Patties Art

Effy Wilds Book of Days

2012-01-24T01:17:00.000-08:00

I,m still plodding on with my Book of Days,and hopefully the novelty wont wear off,Effy Wild,s link is at my sidebar on the right if you would like to join,I,m finding at the moment its a great way of making sure i do a little bit of Art work each day,then i can look back at this and see how i,ve progressed,also a brilliant way of playing around with new art supplies,experimenting too,which i have done in this pic,using my new Tim Holtz Distress Stains,and some diecuts.Debs (Rustycage) came to see me for a visit last week,we had a lovely day swapping Tim Holtz diecuts,she bought over the ones i havent got,sooo Debs you can see i have used the Cabinet Card and the Heart in these pages :))I havent given up on my fabric art,have started on a new swap,creating a Fabric Tag Book,but wont be able to show the pics till around May when the tags go into the group.Thanks to Effy Wild for finding my Mojo for me lol,have so much to do now,dont know where to start :))2 more pages nearly finished January !

Completed Book Cover

2011-12-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is for "The Book Of Days" project re:last post,enjoyed myself today slapping paint about again,I layered up using Gesso first after sanding the shine off my book,using Acrylic paint next, after that I applied strips and pieces of paper using Mod Podge to fix,the Butterfly was a problem,I used Effy Wilds method,stamping on tissue then tearing and sticking down,I didnt like the effect as the colours changed,used a Sharpie pen to try and alter it,still wasnt happy,so painted over the top with Gesso then the paint,lo and behold the thing came through,I loved it ! happy mistake's happen.........The book Plate is a Tim Holtz,they are really nice,now i,ll be kept busy HOPEING to fill the pages lol,I also used crackle glaze to fix.Happy New Year to all ! xxxInside Pages !

4day Spread

Book of Days

2011-12-29T03:51:00.000-08:00

This is something new for me !I have just joined Effy Wilds "Book of Days" here

This is the second stage of my book cover, am just waiting for it to dry,(dont you just hate drying time ! )I am really wanting to get back into painting and paper craft,(keep loosing my mojo)a friend suggested I try this program with Effy Wild,she is a mixed media artist,we can work along with her each week by vidio to create a book of days,we each choose a word for our book that reflects each one of us,my word is HOPE,as i,m hoping to fulfil all my artistic projects in the coming year,and HOPE to at least spend an hour a day creating something even if its just a mess lol.In this book (like a journal)I hope to portray or doodle something about my day,I found a small (handbag size) sketch book,years old,forgot i had it,now to give it a new lease of life !You can find Effy on Facebook under "Book of Days" Hopefully this week i will finish my cover and start on the inside page.

Leather Notebook

2011-12-18T07:52:00.000-08:00

Yes Leather ! a friend of mine bought me round some leather offcuts,I was telling her my new Tim Holtz Vagabond machine cuts leather,I couldnt wait to try it out,first i wanted to colour it as the offcuts are a very pale beige,I tried everything to change the colour,it was the metalic Rub on's that worked,it wasnt untill i finished this little notepad that i found the best thing for dyeing leather is Alcohol Inks !! they work wonderfully !Anyway am quite pleased with this first tryout it will make a nice little Xmas prezzie for her,I am soooo pleased with my Vagabond,thankyou Tim for this great machine,there is no end to what i can do with this !

A bit more leather work for a friend a credit card holder,this one is also dyed with alcohol inks

Happy Christmas ! XXX

Merry Christmas !

2011-12-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my crafty friends a Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year !

Here is just a few Fabric Xmas cards I have made this year,I actually went out and bought 2 box,s of cards,thinking to myself I just cant be bothered to make cards this year...... still ended up making these !
The Fan card is not fabric,I just come across the template on my PC and decided to give it a go.

Hope you all get loads of crafty goodies this year ! have a great time xxxxxx

Tag 6 (Tim Holtz inspired)

2011-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Yes its day 6 of Tim.s 12 days of Xmas Tags ! I knew i couldnt do one like Tims ,not having the materials so decided to do my own design,using metal though (a beercan) I used alcohol inks to colour on Tims snowflake embossing folder,then used up the No,s I cut out the other day on the Snowman Tag,waste not want not lol.Then i drew out the bells freehand and cutout..........I do try lol very enjoyable.
Tims blog here

Tim Holtz Tag 4

2011-12-05T00:54:00.000-08:00

My take on Tims 12 day of Christmas tags ,this is day 4 ,improvising again with what materials i had in my stash,but using Tims snowflake folder,snowman folder.and his crackle Glaze,I loveeeeeee that crackle ! :))not that it shows up very good in this pic !For the background i used Gesso mixed with watercolours then put the crackle glaze on
Tims Blog here

Tag 2 Tim Holtz

2011-12-03T00:52:00.000-08:00

Just finished tag 2 day 2 of Tim Holtz 12 days of Xmas Tags here

Another enjoyable day of tag making !

12 Days of Christmas Tags

2011-12-02T07:37:00.000-08:00

My attempt at Tim Holtz 12 days of Christmas tag,well lets put it this way i did try lol,I need his Pine Cone diecut,will have to do the lottery lol
Heres Tims blog if you want to have a go !here

real pine cones,gathered especially for my tag ,I had to make do with the materials i had ,the snowflake embossing folder is Tims,love that !

Vintage book completed !

2011-11-14T03:41:00.000-08:00

At last its finished ! I think i have learnt the best way to bind my books together now,well this way works for me using the "Bind it all" machine.
Thankyou everyone for all the comments on my last post,its lovely to get feedback x

So Far so Good

2011-11-12T05:27:00.000-08:00

So Far so good,my little white vintage ladies book is coming along,this back page is something different,I was reading that you can use pressed flowers in Fabric Art,its so easy,just trapping the flower between a layer of cotton material then covering it over with fine netting then sewing down ,which i have done here,I am lucky that a friend pressed loads of flowers for me a couple of years ago,i put them away in a folder and forgot about them till reading this,had to try ! really looks lovely,just hope they hold up with the passages of time.

I have already bound my book ,now to just fill in the gaps and back pages with stamping and quotes.its a long job.........

Pure Vintage

2011-10-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Pure Vintage because these 4x4 pages are the start of my Vintage all white fabric book,The images here are much better in real life but not as good as my normal ones,now i know why the cotton fabric i used was not a close weave,thats a lesson learnt,but they are ok for this little book.I have such a lot of lace,hopefully this will use some of it up,have to say i miss the dyeing of fabrics and colours,it is a challenge though :))It sure makes you appreciate colour ! always exciting starting something new,I can't wait to create the cover,needs a lot of thought !

Autumn Colours

2011-10-12T03:01:00.000-07:00

Fabric Postcard for a swap in my group,my favorite thing to do making fabric postcards.........this one is Batik fabric background layered onto felt,painted in gold fabric paint (leaves)and beaded,I know they used to make these in Victorian times,I,m off to google them see what comes up,I would love to collect them,proberly out my price range lol.

Mixed Media cards

2011-09-27T06:06:00.000-07:00

A card made this morning for a friend whos in hospital.

Just 4"X4" felt square layered up with Organza so the colour of the felt showed through,then machined stitched across to make a pattern,the butterfly was cut out of a beercan using my Cuttlebug Machine,little silk flower and a bead,......"with love" tape ,I coloured with promarkers.Image is fabric,transfered by ironing onto freezer paper through my printer.
Hope she likes it !

And another

And another,thats all my cards done for this month !

Credit /Business cards or ATC holder.

2011-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

These are simple !
Credit /Business cards or ATC holder.

I just measured 2 credit cards side by side to get the size,cutting out a longer length(think you can see what i mean by the pic) layered the front fabric onto felt then the lining underneath ,so three layers to machine all round,make an envelope sew down the middle and sides all done! then comes the good bit, embellishing.

