Saturday 24 October 2009

Rudbeckia folder

It has been a while since my last blog but I have something to blog about tonight.

A few blogs ago I mentioned a visit to Richmond castle - the one in North Yorkshire. I posted an image of a swathe of Rudbeckia in the castle gardens.

These flowers caught my eye and I took several photos of them including my favourite kind - macro.

Rudbeckia

I decided to use this image for the cover of a pad folder.

I bought some Evolon at a show this year and wanted to use it and see how it behaved. I decided to print the image onto it. Not having printed on it before I didn't know how it would print so to be on the safe side I gave it a coating of InkAid to ensure a better vibrancy of colour.

Ink-aid-2

InkAid is a fluid which will coat any surface and if it will go through an inkjet printer, you can print on it. The ink does not soak into the surface and lose its vibrancy. If you have never used it, it is worth a look.

Ink-aid

I use a dense piece of sponge to apply it to the surface. On this occasion I used the clear semi gloss precoat.

Be sure that you take note which side of the fabric you coated - which I didn't!!! so I am not sure if the coated side was the one which was printed. The colours were vibrant enough so I hope it was the right side.

Print-on-Evolon

This synthetic fabric is strong and can be free machined without a stabiliser. I free machined some detail lines onto the petals and then began to create a padded centre for the flower. First I tacked several layers of wadding in the centre to create a 'dome'. Next I took a piece of black felt and covered it with a layer of black crystal organza and backed it with a piece of black stabiliser. I then, using black metallic thread, stitched lines in two directions across the suface to closely represent the centre of the flower.

This was then stitched in place over the 'domed' padding.

Next I stitched three rows of fringe using a fringe foot which I have had for at least three years and never used before. I used a very unfriendly black thread which kept shredding so I had a lot of ends to stitch in. Even though this can be a bit tedious, I prefer to persevere and use these threads for their effect rather than not.

I stitched gold glass beads at intervals into the fringe. This completed the front of the folder.

The inside was created from a piece of golden yellow card which was adhered to the front using a spray glue. I trimmed the edges and then zigzgged the edges together.

Inside-finished-folder

I used a piece of the yellow card to make a holder for the pad. It was folded and creased - completing the folder.

Rudbeckia-pad-folder

A simple and effective technique.

At the moment I am trying to decide on a new project and have a couple in mind but nothing definite yet. No sooner do I think I have decided than I come up with another one and off I go again with indecision. So frustrating - lots and lots of notes and scribbles growing by the day. I need to take 'the bull by the horns' and make a start. Once I do that I will be focussed and the project will grow. Hmmmmm.

Tonight I must process my image of the day so until I have something else to blog -

Cheers everyone.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

Bronze art quilt

A bit of a gap since my last blog but I have something to blog about at last.

I have spent much of my time mastering the music editing software 'Audacity' and iMovie to create AV's. I have created three so far. It has meant that I have had to browse through all my image files, sorting out the images I wanted to use for them. It is only when I needed to do this did I realise just how many images I have in store.

I did a photo shoot on some antique pocket watches which had the most wonderful detailed and delicate engraving on them. I want to do another AV using these images so I am now trying to find music to go with them. Hmmm.

Now on with the textile part of the blog.

Earlier this year, I went to my town's public park to do some photography and came across a bronze plate sculpture. It was created by a local sculpture who became quite renowned for his bronze sculptures. The bronze plate was a memorial dedicated the the fallen of the second world war. As it is the 60th anniversary of that war it was rather fitting that I use this bronze plate as my tribute to those who sacrificed so much.

Bronze-plate-original

I took the image into Photoshop and put a special effect on it.

Bronze-plate-effect

I decided to make an art quilt of the plate. First I needed to make a pattern so I turned the image into black and white and then applied another filter onto it to crate a more defined contrast. I resized and printed out this image.

Bronze-plate-b&w-pattern

I pinned tracing paper over this image and traced the most defined lines. I decided to leave out the scroll across the top and also the text on the scroll she was holding. I went on line and found a Latin translator and devised my own Latin words to put on this scroll. "Never forget their sacrifice"

Once I had the traced pattern I could prepare the fabrics. I had in store some wonderful very dark gold and black sheer but it was a bit too gold so I used some habutai silk and painted it with a bronze colour which when placed under the sheer gave a very effective metal bronze. This was made into a quilt sandwich with 2ox wadding and black background fabric. The traced design was pinned over the top and using a black and gold metallic thread, free machine quilted the design.

When the design was stitched and all the tracing paper fully removed - a bit of a tedious job but not one to skimp - the edges were stitched and then the patina effect applied. I had intended to use a blue metallic paint for the patina effect but eventually I used both blue and green (ver de gris) metallic paints. I gently fingered the paint over the areas I wanted to be patina'd!!

It really did look like the bronze plate in the park.

Completed-quilt

Here is a close up of the head.

Bronze-art-quilt-close-up

I have now begun my next piece which is very different - not an art quilt - but it will have to wait as tomorrow I am off down to London to Ally Pally. We are staying overnight near to London so that we can get to the show for its opening. I have never been to Ally Pally before and it may be my only visit.

To make this an even better visit - I am meeting up with Lynda Monk (Purple Missus) and we are going to spend the day together. We have never met but have become good friends via blogs and emails. I am taking my copy of her book for her to sign and hopefully she will have her copy of my book for me to sign. I am really looking forward to Thursday. It is going to be a super day. So it is off to bed - packing to do in the morning and an early start.

Cheers everyone.