Paper mache pod, made from ripped up romance novel and diluted PVA glue.  Painted with gesso.

Mien from Red Red Day creates the most heart-squeezingly beautiful objects with paper mache.  I just had to give it a go. 

My 'pod' is very thin walled and suffered a little bit of collapse while drying, but the final stucture is strong and holds its (wonky) shape well. 

It was a lot of fun to photograph the pod. I set up a little 'set' on my desk next to a window and happily snaped away for ages. I have had a fair amount of difficulty photographing my work since we moved due to lack of good light in the flat, so I'm pretty chuffed that I've found an OK solution.

Today is a public holiday here, Picnic Day.  We didn't get to have a picnic though, Chris was called into work and I had a nap - two dinner parties, two nights in a row and maybe just a little too much to drink finally caught up with me.

Ok, after a little bit of angst, I present here a photo of myself wearing The Dress.

I used New Look pattern No. 6774 and modifications to acommodate my bust.  I have no experience with dressmaking (apart from 4yrs of Home Ec in high school), but it seems to be ok, though the shoulders are slightly too wide and the skirt part is a little too generous.

I'd still be stuck on the bodice without the help of Chris' mum, Bev, who patiently pinned up seams and hem for me :-)

I purchsed the fabric from the Darwin Spotlight Store (big fabric chain store in Australia)  This outlet had a huge range of 100% cotton dressmaking fabrics.   I'll definitely be going back! 

I've got enough fabric for another 3 dresses.... plus 3m of a georgous seersucker, destination unknown.

Hi friends, I'm refreshed and ready to blog once more.  We just had a lovely two week holiday with Chris' mum and dad including our first visit to Darwin, but I won't rehash that all here... except to say I have now seen a crocodile.

My creative stuff has been ticking along nicely too.

I've been mainly embroidering as you can see.  And I also sewed a dress!!! which is quit a feat given the amount of pattern mods required to deal with my bust.

 I'm a bit over the embroidery now.  Below is a peek at my new project, which could turn out to be quite an undertaking!!

And Mein, I tried some paper mache!!  I'll post about that later in the week :-)

I'm going to step away from the internet for a while.  See you soon!

Recently I used these

To dye this

A small piece of felt, some badly spun (and scratchy) wool and merino top.  I included the undyed white wool to show the 'before and after'.  I don't really like the colour but for a first go I can't complain.

I was inspired to try dying with eucalyptus after reading Eco Colour by India Flint.  Who happened to comment on my last post which is pretty cool if you ask me!

One of the attractive things with eucalyptus is that you don't need a mordant when dyeing wool, so it seems a lot more spontaneous.  I once knew a lady who would do a lot of dyeing when camping.  All she had to carry with her was a pot and some wool.  

And to balance things out.  I dyed up about 10m of cotton this weekend using man made dyes.

I had a hankering after some secondary colours!  Orange, green and purple YAY!

Chris found a Sand Dollar yesterday.

I had never seen one before despite spending the majority of my life on the coast. Perhaps these critters don't like the cold Tasmanian waters.

A few weeks ago Chris went to Brisbane for work and I decided to join him for part of the time. I visited the new Gallery of Modern Art (but the majority of exhibition space was closed Hmmm) and the Queensland Art Gallery where I saw an exhibition of a watercolour landscapes by Kenneth McQueen (who I had never heard of before). I especially loved his cloud paintings.

I bought some books too, the most relevant here being India Flint's book Eco Colour. A lovely book to flick through and then go back and read (I bought it and enjoyed it in spite of the ho hum review in Vogue Living). I was even inspired to dye up some wool with eucalyptus leaves - I'll reserve that for a seperate post I think.

I made a new bag on a whim before I went and it was perfect for the trip. It was quick too (just what I like!)

The last week I've been terribly sick with the flu and my spirits have been very low, with lack of sleep and tears and various trials and tribulations at work. But I'm starting to feel better now and things are looking brighter.

I LOVE quick thumbnail sketches. Many to a page. Repetion. Fiddling with line quality, scribling in some fill.

Not that I'm producing 100's of these things. My stamina for it isn't very good. 10-15 mins MAX, then I sit on it for a couple of days, or weeks.

I've been using Uni-ball fine black pens for years, manufactured by Mitsubish Pencil Co. I don't think I'd find it easy to change now so I bought up a big supply before I moved up here. But I've noticed Chris has been stealing them, hmmm.

I seem to be getting a process together now. The sketch comes first, then perhaps some colour studies which may then be finally translated to fabric. It is very exciting to have discovered this!

Hello Dolly :o)

She's temporarily dressed in scrap fabric and matching turban. Completely hand sewn (and probably will fall apart too soon as a result), this is my first ever 3d stuffed toy creation.

I really hated stuffing her. Probably because the only thing I have to use is some cut up quilt wadding (batting). But I did enjoy embroidering her face and I hope designing and making an outfit will be a bit of fun too!

I've been on an embroidery binge in the past week.

I've got grand plans for a series of triangular banners to hang in our lounge room. But mainly this is a hand project which I can fiddle with while relaxing on the couch with my darling Chris.