement - where's the catalogue for embossing folders ??? Quick find it for me!!

Just to do one 'useful' thing with this lovely machine rather than just playing I had purchased this rather plain Mothers' Day card for next weekend - (I don't like all the overly lovely cards - my mum is not that type of person - far from it!!).

But this card was a bit too plain so hey presto it now has a couple of card stock and fabric extra flowers !! Not bad!!

Now I am off to try a collograph print through the machine. Then I must just must organise some ideas - maybe a list.

For Sale

As part of the wonderful kit I purchased the other day - the Big Shot - there was included an accessory kit. It is in a lovely white case and contains: a pair of fine-tip scissors with a protective cap, dual-purpose spatula/burnisher, 6" metal ruler with cork back, craft knife with protective cap, fine-point reverse tweezers and die pick with protective cap. Additionally, the case leaves space for an eclips Machine Blade Holder and a Craft Knife Replacement Blade holder. Closed, the Tool Kit measures 5 1/4" x 8 1/4" x 2"

As I already have a similar set I would like to sell it - Value is £22, however I can't put it on Ebay as they don't allow knives. So I offer it here to any of my blogging friends for the bargain price of £15 which will include postage within the UK. If you would like this fantastic set please email me.

Look what I Just ordered

I have just decided to treat myself to this....... What a brilliant collection and too good a price to pass up from Cutting Edge Crafts (on line) I have no intention of using it for paper or cardstock but we shall see and I just had to add these swirl dies too. I have been watching various people use the Big shot with fabric - seems to work so have to give it a try. Oh and we also used Maggie Grey's Big Shot for making collographs - so another thing for me to work on. See Maggie's blog post here

Can't wait for it to arrive!!