I'll try this one again. Matyo Rose Text

page 1. Click for bigger image.

Last time this picture didn't work. Probably because I'm still technically incompetent.

Trying again.

Thanks Susie for the note!

page 2.

And here's the rest.

More May Flowers

klimt postcard

We were given Wall Hanging based on a Gustav Klimt painting as a City & Guilds assignment. I deliberately chose a landscape painting, as opposed to one of the more popular works like 'The Kiss'. Partly because I didn't want to use Klimt as inspiration, and partly because I'm a bit of a rebel! I liked the colours in this painting and the 3-D effect of the flowers in the foreground. Something about the painting reminded me of morning glory flowers seen recently on holiday.

fabric collage. Click on picture for a bigger view.

This was my first interpretation. Its fabric collage bonded to craft weight vilene and machine stitched. Then layered with net and stitched again. Areas of net were cut away and it was finally embellished with hand stitches including detached chain, french knot, straight, cross and bullion.

coloured pencil drawing.

This is a sketch of morning glory - I had just been on holiday to the Canaries and it was everywhere. I really liked the combination of colours and I decided I would like to use it in the foreground of my hanging.

paper collage.

Morning glory flowers in tissue paper suggested suffolk puffs with beaded centres.

paper design.

This is the paper design for the wall hanging. I decided to paint and batik the background using used silk paint and salt for the leaves and flowers, then wax resist in three stages, green, blue and cracked wax with grey. It worked quite well. I made a sample for the flowers in the foreground. A suffolk puff with two blue layers and a plain yellow centre. I decided to add a plain dyed inner border to match the suffolk puffs and a bright yellow outer border. The background was to be hand quilted and tied.

quilted hanging. Click on picture for larger view.

This is the finished hanging, quilted and embellished with beads and a thread 'stem'.

Another softie

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Its a flower but it may not bloom in May!

My interpretation of the famous Matyo Rose. The basic structure is cut out of picture framers board and covered in stretch faux suede, velvet and jersey. The centre is punch needle embroidery with an easy punch embellished with beads.

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About the Matyo Rose. I hope this scan is readable.

The last bit about the rose.

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Sample in traditional technique.

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Close up of my version .

May Flowers

The theme for May Month of Softies is May Flowers and this is my contribution. At the beginning of May it is bluebell time here in England. Whole areas of woodland are carpeted in blue and the colours of the new leaves on the trees are lovely.

This box is covered in green cotton fabric. I used a variety of techniques for the embroidery set into the lid.

Find Month of Softies at www.loobylu.com.

Close-up of the embroidery.

The background is painted calico with bluebells suggested with straight stitch and french knots. The foreground is canvas worked with long and short stitch in knitting yarns overlaid with net. Horizontal threads were withdrawn from the canvas to make the needleweaving tree trunks. The leaves at the top are applied felt and the large bluebell leaves at the bottom are needleweaving. The tree trunks are embellished with beads and handstitching. The box closes with a tassel and a beaded ball.

Inside the box.

The inside of the box is lined with silk. There is one lidded partition. The lid of the partition and the inside of the box lid are decorated with a quilted design of trees.

This piece was the inspiration for the box.

I did this piece of embroidery a few years ago. It is hand stitchery in stranded cotton on painted calico. I used it as the inspiration for the centre of the bluebell box lid.

Then the complete wardrobe!

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Then I got really carried away and knitted her a fairy ballerina outfit. I'm ashamed to admit she also has a blue party dress with pearls and ribbons and a wedding dress with veil. Sadly, I don't have pictures of those.

Mummy Bear

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This bear was given to Jen by my Mum when she was born. She is 30 now, so when she passed it on to Maisie it was in a bad way. Jen had always called it Pink Ted, but Maisie renamed it Mummy Bear. It had one eye and the stuffing was coming out. Maisie asked me if I could mend it. I tried sewing up the holes, but in the end decided the only way was to reupholster it. I covered it in knitting, in exactly the same colours. The old bear is still underneath, complete with one glass eye. Then I got carried away and knitted it a dress and hat. This was quite a thing for me, as I am not a knitter. I used odds and ends of wool left over from knitting baby things when Maisie was tiny, so I think Mummy Bear is definitely a Recycled Softie, but clearly not a monster!

About Month of Softies

I'm new to blogging - sorry, I should have given details of Month of Softies.
For those who don't know, you can find Month of Softies on loobylu.com.

MOS - Doris in closeup

Doris in closeup. Click on the picture for a larger image.

Month of Softies April - Doris

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This is Doris, my entry for Month of Softies in April – the theme is recycled monsters. Although not strictly speaking a monster, she is not very pretty. Her skeleton was made with some cable left over from rewiring the house, wrapped with strips of quilt wadding, calico and finally knitting yarn. She wears a velvet skirt featuring discharge dyed appliques, a machine embroidered blouse and a waistcoat made of silk scraps bonded and machined into a fabric. The hat is made from a melted plastic tablecloth layered with sweet wrappers, net and bits of lace. Her face is painted and embroidered and her hair is different types of braids made from knitting yarn with beads from an old car seat cover.