On the canal today . . .

. . . it was a bit cold, but as we had grandchildren visiting we had to give it a go.

Something in silk . . .

. . . for an exhibition at the Macclesfield Silk Museum in April. Using what I learned from Sharonb's 100 details last year, and elements seen in patterns and print blocks at the museum (see earlier posts) I made this crazy p. block. All the fabrics, and all the threads (save small amounts of 2) are silk, and the patterned bits are from the pieces on which I did rubbings from a print block using oilbars. Some rows are adapted a bit. The block is mounted on a piece of board, as requested by the museum.

Inside the books

Some boring pix, but not for Linda, who asked if the pages lie flat with the open spine type of book. The answer is, yes, they do, pretty well, specially if your stitching is a bit saggy! Seriously, yes, compared to the codex type book with the signatures stitched to each other and stuck inside a board cover, they do indeed open and lie flat.

This one has an interesting, sort of shibori-folded and coloured, paper on the inside of the cover.

Another complementary pair of colours

Back in the summer, when I was collecting reds and greens in the garden I said I'd have to wait till the crocuses were out for another complementary colour pair. But here are some nice little irises that were growing quietly in the greenhouse. Unfortunately the purples have not photographed with the true hues. Transfer the colour of the top pic to the one below it to see what the one with purple and yellow actually looks like. The top one is actually a real red-violet, not a trace of blue.

Where does the life come from?

Several weeks ago a small horse chestnut tree in our back garden was cut down . I saved some of the twigs, hard dark brown buds that looked as if they would just shrivel and die, and put them in a jug of water on the kitchen table. And look what has happened!

Making more books

Open spine books, with chain stitching linking the signatures and board covers together.

1. Plain board (sketch pad backing) and A4 sheets folded in half. Paper is from an activity pack for children bought at the Early Learning Centre so its a bit rough and ready! I'm using the book to make notes on the TAST series for which it is proving just right. 2. Grey board covered with printed and painted paper. The print block was made by incising a piece of polystyrene tray used to package meat in supermarkets. The paper is printer paper and thread a multicolour hand dyed mercerised cotton. A5 sheets folded in half.

3. Grey board again, covered with painted paper (back) and more painted paper backed with iron-on vilene and free machine-stitched with rayon threads (front). More dyed cotton thread for the stitching. The paper comes from a scrapbook. I reckoned on using a white gel pen in this book, but the one I bought doesn't show up, so what do I do now? Use it to stick things in I suppose. Bit smaller pages than 2.

4. More covered grey board, and activity pack paper. Bought thread though, a thick stranded cotton. I've tried to find a way of incorporating beads as the signatures are stitched together and have failed, so I stitched this book up, then attatched the beads separately afterwards. Also invented the ties. Pages are A4 torn in 3 across.

Closer view of beads and ties to finish this entry.

I love handling these books, making them is a real joy and using them even better!

TAST Algerian eye/lets

Just a small sample this week as I was a bit stuck for ideas that didn't involve counting threads, which i find so hard to do. Takes me back to the reason I gave up cross stitching - I found it increasingly hard on the eyes.

I like the laced effect, and the patch of varied 'eyes' .

And there is another chevron line at the top.

'

TAST catchup and chevron stitch

1. a catchup pic of some detached chain

2. ditto with cretan stitch

3. chevron on the strip sampler

4. doodling with chevron to make a background for the fish (kantha)

5. chevron used in a complex seam