Ready, Steady, Go ...1,2, 3

It's that time of the year again when I participate in the global art challenge #the100dayproject .... I have done this for the last five years and I love doing it. Sometimes, the idea of creating something for 100 consecutive days just seems ridiculous, but I've learnt over the years not to do something too ambitious, and to have an idea or theme which is entirely achievable. Today it all seems easy - it is only Day 3.

This year, 2024, I have decided to follow colour prompts curated by artist, EsteMacLeod. - Este publishes these colour palettes each week, and I thought using these means that half the work is already done. My 100 day project will be then to make responses to these prompts and work on each palette for a week for the duration.

1/ #100daysofcolourcombo - Bubblegum Cat

Day 1 Bubblegum Cat .... a Laurel Burch print , overstitched in bubblegum coloured thread. This particular technique follows these steps:

- stitch around the shape ( two pieces of fabric together)

- make a slit in the back of the figure, through the one layer of fabric only

- stuff the figure being careful to fill the extreme points

(I use wool stuffing, but polyfill is fine)

- cut carefully leaving a small seam around the edge of the figure

- paint the border of fabric beyond the stitched outline - front and back). (I painted the lighter colour first, and then painted stripes in black paint) . Acrylic paint is fine.

2/ #100daysofcolourcombo : Bubblegum Landscape Dreams

Day 2 : Bubblegum Landscape Dreams is a collage using recycled paper and postage stamps ... Apologies to all the philatelists - I was given a set of 4 Van Gogh [postage stamps and have kept them in my stash for years until yhesterday - I found a use.... the burnt orange and egg yolk colours were irresistible. The theme of people looking through windows is common in my work.... that's an interesting observation in itself - I wonder if this can be interpreted to have a deeper meaning, as in dream analysis. The background fantasy forest is a stitched magazine cover.

Day 3 : Bubblegum Celebration is an explosive circle of colour comprising more circles.... they are raw edge appliqued and reverse appliqued in the colours of the palette. As I was teaching a friend to free motion machine stitch, I extended my demonstration of the technique to make this sample. I have mounted it into a square greeting card and think it would be suitable for an happy occasion or wild event! All these fabrics were in my scrap tin, so they have been rescued from landfill. There is no special meaning here, just a celebration of colour!

What have I learnt over the last 3 days :

1. Setting some time aside each day is still a challenge

2. Working with set colours can be very restricting

3. Working outside my comfort zone of colours was quite a lot of fun.

4. Process not perfection counts!

Please follow my 100 day artful journey with me - here on this blog, or for a daily fix on my Instagram page.

Too Precious to Waste

Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons More than a year ago, a decision was made. The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2] A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that

May I Present Mrs Chalumeau...

Finally Mrs Chalumeau takes a bow …She is a Pearly Queen … 695 buttons on the doll and 10 on the journal.(I think – could be more). I would like to thank Paula from Antiques and Collectables here in Hamilton, Newcastle and Raku Buttons ETSY seller for supplying me with about 500 of the vintage mother of pearl buttons, and the rest I had in my stash. I think they look great on my pearly queen, but I am truly tired of sewing on buttons. It made me think however, how many buttons must be on the elaborate clothes of the real pearly Kings and Queens! I drew my inspiration from the lovely lady pictured here, and the following description from Wikipedia. ... A Pearly King ( feminine form Pearly Queen) is a person dressed in a traditional Cockney costume covered in mother-of-pearl buttons. These costumes were treasured heirlooms, hand made and sometimes representing much of a family's wealth. .... This doll is all cloth – a little different from most of my other dolls which generally h

"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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