Ro Bruhn Workshop - Textile Journals

 A little over a week ago I spent a week in a class with Ro Bruhn, the class was one of the many on offer as part of Fibre Forum, Geelong. This event has occurred annually since 2000 and is held at Geelong Grammar School. 

The class was based around the construction of a fabric journal that also had elements of mixed media, paper and incorporated repurposed textiles, ephemera. You can see more of Ro’s work here

I did not make a textile journal instead I created a series of framed pieces or pages, loosely around the concept of flowers.

Each page is a background of many different fabric pieces secured with a large amount of free machine scribble. The flowers are a collage of shapes that are also cut from pieces of fabric and attached with free machine embroidery.

I started out with good intentions and the personal challenge to work in a lighter or more pastel colour palette. My first page took elements of the project in that it incorporated repurposed fabric, stitch and ephemera.  The plan was for it to become a page in the journal or possibly the cover. Unfortunately, it didn't make the cut for a variety of reasons.

The next page was started with the intention to keep with pastel palette and was a larger piece intended to form the centre spread of the journal. 

 

I really lost my way with this piece and despite trying to save it with lots of stitching  and lots of other little flowers it was eventually  cut up and made into this.

A vase of flowers, featuring cut out flower shapes, some coloured with acrylic paint marker pens, repurposed fabric covered buttons, wire and florist tape. These look really cute on my work table.

A card I whipped up for Ro. Very thankful to have been in a class with such a talented and generous tutor. It is great to be able to participate in an intensive workshop and have the opportunity to spend time with ‘the Fibre tribe’ 

My annual photo of the Clivea. Over the years I have watched these grow from very small plants into large well established garden beds.

 

Embroidered Flowers

 Recently, I had the opportunity to to do a workshop with Jennie -Maree Tempest a textile artist that specialises in machine embroidered flowers.

The sculptural forms are created in pieces and then assembled. Jenni - maree carefully examines and  pulls apart the real flowers to create lifelike creations,

Lots of sampling to learn the basics

My first attempts. Daisy, Flannel Flower, Lavender and a Calistemon or Bottle Brush flower. 

A great workshop and I will be making more of these flowers.

Dyeing to Stitch

I recently had a great week away at a Fibre Arts Event. These events are something that I really enjoy and look forward to doing, I consider them to be my ‘arty’ vacations. My class was with Irene Manion

Thee techniques were new to me, with the exemption of eco or natural dyeing I have not done very much with dyeing. The long stitch machine embroidery was also new to me. I t

One of my finished pieces. The toadstool and blue background were made with the dyeing technique. The stitching included the long stitch technique on the stalk and then textured stitch created by stitching on the reverse side with heavy thread in the bobbin.

The original dyed paper used to transfer colour to the background.

A selection of the dyed papers to be used in the dye transfer process.

More toadstools in production.

A dyed and machine embroidered leaf  bookmark made as my contribution to the ‘auction’ of class work made by participant. Proceeds go to a project in India and classes get behind the activity. 

‘Inspo’from Irene

A Bit of Stitching

A few pieces of stitching. 

I enjoy stitching a coastal scene , I often use a wash of watercolour or acrylic to paint the scene and then use embroidery to add texture and detail.

Free Machine Embroidery used to build up layers of colour

I love the combination of hand and machine stitch and will use machine stitch to create a textured background.

Layers of fabric collage and machine embroidery 

Are You Book Enough Challenge August 2021 - Winding

This month I took inspiration from the Beatles song … The Long and Winding Road 

The lyrics continue … that leads to your door. Eco dyed fabrics stitched as a long and winding road to a symbolic door.

The road also winds around vintage Japanese spools

Are You Book Enough Challenges

Are you Book Enough Challenge, May 2021 - Fruit

A slot a tab book with a machine embroidered pomegranate on the the heavy mount board cover.

A few pages of fruit art.

Another machine embroidered fabric collage. 

Are You Book Enough Challenge, June 2021 - Black and White.

Black ink used for making marks on the large sheet of heavy paper. The book is an accordion fold with signatures stitched into the valley sections.

  

The spine is woven with strips of black fabric.

Lots of pages, different types and weights of papers for drawing, watercolour and painting. Envelope pockets for collecting.

Monstera

This is a series of three machine embroideries of Monstera. The stitching was done over a linocut print. When I do a print I do lots and often onto fabric as well as different papers. As part of my commitment to using up my stash of stuff I decided to make the fabric prints into embroideries.

Each of the embroideries used different thread colours and a combination of regular sewing threads in both cotton and polyester and quilting cotton.

The original print on fabric

I sew the fabric print onto heavy bag lining/pelmet vilene.

Mounted and framed they make a good gift.

Detail showing the heavy machine stitch. For this one I used up a variety of different green threads.

Are You Book Enough 2020 Challenge - January Theme, In Between

I came across the Are You Book Enough Challenge via Instagram. I thought it sounded like it could be fun and with different theme to interpret each month there would be plenty of scope to look at book structures and a goal of at least one book a month. A challenge and a deadline provide all the incentive I need.

Despite a late start I managed to meet the end of the month deadline. After considering a few options I decided that I would make a simple book structure that would be made up of signatures made by eco printing onto a variety of papers that have scraps of fabric or other textiles stitched to them. I discovered this process in an online with India Flint (School of Nomad Arts), the class was called Being There 2019.  Leaves, flowers and small metal objects were slipped in between the pages and then each little booked was bundled, weighted and simmered in a pot of water.

The pages unfolded after the eco dyeing/ botanical contact printing process. So much colour and texture.

The A4 sheets are folded and cut to make a small booklet, often called a Magic Book, or signature. 

The A4 pages folded into signatures and a wrap cover.

The book assembled, with the signatures sewn in.