faces

This week's Stitch Club

was a bit of a problem for me.

The style in which Ailish Henderson works

"is definitely not me"

too loose

Luckily I was still busy with a "travel book"

for Anne Kelly

that took most of the week :

to find stuff

(old pictures, bits of paper, bits of fabric)

glue all of it on the background,

let it dry,

add more embellishments and hand stitch,

and finally stitch with the machine.

BUT

as it is a present for a faraway friend (and in the mail right now) 

there are no pictures !

After my travel-book was finished

I had no other option

than to leave the Ailish's workshop alone or give it a try 

Some of the results that came through in the group

were just lovely, and that helped !

The third sketch

(after a first try and a second that I ruined with pen and paint)

Adding less paint (water colour) than the first time ...

The end result

and finally happy I gave it a go and kept going ! 

Lots of tiny snippets of thin fabric (including tulle and mesh) 

on face and hair

and the pencil lines stitched with one strand of floss

in different colours

Definitely NOT as loose as Ailish

but I love what it finally turned into ...

Another one (daughter) is ready for stitching

Thank you STITCH CLUB

for some really challenging workshops

that certainly added to my skills !

keeping an eye ...

Sue Stone is an English textile artist

who makes stitched portraits.

Her sons made a special Textile Art site

where they give a stage to their mum

and other textile artists from all over the world.

In these strange times they initiated on FB

a "stitch challenge"

with every week another artist

to teach a tiny online workshop

about their own way with textiles,

starting with Sue Stone of course.

Next was Cas Holmes

and on April 6 Emily Tull

who explained how tho stitch an eye.

I was still busy stitching the piece for my friend

so I saw that video later in the week

....

and it very much appealed to me ! 

One piece finished ... ready to start something new !

For one I start with the end result

But it all started with

1. a photo

(hmmmmm ... hate making selfies : they look bad

and strangely askew most of the time)

2. a sketch (with pencil)

3. tracing the drawing in pen

and 4. the drawing (again in pen) on cloth
(an piece of linen from old trousers)

Hmmmm four "me's"

So not one eye
but both eyes ánd glasses

A collection of blues and grays and skin colours

Five slightly different  reds for my glasses

Starting the second eye.
I had some times five needles in my work
each with a different strand (or two)
embroidery floss



While working on this there were two more challenges :
by Richard McVetis and Emily Jo Gibbs

(so more to stitch !)

day 31 ..... LAST PINK RIBBON DAY

This is the last day of this October month

A well spent month I could say.

I really didn't know where it all came from ...

After preparing the little felted or stitched pieces

there was wonder what way it would go next.

Only for the national felting day and for Man's birthday party

I made something in advance 

.....

All the others were made or stitched on that very day.

I'm glad I made it !

I'm a bit tired, but satisfied.

A few more Jewels to make

for dear people who are waiting patiently

till their special wish will be fulfilled ...

Then, I can count all of that together,

with that : all the EXTRA money a lot of people gave,

so I'll know how much money can be transferred to

the Pink Ribbon Fund.

(then I'm truly finished   ;-)  !)

My last  PINK  RIBBON  Textile Jewel for day 31

A wet felted hollow gray brooch, stitched with cotton

and with different small beads.

(5,5 cm)

A quiet star for this last day !

For a donation of

€ 10

SOLD  !

(or more)

this distinguished gray jewel

can be yours

to keep for yourself or to give away

to someone dear to you !

All you need to do is send me an email at

[email protected]

and you'll hear what to do next.

ALL the money goes to (you know) the Pink Ribbon Fund !

"EVENING STAR"

And here

(with sweet company, which felt very neglected these last weeks)

the making of that "evening star"

THANK  YOU  ALL !

It have been wonderful weeks

with you around me

And thanks in the name of 

PINK  RIBBON  !

loooong ago ... and a new felting exchange start

November was rushing by

and the last month of the year is nearly upon us !

Time flies ...

That was what I thought 

when I received, a few weeks ago

an invitation for a reunion.

This photograph,

of a looooong time ago,

was put on FB ...

and it started the search for others who were in that class

in 1971 !

Some of the children of those days

which are adults of 50 now

still live here in this village

(like I still do ...

and that very young teacher was me)

Yesterday I met with a lot of those "little pupils" ...

I had a hard time recognizing some

and knew others right away !

(one of the "girls" even came all the way from Rome

where she has lived for 25 years)

IT  WAS  REALLY  FUN !

*

I finished and send away the four extra felted jewels

that were on commission

The end of November also meant 

that I needed to hurry finishing  my piece for the new

felting exchange !!!

The theme was 

"fish"

and it had to be bigger than the postcard size

of the last two years :

20 x 20 cm !

The start with some prefelt and a cobweb bit

There were more prefelt bits  for the fish 

and on the back I put two more layers for strength.

In the end it turned out the prefelt for the sea horse

was absolutely too thick ...

But :

with the stitching finished ...

a bit fuzzy

but definitely a sea horse

(I think)

Tomorrow it will go in the mail !

day 5

It seems as if Autumn is still

only giving us sunshine,

but when I have to believe the weather forcast

for tomorrow, there will be an end to it now :

lots of rain in the coming days.

Well, all the more reason

to choose a warm little felt for today.

Pink Ribbon felted jewel  5

A dusty pink square felted brooch

with vibrant orange on the inside

and even yellow and golden mesh further down,

a tiny felted ball stitched in the middle

5 cm  (2")

to the point !

SOLD !

€ 10

for Pink Ribbon

and it comes flying to you !

Just send me an email at

[email protected]

or use the comment at the end of this post.

(of course you can make a "normal"comment too  ;-)  !)

All of the money will go to the Pink Ribbon fund !

*

With the designs for the window paintings ready

and enlarged ánd the prospect of a lot of rain

in the next few days

brought daughter and me to school this afternoon.

The gymnasium was where we worked today

Concentration !!!

We stick the design on the outside of the window with tape

(that's why we need dry weather)

and then trace the lines with black paint.

You could say : simple ...

But 

the new windows are much much thicker than the old ones

so you have to be right in front of the drawing any time !

(you can see the double lines in the photo :

that's exactly what we see when we are not

in the right place !!!)

But it all worked out well in the end !

One of the class rooms is now really finished,

with two colourful windows

;-)

See you tomorrow !

autumn is near ... and a butterfly moon

This September month has been

very warm and dry.

I was in the garden a lot of times :

cleaning, pruning bits and pieces 

but most of all enjoying the good sunny weather

(stitching)

The end of the Polygonatum (Solomon's seal)

Sometimes all of a sudden there is a flow in the water

that sweeps away all the duckweed

Last bits of colour ...

and me ...

last Sunday afternoon !

And like the "Eye" moon saw :

progress is slowly but steady

Please welcome : Miss Butterfly moon !

And though she's looking a bit cross (I think)

she is now nearly done !

*

Tomorrow starts a new month, 

October,

that's the month for "Pink Ribbon"

and breastcancer awareness !

(it's also my 4th blogaversary)

I have a very special plan for it.

See you tomorrow !