Episode 9 Rain, rain, go away

On this podcast I whine about the weather, I admit it!  It's been revolting for a week now - floods and gales etc.  I'm pretty sure you're allowed to whinge after your chicken food shed door got ripped off, right?

This is taken out the back door in a relative break in the weather.

And my darling daughter took this one of me, clearing out the flooding drain.  Again.

I give a rundown on my Welcome Swallow quilt.  It's under the needle finally.  In this pic I'm quilting and appliqueing at the same time....'cause I can.

I also talk about mono printing - taking a single print off a surface, in this case a gelli plate - onto fabric.  I'm going to be doing a demonstration of it at our quilting club's regional day.  This is a picture of some mono printing on paper that I did with the kids.   It's been a little while, maybe I should do some more with them this holidays.  We really need some more rainy day activities!

Little Printed Purses

I've had a bit of a production line going over the last couple of days, sewing up all my monoprinted fabric into these sassy little zippered purses.  I think I'm in love with every single one!  They sit flat, which I like, because they can then slip into your handbag easily.  But I think the next bunch I do (yes - addicted) might have boxed corners, just for something different.  And maybe some smaller ones?

This batch all measure about 9 and 1/2 inches by 6 and 1/2 inches.  They are all lined with plain white fabric for a crisp, clean look.

The fronts and backs are different, but coordinated (it was lots of fun choosing which goes with what!) and they all have different coloured zippers.

The first question from my husband was, "What are you going to do with all of those?"  Doesn't he know that Christmas is only about eight weeks away?!  Of course I want to keep one for myself.  And then I think I might sell a few either on my Etsy or Felt shop or maybe at the Kerikeri Patchwork and Quilters Club exhibition in January.  Hmmmm, I might have to make some more so I can have a few in all those venues.  Darn, what a chore that'll be ;-)

Do you have a favourite?

Printing Fabric - I went a little overboard...

Yesterday I did a demonstration and then held a mini-workshop at my local quilting club.  It was on fabric stamping, monoprinting and screen printing.  It went really well and I had a few people totally enthralled the results when trying it out themselves.  Fun!

Then today I had the job of emptying out my suitcase and cleaning up and putting away.  Well I got everything shipshape and then I began sorting through my samples.  I found a couple that needed another layer or a stamp or two.  I thought to myself, "I'll just do a couple of prints....."

Two hours and several BBC Documentary podcasts later I finally stopped myself!  It is seriously addictive stuff, people, and I don't know whether to urge you to give it a try or warn you off ever starting.

Here are some of my favourites:

Background is a gelliplate mono print, albatross is screen printed.

The black shapes were screen-printed first and then the colours monoprinted on top. 

Monoprints, stamps and screen-prints.

A 'ghost' monoprint (a second, lighter print from the one paint spread), an albatross screen print and the rings were stamped.

I pre-cut most of these pieces of fabric 9" by 10" with the intention of turning them into little lined, zippered pouches (they're very cute, I'll show you some when I've sewn a few more up).

So if you think you are interested in fabric printing, just go find a youtube tutorial and jump in and have a go!  Of course, if you are in New Zealand, I could always come and run a workshop in your area - just email me!

Gelli Plate Printing with Kids

This afternoon I wanted to bang my children's heads together.  Instead, I pulled out my new-ish Gelli Plate and did some monoprinting on paper with them.  After a while we got pretty creative - if I do say so myself...

Volcano.

Chinese gate for my son's valley of bones (don't ask).

Skull for the same thing.

I think this is one of my favourites.

Clean up involved a small glass of Lemocello for me, a pastry brush that is now relegated to my studio instead of the kitchen,

and two kiwifruit ice blocks for them.  School holidays are almost over, phew.

Yesterday, Suz from 'all the good ones are taken' and Mathea, a new quilting friend, came over with their kids in tow.  We talked quilts and the kids played and played and played.  Big sticks were involved, dirt featured too (so much that I saw them running around with swimming goggles on) and play wrestling on the trampoline.  My boy had so much fun and today is sporting a neat wee black eye, must do it again next holidays!

And just because they are not all bad, here are some cute things my kids have said lately:

Son asked, "When will pussy cat stop mulching?"  That would be moulting!

And my girl asked,"Where is the fly stabber?  I need to get that fly!"  Hmmm, fly swatter perhaps?

Fushcia or Fuchsia?

Sometimes the work just works.  I sit down with a purpose and it all flows and every step I get more and more excited when I see what is emerging.  Wednesday was one of those days, I wish they'd happen more often!

There are two special ladies in my life who have a birthday on September 11.  One of them is my Mother in Law (who I am blessed to like and get on with) and the other is my quilting buddy, friend, colleague, mentor and motivator, Sue.  

I know Sue likes Fushcias (but the spell check says Fuchsias - hmmmm), so that's what I set out with in mind.

When I learnt I'd sold another of my RED challenge quilts, I splurged on a Gelli printing plate - you can see it peeking out from underneath the two layers.  I used this to print my background fabric over a freezer paper resist.  Then I ironed the same resist to my organza top layer that I had already printed the day before whilst procrastinating experimenting.

Above you can see the organza layer after stamping with a few stamps and using paint sticks around the flower resist.

I used a hand-carved stamp on the bottom layer as well then layered them up with batting, basted them and began quilting.  I tried to get the warmest, reddest area of the quilt around the flower shape to bring it forward and emphasise it, with cooler green and blue more to the edges.

Here it is with most of the quilting complete.  I decided not to fill the background completely as I didn't want to lose the translucency of the organza.  I used a few coloured pencils to add a little colour here and there and to push some areas back and highlight others.

Detail shots.

I finished it with a satin stitch using a variagated 28 wt (I think - it was heavier but the gauge had worn off to spool) Valdani thread.  

Happy Birthday, Sue!!