The turquoise one at the back in the picture,I am using daily fits in my bag lovely,that was Batik fabric painted over with gold fabric paint,my favorite bead,and press stud to fasten.
The pale blue one(hand dye'd) hasnt been embellished yet ,I,m going to do a few of these for Christmas tree prezzies,well thats the plan lol.Maybe i will put some tiny flowers along the flap with buttons for the centers,have to go through my stash and match up..........

New Toys !

2011-09-14T03:39:00.000-07:00

This is different ! for me anyway.
I have never seen or heard of these before,so was quite suprised when i had a package in the post from a friend with a few of these silk carrier rods to try ,those were in their raw state not dyed,so the square piece you see here is my practice piece to just see what i could create with them,i dye'd them with Cosmic Shimmer sprays striped and ironed them flat ,then machine sewed onto felt,loved experimenting with these so much and the lovely textured feel,just had to buy some more from Ebay,these in the bag i received this morning are dye'd already,beautiful colours and that silky feel !not at all expensive.

Now to think of something useful to make with them ! thankyou Annie for something different to spend my days playing with lol...........

Fabric Spectacle Case

2011-09-07T02:42:00.000-07:00

Spectacle Case

This is for a Swap to create a fabric case for our partner,we had a choice of Spec/mobile/Kindle etc .so we chose Specs..........

I dye'd some white cotton fabric then rubber stamped over it with gold fabric paint (flowers)and layered onto felt, then made an air dried clay embellishment for the corner,painted with Luminere paints to match...the inside is fully lined ,using press studs for fastenings.

Really strange as there is so many ways to tackle this creating wise,I could have beaded or made fabric flowers for the flap,but for me it just evolves as i go along,starting with the fabric background and the colours i use.......I think i am spoilt for choice with a huge stash ! trying to match colours,I like to use mixed media makes it more enjoyable than just sewing jewellery on ! Yesterday was so depressing weather wise,cold and rainy,so this little project made the day go really quickly,and so enjoyable.

My Handmade Book Collection !

2011-08-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

NO Fabric in sight !
Just for the record lol,I have actually put them on show,they are all blogged on here somewhere.........lovely to look back on,cant believe i made all these.

The Never Ending Story

2011-08-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

This Fabric Book may take forever so i,m blogging as far as i have got with it, 6"x6" in size,I,m using Batik fabric as a base onto felt,lots of beading!this photo is the true colours,the others look a bit blue,dont know why !

The back cover i have used toilet paper,yep really lol,its called paper casting,I first got 9 sheets of toilet paper and my "Daisy" rubber stamp then using a water spray bottle, i sprayed each layer onto the stamp,using a stencil brush to push in while wet,then leave to dry,gently peel off,then paint ! so simple.

The first inside pages

This a layered page after the style of Beryl Taylor,my favorite Mixed Media Artist!I have used moulding paste with a stencil for the little flowers then painted.

The open book,I have used 140LB watercolour paper for the pages and sewn in the centres,leaving the silks hanging to bead at a later date.So hopefully i can design each page in fabric layering up onto felt etc, then glueing each onto the watercolour pages.
Here,s hopeing its all going to work out :))

Fabric Postcard Holder

2011-08-10T03:59:00.000-07:00

I treated myself last week to some pretty Batik fabrics from Ebay,just had to create something ! I am collecting fabric postcards,through my swap groups, so thought i would make a holder for them,this is it !it only holds about six as they are quite bulky especially if they have embellishments like beads etc,so i might have to make another lol,anyway enjoyed myself :))

Back to Fabric !

2011-08-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

I love to do Fabric Postcards,this one is completely from scratch,using a white pillowcase cut up and dye'd with Brusho Paints,then stamping into it with gold fabric paint....fabric transfered image and handmade bead,
The flowers are cut from a discarded slip a friend gave me,so recycled lol.

My Art Journal

2011-07-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

My Art Journal Cover

I 'm really getting into this art journal thIng lately,it makes a nice change filling in a hour or so when I just need to just sit and relax,playing around with pens and paint,not having to try very hard,just what comes to mind at the time.
I had an old A5 ring binder,decided to alter it for my journal pages covering it with 140LB watercolour paper then painting it with the wet in wet technique,the lettering is done with my cuttlebug die's.so that was VERY easy lol.
I,m not showing all my pages,bit to personal !

Spent the morning cleaning my art room,sorting out the huge cupboard i have in here,throwing loads of paper and books out,it just got to the scary stage,just could'nt stand looking at the mess! at least i found bits that had been missing for ages,nice suprises lol......Next week is a round of Drs and hospital appointments,also a day out to Hastings,love it there,just love the Antique shops and the oldy worldly atmosphere.Hopefully i will find some nice bits to add to my stash!

Have'nt got a clue what my next creation will be,just hope i,m not losing my mojo,Me thinks i need inspiring !

Journal Pages

2011-07-25T08:11:00.000-07:00

Another addiction,I think this ones healthy lol,I started some journal pages a few weeks back as i have to do one for a swap,in the style of Teesha Moore,now i cant flippin stop making them !(to fellow swappers,your ones not here lol)T Moore link here
The cat is a pencil drawing,i have used everything i can lay my hands on
Sharpies
Acyrlic paints,
Paper collage
Gel pens
Inks
white paint marker
etc etc

Envelope or pocket book

2011-07-24T06:46:00.001-07:00

Envelope or pocket book

Just something different, what i will use it for i dont know yet,maybe to hold buttons,sewing needles etc ,its just an idea i had in my head and had to try it out,I used plain white Vilene to stiffen and an old white pillow case cut up and all dye'd with Brusho Paints,the buttons are the old vintage cloth ones i dye'd too.........is it finished i ask myself,maybe i could decorate or embellish it more than i have ,really its just an experiment and hopefully be useful.I get these ideas in my head and have to carry them out whatever the outcome :)) hope you enjoy looking and maybe inspire you to make it too !

Fabric Arch Book Completed !

2011-07-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

At Last! really enjoyable though,certainly makes the time go quick,this is the front cover as you proberly have guessed lol,background is fabric paper,the organza side showing,loveee making this,i never know how it will turn out,i used napkins layered onto organza,then tissue paper and of course PVA glue in between each layer,then painted with Brusho paints,takes overnight to dry.
The image is a transfered fabric one,the jewellery broken pieces from my stash.
Below is a couple of pages,the lace in the middle holds the book together with two hinged rings,I have covered with ribbons and beads,so its not so open now as it looks here.

BACK COVER

INSIDE PAGES

All bound up and beaded !

Different Stages

2011-07-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

Fabric Arch Book

Different stages of my Arch Book,such a miserable day raining and cold,an ideal day for crafting,some of these pages are sort of half finished,the darker backgrounds are my own fabric paper i spent a day just making it....I over did it a bit with the paints and inks,hence darker but most will be covered up,and i am loving it better than just plain dyed,its more mixed media and arty lol.

I have to think about a cover next and how to bind it all together ......ummm and all the backs have to be made and embellished,a long job !

Gothic Arch Book (Fabric)

2011-07-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have made a start,page No 1,I know i,m calling it a gothic arch book but has it got to be all gloom and doom gothy type stuff? well mines not i have to do pretty,or try to,I really need to think about this i dont really want another vintage ladies book,it needs a new twist,I knowwww,i have started with vintage again!! its becoming a habit i have to break,so maybe I will do some flowers pages,or sort of journaling..........I will se where it takes me.
I have used really strong vilene to stiffen the pages,much better results,I also want to try a new way of binding with this one,each one i create is a learning curve,it makes it more fun trying out new ways to do things,experimenting is a joy......when it goes right lol

ATC Holder (Fabric)

2011-07-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

ATC Holder
I was inspired by Annie from my group to create this,she made me one,I treasure it,she actually printed her own fabric for it too !

I was interested in the way she bound it up,stitching all the pages inside the main wrap around cover,so was wanting to try it myself,anyway this is my version,I started from scratch by dyeing all my fabrics,except a couple of inside pages,another friend gave me a discarded top to cut up and as the colours matched i used that :))
The side edging lace is also from an old slip of hers lol,waste not want not ! loved the dropped beads,it matched nicely with my image ........

