A productive day

Sample sample sample. 
It took a few hours to stitch 8 squares. Glad I sampled as this would not have been good to attempt a huge piece and then find so much a difference in the washed piece. 
I have found the cloth becomes more stable if you use 2 layers of the soluble fabric.I even did a test piece to check tension. I never do this. ( blush ) 
 

Tension sample: left side using size 100 needle, right side size 80 - much better.

The same 2 pinks in reverse. Then in different dirrections.

Pink sample

Add 2 greens. One looks more blue than green

A little closer

Oh dear, Now washed to dissolve the soluble fabric and lots shape, tension very different and now debate what direction to try next.

 

First sample done

Back to basics. 
Not that happy with the sample as I changed the way of working half way through. Not a good idea, I should have continued the way I was going for a  more consistent result. Lesson learned. 

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample before washing water soluble fabric out.

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample after washing water soluble fabric out.

The moment of truth, when you see where you didn't link the stitching.

First sample done

Back to basics. 
Not that happy with the sample as I changed the way of working half way through. Not a good idea, I should have continued the way I was going for a  more consistent result. Lesson learned. 

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample before washing water soluble fabric out.

Belinda Jessup 2016, Free machine sample after washing water soluble fabric out. 
The moment of truth, when you see where you didn't link the stitching 

Back at it

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Belinda Jessup scrap sample 2016, water soluble fabric

Well finally time to play again. I was lucky enough to spend some time with Sharon Peoples the other day, her wealth knowledge is amazing. Sharon helped me work through some issues I had be procrastinating about for a long time. Thank you Sharon
So I am now playing with some samples and I have set my self some limits in size, no bigger than A4. This I hope will stop me over thinking things and allow play to begin again.

Sharon Peoples website 

One photo

Ok things have been so busy I have not been able to stitch or weave. So I am going to try and take a photo each day. A photo of any thing just some thing of interest. You can to Ruthie

Today is a gift I was given of hand spun cotton dye with indigo on a spindle with bone on it.

Playing when I should be working

Free machine stitching, maybe tree maybe coral. maybe just a mess!

Free machine stitching, starting to fill in the out line

Traced drawing to play with

Todays play

So finally I am back at it. I have done a quick hour of play using the colour technique Ruth and I discussed months ago. And it has been months since I have had the sewing machine out.

Colour Sampling, mixing blue, yellow and pink (red) in different strengths and amounts

Colour Sampling, mixing yellow and pink (red)

Colour Sampling, mixing blue, yellow and pink (red)starting with yellow then blue and variegated pink on top

Yellow and pink, a think crochet cotton in the bobbin give a very different effect.

Stitching

A small piece I have been working on or an exhibition

Mooculta 46: 2016.  Eco dyed silk and silk threads, hand stitched

Mooculta 46: 2016, detail.  Eco dyed silk and silk threads, hand stitched

The memory of a land no longer accessible to you and dances in your memories of a time so precious it now holds a place in history that doesn't exist.

To find my place in a landscape and time,  I need to return to a place I have never lived on or visited, the land of my mother.

Stitching in Montana

It is quite surreal sitting in a snow covered landscape stitching silk dyed in Bourke. 

A bit of Bourke in Montana

I am working on an exhibition piece for a group exhibition, Covert. All the silks were dyed with eucalyptus leaves from Bourke. One small piece was dyed at Bourke. My landscape and family I have no more and "Covert" a return to them. 

My one hour a day while away

 Just  unpacking here in Montana where I am having a little holiday with family. So Ruthie here is my one hour a day of play while away! I am re stitching a piece for an exhibition as the last piece didn't "speak" to me in any way.  I also have a new piece I want to work on. It is all hand stitching as that's easy to carry with me.

Colour Play

Ruth came to visit and we played a bit with colour. I have an obsession with Chuck Close and his amazing knowledge of colour.

A quick sample and lots more work to do on getting my colours to work the way I want.

Belinda Jessup 2015, Machine stitched colour separation 

Belinda Jessup 2015, Colour separation sampling exercises

No machine work this week

So this week is back to the loom. I have to weave off the 4 blanket warp I have on the loom. One hour of play a day is not enough for this job. I will have to do at least 3 hours a day hopefully. I am hoping to get some time on the sewing machine. I am excited to play more with my pixelated image. My friend Julie Ryder has come up with a different way of printing the image so will also give that technique a try.

