2017 Catch up 1 of 2

A hand embroidered procion dyed cotton journal cover inspired by an evening view in the Forest.
Onion holder for a friend, in crochet 100% cotton yarn.
A lady on te isle of Wight takes in a lot of Cyprus rescues for rehoming. A lady asked me to make her some leads and collars and paid for the materials.
This was my main project for 2016, finished in early 2017. It is the Simply Splendid Quilt. 2 blocks were released each week by various designers. It took just over a year to make. I gave each block a shadow in grey so they weren't too close together. It was raffled to help Cyprus dogs, and raised £500. Robert's Dog Rescue in Cyprus used the money to improve their new premises to make them snake proof. Dog walkers in Cyprus usually carry around an anti venom kit, as snakes are a big problem for dogs.
A little wall hanging. The birds in the Forest are so cheering. I have regulars at the feeding tables in the garden.
I experimented with modrock in a class. The idea was to make a creature inspired by the Forest.
                                     
I came across this spooky tree on a hunt for a dog lost in the Forest. It happens quite a lot especially with visitors who don't realise how big and exciting the Forest can be for a dog.
I called it the Magnificat Tree, and made this sculpture from modrock. The wings are 2 layers of tea bag paper sandwiched together with pva and wire between. It was then painted in black acrylic paint.
A rear bike light fitted inside its mouth for a Halloween look.
I played with air dried clay to make a face of Blodeuwedd. For those of you who have read/seen The Owl Service by Alan Garner, the name will be familiar.
Here is a link to the story: Legend of Blodeuwedd.
This is an abstract I named Jabberwocky from Textile class. I tried various materials using this as a theme. This is inktense blocks on procion dyed fabric and dmc embroidery threads.
This was a Winter themed quilt using some of Lori Holt's Row A Long rows and making others up for myself. The colours were inspired by the Winter view of the Severn Valley from the forest. The mists of Winter and gentle sunshine through clouds, lit the valley in these colours.
The Textile class teacher brought in some pottery to inspire us. This little cup which was made co-incidently by my Pottery teacher inspired the below textile idea.
Paint mixed with printing medium so it isn't rigid or prone to cracking. Notice the dress shaped crack?
In pottery I used a tiny scrap of clay to make a copy of a Roman brooch dedicated to a local Celtic Romano god called Nodens.
I visited the temple in Lydney for myself. It was a bucket list moment as it is the only Celtic god we can put and name and place to. Link to Nodens.
This was a thank you gift to a special little dog called Birki. He made me feel so welcome in his home. I called it Rainbow Bones. The background is rainbow paw prints.
These leaves were printed onto paper. They were dipped in rusty water then sandwiched very tightly between sheets of paper. Then thy were added to hot water. Daughter made them into cards for me. She has a real gift with paper.
I had a play with madder dyed fabric and shibori technique. It is a lot like tie dying except you do a running stitch, pull it tight, then dye the fabric.
This would make a lovely fabric for a shirt.

This was made from wrapping and tie dying in a more spontaneous manner.
Tiles for what will be a craft room sink one day. I experimented making more types of star tile using the same 7 pointed star idea.
Husband needed a new lining for his leather jacket. I had kept this fabric from the 1990s so it was nice to use some of it at last. it was perfect for the job.
I was given the centre of this to finish off to make a double quilt to be a fundraiser for the place I do my classes. It will help to buy equiptment.
I finally bought a set of Procion dyes from Amazon. I think I used up every scrap of whit fabric in my stash! The sight reminded me of Tibetan prayer flags as they dried on the washing line.
Recognise this shape from the pottery? Yes I turned the idea into a batik dyed tea bag paper dress.
The collar is from a scrap of leather.

So that is nearly the end of the catch up posts. Just one to go then it will just be small posts unless I am sharing a new place. 


Comments

Ulla said…
Oh dear, your really have been busy with various techniques. The tiny dog brooch is a beauty!
Deb said…
Your brooch is absolutely the sweetest. Gosh you have tried so many things over the year. You should be doing a textile degree!
Your Splendid Sampler Quilt looks amazing and how generous of you to make it for a raffle. You have such a huge Heart Melanie with everything you do and make for people.
Your Lori Holt quilt is stunning.
Hi Deb, thanks for the kind comments. These days with universities upping their fees to the point where people are saddled with debt for decades, I wouldn't go for another one. I pity the kids out there these days who have the talent and want to be doctors, vets, teachers, scientists etc. There should be free places for professions in need.

The Splendid Sampler was a double size, and a bit busy for my taste. It was a real battle keeping on with it, as some blocks took days to make. It was the thought that it could help shelter dogs which kept me going. Ah the Winter Quilt was a pure pleasure! I think I live in one of the most beautiful places in England. The colours through the seasons are inspiring.
Tracy said…
It's just wonderful to see the rich variety of all you've been making... so many different techniques, materials, etc... all with such amazing results! So muc enjoying the backward glance of your makes from last year. Just love all the dyeing experiments... Your dyed and stitched journal cover at the top is especially lovely! And you inspire greatly with your generous heart and hands... so many beatuiful gifts you've made along side your growth in personal creativity! ((HUGS))
I live in a place with so many creative people around willing to teach, and the place itself is so beautiful. A year on it still feels like I'm on holiday! Glad you are enjoying the catch up posts. Just one to go. Finished a couple of cottages yesterday. Will share.
annemariesquilt said…
You have been realy busy, well done Melanie ...
Thanks Anne Marie. It has been tough juggling courses, the garden and a new house.
The brooch is slightly bigger than the original metal one left to Nodens. There were a number of dog artefacts found, leading archaeologists to believe that Nodens was a healing god. The temple sits high above the River Severn, so could be seen for miles around. It was a fun little make and I found that I like making small scale things in clay.
Days and colors said…
Your creativity is amazing! It's nice to see what you've been doing, you had a lot fun learning new techniques and things, and enjoying it, that's the best part! ;-)
Thanks Suzie it has been fun learning so many different things but it has been hard to juggle everything, settle into the cottage and explore the area. This Autumn I will be taking things a bit easier.

Popular posts from this blog

Forest and Makings

Horace the Gargoyle and Cottage Makes