The tiny silk flowers i dyed,and the larger flower underneath were cut with my flower punch and painted.,the ribbons are also dyed to match in,god knows what i would do without my Cosmic Shimmer spray dyes lol and Luminere paints,they go such a long way too !
Now i am toying with the idea of creating a fabric envelope book,or maybe a fabric arch book.......ummm.........but i have my Great grandaughters birthday card to make for next month,maybe that had better be first on the list !

Vintage Fabric Book Complete !

2011-06-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

Back Cover

All done,I enjoyed doing binding last night,and sewing the beads along the edge etc
Now onwards and upwards to the next project,got to keep busy !

Back to Vintage !

2011-06-24T02:53:00.001-07:00

Couldnt wait to get back to my Fabric Art,started on my Vintage ladies fabric book,these are all the pages ready for making into a book,I still have the covers to do,needs a lot of thought before i jump in,also i may add some more embellishments to a couple of these.......

I,m quite mad with myself because i really wanted to experiment with more mixed media for the backgrounds and bellies,but because i have been deprived from playing with my fabrics and images (due to painting lol)I just had to get inspired again,so the next book i,m going to really get into trying out new techniques...saying all that i,m pleased with these and will have fun putting it all together,hopefully today !

I have used transfered images done with freezer paper through my printer,and dye'd all my background fabrics,some fabric paper used too,also I made a couple of fabric beads,and added some pieces of vintage lace and buttons,which are so hard to find nowadays,I must go on the hunt,antique shops,markets etc,always enjoy that !

Ballet Shoes Completed

2011-06-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hope my lady likes it !I have used Metallic Acyrlic paints as she asked me to

Horrayyyyyyy
Now i can get on with my crafting,ummmmm what shall i do,i know.. i have been thinking of creating another Vintage fabric book,have done the transfered fabric images and dye'd lots of fabrics,so now the worlds my oyster lol.

The weather is just awful today raining and so dark so nothing else gets done today !!

Finished at last !

2011-05-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Holly in Oil

Its really strange but when i have an oil painting drying i find it hard to get on with other crafting,i cant seem to concentrate on another project when i have one unfinished,hence its been a few weeks since blogging........now i have a commission to paint Ballet shoes in metalic Acyrlic paints (bronze ,copper and gold) on a block canvas ! thats going to be a challenge,but i know i will enjoy it hopefully.Really must get that done quickly,cant wait to get back to my Fabric Art ,such a lot of ideas going around in my head !

Naughty but nice

2011-05-06T03:13:00.001-07:00

Mixed Media Fabric Postcards 4"x6"
Loveee making these,the brown one is a little bit naughty,but as its a postcard i thought it worked lol.

The background is needlefelted then free stitched on my machine,the flower is sort of shabby, done with diecuts and the image is fabric transfered with freezer paper through my printer.

The pink and green one is much the same but i used rubbers stamps onto fabric which is hand dye'd...."Tempus Fugit "means Time Flees,I had to look it up lol,
This one is for a swap in my UK group,the theme being "Time " The backing is thick white Vilene.

If anyone is interested in doing a one to one swap please let me know,i just love making these in fabric though,would like to start a collection !

Drying time

2011-04-30T10:43:00.001-07:00

I lost my Mojo for awhile,life seems to get in the way,like dentists,doctors,and physio appointments,my Grand daughters asked me to do her wedding invites,but she is helping...........all this was going on then my son had to have Holly his dog put down she was so ill bless her, we all miss her so much,so now i,m attempting to capture her in oil while the memory of her is fresh in my mind,this is the first layer,just waiting for it to dry then i can concentrate on her fur,hopefully finish it in the next couple of weeks.

Then back to my Fabric Art or whatever takes my fancy.......I did do a couple of fabric postcards for my swap groups before all this happened ,below,Mixed media.

Tattered Floral Notepad

2011-03-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

Tattered Floral Notepad

My Tim Holtz Tattered Floral diecut came today,been wanting this for ages,yesterday I bought on impulse lol,couldnt believe it arrived so quickly !
Using
Dye'd felt
Scrim and cotton
Card for backing
Brad and Buttons

I wanted to see how it cut with fabric,I know its brilliant with paper,after experimenting with very thin fabrics this is the result,i think thicker closer weave fabrics would be better,but this is materials i had dyed and ready to hand,when i get an idea in my head i cant wait to try it :)

The front cover and inside cover are needlefelted,would look amazing with card and paper,proberly better,I have to try that next ! I have so many projects on the go at the moment,but i,m living the moment lol.

Tag Book,Next step !

2011-03-25T01:46:00.001-07:00

Inside Pages......
I didnt quite know how to go about this,but Annie in my group made me a lovely ATC holder,I am learning how to do the pages from this for my Tag Book......quite pleased with these,the back ground is spray dye'd Vilene,then stamped with a daisy stamp,then i used the same fabric as the cover for the the pockets and hearts onto this,with little fabric covered buttons,now toying with the idea of more pages,then the tags to create !I also added a bit more embellishment to the cover,will blog the completed book soon i hope !

Fabric Tag Book,First Chapter.......

2011-03-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Front Cover...size 8"x8"

Inside

First Chapter because this is the beginning covers,I now have to make the inside pages,I bought this pretty Batik fabric from Ebay,its been looking at me for weeks,just couldnt makeup my mind what to create with it,then thought a tag book would be nice as it could keep me busy for weeks !

I now have to dye some fabric up to make some pages to match,then sew in pockets on each page like the two you see here which is on the inside back cover,then comes more fun making the tags with some sort of theme (havent madeup my mind yet)
The fabric pages will be cut the width of this then sewn into the middle piece,wish i could explain better,but my next blog should reveal all lol......
The cover is mixed media,squares are needlefelted,padded heart with a dye'd cloth button,strips of torn watercolour paper,painted etc.These pics are not very good i need lessons in photography lol,looks much better in person !

I spent the morning clearing out stuff in my craft room,i need to get organised,i spend half my life looking for things,I made some felt flowers a while back,cant find !thought they would go nice on this project but not to be :

Needlefelted Clutch Purse

2011-03-19T08:36:00.001-07:00

Recycled silk scarf,needlefelted with my embellisher machine,this machine amazes me how it makes a smooth fabric so textured ,dont know whether you can see in this picture, the flower i made with the same scarf,not needlefelted just a running stitch along the edge and drawn together to make a ruffle for the flower then beaded,looks entirely different from the rest other than the colours.

The fabric beaded edging is a necklace i picked up at an antique market,it looks so easy to make these fabric beads.........if you have time lol.
Well this purse has been hanging about in my lace basket for ages,at last its completed ! I get side tracked onto other stuff,like today I had a book i ordered arrive called "Fabric Art Collage" 40+ mixed media techniques by Rebekah Meier.....its soooooo inspiring,i need to study some of these tech's to try.A lovely book if you want to incorporate fabric with paper etc......

I know i keep flitting from one media to another,it will soon be cardmaking time with all the family birthdays coming up,my sons in April,i always like to do something different,heads buzzing with ideas maybe something in metal,cards for men can be a challenge lol.

Taking Shape !

2011-03-13T07:27:00.001-07:00

Nearly finished,just waiting for it to dry before the last coat goes on, a bit of tweeking here and there then should be finished...... enjoyed painting for a change from sewing and crafting,love to paint in oils,you get a chance to keep going back at it,redoing sections that dont look right,but have to know when to stop !where as Watercolour is 90% thinking about it and 10% actually doing it,you dont get a second chance :)

I,m looking at this Poppy field now and thinking about the background needs toning down ,maybe a bit more work there, and more to do on the leaves and buds in the foreground.........here we go lol

A bit of light relief !

