Last two Bags!

Before leaving for Australia I had two bags to finish for the 'Daily Windows Company' and felt an obligation to get them completed and shipped before picking up the threads of my coursework again. I have just finished the last bag.

The bags, actually one portfolio and a backpack, are at different ends of the spectrum in the way I embellished them - one, a Victorian image I printed on silk and the other, an abstract piece I call 'Entropy' - a state of order deteriorating in to chaos.

New issue of Haute Handbags

After a morning in the garden, trying to cut up and clear more of the downed tree limbs and branches, before dragging them to the curbside, I spent half an hour in the chair with the latest issue of 'Haute Handbags' . What a lovely issue; so many really talented artist - I'm so impressed by their work!

I was delighted to see the photography work done on my bags - they always do such a nice job. If you look closely at the bottom of last photo you, can see 'Distant Stitch' is mentioned (click on photo to enlarge).

A Sweet Memento

I want to share this little meaningful idea with you, as I found it such a sweet gesture: -

While my sister and I where sorting out things at our mother's house, a friend asked if she could have something mum had liked to wear. She took two blouses and a nightie, but would not tell us what she wanted them for. Before I returned home the friend give me this little teddy, made from those favorite things mum wore. Teddies were also made for my two sisters. I think this is such a lovely idea - this little bear is such a comfort to me.

I had kept one sleeve of mum's favorite blouse, from which I made sachets, filled with lavender from mum's garden and finished with ribbon and a button from her sewing box. The one sleeve made seven sachets - enough for the female members of the family. I also wrote a little poem to go with the sachets.

A few photos after Ike

Photos taken on the circle where I live. Two trees fell onto a neighbour's house. Our skinny pine tree fell on our next door neighbour's roof - we were able to get it off. Every house has large piles of tree limbs. I was amazed at how quickly everyone came out and cleaned up. Many trees fell across roads and neighbours worked together with chain saws to open up the streets.

From Australia

Dear friends, I am writing this, not from my home in Texas, but from Western Australia. This was a very sad trip to make, as my dear mother passed away on Monday (18 Aug 08) Although mum was 96 years of age, she still lived in her own home, still doing her own cooking and washing - a fiercely independent lady. The service was just as mum would have wanted it - simple and very meaningful. The small stone church, was lovely, again just that simple beauty. The church was full. The Priest was so caring and made the service very personal to mum. The cemetery is new and out in the country. It is surrounded by tranquil wooded fields, which, at this time of year are full of wild calla lilies. As mum was laid to rest I could hear the birds singing in the surrounding fields - mum will like that. After all the friends and neighbours had left my sister's home I felt a need to be by myself, so slipped away down to the beach (just a 2 minute walk). The sun was beginning to set over the sea - it seemed a beautiful ending to the day. I watched as the sun set and the colour of the sky changed to soft hues of pinks and blues, a gentle closing of the day.

Module 4 Chapter 11 - Making a Speical Book Cover or Portfolio

Oh joy, I am back in business! I am glad to say I had not busted the Mr. camera - it just had an extra filter on the lens (who knew!) .

Sample 1




Sample 2




Sample 3


Sample 4













Sample 5




With guidance from Sian, I re-thought some of the ideas for the portfolio design, putting more emphasis on the texture and interest of the paper itself
and the integration of textures.

Here I try a few ideas: -

Sample 1. Shows an embedding initial. This is just a test piece and the colour of the letter is off, but I wanted more dimensionally to the piece.

Sample 2. I decided to add fibers.

Sample 3. The fiber grid was placed over handmade paper and paper pulp was added around the edges. I pressed the pulp into the fibers, but it did not adhere well.

Sample 4. I made another grid, which was more open. This grid was dipped into paper pulp - to coat it, then it was laid onto a sheet of pulp and pressed hard into the wet pulp. When dry, the edges of the paper were torn away, to reveal the fringed fibers of the grid. The machine stitching on the grid shows through the paper, as the dark red spots. I like the way the fibers are integrated into the paper and the way they poke out as a fringe.

Sample 5. Hand-stitching is added.

Not a good week for working

Disaster - my camera has died! Every picture I take comes out over exposed, and with lines running across the images. Pictures also have a ghostly-looking double image.

I can use the 'Mr.' camera, but I hate not having my own. It bugs me to hear, 'Don't forget to switch it off' and 'Don't forget to delete your images', every time I use it. And wouldn't you just know, I started to take some shots with the Mr. camera and the thing some how locked up on me, so I only managed to take one photo.

I must have a jinx on me this week as I managed to splash dye on, not one, not two, but three t.shirts! You think I would learn after I ruined the first one! It is my own fault; each time I was in too much of a hurry to go and change. Spots are in, right?