So....

I had this idea - I was going to make a totally fantastic, super dark and moody raven (Poe-worthy, even). It was going to be the centrepiece of our superfantastico Halloweenie decorations, and it's frightening demeanour was going to blow. you. away.

And while I was making it, I was watching Knotting Hill (my favourite movie); and, instead of a scary raven, I made this.


A nice, friendly looking bird.

In my defence, it's impossible to make something scary when Julia Roberts is smiling at you.



(Back to the drawing board...)


P.S. - linking up with Echinops and Aster for Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday.

I know that is one HECK of a quilt top - but I'm sure you'll be relieved to know, I'm painting over it.

Are you okay now?  ;)

So there it is - the "shirt" is starting to come to life. And  yes, I was right - it's 90" wide by 65" long.



Holy cow, right? But that's because I've used a real men's shirt - and proportionately, it had to be that big.



So it has indeed been a bear to quilt - I've been doing my old trick of quilting with two threads, both heavy white cotton which will show up the best under the paint - but phew! Jezebel doesn't like it much and she's been complaining!


My poor old arthritic hands have been complaining too. *le wah*

In the home stretch now - just over 1/2 quilted - so by the weekend I think, I can start to paint!

See you on Friday with something crafty!

I used rayon fabric as my carrier (I find that rayon takes up dye BEAUTIFULLY (even in some cases better than cotton and silk), I added my vegetation, and I also added scraps of coloured fabric.  Just for the hell of it, 'cuz I wanted to see if the coloured commercial fabrics would pick up any of the vegetation, and if so, how.


^ This one is particularly cool, isn't it? I think it looks like old, diseased skin - perfect if it I ever make a zombie, or someone really, really ill. :D


But back to our story, so the really interesting thing that happened with the coloured commercial fabrics, is that they didn't pick up any vegetation (although there were some "spine" resists) but they *did* end up transfering colour to the rayon - which is why I have those beautiful brilliant pinks and purples and teal as well as the lovely browns and beiges.


Some of the fabrics actually rotted as can be seen above - and my yucky skin one is so fragile from said rotting I don't think I'll actually be able to use it.

And another reason I won't be able to use it?  The SMELL. ERHMAGAWD THE SMELL.  lol

When I opened up the bags, the bags themselves had torn and eroded, so dirt had gotten in, as well as insects and worms (ugh)  - and the fabric was so slimy and putrid looking, I didn't even know if it could be rescued.  After a lot (like, a LOT) of rinsing, I realized they could be washed and used - so I washed them.  Four times. Because the smell of rotting vegetation wouldn't come out.

And then I soaked them in a bucket of detergent and Febreeze for another week because the smell still wouldn't come out.


And it still hasn't.  So the fabric isn't actually usable - I figure eventually, I'll use these photos and make the fabric on Spoonflower or some other site like it, and I'll be able to use it that way.

But I don't think I'll be doing much more eco dyeing in the future.

Back to the procions and disperse dyeing for me!

And back to the shirt piece on Wednesday!

Here we go, take two.

1.   Yay! Writing will be seen now! But take off the last three lines - was better without it.

2.   Still not liking the quilting on the right -I'm being lazy! Maybe more foliage-y type leaves (grass with seed heads and stuff), something more angular? Maybe the opposite? A section with big curves? With the shirt on the left side and taking up so much space, the right side needs to be more focussed on her.  Bears thinking on.

3.  colour palette's good now - I like that the colours a blurring into each other - appropriate for the dreamscape background - needs a little less yellow in that top right corner though - maybe some more teal in the very right hand side bleeding into the yellow-that-meets-the-wine

4. doll should be broken, but not decapitated! lol |Re-attach the doll's head at a broken-neck-angle, and re-position the doll's body - on it's side or kind of drooping towards the shirt.

5. speaking of the doll, I think it needs to be a red dress rather than a blouse/skirt combo.  With a lace collar. Brown oxford shoes rather black mary janes.

I'm ready to start piecing now!



Linking up with Nina-Marie Sayer for Off The Wall Fridays! 

So, this is the first of my experimental posts - remember when we talked about ways to make me less bored as blogger? Some folks requested a look into the process before I ever pick up a piece of fabric.

So, I'll be talking to myself (and you) about the design process.  Here goes!

1. this piece is going to need to be big - 90 inches across maybe - 60 or so long - since the shirt is a real shirt.

2. Background quilting - good for the most part - I like the mix of her thoughts (as represented by the flower quilting, waves and pebble quilting) mixed with his more angular and confused thinking

3. the writing is a good affect but maybe on top of the painting? There's a lack of clarity there that is problematic - the writing is where the power is in the piece

4.  Not sure about the placement of the doll and shirt. Maybe they need to be switched?

5. I like the colour palette but needs to be less demarcated - also teal needs to be more teal - all the colours need to be slightly more intense, actually.

Feel free to throw your hat in the ring - with questions and comments.  This isn't going to be a collaborative effort, but I'm working on this piece real time so your thoughts are welcome. :)


Linking up with WIP Wednesday at The Needle and Thread Network.

She wants you to make her pockets, because if she can get 1000 pockets from all of us, within the next two weeks, a reporter in her town will do a news story about non-reconstructed breast cancer survivors.



She was not only my favourite aunt (I had seven); but she was my favourite person ever - smart and funny and independent - as a child of the 60's, her life was both unlikely and aspirational - surrounded as I was by women who were stay at home mothers, who had never had a career or even thought of one, who had university educations but only used them to find husbands; who bent to their husband's will and seemingly ceded their opinion in all things to someone else's wishes.



But my Tante Pie was single by choice,lived in a beautiful condo apartments in Amsterdam and New York; had a senior position with a very well respected government institution, had beautiful clothes, expensive jewellery, travelled extensively, and was unashamedly eccentric.



She also had a single, unreconstructed breast, that she was not ashamed of and felt no need to disguise.


She passed away 8 years ago at the age of 86, having lived a long and happy life.

So I made 8 pockets in her honour.

If you'd like to be part of Melly's quest to obtain 1,000 pockets and be part of her campaign to raise awareness for women who choose to forge their own way of being in the world - women like my wonderful Tante Pie and Melly herself - please contact Melly by leaving a comment on her BLOG and she'll forward you mailing details.

I hope you'll join us!