2011-03-12T04:56:00.001-08:00

In between painting my Poppies,I,m waiting for it to dry now,so rearranged my craft room so i could get on with a bit of crafting........

I picked up some more silk scarfs from the charity shop,also had some dyed scrim and that sort of braid with ribbons tied in, that all matched perfectly,so made this little business card holder on my embellisher machine, my leather ones falling to bits.The little flowers are silk my friend gave me, so beaded them on,its Saturday,soooo bored,have some lunch then maybe clearup the mess in here lol.

A Change of direction !

2011-03-05T08:17:00.001-08:00

Yes,I,m painting in oil once again ! only because i took a class last week,the subject was poppies in oil, my lady wanted to paint a large poppy picture,I really got into it with her,I got my hand slapped for taking over haha...thought i better start my own,which may help her too.

This is as far as i got today the lights bad now at 4pm,so its in its rough stages,looks a bit cartoony,cant have that lol,it must be painterly(is there such a word)so i will plod on tomorrow and promise to show you the finished painting it could take months.........god hope not haha.There is one at the bottom of this page i painted years ago,sold in our local library.

The sewing machine has taken a back seat for this week anyway !

ATC Fabric Holders

2011-03-02T01:32:00.000-08:00

ATC Holders
One of the swap challenges for my group hereis to create an ATC fabric mixed media holder,certainly was a challenge as there are numerious ways of tackling this one,I didnt think i would end up making 3 though !

The first i made was the little Vintage girl one,easy to just wrap around an A4 size,all made from scratch,dying the fabrics,embossing the diecut butterflies made with grunge paper ,silk flowers and some beads.

The second attempt was to have a practice on my embellisher machine,I purchased a silk scarf for 50p in a charity shop,I love the result ,inspired me to use my embellisher more ! this wallet was made from A4 size again,just folding and stitching in the 3 pockets,using some rovings on the flap.Pictures below.

The third attempt was more complecated an actual book !
I found some board covers in The Range,ideal size,although inside the pages just hold 2 ATC,s each ... I used the plastic wallets holders,cut up for these.
This one will hold lots of ATC's and you can add more pages ! I have given my partner the option of using hinged rings or ribbons to hold it all together.

Certainly an interesting project,kept me busy all week lol.

Using the embellisher machine

The ATC Book to the left,the hearts on the right side of it, are clay.

Marie Antoinette Mixed Media

2011-02-19T05:28:00.001-08:00

I needed lots to do this past week to keep my mind occupied,had my steroid injection in shoulder....ouch..yes it hurt !That was last Monday,Tuesday was agony,couldnt lift my arm,bad day doing nothing.

Wednesday loads better it was working already doc said about a week to feel the benefit,so really happy and decided to think of something to keep busy before my Physio starts again(dreading that!)

So here it is a Marie Antoinette mixed media book (mostly fabric) two sewing machines and both giving me problems,think i should clean and oil ughhh..........
Some of these pages i like and some i dont,the hinged rings holding it together i,m not happy with, may change to ribbons,I,m at a loss what to do,I,m open to suggestions :)

So heres the inside pages ..........with a story of Marie on each opposite page.

SOLD in my Etsy shop May 2nd 2011

From Metal back to Fabric !

2011-02-12T07:34:00.001-08:00

And another

This ones for meeeeee lol

A fabric cover dye'd, cotton and Lace..I cut the flower with the cuttlebug and layered them,i,m a bit short on flower dyes i need some smaller and larger ones,that will have to wait i,m spending to much on crafts lately,as we do ! (thankyou Paula for the lace pieces)

I thought as all the pages are watercolour paper it would be a nice idea .....ummm........if i can keep to it .......to paint a different flower each week on each page,then when filled it would be a nice keepsake.

I,m full of these bright ideas till it comes to doing it,this is a summer project lol i have to wait for the flowers to grow to paint them from life ! we will see ...............

From Fabric to Metal !

2011-02-09T04:19:00.000-08:00

I know .......I just felt like a change and as i was awake at 6am this morning,having thought of this idea, as i,m at a loss of what to create lately,also my memory was jogged that i had a Cuttlebug lol,so out came the embossing folders, beer cans and all those scraps of watercolour paper left over's,some alcohol inks,that havent seen the light of day for ages,this is the outcome ! not a wasted morning after all :)will make a nice gift for someone in the future.
Ohhh and a broken chain with a silver metal heart on which i coloured with inks to match !

Art Quilt and Abstract ATC's

2011-02-01T04:16:00.001-08:00

An 8x8" quilt square for a swap with my UKArtSwap group Once again a fabric quilt made from scratch all fabrics dye'd with cosmic shimmer sprays,images are transfered onto fabric with freezer paper technique through my printer.
The large flowers are made using Crafty Notions Fusible Film,then diecut.
On the left the squares are fabric paper with paper flowers and beaded.
cloth buttons dyed.All backed onto strong Vilene

The Abstract ATC's are for another swap with the same group but using different patterned fabrics,and gems.

Awards

2011-01-28T14:00:00.000-08:00

Thankyou for this award Jinny !

here

Now that I have it I have to tell you 8 things about myself and then pass this award on to 8 others. So here we go.............

1.
I only started crafting about 9 years ago after my hubby passed away,thank God for it,helped me through a difficult time,before that i was a published Artist,painting and drawing was my life after leaving Art College,in later years my claim to fame was being commissioned by Royal Doulton to design a set of mugs and landscapes for their plates,a great honour.

2.
I,m 72 years old,5ft.3" tall.and blonde lol(at the moment haha)
3.
I have 2 sons,2 grand children,and 1 great granddaughter ,they all live in my town..
4.
I read a lot mainly when i go to bed,love Saga's,Modern and crime,favorite author Susan Lewis.
5.
I live on my own with Pippa my cat we have a love hate relationship lol,she trys to rule me........
6.
I have travelled a lot since Bills been gone with my friend Joan,met some of my internet friends in the US ,been to Venice,Portugal,Paris,Italy,Poland,Malta,etc.
7.
As you see by my blog Fabric Art has taken over my life,I love the work of Beryl Taylor,mixed media artist.
8.
Like Jinny I also love the work of Tim Holtz,brilliant artist *bow's down lol.

Now i'm going to give this award to 8 other fellow bloggers and all you have to do is the same as I have.

So my awards go too.....

Adrienne
here/
Annie
here
Sam
here
Deb(Aka Rustycage
here
Jan
here
Sherry
here
Maureen
here
Annie
here

Lace Book Completed

2011-01-28T05:06:00.000-08:00

Cover
Finished at last,I am quite happy with it but struggled with putting it together,its quite large 8x8",I didnt want to use my Bind it all machine,thought it would spoil the look,the first attempt did'nt work out so i had to remake the edging ughhh,it ended up like this which i thought after was a bit over the top,but will have to do.
I get to a stage where enoughs enough lol.Sewing not perfect but achieved the look i wanted :)its all a learning curve.

Below are all the pages,front and backs.

Project in Progress !

2011-01-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

Lace Book
Just a preview of my new project,a lace fabric book,i have such a lot of lace stashed, thought this would be a good way of using it up and keep me busy,really enjoying myself,if i can do at least one page a day i will be happy !

Back soon with the finished item i hope :))..........

Art Journal 2011

2011-01-03T01:29:00.001-08:00

Art Journal 2011
I promised myself to start an art journal this year,to put down something each day inside, no matter what, be it a doodle ,a writeup of something crafty i have bought and maybe a sample try out of a product,or just a little poem or quote i come across.............just about anything really that i have done that day.

This book i bought in Covent Garden a couple of years ago,it caught my eye,just a plain blank notebook, but all the pages are like brown paper,dont ask why i bought it lol,i just thought that will come in handy one day,and now it has ! I love anything a bit different.

Of course i had to cover it with fabric,but this time i thought i would try the bleach technique with cotton material,wish i never bothered :) but after embellishing it and making pen pockets i quite liked ,I used Cosmic Shimmer sprays to dye it in peacock blues and greens.The lettering i embossed using mica powders.

