The final post for the Dubai project - definite.

As I said in my last post, the Dubai project is finished with over 70 pieces of textile work.

All I have to do now is post the last remaining pieces.

One of the windows on a building along the Creek side has been the design source for a number of pieces.

I took this image into Paint shop Pro and applied a special effect which resulted in this :-

I pondered over this for a long time trying to think of a technique to use to interpret the image. The one that kept coming to the fore was a sheer sandwich but finding a way to produce and keep the protruding window effect was the problem. Eventually I resorted to a technique I used for some of my jewellery - see the link on the right - Embroidered Jewellery. I used garden mesh. The mesh was the structure inside the sheer sandwich.

I am not totally happy with it. I think I could have had more success if I had made the piece twice the size. Even so - it is pretty.

Another multi used design is the wall fret panel.

I took one of these frets and made a fret using Funky foam. I stuck it to some pelmet vilene and then applied layers of hmmm 'toilet paper' using PVA to cover and harden the surface and then a layer of scrunched tissue paper over the whole surface. This was then painted and made into a keepsake folder. I had just found some key and lock brads so I created a lock at the side of the fret making it look like a door. I cut off the prongs from the back of the key brad and filed the sharpness off and hung it from the lock. I used more square brads for effect. A machine wrapped cord was used to close.

The fret work on the front of the hotel has also been a well used design source and I used it again for some jewellery. I made lots of squares and laid one square over the other to make the star pattern on the fretwork. I button-hole stitched all around the star and fastened a blue glass rectangle bead in the centre of each star. They were then joined together to create a necklace, a bracelet and a pair of earrings - the findings yet to be applied.

The next piece was made up of three panels joined together into a hanging. It was very much a 'go with the flow' piece. I had no idea what would be on each panel until I began to play and try things. I liked it when it was finished. I was intending to blast the middle panel and burn away some of the top sheer but I chickened out especially after the disaster of the god book which turned out even better as a result but I wasn't prepared to risk it a second time so I played safe.

Talking of disasters. This next piece was another failure which had to be rescued. I really liked the colours created by a special effect on an image of the heritage village.

The first attempt to print this out onto transfer paper was a disaster but I managed to rescue it and turn it into a successful purse. I tried again and this time I ironed it onto a light weight black lutrador so that I could quilt it. Unfortunately the Lutrador is very 'webby' and so the colours did not emerge when ironing. It lay around for a long time until I decided to attempt a rescue. I painted the surface with acrylic wax and metallic paints then I stencilled and stamped some of the jug designs I had been using throughout the project. I used transfer foil to make a frame the made it up into a quilt sandwich and free machined it. It worked. Another rescue.

So there we have it the Dubai textile project is complete and has been boxed until such time as I am asked to give a talk about it.

I hope I have given some of you some ideas to take from this project and that you will try a technique you may not have tried before. Remember, it is possible to rescue disasters - the beauty of textiling.

Cheers for now and until my next post.