Thinking of the lace kimono

These are my lace mood boards which I,m hoping will inspire me to great things.The picture on the right shows the devored sample which I'm certain I'll use in combination with a felt version for part of the fronts.It has been screened based on a piece of lace which I drew a while ago,from my collection of old French lace & I think that the scale of the design will need to be changed for the felt version-that is still to come,but will certainly make use of my new sharp scissors!

Staring at thes boards is a legitimate displacement activity but can only be justified for so long.The trial fabric kimono is going to be dip dyed over the weekend,weather permitting.More of that later.

More Slow cloth

 

More slow cloth!It is growing by the day and I'm experimenting with combinations of dye extracts/mordants and Gum Tragacanth for printing on the white areas.So far Quebracho red and iron liquid have given a striking black, but the print is washing out when I rinse the samples out-probably not waiting long enough for it to set before washing-patience Lyn!
The weather has been scorching and we went to a vide grenier to scout out old French books to alter,with great success.My latest altered book is now finished and my Kimono constructed from damask is progressing, ready for me to create a felt/devore lace version-getting excited about the thought of this.  

The beginning of a new slow cloth

The base is laminated felt and all the surface fabrics are re cycled.I have two other pieces, one of which i am vacillating about where to cut it,so that it makes a good addition to this piece,then the stitching can begin.The felting is the physical part and the stitch is the lovely slow part,for me.Taking these photographs has helped me see which parts are too dominant and where stitch is needed. The area on the left of the second picture is  a case  in point.It's a nice feeling giving new life to things from the charity shop.Next stage is to add some rusted fabric to the cloth.Finally,a busy wasp has adopted my studio doorway and has made a beautiful nest.

Who says cats aren't adaptable?

Myrtle on her long journey,concentrating hard on being a star.

Help!This is a big new world and the sun seems to be shining.

Just need a little rest here on that veranda she kept telling me about.Back later with more latered books-some work has been going on in the studio, honestly!

Another altered book.

This is a fabric book,made from dyed and printed scrim, with layers of book pages and collage trapped within the fabric pages.I have used a Janet and John reader for the inspiration and text etc-anyone who is the same age as me will have learned to read using these primers.The drawings are crude but appealing and very nostalgic for me ,certainly.
The bottom picture shows the stitched spine,which I stitched with my lovely ancient hand machine-it didn't make a fuss about the thickness, as my new electric would have.

Finally,this one is for Daphne! (The  meadow behind the house)

The long treck

Unknown to this poor little soul, she is about to go on the trip of her lifetime-a nine hour journey across the channel and down through France.Think she might suspect something is going on,from the trips down the garden to load up the car! Packing catnip chocolates in the hope that this will put her into a pleasantly dopey mood and she will sleep some of the way,but it could be a nightmare for all of us, because the furthest she has ever been is a 20 min trip to the cattery.Surely anything would be better than 6 months in a kennel?After the long haul,I'm looking forward to several lovely long creative months in the sun,though I believe they had snow in Carcasson a couple of days ago!What next?

The long treck