Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Tilda "bugs" /Christmas beetles from Spring Ideas book   Many of you know that I spent some time in Finland in 2001 and recently returned for a visit and also renewed my love of Scandinavian fabric design.  I have always loved  Marimekko , so it didn' t take much for me to develop a liking for  Tilda  - the clean, crisp, softer and appealing designs by Tone Finnanger from Norway.  My local doll supply shop,  Anne's Glory Box , has recently stocked the delightful Tilda fabrics. books and accessories, so of course I really couldn't resist... And the laces have been hand dyed at Anne's Glory Box to match the Tilda fabrics. The bugs from the Spring Ideas book are my favourites ( image above) and they will be  great gifts for my daughter and daughter-in-law, as I give them a handmade ornament for their Christmas trees each year . Tilda  has also become a bit of a craze with some of the cloth doll  makers in my Hello Dollies group. Here are a couple of gorgeous

"But I can't draw ... " often bemoaned and heard when trying to create a pattern or an original design for textile art! Recently I had the opportunity to work with some  Design teachers, and I shared some ideas for encouraging students to explore creative design using everyday art  materials.  Both of these ideas start from using your name and are great little exercises when you feel your creativity needs a little stimulation... The resulting designs could be used to create embroidery, quilting, art journals, screen prints, mono prints, digital prints ... wherever your imagination takes you.  Idea No 1 : Your name ... Your initials  ( image above)   Materials : permanent marker, cleansing alcohol, some textured surfaces and   pastels or coloured pencils.  Step 1. Draw some lines with a permanent marker on a piece of cotton fabric. The lines could be straight or wavy.... Step 2 . In between the lines, write your initials...... Big, small, first name, family

I have been spending a little more time in our garden lately, and have noticed that this week it is definitely showing signs of summer. This morning, I took a break from weeding and photographed  many bushes and trees with their flowers coming to an end after the Spring burst....  like the bottlebrushes (above), shedding their flower spikes; the last Kangaroo paw, waving in the breeze.... and the Dianella droppingtheir bright purple berries ....  but some are still in full bloom like the purple melaleuca.... and the 'Robyn Gordon' grevillea which seems to flower all year round   I want the Australian Christmas bush, with just a few buds opening now, to slow down so it will be beautiful for Christmas....  While most of our garden is native,  the little chameleon roses are blushingly beautiful,  but the summer aphids are also busy as you can see from this photo ... and this year, I planted a hydrangea cutting, and its first flowers appeared this week pee

 Last month, at the Contemporary Craft Retreat in Canberra, I was lucky enough to win two prizes in the raffle. One was a Tie Dye Kit - it looked very simple to use so who better to try it out than four year old grandson, William. Step 1. After reading the instructions, mix up the soda ash solution ( with supervision) and place the clothes/fabric to be dyed into the solution.   Step 2: Make sure the fabric is totally immersed in the solution and let it soak for 30 minutes. That is such a long time when you're four!  Step 3. While waiting for the fabric to soak, get ready for the dyeing  - plastic tablecloth, plastic gloves and plastic apron. Step 4: Tie  the garment with rubber bands in various places ... I would have liked a few more ties, but who would argue with the creative instrincts of a four year old?    . Step 5: Apply dye from squeeze bottles - much easier for children than any other method.  Step 6. Leave the dyed garments overnight before rinsing ou