Free Stuff

Linda and Laura Kemshall (Design Matters TV) are in the sidebar as an inspirational place to visit. They occasionally have new FREE videos on their website and here's a link to the latest for you It's all about felted and stitched landscapes. If like me, you don't have experience of needle felting let alone a machine, there are loads of other free videos that may inspire you, including how to make one of those Infinity Scarves, which is on my to-do list.

Here's the needle felted and stitched landscape.

Gardening is creative too!

No, not an excuse for lack of postings! When the weather turns to glorious sunshine at this time of year, it's good to be outdoors in the fresh air despite the enormous amount of pile-driving that seems to be going on around the hermitage.

Here's some garden photos - can't wait for the roses and perennials to burst forth.

Boiled pages?? I give it a go.

Thanks for this idea goes to Laura and Linda Kemshall and is from their video how-to website, DMTV. They called it plant printing.  I had a go using all sorts of plant material from the garden.

My results were mixed and I wonder if it's because I didn't have the requisite lump of rusty iron and used a natural iron oxide (artists' pigment dry ground - raw sienna) instead. It worked but I only used 1/2 teaspoon and may have needed more to deepen the colour. Iron Oxide pigments do come in other colours too including a chocolatey dark umber, so a bit of experimenting is called for I think, if only to justify buying an £8 wok for the boiling process from Wilko. (I didn't want to use my food prep pans, and none of the charity shops had any saucepans)

It was a fun way to spend an afternoon. When I get something better to show you, I'll post again. Below is heuchera and abutilon.

V Neck Dress by The Assembly Line

I liked the look of this pattern on the model, who was, to be fair, not shaped a bit like me.

The pattern comes up quite long and I had to chop about 8 inches off to get a sympathetic length on me - the full length made me look frumpy.

It is one of those patterns on paper not tissue so easy to alter and robust enough to take fiddling. The instructions were good apart from at the V neck, where it took me a long time to understand and get right - but I managed it. Yay me!

The fabric was 100% cotton from a quilt making shop, but I think something drapier would have given a better look - perhaps a double gauze or even wool for the winter.





The pockets sit very well indeed - you'd hardly know they were there unless they were stuffed with paper tissues. I added some stitching at the sleeves, hem and neck line, to lift and add definition. 

And here it is on a real life person!  I've just signed up for a pattern drafting course in the summer so that should help with fit etc.  The stitching below is done in quilting thread by Gutermann.