Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

At Tag Tuesday, this fortnight Sandie  is hosting the Steampunk/Mechanical challenge. Although this isn't a theme I usually tackle, Sandie's tags are so fantastic and inspirational that I was motivated to create a tag this afternoon. I had some fabrics on my desk which I discharge dyed last week.and this piece with the addition of a few copper cogs reminded me of " industrial and mechanical" . The way the background fabric was created was by applying bleach gel with a roller over the top of a plastic stencil. The fabric was originally a  bluish dark grey   cotton, When the bleach had removed the colour, the process was halted with a commercial  neutralizing solution  called AntiChlor. I have been told that a vinegar solution  will also stop the discharge of colour and act as a neutraliser. The metal cogs were stitched on to the fabric by hand. Here are  a couple of great resource sites for discharging colour with bleach. - Threads ...

"It's not a real Aussie hamburger unless there's sliced beetroot on it."  " Red Velvet Cake? The CWA (Country Women's Association) Beetroot Cake is even better!"  " Australian gourmet dip = beetroot dip " In our family, we love fresh beetroot roasted, in salads, in dips but especially cooked and  home-preserved in  sugar and vinegar. My husband 's secret ingredient is raw sugar only - no processed white or brown! My daughter-in-law even asks for jars of this beetroot as a Christmas gift!  I wonder why and  how the  beetroot became such a favourite with Australians, especially when the largest producers are USA, Russia, France, Poland and Germany and traditionally, beetroot appears in the classic dishes of Central and Eastern Europe. Perhaps it's because we know that beetroot is so good for us . Beetroot has been called " a health food titan". It is full of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants, as well as havi...

 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 d...

What a week - four days of workshops and a witch doll project dinner with Gumnutters Doll Group! I spent a whole day dyeing every bit of cotton and velvet fabric in sight, preparing a great stash for future projects. All of this fabric has been dyed with procion dyes. This was a wonderful day with textile artist, Roberta Hodgson. My class with the Sydney high school students was great fun, too. We did some wet felting, but it seemed to prove that glittery butterflies and love hearts are favourites amongst fifteen year old girls, whatever their background, circumstances and aspirations. The weekend was a Gumnutters' birthday celebration with the "unveliing" of the witches travelling doll project on Friday. . There were two groups of four and the project was "a body in a bag" , with each person working on the other three group members' dolls  with a theme of witches and wizards , but no wizards appeared. My multi-coloured organge/purple and green body re...