Where are the Songs of Spring?

eco print - marigold, grevillea leaf on khadi paper

Today is the first day of Autumn in the southern hemisphere

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom friend of the maturing sun....

And still more,
Later flowers for the bees,
Until they think the warm days will never cease...
Where are the songs of Spring ?
Yellow in all the earth and in the skies
The world would seem
Faint as a widow mourning with soft eyes
And falling into dream ....
The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep
And miles to go
Before I sleep .....
Words by John Keats, John Shaw Neilson, Robert Frost
Images by me - (Wilma Simmons, Empress Wu Designs) from my handmade book, Where are the songs of Spring?

gum leaf captured between tea bag paper , dipped in beeswax

eco dyed wool with handstitching

tea bag and hand stitching

eco dyed wool, felted and hand stitched with wood button

eco print leaves on watercolour paper

eco print leaf , with feather, wood button and stitching

print, machine stitching, on tea bag paper applied to cotton fabric.

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Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks .... The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or my husband or from off cuts gifted to us from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks. Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as w...

Fragments

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Wednesday's Child /2

Work in Progress - 3 of the 193 for "Stitched Up"- Wilma Simmons The work for the "Stitched Up " Project continues. See the previous "Wednesday Child" post for the background to this art project celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Newcastle Industrial School. I have been documenting the progress of my work, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of the early stages of the "stick dolls" ... Here are some of the beginning steps.. Sticks collected while walking the bushland in my neighbourhood Drying and getting rid of any insects - oven heat 75 degreesC for approx 1-2 hours. Trimmed and cut if necessary Ends sealed with matte sealing solution. Drying - solution goes on white but dries clear. First wrapping - foil to create a body shape Second wrapping - stretch fabric. Third wrapping - fabric strips Some stitching - more stitching and embellishment to ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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