55cm woven and about bout 7mts to go, Belinda Jessup

at the ready! Belinda Jessup

100% wool warp and weft, the draft is a Brighton waffle weave. Belinda Jessup

Fractured image

Today I picked up a digital print of one of my rose images. ( Thanks to Chris for helping with the sizing and pixelating of the image)  It had to be printed in two pieces as I could not get paper big enough for printing in one. The over all image is 2500mm x 1650mm's. Now to start stitching it square by square.

Collecting my image from Office Works, Belinda

Collecting my image from Office Works, Belinda

Oliver the cat is not sure about all that pink! Belinda

Just an hour of play...

Sometimes "just an hour of play" sounds so easy.  It isn't.  Most of the time I don't feel like it.  I clean the house, prepare food, talk to the cat and find ways around the hour, circling it. Pinning a result up is like a badge of honour to "I did it!".  Someone posted the latest TedX talk up from a lady whose catch phase, was basically, "you never feel like it", so you better kinda just do it anyway…I listened to this lady, thought about all the cool ideas I have in a day and the then 15 reasons why I don't just try them out.  Fear of failure possibly being on the top of that stupid list, and then directly underneath, fear of what other people will think about my shitsville attempts…On reflection these fears annoy me and are fairly mundane and ridiculous.  And yet…

...and finally, cause I just don't feel like it.  I would prefer to have a glass of wine, eat chocolate, sit in front of the TV, zone out of life or talk shit with friends.  Luckily, I have moments where I tell myself to get off my arse and just do it anyway.  Just go play with your friend…

My play today Bin…

Ruth Hassall, A reason to rise, Oil and Wax on Canvas, 600 x 500

Playing with multiple ideas…

Last week was an intensive week of play.  Although depression plagued me, I find these times somehow are part of a rhythm that plays out and I am learning not to despair at the repeated reappearances of these black dog moments…instead my mind ticks into turning cogs of information and I play with the ideas of possibilities to creatively play my way through...

 Folded lead over rocks...

Ruth Hassall, folded lead

 Washing old masonite pieces in the bath to begin to create a sculpture, leaving tendrils of clay marks that captured my attention...

Ruth Hassall, washed masonite board remains of clay and bath

Paint marks left on the studio wall...

Ruth Hassall, Wall of painting studio

More washed masonite as I work out "what next"...

Ruth Hassall, Painted Masonite, still playing pre-sculpture

 An old piece captures my eye where I played with dropped clay shapes and oxides, and I think of new works to do...

Ruth Hassall, fired clay and oxid, playing with clay

 Leaning near my door a slab of clay canvas with an oil painted landscape bringing a renewed interest in this mix of mediums...

Ruth Hassall, Clay canvas, oil, 500x350

Clay tree like forms sitting in my bath until I get the urge to clean again...

Ruth Hassall, clay washed off in bath

Ruth Hassall, Painted Masonite - pre sculpture play

Some of my one hour of play

This post for some reason was in drafts, it should have been posted weeks ago. 

As I began this project, I worked in a grid to sample and  progressed to circles. The circles are the size they are for one reason, it was the only size hoop I had. I have now purchased a new hoop as I can't find the multitude of hoops I know I have stored some where!

Belinda Jessup, Sampling in progress. 2015

Belinda Jessup, Sampling in progress. 2015

There is something therapeutic about circles but its now time to branch out and play in imagery and bigger sizes. So on to the rose drawing tomorrow.

As I look at your first post Ruth I  think that  painting would make a great embroidery!

Winding bobbins

I was just filling bobbins to start on the quick rose sketch I posted here. ( I know I should be finished by now) There was some thicker cotton wrapped around the old bit of paper in the foreground of the image below. The thicker thread is wound onto the bobbin and the image is stitched upside down. When I wound off the cotton I found the paper was an old envelope ( I can't make out a date)  with a King George V1 stamp on it so I am guessing the thread has been on that envelope from approx 1952 or earlier. Thanks Nancy for the bag of threads. So now I am thinking I need to keep all the bobbins etc that I empty of thread.

Bag of threads given to me for this project

Envelope has to be pre 1952 as the stamp is King Gorge V1 (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) I have covered the name and address as I don't know the recipient and they or family  could possibly still be at the address.

Pixels

My long term plan is to stitch a pixelated image. I colleague at work helped me play with some images to start the plan. I want to stitch an image approx 2mts x 2.5mts ( well that's what I hope I can do ).

Pixelated rose, rose from my own garden

Rose from my garden