Frustrations, plans and new friends

In September I started the first full time job that I've had in five years. I love the job but it's been a shock to the system. I expected to have time in the evenings to do the creative things I want to do, and I was determined not to end up just working all day and vegging out in front of the tv all evening. But, of course, I'm exhausted and spend my evenings vegging out in front of the TV!

Thankfully a kind friend told me that it took her a year to adjust from part time to full time work, so I've taken some of the pressure off myself. What's left is frustration; I don't want to waste my evenings or my half terms (I'm working in a school) I don't want to be resting, I want to be making and doing and being creative. (I also had some good advice from Mum who said to do the creative stuff while you have energy because you can always do ironing etc when your brain is fried!)

I've managed to keep going with the Tag Tuesday blog and that's inspired me to make some plans for next year. I've also picked up puppeteering again, so there's an outlet there. I'm probably actually doing more than I realise, just not as much as I want.

So plans! I have in mind to make a crazy patchwork quilt, similar to the Green Knowe one I made. I want to base it on iconic images from the USA, and on the Stars and Stripes flag. I've been feeling the pressure to get on with it, so I've set myself this as a project for next year. Each month I will design and stitch a small panel, then in the school holidays I will assemble the panels that are done. By December 2013 it should be finished!

As for new friends, I've made several puppets. (See what I mean about doing more than I realise!) Excuse the photos, for speed I took them with my iPhone and iPad, and you don't always get the best results.
The old guy is paper mâché and fabric. I made the head ages ago and have finally got round to finishing it off. I've since replaced his hands with some felt that is more akin to his skin colour,and more to scale with the rest of him. I would make a longer sleeve next time.

The camels are adapted from a pattern I got from this website.
http://www.puppetpatterns.com/index.htm
I intend to make a third, what with Christmas coming up!

The little green guy is called Crockford, because of his jumper! He is so cute, aged about 3, and very talkative! He loves crocodiles and now has a big 'brudder' called Brookland. (Brookland looks the same but only talks by whispering to another person. He's about 6 and loves taking photographs. They are both named after places in Surrey!) They are made from the Roly pattern from this website, with Brookland being a 125% version of the pattern.

http://www.projectpuppet.com/servlet/StoreFront

Finally finished!

I finally got round to finishing a project I started ages ago, in fact so long ago I can't quite remember when! I had an idea to make some glove puppets, and made a papier mâché head. This got painted and has been sitting, featureless and bodyless on my study window sill.
Puppets have made a bit if a return into my life, with a puppet show for the kids at Sunday School last weekend. It reminded me how much I love puppets, and I decided to finish off my unfinished fella.
So here he is! I used a John Piper furnishing fabric remnant for his body, felt for his hands (wrong shade really but I couldn't find any the right colour in my stash) and fleece for his scarf. His hair is fur fabric. He ended up an older man, just because that's what he seemed to be!
I think he look better than I do in the photos due to a virus which has wiped me out for the last couple of weeks.! Just need to write a story for him...

Finished bag and dress

Here's two projects that I've recently finished. The bag was seen in progress in my previous 2 posts. It now has its handles attached. The hardest part was working out how to attach the lining, which I just couldn't get my head round. I managed it in the end! I'm pleased with the pleats in the fabric at the handle, and also how much stuff I can fit in it!
The other project is the dress, which I made using a reprinted 1940s pattern. The hem still needs some work, and I needed some advice from Mum on fit, but as it's the first dressmaking I've done for ages I'm really pleased. I'm planning to wear it to a swing jive event, which will give me a chance to try out another newly acquired skill - lindy hop!

Nelson gets involved!

I put this down to have lunch and when I got back Nelson had decided to take a closer look! Perhaps this explains why everything I make has black cat hair on it!

There at last!

Finally the projects are finished, the hooks are hammered in and my final major project is complete! Tonight was the private view for our exhibition, and today was the first time I've seen my installation as I planned it to be. Have a look at some previous posts to find out about my inspiration.
It's called 'Claiming Sanctuary' and consists of 4 parts:
A torn curtain which represents the stresses and pressures of the everyday world
A wall hanging to represent a cathedral, the sense of space and peace.
A memorial plaque, which is a very personal piece, in memory of 3 babies I lost to miscarriage last year.
An icon of St Clare, the patron saint of embroiderers.

I'm so pleased with how it's come together, and that people went in for a look, which I was worried they wouldn't!

Really going to miss my fellow students, but not all the research!

Nearly there!

I spent today getting my installation up for our exhibition. I'm exhausted, and it's not quite finished. Thankfully I've got tomorrow to get the last few things done. Here are a couple of photos of the work in progress. More when it's all done!

Camping

Here's my camping tag. I'm sitting in college, waiting for a decision to be made about which room our final exhibition is going to be in. As if the whole thing isn't stressful enough... So I decided to relax by making a tag. I've drawn a camp, which right now looks a good place to be! I used watercolour pencils, black pen and a scrap of fabric for the tie. It's helped take my mind off things, for a while anyway ;)

Where had I got to?