I have started a new regime of Physio with a nice young man,who has scrapped all my shoulder exercises,for a new lot,I,m in more pain but thats the idea,Pain before gain i guess lol,back to see the surgeon early Febuary,I have a feeling i am going to end up on the operating table anyway *sighs............

Happy New Year to all and Happy crafting,bet you all have lots of new goodies to play with,i did get a couple for Christmas,but have been Ebaying,bought a couple of Tim Holtz masks,Mica powders and dyes,so all stocked up.... oh and some of his Mini Misters,love them,they dont clog up !

The winner is .........Jacques Junque !

2010-12-17T04:11:00.000-08:00

A little painting i did years ago for a Cancer charity,....just to make my blog Christmassy lol

And
The winner is .........Jacques Junque ! for my blog Givaway......
Her blog is here
(Have commented on your blog Jacqui for your contact addy :))

Thankyou all for your lovely comments
Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year !

Christmas Giveaway and Sewing Kit project !

2010-12-07T01:59:00.000-08:00

Christmas Giveaway and Sewing Kit project !
The sewing kit is not the giveaway though,I need more practice.........

I was very inspired by the sewing project in the Dec issue of Craft Stamper,so ordered Tim Holtz Alterations Movers and Shapers(Label) which i can use in my Cuttlebug Machine.........it came today so i couldnt wait to start on my version of the sewing kit.I,m sort of happy with the finished piece,i,m calling it my practice piece lol,a lot of work involved !

I cutout all the pieces and dye;d my fabric's .
I used
Felt for padding
The above Tim Holtz diecut
My Crop O Dile and gromets.
A Transfered image
and a little cheap sewing kit out of Hobby Craft.
Lace (Antique)
Foam Flowers painted.
and stamped some scrolls on the backgrounds with Tim Holtz distress ink pads onto my fabric.
Also a keyring for holding pages

This new diecut has really inspired me it measures roughley 3.1/2 x6" and such a lovely shape.

To thank everyone for supporting me and the lovely comments throughout the year,I,m giving away a Fabric purse below,totally made from scratch..........a sample of my fabric work this year.

Everyone who leaves a comment by the 17th of this month,one name will be drawn out of the hat by my friend,please leave me your email address's so i can contact you :) or email me privately.

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a Wonderful New Year x

Variation on a Theme

2010-11-19T06:11:00.001-08:00

Altered Notebook and Pencil

Using Fabric Paper ....rubber gloves had a leak now have green fingers lol,I,m not into gardening !!

Fabric Paper Notepad

2010-11-18T02:18:00.001-08:00

Not another i hear you say LOL.......these little projects are keeping me occupied at the moment.

The cover of this little notepad is created with Fabric Paper,how to make FP is hereI used Brusho paints,think i over did it a bit,but quite liked the effect and the texture,the background is the paper side of the FB and the hearts are the fabric side,padded out with cotton wool,i used white Organza material,which i love for this as the Brusho colours show through merged and misty......the tissue i used was a paper napkin stripped down to one ply.and of course some machine stitching(optional)

Getting Grungy !

2010-11-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Grunge Sticky Notepad holder

Finding it a bit difficult to use my sewing machine at the moment with this painful shoulder,had the MRI results,its fractured and part of the bone is lodged in my ligaments ! have to wait now for the surgeon to come back off his hols,another 2 weeks to go ..............

Thought i would try a piece of Tim Holtz Grunge paper to make a sticky notepad holder.
I used a thick layer of "Liquitex Gloss Gel brilliant" onto the grunge and let that dry then painted over with Acrylic metalic gold and bronze,(made a nice textured finish)I then glued onto some leather type card for the inside.

In Poundland i found a couple of packs of foam flowers and butterflies all different shapes and sizes,these i painted up for embellishing the front then found a couple of beads for the butterfly,used some brads to attach the flowers on.
Then i glued the sticky notepad inside another Poundland find lol a nice large oblong one,never seen that size before.A Tim Holtz hinge came in handy for the fastening,with a piece of gold cord burnt ends to pull through.
Didnt take long and kept me from going mad with boredom lol.......Just added a pink one done with my bind it all machine.

Painted and Stitched

2010-11-10T00:20:00.000-08:00

Painted and stitched

This purse measures 6x6" made from scratch,think i,m losing my mojo as this wasnt easy,the creative ideas are not flowing at the moment,got there in the end though lol,and quite happy with it............i got to use my embellish machine too,I cut out the flower from a template and punched out the center smaller ones.The inside is lined with soft Vilene.
Spray dye'd the viola fabric with cosmic shimmers,I love these and must invest in more different colours,I find the spray bottles get blocked up,so i bought a few Tim Holtz Mini Misters,then transfered the dye into these,much better !

For my next project i,m inspired by some purses and book covers in "Embellish,Stitch,Felt" by Sheila Smith,i need more practice with my embellish machine to gain my confidence,so scared of breaking needles lol.

I,m also thinking of doing another Giveaway this Christmas ,dont quite know what yet,all the stuff i have made this year is stashed away I need to go through it all then decide.I,m still amazed how i got into this Fabric Art !

Grunge Paper and Fabric Flower Cards

2010-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Grunge Paper Flower cards

I,m still trying to do a little bit of crafting and sewing although my shoulder is still painful to move it,MRI scans on wednesday so hopefully they can sort me out after.

This past week i have been inspired to make some grunge paper flowers,why is it i still need to buy stuff,I have the diecut machines and a couple of flower punches but still need more different shape flowers grrrrrr ..........

Well with what i have at hand this is what i came up with not earth shattering lol but passable,i used some templates and my punch to cut ot these (bought some grunge paper from Ebay,I LOVE Ebay lol)
I then painted with metalic acyrlic paints before that i embossed on my cuttlebug,but did'nt work to good on grunge,so next time i will try card ,take a look at this ladies vidio on making flowers,very inspiring here The backgrounds i have used Batik Fabric layered onto felt,I meant to do some fancy stitching but forgot !
The blue/green card i dye'd some ribbon for the centre then put some gold glue dots onto that,used a brad for the centre to hold it all together.

Watching that vidio i think,i will invest in some more die's of different flower shapes ................here we go again lol

Flower Purse

2010-10-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

This purse has been hanging around waiting to be finished for my friend,so today i took the plunge,just need to find some sort of closure for it.

I think this one has taken me the longest to complete as its sort of grown from nothing lol, just basic white fabrics dye'd layered onto felt for padding,I used my embellisher machine to create the flowers,but first using a rubber stamp for a template,a couple I diecut on my sizzix machine,then added the beads and a airdried clay butterfly i made ages ago.All trial and error as per usual,but quite pleased with it,I love a project that uses all tech's especially painting ,just experimenting with colour.

I,m back !

2010-10-11T04:06:00.001-07:00

Its ages since i did any crafting due to my painful shoulder,the problem being that in order to craft i have to pull down box's from shelves and hunt through my stash,you know what thats like trying to find things,so its been quite difficult,I lost my mojo there for awhile lol..........Still under the hospital having Physio,I see the consultant Thursday,I dont think it will be good news,still have limited movement and a lot of pain.

I just thought i would give it a try yesterday or go mad with boredom,Annie in my group sent me some pieces of Batik fabric,they have been looking at me for days,been itching to make something so this is the result........I used a piece as a background stitched onto felt,then googled for a fishy template,this i traced onto a piece of see through Viola material then painted it,then sewed onto background and padded out with some cotton wool,then beaded.I have made a greetings card with it 4"x4" Just need a caption now to add,like have a fishy day haha(NOT)
I,m also in the middle of an oil landscape,will take me ages but at least I have made a start !

Now i know where theres a will, theres a way,I can use my sewing machine Yaaaaaaaa lol now i,m in the mood i,m going to make a couple more of these cards.

Out of Action !

