A new path

Lots has happened since my last post. I started carding and spinning, such great joy! 

Also I finally let go of the need to create just to prove that I exist, that is a huge relief that brings so much freedom in what I do. I have been caught there for a long time and that was not the greatest place to be. 

The unexpected end result is something that has revealed itself recently: I am now in the process of creating my own clothes. This desire has been dormant for a long time and finally came out when I watched the long version of the following video of Anita Luvera Mayer:

This woven cotton cloth was destined to be cut so I could start making a kimono-like jacket. But I like it so much that I can't cut through it. 

Cotton, bamboo, fancy acrylic yarn 28"x 21".

 

Freeform weaving, a dream come true...

My first scarf, 3 feet plus fringes, on an Ashford rigid heddle loom. Wool, cotton, silk, bamboo, and acrylic of all kinds of sizes. It was my first time weaving and it has been an exhilarating and mesmerizing outside of time experience.

 

Texture

Silk, lace, wool, Setasilk paints, blue, green, red, silver and gold foil, machine stitching: "Texture". The photo doesn't show all the sparkle and there is lot of it!
7.5" x 5.5".

Layering

I wanted to try Sue Bleiweiss's technique for painted lace so I used pieces of silk and pieces of lace that I painted with Setasilk. I applied some silver and gold foil. And then I went wild with machine stitching (inspiration: Stupendous Stitching by Carol Ann Waugh).... I am in total love with the result.

 11.5" x 5".

 The just-painted stage:

Before that I had tried to make Silk paper. I used hand dyed Tussah silk and silk hankies (bought on Etsy -Silk and Shine, Divinity Fibers -), and on one side I added the little fabric I had made with Sari Silk. Here is the glorious result. Pictures cannot capture all the texture of this paper but I am here too in total love with the result, so much that for now I cannot include any embellishment.
11" x 10".

 

Playing with fibers

For the love of fibers: Sari silk, glittery Tulle, printed silk base, pearl cotton 3. I used water soluble stabilizer to create this thin fabric and then I embroidered it. 6"x 8" piece.

The fabric:

The finished piece:

Gelli Plate Party 1

 I love playing with masks, particularly these childhood pictures of my siblings and I. I use the Dr Ph.Martin's inks. I really like their transparency and I can use them on paper and fabric. I have only 3 colors for now but am getting other ones soon.

I also tried the Clearsnap Magic Stamps blocks to see what I could do with them. These are the blocks you heat and imprint with anything. Here I created a mirror image of some wooden blocks from Colouricious. I used the Speedball screen printing inks.

Hopefully I will have more time tomorrow and after to finish some other prints.

Happy 2013!

Oriental Christmas

First the view of the back of the fabric from the previous post, I find it more vibrant that the other side:

Then a Christmas card. I went from this (monoprint on cardstock):

 

To this: 

And I called it "Oriental Christmas" because it felt like it (I grew up in Morocco, North Africa). I stamped and stenciled with acrylic paint and shiva paintstiks. The braid is made with tapestry wool.

Back to Fiber

Recycled sari silk, ribbons and a bit of merino roving, stitched together with a variegated thread. There is no backing, the fibers are held by the thread only. Great feeling for me to make a piece of fabric, so delicate. Inspired to do so by watching Jan Beaney do it in the DVD "In Actions" , see their website here.

Soie recyclée, rubans et un peu de fibre de mérino, cousus ensemble avec un fil multicolore. Il n'y a pas de support, les fibres tiennent par le fil de couture. Belle expérience pour moi de créer un tissu de toute pièce et si délicat. Inspirée par Jan Beaney et Jean Littlejohn dans leur DVD "In Actions", voir leur site ici.

Playing with a mask

I made a mask of a little boy and I started to play with it on the Gelli plate with Speedball screen printing inks.

On fabric (Pima cotton). I really like this print and may only add stitches:

On watercolor page:

I particularly love this one that came as a total surprise: a lot of mystery there...

Mostly blue and green

 It is amazing how fast prints come out... Once I start I may end up with a dozen of them in minutes. Then I play with some and some I leave until they inspire me. 

Here we have prints on watercolor paper, stenciled or block printed with my own stamps. They are 9"x12" as I now work with the bigger Gelli plate.

Having more fun each day!

Monoprinted Kona fabric on Gelli plate (12"x14"), my own paper stencils on the plate. Setacolour fabric paints.

 

 

Monoprinted Kona fabric on Gelli plate (12"x14"), stenciled, block printed with my own blocks. Setacolour fabric paints 

 

Monoprinted Kona fabric on Gelli plate (12"x14"), my own paper stencils on the plate, Dr Martin craft inks.

This one is the ghost print on paper of the image on fabric above, Dr Martin craft inks. Because the paper is smaller than the plate I pick up the leftover several times which makes more layers.

Fall colours

This is a 20" x 20" piece of PFD Kona cotton painted with sponge and Setacolour paints, stenciled, block printed and finally rubbed with shiva paintstiks. I rarely work in one uniform colour scheme but it just happened and I really like it.

More on paper

Monprinted watercolour paper on the Gelli Arts plate then block printed with my own carved stamps.

 

 

 

No block printing on this one, just playing with the Gelli Arts plate:

 



 

Monprinted watercolour paper on Gelli Arts plate stenciled with Iridescent Shiva Painstiks.

 

Monprinted watercolour paper on th eGelli Arts plate, doodle with Sharpies then block printed with my own carved stamps.

Some of the stamps, carved on lino or eraser. With the right tool it is amazingly easy to do.