Magpies, tie dyes and where my heart really lies.

Work has begun on the Opposites project, with a minor hiatus for some health issues which are very frustrating although do not prevent sitting on the sofa stitching! Before I started this project I had an idea in mind for a magpie wall hanging, with a magpie sitting on a nest full of glittery things. So here's what I tried. I wanted a reddish background and found this great burgundy material. But I didn't want a plain background so I tried to tie bleach it in a variety of ways. I'd done some research on Japanese shibori fabric and felt inspired!

In a spiral

Just scrunched up in a ball

To create a regular circular pattern

To create concentric circles - I pulled up the centre of the fabric and went from there

I hand pleated this to create stripes

Me? A messy worker?

 After leaving these scraps in diluted bleach for a while I took them out, and was pleased with the shapes but not the colour! The bleach had turned the fabric a revolting colour, and not at all what I wanted. I realised I hadn't even photographed it I disliked it so much. So I abandoned the tie bleach background and just used the burgundy fabric as it was.

First step was to create the tree so I used a technique where you iron on some bondaweb and cut fabric on the bias so it stretches. I then stretched the fabric into branch shapes as I ironed it. Unfortunately it began to lift, so I then hand stitched a bark effect, which actually looks good. The nest is made out of brown fleece, to mimic the mud used by the magpie to line the nest. I then couched some 'sticks' on to the nest. I made the nest so it could be stuffed full of shiny things!

The bottom photo is probably more realistic  in terms of colour! The magpie was made by using black felt and then needle felting white and blue roving to create the magpie pattern. I used a bead for the eye. The glittery things in the nest are from my work box, jewellery box and my mother-in-law's jewellery box. As I never got to meet her it was nice to include something of hers in a piece of work that I've done.

Doing this piece really made me think about magpies. I consider myself a bit of a magpie, easily distracted by shiny objects. It challenged me and reminded me of the bible verse about where your treasure is, there is your heart. The magpie just collects shiny stuff, some of it is 'valuable' but some of it is just rubbish, like the ring pull I included. How mush time to I spend on silly things that look valuable but aren't, even the stuff that the world does consider valuable? I don't want to be like a hoarding magpie, chasing after the wrong things. I want God at the centre of my life.

Back with a vengence!

Term started last week, and already I'm exhusted, I certainly know that the new term has started and it's the second year! New theme - Opposites, which had me agonising for most of the summer. I've finally settled on light and dark, which has already moved from magpies to tie dye, to African fabric to zebras. I'm sure it will move onto something else! Zebras are the current obsession though, I love their patterns, the contrast of the black and white, how they are all unique and yet look completely fantastic when gathered together. I've been painting, drawing and collaging, ready to start some embroidery and want to do some printing. I've also finally caved in and signed up to Twitter, you can find me @JoChorlton

Just a quick taster of work so far, a very simple image put together in Publisher of a clip art zebra on a background of African fabric. Love the contrasts!