2010-09-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

I had a bad fall last Sunday while walking home from my sons,have damaged my left shoulder,had loads of xrays more to come next week,I am soooooooo fedup cant do much,craftings out for awhile,Have seen the consultant today he said could be torn ligaments around the rotator cuff or a fracture he needs me to get more movement in it before he takes the next lot of xrays,I must say the bruising is beautiful greens and blues lol.
Maybe in a couple of weeks time i,ll be able to craft again I do hope so,or go mad with boredom !Thank God for PC at least i can play my games on Facebook and keep up with the Art world and all your blog posts !xxxxxxxx

Painted Purse

2010-08-28T06:43:00.001-07:00

Another little purse but painted this time with Luminere metalic paints,first painting up a piece of Bondaweb on the glue side then using a hot iron, Ironed it paint side down onto a piece of white cotton,wonderful effect ! then sewed with my machine onto a felt backing for padding, after beading and placing a friendly plastic flower onto the front I lined it with lilac silk fabric.

The picture doesnt do it justice at all,with all this tech nowadays you would think they could come up with something to make our images more 3D lol.Anyway another little experiment to fill my time beats doing the ironing which has been looking at me for day Ughhhhhhhh lol
Back

Gothic Arch Book

2010-08-27T04:52:00.001-07:00

A Gothic Arch Book Swap i took part in,we had to make 13 pages each theme being dark and grungy with a metalic feel,then Annie the hostess swapped them out so we all had a different page from everyone,this is the result.

This morning i made the cover for it,with UTEE and my hotgun using gold embossing powder and mica powders,Thanks to Jean for giving me the idea of using a Tim Holtz grunge hinge for closure,the butterfly i picked up in Covent Garden second hand market.

Have included a couple of the inside pages created by Myself, Chris, Annie, and Adrienne(UkArtSwaps Group here).A really enjoyable challenge !

Adrienne

Annie

Chris

Mine

Fabric Paper Purse

2010-08-25T06:24:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased with myself today with this little purse,its 5"x6" in size,took me 3 days to create and made completely from scratch as my hubby used to say,I started off with plain white organza and a couple of flowery paper napkins,and made 2 sheets of fabric paper,but for this i wanted the Organza side showing as its so pretty,feels very tactile soft and silky,the napkin patterns show through beautifully.
Then i dye'd up some plain white cotton fabric same colours using Cosmic Shimmers to spray dye then used this for lining the inside,the fabric paper pieces i layered up onto felt to give it a bit of body,then had to sew the beads and flower on before sewing all the pieces together.I am going to give it a press with the iron,just to finish off..........thinking about it nothing i do is perfection,whatever we create we can always find fault,well me anyway,but it is an original piece of work,never thought it was in me to create LOL .

This next one is made from a silk scarf i picked up in a charity shop,I recycled it into this purse attaching a beaded earring.

Embellished Bag

2010-08-19T15:54:00.000-07:00

Created on my embellisher machine today,bit different for me as this bag is quite large nearly A4 size..........just to practice,quite suprised myself lol,I lined it with Dye'd Vilene inside,broke 2 needles in the process ughhhhhh :D

A fun day !

2010-08-11T05:52:00.000-07:00

They could be...........

Credit or Business card wallets,or makeup purse for your evening bag lol.............

Had a really interesting and enjoyable day today,my first experiments with Bondaweb,its so cheap to buy as well,such a lot you can do with it......

I decided to cut a small piece off and paint it with Lumiere metalic paints,painting it on the glue side,waited for the paint to dry then turned paint side down onto some soft white vilene then used a hot iron,WOW the effects are amazing,i will never tire of trying different techniques out,most of the time its very satifying.

The top pink one i embellished with my machine using some scraps of rovings to give it some nice wooly texture,than added the pansy fabric flower.

The bottom one was so pretty and metalic looking i didnt want to cover so just added the piece of real Turquoise.......for closures on both i used Velcro which i dye'd to match.Hope you like them !

Lilac Card

2010-07-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

Or Book cover,not sure yet i create these things then dont know what to do with them,I never have a plan,I,m going to try next time.......

This one I started of with dye'd organza,practiced some embellishing on it with my machine,using different fabrics and some rovings,chiffon,Fibres etc.the large flower at the top is foam flowers from Poundland,layered up and beaded the centre,they are really useful for cardmaking.i bought some plain white ones to dye.
I,m calling this another practice piece,its not perfect,one day I,ll get there :D we hope.

Well thats Saturday morning playtime,better get off and cleanup the mess lol

The Beginnings

2010-07-30T03:40:00.001-07:00

The Beginnings

A piece of Viola dyed with Cosmic Sprays A4 size,A baby wipe dyed the same and some turquoise roving,and beads.

Where do i go from here i ask myself lol,I want to use my new embellisher machine,I need to back the fabric onto some white material so the colours come through crisp and clear.

But what shall i create? a purse? maybe a panel to attach to a plain cotton shopping bag i bought in Hobby craft.......errrr,book cover.........i giveup needs some thought(thinks aloud lol)any suggestions greatfully received !

Altered Frame

2010-07-23T00:34:00.001-07:00

Meet Lola Rae my new baby Great GrandDaughter,this is her first photo taken a few hours after her birth,I altered a plain pine frame i already had using a hot glue gun,metalic luminere paint and some gems lol

Thankyou all for all the Congrats i feel very old now !! LOL

Baby Card !!

2010-07-21T23:15:00.000-07:00

My Great Grand Daughter Born this morning July 22nd ! Lola Rae 8lb 4oz.

Mixed Media with a Vintage theme

2010-07-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

This piece is for my Flickr Group Art n Soul here measurements 4"x4"'

The brief is
Your piece must measure at least 4 inches square or be of a reasonable postcard size (5 inches by 3 inches minimum)
and may be made from paper, mountboard, chipboard, canvas or fabric.
You must incorporate at least 2 (or all) of the following elements -

A vintage image (stamped or printed)
Paper collage
Some lace or ribbon or fabric
A button or other embellishment
Embossing or texture

I think i have met all the reqirements hopefully,its mainly fabric,has buttons and a vintage image,I have dye'd all the materials to match,although the flowers didnt come out the colour i wanted,I thought they looked vintagy(if there is such a word lol).so this is my entry,please take a look on the link at all the wonderful pieces the other ladies have created for this,very inspiring !

The Lady in Blue

2010-07-14T05:05:00.000-07:00

Needlefelted of course on my Embellisher machine lol,I received my book this morning Needle-Felting Magic by Margo Duke,I was inspired to make this piece ( A Book Cover),its a very thin book but a few lovely projects and handy tips for the beginner.

I broke more needles,now i know not to use ribbons ! but it was worth it to get the effect i was after,I am totally in love with this machine at the moment,each piece is a new experience and a learning curve,now i must find more different coloured fibres to use,off to Brighton tomorrow,hopefully find something there.Forgot to say the beaded ruffles under the image are dye'd baby wipes lol The whole piece is sewn and backed onto A4 card stock and folded

And The Lady in Pink..........

The addiction goes on !

2010-07-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Still practicing on my Embellisher machine,(only broke 3 needles so far at least i have learnt how to fix lol)I made these for my two daughter in Laws today to show them what the machine is capable of,giving me a chance to try out different materials,the orangy one is wool fibres overlayed with organza,that was interesting the way the organza ruffled up under the machine,i feel a lot of inspiration coming on lol,the pink one i tried rolling up some wool into balls laying them onto the already worked fibres then fixing on with the machine,you could make flowers this way a bit fiddley,but it works just time and patience !

So all in all i,m really pleased with this machine........this heat is getting me down though,bring back winter lol who likes being hot and sweaty ???????? :D

Needlefelting beginner !

