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Month: February 2013

My Week !!

My Week !!

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I really feel like I’ve found what I want to get more involved with now and loving it.  Mixed Media has really got it hooks into me and I need to learn more , I’ve bought a few e-books through Amazon in the last couple of weeks and enjoying reading them although most of whats in there is not entirely for me, I’m sure I’ll still learn a lot from them.

So in the last week  i’ve messed up some silk paper, finished another Altered Book and now apart from making  huge mess in my craft room, lol I’m really excited to have starting something else, again lol   I seem to have taken Ruth’s fibre challenge into mixed media and beyond,  but i’m sure she wont mind 🙂

I know you’ve seen this one but here is my experiment with the metalic paint and melted tyvek.  The tyvek i’m using is a material and not a paper one and it seems to work in a whole new way to the paper ( which i prefer), this one hardens like real plastic when its melted, where as the paper one hardens more like stone ?  if i’ve described that right !

metalic1

The next Altered Book i’ve finished is trying to capture our Aussie Fauna and landscape, in the colors i’ve chosen,  sometimes its hard to actually see if you’ve put to much into it until you take a picture and then of course its to late and its all set permanently

book 1

I wanted this next one to be quite simple so there’s only a small amount of things added in , i like the turned pages on this so i didnt want to interupt that with to much on, if you know what i mean !!  ooops i didnt quite get this one finish as i was overtaken with another project  🙂

So now i’m so excited ( as i said)  i have never in my life tried to paint a picture on canvas, i was searching through the web the other day for more info on what you can do with Gesso and one thing led to another and i ended up totolly absorbed by abstract paintings and watching them work ( till 2.am on work night )  i have never wanted to paint before so i cant understand why i feel so fasinated with them now lol  Anyway i kept looking and i came across a lady who was painting a tutorial on a Forest of Aspen Trees,  i watched the whole video and got to thinking that i might have a go.  So here is my first EVER painting  and im so happy. Its not perfect of  course but i love it anyway . And dont worry about the shelves in the background, i was to excited to set everything up properly lol

trees

 

So as you can see i’m keeping busy and really enjoying myself, What have you been up to lately, we’d love for you to join us and post  some pics on our forum of your projects, no matter what they are 🙂

http://feltandfiberstudio.proboards.com/index.cgi?

 

Do You Use a Studio Journal?

Do You Use a Studio Journal?

Comments 14 comments

I have been using a studio journal for many years now. When I first started dabbling in fiber arts, I just wrote ideas down on scraps of paper or printed out pages from the internet and had them all around the house. This turned out to be a very poor system! So I took an online course about using a studio journal from Sharon B. of Pintangle and have used a journal ever since. The classes that I take from Gail Harker also have me use a studio journal so I have lots of different ones now.

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Choosing a journal is a personal thing. I have found that I like different sizes depending on how the journal is being used. If you have never used one before, don’t go out and buy the most expensive and prettiest journal you can find. Try using a notebook that you already have around the house. Many people get a brand new journal and then they are afraid “to mess it up”. Don’t treat your journal as an “art” journal. Every page doesn’t need to be beautiful. Use your journal as a tool. You may just use it to list what you want to accomplish each day, use it for sketching ideas or pasting in pages torn from magazines that catch your attention.

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The type of paper in a journal will make a difference if you are planning on painting the pages or doing a lot of mixed media in the journal. I have found that either heavy weight drawing paper or paper that is made for a variety of media, work best for me. I do use a lot of paint in my journals as well as glue and sometimes even stitch. However, I do use a journal that has fairly thin paper and it actually still works OK as long as you aren’t distressed by paint bleeding through to the back side of the paper.

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One of the best things I like about keeping a studio journal is being able to look back through my old journals. Many times, I have written down an idea that at the time either wasn’t deemed worth trying or just got forgotten. By looking back, I might find new inspiration from an old idea. The other neat thing is what I call the compost effect. You put all your ideas down in the journal, you add some things you saw online, you write down a quote or two and all of these kind of mix together, compost and bring forth an idea that might never have happened any other way.

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So, do you use a studio journal? If you do, I’d love to hear how you use it, what’s your favorite type of journal, do you make a special cover for your journal or do you just leave it plain? Leave a comment or come join us over on the forum.

I Did Some Weaving

I Did Some Weaving

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This week end I did something I claim not to like, weaving.  What I really mean is I don’t like what most people think of as weaving, on a table or floor loom. I don’t like getting the warp ready and putting it on the loom and tying it all up and then sitting and weaving. I like finger weaving and I like what I was doing one Sunday, Inkle weaving.

inkle loomThis is a table inkle loom. I was using a floor version but I forgot to take a picture and couldn’t find one with the weaving on it.

I took the beginner class for the second time. I took it the first time a few years ago. Its not like most weaving where you only see the cross threads or you see the treads going in both directions. This is warp faced weaving. It means you see the threaded that are held on the loom not the threads you are putting back and forth. it also only makes narrow pieces. You use it to make straps and belts and trim.

book mark sampleThis is the beginning. you can see at the bottom where I started isn’t as nice as it is a little farther along. In the beginner class we make a scissor pouch.

twisting the fringethis is twisting the fringe the a really cool tool that makes it supper fast and easy.

twisted fringeYou can see the little snip scissors inside the pouch.

scissor pouch finishedThis is the finished pouch . You wear it around  you neck and when. you need to cut some thread you slide the snips out and there you go.

What I like about his kind of weaving is its so fast to warp the loom and the weaving goes really fast. When I finish my felt boots I may make some decorative trim for them.

Finished Stitching Project

Finished Stitching Project

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I’ve managed to add quite a bit more stitching to the felt piece I’ve been working on lately. After the yellow and orange stitches I added a square of burgundy around the yellow and then some rows of black stitches in the middle.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAfter that I added a row of white stitching at the two short ends, then using one long piece of variegated white and beige shaded thread, I added some more rows, then went down the long side.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI finished it off by sewing alternate rows of a pale yellow and chocolate brown. I haven’t decided what I might do with it yet, but I like the way it turned out.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI did finish my white texture piece as well this week. I haven’t had a chance to photograph it yet since it dried, but here’s a photo of it all sewn up, waiting to go into the washer–I usually put them in a pillow case to protect them and to stop fibres getting on the laundry.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe next piece I’ve decided to work on now is a nuno felted piece, I used muslin as a base and merino for the wool. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to make a pencil case or something else.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhat have you been working on lately?