I have to admit I had to sneak a peek at this blog because I didn't have a clue what my last post was! Now I'm up to speed here's what I've been up to.
Firstly, it's no longer a cloak, I've become a proper art student and I'm making an installation! I've been fighting it because I thought it was too typical and I wanted to be different but this piece needs to be an installation, so there we go. The main piece, formerly the cloak, is well underway. The floor tiles, windows and arches are all stitched on and now it's awaiting embellishing to create a stone effect. The photos show 3 possible fabrics for the altar - a beautiful green blue shot silk, a hideous green that is so awful I'm embarrassed to post it and a pale green jacquard which I like the best. I'll post again to explain my new direction a little more.

More Stained Glass Patchwork

Gone to pieces!

I decided to combine the crazy patchwork technique from my last project with the stained glass patchwork technique I've been experimenting with. At Winchester cathedral there is a huge window which was destroyed by Cromwell, and restored at the Restoration (ha ha!) What's so amazing is that all the pieces have just been put together in any order - you can see where bits might have gone together and you can see glimpses of what it's supposed to be, but the window is like a giant crazy patchwork. I wanted to recreate this so I drew a design, copied it and cut pieces of both cotton and satiny materials. 

Pinned and ready to go

 Here I've got all the satin fabric pinned on - excuse the pictures, they're taken with my iPhone and look washed out in one corner for some reason! Anyway, everything is pinned and ready to be stitched. I used a small zig zag stitch on the cotton and a large zig zag stitch on the satin material. Both times I used invisible thread.

Stitching

 This is the cotton being sewn. It was tricky sewing the satin as it was prone to fraying. The cotton behaved much better but didn't look so good. The satin looked more like glass because it's shiny.

Cotton

Satin

 
The final stage was adding the  bias binding. It was complicated making sure ends were tucked under the right parts. I used thicker binding on the satin and thinner on the cotton. I am really pleased with the results, but definitely think the satin gives the look I want. I would like to combine it with some heat transfer press printing as this would allow me to create images on shiny fabric which could then be cut up for my window.

Stained glass patchwork

I had my first try at this today, using the Bible story about God leading the Israelites with a pillar of fire and a pillar of smoke. This is the result. It's very easy and I can see it would be addictive!

Sad Little Cherub

Not sure which cathedral is home to this little fella, but he is so sweet that I had to include him in the research for my Cathedrals and Pilgrimages project. I created my own version in Procreate on the iPad, using layers. I imported the photo first, added a new layer for outline, a new layer for grey tones and finally a new layer for the background. Then I hid the photo layer and re-ordered the other layers so the outline is on the top. I'm really pleased with the end result.

Final Major Project

After strict instructions to spend half term 'project free', I'm now beginning to think about my final major project! I'm so amazed to have got here, and am determined to make the most of this last project. (Part of me is looking forward to sewing something without having to make a sketch book first!)
Anyway, I've picked the theme Cathedrals and Pilgrimages. Feeling inspired by Grayson Perry, and my favourite place on earth, Canterbury cathedral.
No artwork of my own to post yet, so a couple of images which inspire me.
One is the altar in Canterbury cathedral which marks the spot of Thomas Becket's murder. I love this space in the cathedral, still full of impact even now. The other image is St Clare of Assisi, patron saint of needlework. If you're thinking about saints and pilgrimages and intend to create some textile art, she needs to be here!

Green Knowe Quilt

My penultimate project is due in on Tuesday and is not quite finished, much to my frustration. I am discovering that textile art finished to the quality I want is very time consuming, and I could quite happily spend another month on this piece.

The starting theme was Landscapes, but the discovery of crazy patchwork mid way through the project led me down some unexpected paths. And here is the end result. It's a crazy quilt based on the Green Knowe books, by Lucy Boston. I created a special piece for each of 16 patches using a variety of techniques; cross stitch, fabric crayons, printing using a pc, crewel work etc. I then used fabrics suggested by the books, especially The Chimneys of Green Knowe where patchwork features in the story. I included velvet and 'satin', printed cottons and linen.  The photos show the patches in blocks of 4, then all sewn together. As you can see I haven't managed to embroider all the seams, and I have ideas for further embellishment. Backing and binding would also be desirable but way out of reach for Tuesday!

If you want to read the books they are available from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/green knowe books

Topiary and Roger and Toby's patches

St Christopher, Alexander and Susan and Jacob's patches, the peacock's tail feather

Oscar, Ping and Ida and Linnet's patches with topiary animals

Tolly's rocking horse, Neptune the carp Chinese style, the witch ball and Hanno the gorilla

the whole quilt, as yet unfinished but you get the idea!

Tag Tuesday

Ok, so not officially college work, but still creative. I am taking part in a Tag Tuesday challenge to create a tag on a different theme every week. I've managed three so far, and it's great to see my work alongside the work of others. I've given myself the extra challenge of only working on the tag on Monday night, so it doesn't take over. Here's my latest tag, on the theme of vintage.

Made using a card of darning wool from mother-in-law's workbasket.

To find out more go and have a look at the Tag Tuesday Blog. http://tagtuesday.blogspot.com/