2010-07-07T06:13:00.001-07:00

My new Needle Felting(Embellisher) machine came yesterday,these are my very first pieces,I LOVE it,when i first looked at it i thought ekkkkk i,m scared,i hate learning new machines and gadgets,but this is so easy !! no sewing no cotton,just a five prong set of needles that push into almost any sort of fabric,i hope lol,but i have used felt for a base here,also very narrow ribbon for the tree trunks .I mean to try other fabrics later,so if anyone has any tips for a beginner they would be most welcome or could recommend a good book,please let me know.

I started off by watching this vidio over and over,till it sunk in here

I bought some wool rovings i think its called and some balls of fibre,different colours.the top landscape is a mixture of both,i may bead that later,I am so thrilled with this new toy lol.I really want to do landscapes and book covers,its a whole new ball game this lol.

Latest,getting better,this is going to be a cover for a little book

Flower Purse,Next Stage.........

2010-07-03T04:50:00.001-07:00

I,m not to sure about this design,I have just got home from my hols in the post was the August issue of Craft Stamper with a lovely flower stamp as a freebee,I have used the stamp on this purse,stamping with stazon then outlining with fabric pen,but am now wishing i had stamped onto spare fabric and cut round so the flowers stood out,to late now !! I live and learn lol.The buttons are the old 40's liberty bodice buttons (I call them)I found loads in a junk shop,they are great for dyeing to match designs.
I,m trying to clear my desks for a new Embellishing machine i have ordered,never tried needle felting,cant wait !

Unfinished projects

2010-06-21T05:51:00.001-07:00

Deka iron on paints

These are my unfinished first experiments with Deka iron on paints and i just loveeee them,so had to show the colours before i start working on them !The middle ones my very first go so a bit tatty and messy but i quite liked.Waste not want not lol,a lot more experimenting to do !

My inspiration comes from here

I bought them here

I,m off on my weeks holiday Saturday,I will take these pieces with me to embroider button n bead in the evenings and will blog when they are finished.

The photos dont do these colours justice,they are so bright and pretty especially on the ribbons they almost sparkle......just had to order more they are so easy to transfer to fabric,just painting your design onto copy paper then using a hot iron lay onto the fabric,easy peasy lol.I have ordered golds and browns last night,sooooo inspiring.

Aimee's Birthday Card

2010-06-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Yep i actually made a card lol
My GrandDaughter's Birthday Card,she will be 20years old tomorrow and soon to present me with my first GreatGrand Daughter !

My thanks to Sherry for the image on this card as i dont have the stamp and knew Aimee would love this,so Sherry kindly send me some stamped images which i have used inside too.
Its a watercolour painted background,which i put through my cuttlebug,also the butterfly.

A creative mixture

2010-06-06T06:43:00.000-07:00

BACK

FRONT

These are Fabric Charms,its just laying down a mixture of fibres then a layer of Organza and free sewing over,really easy,I need to get a neater edging though,practice makes perfect lol,and finding the right stitch on my machine !

The theme for this one is our own choice but using either fabric paper, fused layers using bondaweb or solvy or any other technique,this has a number of techs,mainly Fabric Paper,watercolour paper,and Angelina Fibers .

They are all my last couple of weeks work for my group swaps,I have joined 2 new groups,I,m really enjoying the challenging swaps,these are all fabric,my next one a chunky book,theme being dark and Grungy Gothic Arches,so i,m looking forward to that,NO fabric work lol.

Collabarative Fabric Art Quilt completed and Framed !

2010-06-03T05:16:00.000-07:00

My thanks to UK Art Swaps ladies here

Wendy
Maggie
Mawgan
Annie and Rosie

Who all helped to make this beautiful quilt and myself of course lol.

Fabric Postcards 2

2010-05-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

Two more mixed media Fabric Postcards hopefully on the Abstract lines......
The materials i used are,dye'd fabrics,cotton,organza.lace,fibres,and beads, the bird is silk cut from an old scarf,I used Heat n Bond for the fibres,first time i have used that,brilliant for sticking down odds and ends.
I did struggle through these two cards,using materials and techniques i havent used before,I,m really pleased with the brown card with the fibres,well out of my comfort zone,but enjoyed playing.

Fabric Postcard

2010-05-24T06:42:00.001-07:00

Fabric Postcard

I am quite enjoying this idea,as its a small project to work on ,similar to the quilt squares,but more useful to give as a prezzy or send to a friend,this ones not good enough to send through the post as it has embellishments on,would have to go into an envelope,I have to keep that in mind when i create my future ones,but the fabric would still get soiled through the post,I have seen in the US that they do sell plastic envies to send these,have to do a search to see if we do in the UK.

This is felt backed,with my own dye'd fabrics using cotton and Organza,the bird is a dye'd babywipe onto felt,stamped into with Tim Holtz Distress ink pad.Left hand corner is my attempt at a birds nest lol.
I have fixed it onto a normal postcard for backing.

The Answer is ...........

2010-05-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

A Sewing Case........

I,m not one who prepares every step,I just sort of make it up as I go along,I do know this is not the right way to go about things lol,It does not always work,I plod on till it does work !

This Sewing case is an example of trial and error,but hey ho i got there in the end,quite pleased with it,inside pages are the dye'd silk with squares of dye'd felt sewn in the middle for holding my needles and pins.The corner tag is fabric paper which i stamped the wording on with Stazon inkpad,The flowers are cut out of a scrap of lace and dye'd,I used a tiny blanket stitch I found on my machine and never used before,not easy going round the petals lol.

Now to clear up the mess !!!

Guess what !

2010-05-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

First Steps , the start of my new project......
Dye'd white silk with brusho paints,brushed over with gold fabric paint.I may not iron out the creases i quite like it lol.
Cut 6, 4x4 inch felt squares

Ignore the felt square colours as they will be covered.

GUESS what its going to be,definitly not a quilt ............The first person to guess i will send a fabric handmade gift.

Will update as i go,AFTER i get the correct answer lol(thats if you want to play)......I thought after the quilt i had'nt got any inspiration or the will to start something else,I know i have to keep myself going,as its hard to get back into it,also i live on my own and need to keep occupied,so rummaging through my stash of materials I thought if i dye some fabrics it will help to maybe give me an idea,which it has,I have made a couple of these before,but i want this one to be more arty with a lot more going on in the design,dont quite know what sort of design yet,it should just evolve as i go along,hopefully :D

Vintage Quilt Squares

2010-05-06T06:18:00.001-07:00

I forgot about these two i had to make for myself to be added to the quilt,then that makes 12 squares in all to finish it.

Now i need to think about my next project,maybe something completely different,you can have to much of a good thing lol......

The last four quilt squares !

2010-05-05T01:40:00.000-07:00

Top two theme "Faces"
Bottom two theme "Owls"

Found these quite difficult,right out my comfort zone lol

Collabarative Quilt Squares....continues.

2010-04-30T06:49:00.001-07:00

Just completed 2 top ones for the Flower theme,2 bottom ones for colours of Green theme.
For those I have used some Tim Holtz Grunge painted green then used his clear rock candy to crackle glaze.The same with the Butterfly.
The river image is a pic of one of my paintings.......also used a dye'd baby wipe for the background,
Onwards and upwards lol hope to finish by next weekend,as i have all the backs to cover.

When I receive all my squares from the girls i will make my quilt up to show you,really looking forward to that !!

Patchwork Quilt with a difference

2010-04-23T07:27:00.001-07:00

These are the first two squares 4x4 " for a swap,there is around 6 people working on this all different themes,each person in the swap names the theme she wants,so we do two squares per person in their named theme,my first is the Vintage ones...........I want my quilt to be Vintage so i should get 12 Vintage themes back to make up my quilt.

Wish i could explain it better,but thats me total confusion in the brain department lol.hope you get what i mean.

On my list i have 10 more to create those being Vintage, Owls,Nature,Flowers,Faces etc,so will be busy for the next few weeks,what a challenge lol.It was my idea,I should keep quiet !!.........I,m loving it,my Art room looks like a mad woman has been let loose !

