A Teaser for Mandy

I'm running behind and my page for Mandy will be late, I'm afraid.  But it's going pretty well and I have a small corner to show.

I'm afraid the color is a bit off, but it's not bad for a "tease"!  The machine work was done on dissolvable film and then hand stitched to the background.  But that's all I'll tell you for now!

Sorry Elizabeth

I'm apologising in advance that my windows page for you will be late, Elizabeth. We were on holiday until 13th. June and I drew some draft ideas but then my husband developed acute appendicitis so was rushed to hospital last Saturday. We are 30 kms. from the town so most nights I stay with my friend there (in Greek hospitals the nurses just nurse, so any personal tasks for the patients must be done by friends and family. I've some wonderful friends here who are helping, but as we are retired from the UK, no family back-up so I'm in for most of the day). As I'd only just started with ideas I can't even take the embroidery in to do there, much as I'd love to. Hopefully he will be out by Monday and then I can start! Bear with me...................thanks

Debi / and my Holiday

Hi Debi your page is finished and will be on its way at the weekend. Ladies I am away 2nd to 17th July so maybe late with my next page, but hopefully not too late. Thanks.

teaser for Ruth

I am late with this page but I have started it. This is all I can show you without giving it away.

Juliette

Juliette - I mailed your page for June this morning. Here's a small peak to whet your appetite!

Page arrived

Hi Joanna, your page arrived this morning thank you so much and also for the delightfull card you sent and your memories.
can you post a picture as I am not able to at this time my camera phone is shot and camera playing up too.
Many thanks
Juliette

Flowers from Gayle

This is a very bad pic of the wonderful page that Gayle has made for me. I know she sent us all scurrying to Google that word - Kanzashi, and I really think you'll have to look again and put those images with this one. I just couldn't get the 3D-ness of the page to register on my scanner, part of the page always came out of focus! Sorry, Gayle, not to do your work justice. Your comment in the attached letter 'it (the technique) takes more manual dexerity than I have' is just not true; yes I dare say there are experts in all fields but, let's face it, if we never tried anything just because we can't do it as well as the experts then our lives would be far poorer. I had a very good friend with whom I shared a passion for trying out new techniques and we never let our modesty in our own skills get in the way of sharing our attempts. A weaving instructor I once had used not to let us pull out any 'mistakes' ; he said those were what showed it was handmade. But, as you can see, Gayle has really pulled this one off and I got some vintage buttons as well plus a lovely back to the page as well. Thank you very much for sharing this find with us all, Gayle, I never knew about Kanzashi until now.

Coastline June

Making a coast themed page I loved the idea of showing the sea, the beach and a bit of land with a blue sky. It turned out quite difficult to get some perspective into the page.

To get the some structure into the water I weaving fine bands of fabric. The beach the dune, the green land and the sky are appliqued fabrics. At the end I stitched the two groins. The groins forms the sea - the waves form the beach.

Chris, I am relieved to hear, that you like the page.

Coastline.

As requested by Chris, here is the page I made for her.



I had originally started this piece using felt which I had made. Sadly, I just could not make this first version work. It just did not feel right.
I knew that the coastline I wanted to share was the area around Formby Point in Lancashire. This is one of my favourite places. Not very far from the famous Blackpool beach, Formby is quiet, the dunes are a fascinating place to visit. Also there are coniferous woodlands here, a nature reserve with one of the last places where Red Squirrels can be found.
A series of visits to the library followed. My favourite of all the books I borrowed was this one.
ISBN: 10 - 1905400381 (or 13 - 978-1905400386)



This photograph showed the dunes I so wanted to share.



After a lot of painting, and handstitching, my once white sheet turned into this scene. I added figures applied using bondaweb.



I had found a suitable photograph on the internet, so tried to copy this. The photo above shows the scene I was building against the photograph I had found.
On top of this I used a couple of maps of the area printed onto silk gauze.




Along with the page, I added this explanation.

And this list of the materials used in the construction.

And another stunning page.

Thank you Anne for this lovely page that arrived this morning. I love the way you have done the waves couching down strips of fabric. The groins are me fav. They are my fav things of all on some coastlines I did a whole project on them when i was at collage. The colours are wonderful and the added paper napkin is wonderful. I am a devil for beach huts and my Mum always sends me pics of beach huts when she is on holiday. Thank you once again for a wonderful page. Love Chris

Oh My Gosh what a wonderful page

Mandy thank you so much for a lovely page that arrived this morning, its stunning and i love it to bits. Please share it with everyone else as i explained my camera has give up the ghost. Ladies, photos will not do this justice in any shape or form. I also had a lovely string of shell beads and a piece of the printed organza that Mandy used on my page. I have a packet of this organza but have never used it now my mind is running overtime on different ways to use this wonderful creation. Thank you once again.
Love Chris

Gayle its on its way to you

Hi Gayle your page is on its way and i am so sorry its very late, its been one hell of a month and to be honest i am not even sure if i will be able to carry on. I will write to Ruth and explain. I have added a little extra just say i am sorry. Hope it gets to you soon. I can't give you a taste as my old camera has finally given up the ghost. A bit like me. LOL So if you would do a photo for me i will be very grateful. Many thanks.
Love Chris

Window Page From Carmen, Page For Johanna

I have recieved a wonderful Window page form Carmen!! Thank you so much Carmen for your wonderful addition to my book!!!! I will post a picture of it later as I am off to take eldest son for his first College advising appointment. It is a very busy time for me here as son graduates from High School on Saturday!
I am working on my Fairy Tale page for Trillian , and will have it on it's way by the end of the month.

