Black, White and Red

Black, White and Red - 29 Faces

Black , White and Red - a favourite colour combination! Tag Tuesday has this as its current theme.

Here is my tag .... a stitched face. I use my sewing machine as my drawing implement.... a technique called free motion stitching or free hand machine embroidery. Of course, nothing is symmetrical or perfect but this is quite easy to do. Just lower or cover the feed dogs on your sewing machine, and move the fabric around manually while stitching and so the sewing machine "draws" a line, free hand. In the photo, the black line is the stitched line - what I try to do is an unbroken line, so often I go over and over the same line to get to the next section of stitching.

When I have finished stitching, I cut around the stitching and attach the face to a prepared painted tag with heat applique. Then, I use Inktense pencils to colour features and/or shade the face. In "Spots" I have also appliqued the clothing and the head wear. 'Spots" is the first in my current series #29 Faces. The faces are on larger #8 manilla shipping tags and are a development from a previous series of art tags , called 'Red Cheeks'

'Red Cheeks' 1-9 - stitched faces

The "Red Cheeks" portraits are much smaller but were created in exactly the same way. I thought it would be easier to do larger portraits but the first two have proven that this so far isn't the case. I much prefer working smaller!

'Red Cheeks" 10-18 - stitched faces

I am currently participating in the February 2020 Art Challenge - 29 Faces , so I created for myself a month of prompts just to keep myself on track each day.... " Spots " is the first of my 29 faces .

" Fruit" below is the second.... not only black, white and red, but a few other hints of colour, again applied with pencil.

My goal for #29 Faces is the daily practice of stitching a face each day for February and improved fluidity of motion and control of my sewing machine during free motion stitching. I am also looking forward to exploring the potential of using Inktense pencils on cloth. Hope you will see improvement as you follow posts of my work during the month - please watch this space for more....

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...

A Jaunty Josie from JOY - How did that happen?

No new year’s resolutions , but I like the idea of words shaping a year …. I did not choose JOY - I chose PLAY and CHALLENGE, which I think also fits the upcoming Chinese Year of the Horse…. “ The year 2026 signifies a fresh start, embodying the dynamic Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, representing energy, freedom, and innovation, coupled with a Universal Year 1 in numerology, signalling new beginnings and pioneering action “ How did JOY become the focus of this story? Where better to start than with the weekly colour prompts #coloricombo by EsteMacleod …these are published each Monday night ( Australian Eastern Summer Time) , so I’ve had a week to work on these . Added to the colour prompts Este has also intensified the challenge by including a different shape or form each week. This week, she chose the word/letters J O Y Between workshops, travelling and other projects, I spent a few hours cutting and pa...

"Temari Or Not Temari?" Tutorial

Background Information: Temari (literally translated “hand ball”) is a Japanese folk craft that is alleged to have originated in China and was introduced to Japan five or six hundred years ago. Traditionally, the balls were constructed from wrapped kimono fabric remnants and silk threads. They were made by mothers and grandmothers for children to play with. Nowadays, decorative embroidered temari represent a highly valued and cherished gift symbolizing friendship and loyalty. Recently I've wondered if your don't use traditional techniques whether you should call what you create "temari". That is an ongoing debate but today I share what I do to make a "non-traditional temari".... 1.I start with a polystrene ball ( traditionally the balls were wound silk scraps or other organic materials) and begin to wrap with approx 4 ply wool, turning the ball as I wrap. 2. I then wrap another layer of wool in a similar fashion , this time a 3 or 2 ...

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

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