wire and fabric (and stitch)

"Make a structure out of wire
and cover it with fabric pieces using batik wax"
that was the Stitch Club workshop that just ended,
by Priscilla Edwards 

Any thin wire could be used
but the special paper covered kind came with the mail a bit later.
I chose to make a critter in stead of a teacup
Though because I couldn't find the wax
(that I must have somewhere . . .)
I used some special textile hardener.
But first a flower to try out if this could be done !

Hmmm . . . very sticky fingers
but, it worked in the end !

Then on to the little beast : a ladybug !
Many parts to construct and fiddly to put together
but in the end it could fly !!!

(the wings were made on the machine)

BUT

I totally forgot to show the
Stitch Club embroidery workshop by Cassandra Dias
that came before the one by Priscilla !

Stitching a landscape brought me to the colourful scene
so many tourists that visit The Netherlands in spring yearn for.
Though the downside of these lush coloured fields is :
the pollution with MANY pesticides !

Only 10 x 10 cm
but so densely stitched that it took a long time."

Then came number two : a lone tulip

(there might even be a number three,
but that will take some time again !)

happy New Year ! (1 - 1 - '24)

Yesterday,
just in time, I finished the challenge
for Yara's Bibabo wild marathon

The letter was the "X" for December
a pretty tough one !
The creative challenge is that you make
a real living animal that starts with the chosen letter.
I waited for a long time
also because there was lots that needed doing
but in the end I checked the web page of the game.
there Yara always gives suggestions of the possibilities>
When I saw the "Xantus' Hummingbird" on her list
I knew definitely what to make !
(see the my insta-page for some extra information)
After looking at lots of pictures I made a start
with the slightly altered pattern we normally use for finger puppets.

So meet Xerxes !

Daughter's first bigger tattoo is a hummingbird !

So today I went to wish her a happy New Year at her home
(instead of the other way round : because of her broken ankle !)
and brought her the little birdie 
as a good start !

Xmas 2023

I wish all my friends
near and far away
happy holidays
and if at all possible

warmth
joy
peace

and the best wishes and lots of creativity for

2024

(year of the dragon)

winter solstice

November ended and December began,
and on the fourth . . . daughter broke her ankle
. . . . .
she had surgery last Monday.

A small misstep can have
BIG consequenses !

So time is needed for helping out,
but that's no problem
I'm glad we are still able to help.

So now I need more time to finish the dragon
I made in Yara's class
and take pictures
so that will come later.

For now an "old" Winter Solstice picture.

Sleep well everybody that has the longest night now
we're returning to the    LIGHT  !

23 - 11 - '23

Oh my, this month goes fast !
But in Stitch Club there was a fun workshop
by Maggie Scott
that included some wet felting !
Maggie is a great artist with beautiful
and meaningful work,
and she gave us a workshop combining
the African "Kuba" cloth and Katha stitching.

This time I had to felt with rather course wool
and that is something I don't do a lot.
(and let me tell you :
I won't be doing it again soon !)

I had a bag with dark brown wool,
some Norwegian, some very course white wool
and some white wool I used for stuffing the Waldorf dolls I made.

I was lucky that I put some of the white course wool
at the back of the dark brown, because that had VERY short fibers !
Despite that, I ended up with quite some holes, 
so I had a repair job to do with my felting needle !!!

For the shapes on top I used my normal (industrial) needle felt
and I put some sari silk threads on the surface. 
The other "problem" was that it hardly shrunk after felting !!!

Now the next step will be some stitching.

back to Stitch Club

After all this time felting and stitching
for my Pink Ribbon challenge
I finally have time (and energy) again
to join in with one of the Stitch Club workshops,
this time by Dionne Swift

I've "known" her work
for quite some time and like the way
she uses the sewing machine.
Her way of transforming a landscape
into a line drawing
and later into machine stitch
is far more abstract than mine will ever be,
but I loved the workshop.

The translation of a photo I picked from the net
(thanks, unknown photographer)
in colour, after I first did one in only black and gray.

(I LOVE it when rapeseed colours the edges of the roads

at the end of April !)

The first try

Well . . . colour is more me

And the sunny yellow of the rapeseed
was no coincidence when you see
the bright Ginkgo in our garden !!!

This was last Saturday,

with still a hint of green
. . . . .

today it is golden
and leaves are falling already !

drumroll . . . . PINK RIBBON results

 (not yet four o'clock and the lights are on :
November is really here !)

I had to wait a bit till all the money was there
but now at this moment
I can finally announce the grand total of my

Textile Jewel Pinktober Challenge

€ 750,-

I'm sooo happy
that we are able to make this BIG donation to PINK  RIBBON ! 

A very BIG  THANK  YOU
to all the nice people who made this possible
for the tenth year !

LARISA, NINEKE, ALET, MO,
GONNIE, MARTINA, TWINK,
TINY, ANJA, MADELON,
BAUKJE, SILKE, SIETS,
SIMONE, JEANNET, JOKE, 
NAYLSA, SUSANNE,
INGRID, LESLIE, 
ELKE, JOLAN, 
MORAG,
JANE 

THANK YOU  for helping me to these great results !!!

(and because there were still some bits of felt lying around
and the jewel-making flow is still there
there was another heart
to thank you all !)