I also put my May page for Johanna, The goddess, in the mail but made a mistake and sent it to the old address!! I have been in touch with Johanna and we are hoping the the folks at her old address will forward the page along to her!!!! I could not find the updated address when I needed it- So SOrry. I will be on call to recreate the page if it does not arrive at johanna's new address.

birds in a nest

Gayle has received her page so I can finally show it on this blog. I used a Dover stencil as my pattern. Embroidered chicks and backside of nest on hand dyed cotton. Made the front of the nest stumpwork style using knitting thread and Icelandic moss. Put some little feathers inside the nest. Twigs are couched down knitting thread. Flowers are silk flowers on which I embroidered the hearts. Flowers are silk, colored with Neocolor II, then the colors were mixed with some water. Leaves shapes were cut then the edges burned in a candle flame, embroidered the central spine to attach them.

Birds in a nest

My page from Cobi arrived today. Wow! is all I can say. The two little birdies in the nest, with lovely blossoms on the tree are spectacular. I know you have pictures Cobi, and I'll let you post them. This is a remarkable page, and I will treasure it. Thank you!

A rather late coastline.

I have already sent a message to Chris to announce that my May page will finally be posted tomorrow.
My apologies everyone. No photo with this post.
I must go and get on with my page for June - Art Nouveau for Cobi.

Coastline Preview

This is a preview of my coastline for Chris. I posted the page yesterday and hope it will arrive soon.

Have a nice week end.

Page for Juliette

Juliette, I mailed off your page early this week.  I had lots of fun with this one.  It really took me back to my childhood.  Blessings.

Cinderella from Liz

I received this marvellous bookpage from Liz. The page is about Cinderella. It is the scene where the prince is looking for the girl who lost her shoe

In the the background is a window in which you can see Cinderella praying at her mother's grave. In front there is the golden shoe with the blood standing on a red pillow.

On the back of the page shows birds printed on silk.

Dear Liz it is a wonderful side. Thank you very much.

Thanks Elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth thank you once again for being patient with me waiting for your page,I am only happy you like it. I do enjoy hand embroidery so much but as I said I am getting this exhibition work together which I will show you I promise,and yes it was Cornwall a beautiful fishing village.

Coastline

This month the topic for the fabric book page I'm going to sew is coastline. To find some inspiration I looked through my photos. The pictures I picked show costs. I think for the topic coastline I have to make a lot of these views behind each other. But how to take a photo of it? I think to get an idea of the topic it is ok. Now I have to think about how I can implement my ideas.

An Exquisite Treasure From Maya!!!

I was awestruck and totally speakless (THis does not happen very often- just ask my husband and kids!!!!) when I opened the envelope that arrived from Bangalore India, yesterday!! Maya, your workwomanship is amazing!!!! I can't get over the fact that you crocheted the lace insert piece yourself!! It is so lacy and delicate! you must have used a lace makers crochet hook. My grandmother used to make lace with a crochet hook and I truely regret not getting her to teach me!!!

Maya has told me that this type of window is called a 'jali" window. The real Jali windows have inserts carved from marble and are just a lacey and delicate as the one that she has portryed her in her fabric version. Then she stitched and sketched in all of the wonderful shadow and floral details, the wonderful line of tiny golden sequins and finished the whole thing off with a glorious hand done blanket stitch edging. Her stitches are so perfectly spaced, I am in total awe of your talents, Maya!!!!

Here are a couple of detail shots and you can click on the photos for an even closer look!!!

Here you cna see the carefully sketched tiny hatch marks that Maya drew to give dimension to her wonderful piece. So beautifully done!!!!!

The back is lined with aonderful midnight blue silk and she stitched the title and name and her name all in fabulous tiny stem stitch.

Thank you so very much for giving me such a beautiful piece of fiber art that speaks so beautifully of your glorious country and culture. I have always spent lots of time studying pictures of India whenever I can find them, like those in National Geographic. I would love to think that perhaps some day I might be lucky enough to visit your wonderful part of the world!!!!
Thank you! Thank You! Thank you again!!!!

Autumn leaves from Ruth

Thank you Ruth for this beautiful page, got it a day back.

Hand painting done with fabric paints on muslin, thread sketching and quilting are the techniques Ruth has used to create this page.

Have to get started on making the page for June.