Last year I joined Lincolnshire Textiles, a mixed media textile group who meet monthly at Cherry Willingham near Lincoln. This is an exhibiting group and I was really impressed when I visited their last group exhibition which was held two years ago in Lincoln Cathedral. As well as members exhibiting their individual pieces, central to the displays is always a group piece. Last time this was Sapphire & Steel which you can see here.

This year the main theme of the exhibition is “Water” and the group piece will represent a whirlpool with 30(ish) members having contributed a section each. Along with a template we were each given a colour swatch and asked to work in shades of that colour without going too dark or light either way. This was my template for shape which is approx 60cm x 15cm at its widest parts, and the little colour swatch of thread.

My first thought was to fill the shape with swirls or crashing waves……
But then I remembered seeing some of the pieces that had been submitted at previous meetings and two or three other members had already worked on that type of design, so I decided to rethink.

The other thing that came to mind was that my section might lend itself to being the shape of a fish so that’s what I decided on…..

The next step was to gather various threads that looked like they might be suitable and then look for different textured fabrics which I could colour. As we were asked to work in monotone it would be important to use as many textures as possible so I pulled out cotton, velour, interfacing, tulle, Lutradur, Evolon, gauze, elastic and crepe bandage.

I mixed up a shade of green that was as near as possible to the swatch and applied it to the fabrics in varying strengths. This gave me a nice variety of shades and texture to work with.

Knowing our exhibition isn’t until August I thought I had plenty of time but at our meeting this month I discovered I was one of only two who hadn’t yet handed their work in and it would be needed for the April meeting!! Panic set in and I didn’t think to take many photos of my fish once I’d got going with it….it was a case of head down and get on with it!

This is the finished fish with the addition of beads which I’m hoping will catch the light and add interest. I certainly don’t envy Hilary who now has the job of joining all of our segments together and making them fit!!

 

Meanwhile things are still progressing with Waltham Textiles “Making Waves” theme and I’ve added a Coconut Octopus to my exhibits. I came across some fabulous photos of the Coconut Octopus and just had to have a go at creating it.

The coconut octopus is found in the western Pacific and Indian oceans and is classified as a tropical water species. It can be found off the coast of southern Japan as well as Australia, New Guinea, and South Africa.

It prefers shallow coastal waters and spends the majority of its time on the sandy or muddy seafloor close to the shoreline. This species also shows a preference for calmer waters as opposed to the swifter seas of the open ocean, hence it is frequently found in bays, lagoons, and other inlets.

It commonly preys upon shrimp, crabs, and clams, and displays unusual behavior including bipedal and quadrupedal walking. It gets its name from gathering and using coconut shells and seashells for shelter and protection. What an amazing creature!

Photo Source: octolab.tv/species/coconut-octopus/

Another distinctive feature of the coconut octopus is its suckers. They are almost white and really stick out when the creature has assumed a darker color. The contrast in colour between its body and its suckers can create a fluorescent effect for the suckers.

Unlike Oli I which was completely needle felted, Oli II is mainly wet felted with the skirt being added once I’d got him stuffed.

I considered making the legs and body separate and joining them with needle felting but decided to go with a book resist instead.

He’s made with Corriedale Slivers from World of Wool which I’ve been using a lot of lately. They are great for both needle felting and wet felting and are available in a beautiful range of colours.

He’s nearly finished, just a few more needle felted suckers to add, which has become a bit of a ritual when I’m sat watching TV. With so many of them it’s the only way I can do it and keep sane!! Now where did I put that needle…………?