TIF - An Update

This is a progress scan of my Take It Further Challenge "Balance" quilt. All that remains to be done is to stitch the binding and add blanket stitch around the binding (a style I think of as "a la Fiona Mortimore"). This has been a really good exercise for me as I have done a lot of reflecting on the word "balance" - it is "my" word for 2008!

As I noted in last night's post, I learnt a lot from this first TIF challenge and I am looking forward to February the 1st to see what is in store for us next!!

These are progress scans of the other two quilts - the Cancer Council quilt now has the angelina (the challenge material that had to be incorporated visibly on the quilt) appliqued as additional leaves onto the whole-cloth painted quilt and I have added some outline stitching. Still contemplating the backing, quilting and binding...


The Seasons Journal quilt just needs to be backed and bound and then I am going to add some beading to the central sun and also to the precipitation lines in the winter triangle. As a bit of explanation, these journal quilts were meant to extend us so I tried some new-or-relatively-new-to-me techniques such as the angelina/foil/misty fuse on the yellow summer triangle, the stamping on fabric and speciality thread couching on the green spring triangle and the outline FME on the autumn triangle. I really enjoyed making this one - just wish I didn't still have the binding to do!


And to finish, here is a little beeswax canvas I made that includes a wonderful little saying (a stamp from Oxford Impressions) - "keep a green bough in your heart and the singing bird will come".

PS Happy Australia Day for the 26th to all the Aussies in blogland!!

& A Note To Myself - time to get back to all the weekly paperarts and mixed media challenges!!

Wednesday Stamper - Growing Old

"Growing Old" is the current challenge on the Wednesday Stamper site - I have been very stumped by this one! This ATC is coated in beeswax and there is a little bit of stamping - some numbers and symbols. I love the image of these two "aging" blokes. The background and words are from a 1918 directory that I found in an antique shop when I was in Adelaide for a stamping convention several years ago - it is a terrific source of old advertisements and details.

Weekend Report

So this was my weekend - woke up Saturday still feeling a bit off so thought I would delay housework until Sunday apart from doing the washing. That way I could indulge myself with some creative activity. Unfortunately feeling a bit off also affects creativity so I now realise I would have been better off doing the housework yesterday! I did get a bit done - I finished my Beeswax Rome ATCs (picture above - they are in their plastic sleeves so the scan is not brilliant), made a fabric ATC for Diane M (pictured at the bottom), started on some napkin/fabric postcards and read lots of blogs! In the late afternoon I went outside and enjoyed the winter sunshine while I painted some fabric and dyed some muslin (yes I was using my favourite Adirondack Color Washes!).

(This is the start of my napkin/fabric postcard - the original napkin is in the left corner and the rest shows the napkin once it is adhered to felt, dyed and partially stitched by outlining the flowers. I love these napkins!)

Today I was back to normal and after a good sleep in and a lovely cooked breakfast (a Joseph speciality) I went to the Boulder monthly markets to see if the "bush scavengers" were back selling old rusty bits and pieces. Unfortunately they weren't there so I went to the craft shop instead and bought a large crochet hook and a few bits and pieces, along with some lovely flower sequins and scrapbook papers from a cute little scrapbook shop (I must post a photo some time as it is the tiniest sweetest little shop). I have decided I need to learn to crochet and as I am going to Wiluna again tomorrow for work for a couple of days I thought I could use the evenings productively by teaching myself. I have gone to the library and got a book on huge crochet hooks so hopefully I will be well underway by the time I get back on Wednesday.


(Re the fabric ATC - the pink beads are stitched into holes that are melted into the fabric sandwich with a wood burning tool - the backing is painted lutrador which shows through the holes behind the beads.)

Today I did do the housework and then spent the late afternoon again outside but this time I was painting canvas boards and lutrador. I could do that for hours! So I didn't really finish a lot this weekend but I have quite a lot "underway"!

The Monday that was...

Problem: Yesterday morning I decided that I hadn't got around to a whole pile of things (including several "life" type things as opposed to "creative" type things) on the weekend that really needed doing. Solution: Create a list. Downside: I can now clearly see how little I got done from the list in the last 24 hours! Upside: I feel more organised about what is not getting done.

So, while I should have been making travel bookings for my August trip to Perth, organising and filing paperwork, doing some of the gargantuan ironing pile etc etc, I had fun making some Adirondack Color Wash backgrounds for a beeswax ATC exchange that I need to get mailed in about a week. I love the way you can blend these colours! The theme is "Roma" so I have stamped one of my favourite Lazar Studiowerx collage stamps (Roman) on lemon tissue paper and I think the background will show through the tissue paper nicely once it has been adhered with the beeswax. I plan to do some more on these tonight.

I started this post this morning before rushing off to work and now it is lunch time. It is a very cold grey winter's day here so I have come home to check the mail and to make a nicely decadent toasted cheese and ham sandwich. I've got the heater on and a nice cup of tea as well so it is going to take a lot of will power to go back to work in a little while!

But the best part of coming home was that Lynda's stunning textural fabric postcard was sitting in the letterbox waiting for me - it is just beautiful and it is the first "naked" fabric postcard I have received. And it has travelled half way round the world and arrived in pristine condition! I add too many lumpy beads and things to risk it I think but it is much more postcardy this way!! Thanks so much Lynda - it will be on my inspiration wall tonight - I love it!