TWO THIN BOOKS

Salvaged from my depleted stash of eco printed papers were some long but not very wide pieces, hence two thin books. With the last of the tissue paper I made some beads which I wound with metal wire and glass beads and using my cord maker, some fine cords. A few twigs later and I have two more books to add to my growing collection.

Now that Autumn is upon us I really must find the time to make more eco dyed papers and fabric to last through the winter. If not, I will have to experiment with fallen leaves and frozen foliage and I’m really not sure what sure to expect but perhaps I could be pleasantly surprised!

CONVERSATION with FRIENDS 

So, over tea and biscuits we discussed all things ‘textile’ (always a very pleasant way to spend a morning) but ended up having a deeper conversation about our personal ‘comfort zones’. We enjoyed sharing our ideas regarding subject matter, personal styles of work, sources of inspiration etc but the discussion was all too soon drawn to colour schemes and our own preferences for particular colours. After musing on the subject I owned up to my intense dislike for anything gold; could I explain it? No, it just was!

Later that day I was still thinking about colour in my work; I love to mix up different palettes and use different colour combinations. Personally, one of my favourite methods for working is to dye fabrics and paper to make a colour wheel from three primaries; this gives me twelve colours that are all related. Depending on which primaries are used a vast collection of very different colours can be achieved. As textile artists today we are so fortunate with the choice of colours and dyes available to us along with different types of paint such as luminescent, pearlescent, metallic and iridescent to add an extra dimension to our work.

But, still not a drop of gold in sight so I decided it was time to overcome my aversion and address the lack of this colour in my life. After an extensive search I found a reel of metallic gold thread and a tube of golden acrylic; my challenge had begun!

Rather than opt for a focal point I aimed for more of a repeating design with variations of the two motifs. After cropping the design I am wondering if the techniques I use would lend themselves to printing and stitching on fabric which would allow much more scope for free machine embroidery.

Several Photoshop moments later I thought this effect had potential. I would need to consider ways of achieving the darker outline of the shapes which I really like. Whatever I decide, I survived the ordeal and to my surprise quite enjoyed myself!