Hand stitching

 While the sketchbook stuff is taking most of my studio time, when relaxing I tend to do hand work.  This often takes the form of English Paper Piecing(EPP). Lately I've been working on a pattern from the Flossie Teacakes book on EPP.  This uses only a 60 degree diamond, but relies on colour to form the design.  I've completed only one block, which, rather than being actual squares, takes the shape of a hexagon, albeit a large one--about 16 1/2" across the widest part.

The green and pink will be consistent within the blocks.  They are both Kona cotton solids, Laurel and Sangria respectively. The patterned pieces are batik, and there will be 6 different batiks used, with each block using the same batik.  I'm hoping that having 6 different batiks will mean that no two adjacent blocks will be the same colour.  Unfortunately, two of the batiks came from my scrap bin, and may not provide enough pieces to achieve that.  We'll have to see.  I'm hoping that this will keep me busy for most of the next year.

Having fun

 The sketchbook work continues.  I'm gradually going back and adding to the pages from previous Modules.  I've also been taking pictures, and searching Google images for material to add. In a previous module, I prepared some papers to be used in this way, and am finding them useful.  The pages I'm most pleased with are abstract collages.  This is a surprise to me, as I had agonized over the collage section of the workshop.  Here are a couple that I consider finished (I reserve the right to reverse that decision).

The above is a happy accident.  I had done something to cause the two pages to stick together.  In trying to force them apart, I tore the surface layer off both pages.  This left the whole area quite weak, so I wanted to reinforce it, and added a torn piece of tracing paper that had been used to protect the table top and had pink-ish paint all over it.  I glued that on, but it still need something, so a second darker layer was added to that.  That was okay for awhile (a couple of weeks)  Then I added the checkerboard stamping with a home made  stamp.  I quite like the result, but still feel that something is missing, and will probably add onto it again.

This second page started when I used two white pages to clean my foam paint roller.  The yellow shredded paper towel was added, then the collaged  tracing paper pieces to which black marks had been added.  Finally the rubber stamping with both commercial and home made stamps.  I'm pretty well sure that this is finished.

Finally, I keep coming back to this.  This is my favourite page, and I'm convinced that there is a fibre piece hidden in here.  I fully intend to pursue that.

New project and having some fun

The EPP project is still getting started, although I think I have enough papers cut, and enough fabric cut to size to get a good start on it.  In the meantime, I started a set of Postcards, hopefully to be used for sale.  But I'm not going to worry about that, and just have fun making them.  The technique is mixed media, and I'm trying to use various techniques that were covered in my sketchbook workshop. I'm pleased so far.

There's still work to do, and I hope to get to that tomorrow