I have used,dye'd fabrics,antique lace,beads,Fabric Paper,luminer paints........etc etc .........When i get all my squares back and make up my quilt i,m hoping to frame it,a lovely original piece of artwork from my internet crafting friends.

My Monday Market finds

2010-04-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

My bits

For Holly

Joans

Second Hand Rose once again lol

My trip to Covent Garden Antique and secondhand Market ,was a success on the beads and buttons but not so much Lace,I was looking for Victorian lace, they did have some but very expensive,I managed to find a stall that was selling bits and pieces at £1 a bit,looked very tatty but thats the name of the game lol,I was really excited to find the old cloth buttons that i can dye,very cheap,I took all she had which wasnt a lot as you see !Another lady had french lace £1 a metre that was great.

All the beads in the compartment box are broken jewellery,took me ages to sort out in colour etc,well pleased,so not a bad day could have been better,it was so cold so we did'nt want to hang about,was hoping to get in to see a westend show....no afternoon shows on a Monday so we didnt plan that to well lol.

Holly my daughter in Law asked me to look out for stuff for her handicapped peoples art and craft classes,i found just the stall with bags of mixed flowers, jewellery etc... all sorts for £1 a bag,so they can have fun using their creativity with that hopefully.Shes got them doing Fabric Art lol.

My friend Joan who came with me makes necklaces,she found some broken ones shes going to recycle,lucky enough we was alone in the train compartment so tucked into some fresh cream eclairs on the way home lol .

Tattered and Stitched !

2010-04-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

"Layered Tattered and Stitched" Fabric Workshop by Ruth Rae
is my new book just purchased Ruths Blog here

Anything goes with this lady,very inspiring book ,you dont have to be neat and tidy lol it is Art after all ,so i just threw this piece together,it works for me,I found this new gold fabric paint by Dylon in a small jar,and went a bit mad with it,especially on the back of this little bag which was white,i dye'd it with Cosmic Shimmer sprays,then painted the gold on.

Off to Covent Garden Market Monday which is the Second hand market day, so hope to pick up some cheap finds like beads and lace,really looking forward to it !

Cutting Edge

2010-04-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

The first entries to my new Technique Book are the new Tim Holtz "Cutting Edge" Sizzix diecut onto a background using the spray starch technique ......Yep actually Spray starch lol,my thanks to Trish Bee for the introduction to this facinating tech ! you can see her experiments here

I have used Cosmic Shimmers with Spray starch on the left and the same on the right but with cling film,still experimenting lol,lots of fun !(Click pic to enlarge)
Another tutorial here
And here

In the Pink

2010-04-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

I wish i was lol,not been feeling well lately having a cold for the past week,its taken all the go out of me,but i,m getting back in the flow........

Another Book cover,different colours lol,this Daler Rowney sketch book i have had for years and not used,so thought if i pretty it up i may use it,it has nice thick blank pages and quite a thick book,so maybe i could create something on each page,not all fabric designs but a bit of everything,I have such a lot of experimenting to do with all my Tim Holtz stuff and new techniques to try,so it could be a sort of reference book on techniques,......big ideas i know lol, we will see.

The background of this cover is the usual dye'd cotton,watercolour paper,Fabric Paper,lovely cloisonne beads i bought from Ebay,and lace.

Fabric Book Completed

2010-03-25T02:05:00.001-07:00

Last Page...Anne Boleyn

I say completed but will put some beads and more ribbons on the spine later.......
I was sorry i used my Bind it all machine for this,I have to think it through more,I thought this way would work but not happy with it,although it will do.
I wanted to do more pages but the size of the wires wouldnt allow,i did the pages back to back too,its worked out quite thick........never mind its all a learning curve lol

Frida Kahlo

2010-03-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Frida Kahlo
Mexican Painter Frida_Kahlo..here
Another page for my book of my favorite Woman
I tried to make this one colourful like her paintings

Queen Victoria Page

2010-03-22T08:28:00.001-07:00

Another page hot off the press lol,i,m on a roll with these.

Background fabric is a baby wipe dye'd turquoise/green,waste not want not lol,and just the usual embellishments,I coloured the dots with promarkers.

I rather like this image of Queen Victoria,not as pretty as her, in the film "The Young Victoria"... lovely movie.

Elizabeth 1 ....Page1

2010-03-22T01:59:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth 1
Page 1 of my Fabric Book "Ladies in History"

Another page completed last night I,m using Tyvek Paper for the images,considering my printer says its out of ink these images are brilliant.

Really enjoying this project,cant wait to start on the next page lol,I,m on a high !!

My photograph is not that good,bit dark on the left side.

Marie Antoinette

2010-03-20T08:20:00.001-07:00

Marie Antoinette.(loveee this image)
Fabric Book Cover,title will be "Ladies of History"

I know this is going to take me ages,i wanted something to get my teeth into,this is a start,each page will be fabric and depict a lady from the past,its something i can dip in and out of between other stuff,as long as my mojo stays with me i,ll be ok lol.

I have enjoyed dyeing the fabrics,lace ,matching up bits colourwise,and sewing,also colouring the buttons with alcohol inks and using things from my stash.little bit of fabric paper here and there !...........now to get this ink off my hands :-]

Fabric Paper ATC's for Trade

2010-03-18T06:05:00.001-07:00

Samples of Fabric Paper ATC's

I have been enjoying myself creating ATC,s with the left overs of my Fabric Paper,if anyone would like to trade,one per person,just email me,i would like suprise ATC,s in exchange,its also a chance for me to own a piece of Artwork from my blog friends,if by chance they are traded quickly lol,(you never know !)then i will make a list and do more,dont forget to email me your address too.xxx

A Weeks Crafting

2010-03-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

ATC'S

Karens Book.....Flowers i cut out then padded and sewn back at Top

Holly's Notepad

This weeks work.........not work a pleasure lol

My Daughter in Law Karen took me to the Laura Ashley shop last sunday,she treated me to some Fabric remnants so i covered a large sketch book for her,keeps me occupied :-]

The smaller one is Fabric Paper,"Post It" notepad,for my other daughter in Law Holly who's into crafting as well but not made any Fabric Paper, she loves making cards.
I was going to make one Sherry suggested here but got sidetracked as usual.

Then with the odds and ends i made two ATC's for a friend.I ought to make more ATC's as i have a huge box of bits and pieces to use up,that should be fun lol.

Fabric Paper Padded Notepad

2010-03-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

FRONT
A little notepad for a Cuttlebug challenge in my UK Swaps Group here
Fabric Paper run through my cuttlebug then sewn onto felt for padding,I will never tire of making Fabric Paper !You can find out how to make Fabric Paper here

BACK

Something different !

2010-03-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

My Sons Birthday Card

A couple of weeks ago I bought QVC,s Todays Special Value, which was Tim Holtz Book "A Compendium of Curiosities" and a collection of his crafting materials,just couldnt resist,his work is awesome,He was over from the States to appear on QVC ,it was great to watch the master at work .......so today i had a play,working from his book the waterstamping technique ,it didnt quite come out like his haha,but looked ok so thought i would make my samples into a card for my son, his birthdays next month,its always hard to do a mans card,Gary's into birds at the moment :-] so hope it works !

I used some stamps i had free with my subscription of Craft Stamper,I think the pocket watch was a freebee on that magazine as well.Quite enjoyed using paper instead of fabric for a change lol.

Its that Girl Again !!

2010-02-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

I mean the image not me lol

I do love this image thats why i decided to use it for a friends card,I,m very excited as my friend and I met this lady on the internet years ago,now we are about to meet at last !!.....I dont think she will be looking at my blog lol.Shes not an arty crafty person,so i do hope she will like this.

The background is ...............wait for it ..........yep Fabric paper haha,but i have used the reverse side which is the Organza side as it looked prettier than the paper side,I used a flower napkin which shows through beautifully,and I also padded the heart.with lace sewn onto the card underneath,it was a quicky by my standards,it took just a morning to do.I found a nice friendship poem for the inside.