Embellished Silk Prints

 I will be giving a talk to my Chapter of the EGA on embellishing silk prints.   Here are a few small items I made as prizes for those attending.








Detail of a bag

A handmade card and a needle case

A Bible/Book Cover

This is another project made for the bag company, for their website gallery. The little portfolio is intended to be used as a bible cover. My theme for the project is love; I also thought about a dear friend who has lost a child....... the heart that is free to fly.

The wings were made by making tiny pleats in white silk and then giving a hard press - to make the pleats permanent. The fabric was then cut to shape. To stop the edges from fraying I dipped them in gold paint.

A Fish Bag

I was asked by the Daily Windows Company if I would like to embellished some more bags and portfolios for their web gallery. Here is one of the backpacks they sent, after embellishment.

The fish bodies are made by wrapping fabric strips around a knitting needle.

Now I wonder who would carry a bag like this......
A scuba diver
Someone born under the sign of Pisces
An icthyophile

Other suggestions welcome!


Detail photos

Strawberry Fields for Ever!

My sister gave me this lovely muted pink cotton velvet - perfect for some shabby chic strawberries, like the ones seen on Andrea Singarella's delightful blog.

Magazine submissions

What a busy week! I received an email from the magazine editor for Stampington Press, letting me know that 3 out of the 4 bags I had previously submitted and the accompanying article were accepted for the October issue of Haute Handbags (yippee!). The photography work is of such high quality, it is a joy to see ones bags in print, (it makes them look better than they really are, but don't tell anyone I said that).

The editor also asked if I might have anything to submit for another publication, Altered Couture, she is a bit short on material for the next issue. I did have an article on the back boiler of my mind, so I moved it to the front boiler and started cooking. There was a short deadline on this. Plus, I had not even started one of the bags that I wanted to accompany the article! I got everything in the mail today.

The feature is about taking a second look at items and using them in a different way. I took placemats, plastic containers and a remnant of 'mother-of-the-bride' fabric and made them into bags.

Just one more!

I will be attending my granddaughter's wedding this coming weekend and needed a bag to match my outfit, which is dark gray and pink. I made this bag from a remnant of embroidered netting that I had in my stash. The net is over a gray dupioni, with a pink satin lining. I also made the ring pillow.

More Bags!

While finishing up the bags for the magazine submission, I received a call from a company that makes totes and portfolios, which have a clear window placed on the outside. The company asked if I would embellish a couple of their bags - to show different ways that the clear window could be used. The company will take photographs of the bags for their website gallery. Thank you Daily Windows.

Tip - The star burst in the portfolio photo is the flattened metal cap from a broken glass Christmas ornament. I love those things; never throw them away when you drop an ornament - they make great embellishments. Almost worth smashing the balls, just to get the caps!

Handbags

I was recently privileged to be asked by the Stampington Press Company to submit some of my purses for inclusion in the latest issue of 'Haute Handbags' magazine. I am thrilled to have my work shown in the premier and spring 2008 issues. This encouraged me to come up with a simple bag design, that could be easily altered to make many different styles.

Here are four of the bag variations.

Heart of Hearts

This small quilt will be a wall hanging; I embellished the hearts with embroidery and beading, the hearts are stitched to squares of silk, which I dyed five pastel colors.

I also made a hanging heart - two embellished hearts stitched back to back and ribbon gathered around the edge.

Just One More Lacy Thing!

I hope no one minds if I share this photo of Sassy, my rescue pug, being fitted for her Halloween costume - a vision of loveliness in white tulle!

Other Lacy Things

After that workshop I am enjoying working with lacy things; I made a little book of delicate things. The pages are stitched with paper, embedded with petals, lace, chiffon, organza, scrim and Tyvek. The pink page is a post office Tyvek envelope, pressed into a rubber stamp with a hot iron. It was then painted and torn.


A few pages from the book.

Normandy Lace Making

It seems such a long time since I posted anything - just a lot of things going on and getting in the way of my coursework, but I also did some fun stuff too.

One fun and very interesting thing I did was to take a workshop in Normandy Lace Making. As the name implies the art started in France,in the 18^th century, when the elaborately embroidered caps, worn by women, went out of fashion. Being frugal,the women would reuse the embroidery by incorporating it with other laces, to form a new fabric. The photo on the left shows a cap back in the center of this old lace fabric, made up of many pieces.

In the workshop I made a piece of lace fabric, (photo on right) which consist of seven different laces. This is a great way to give new life to old deteriorated linens and laces - by just cutting out and using the good parts. I now have a reason to stop at all garage sales - to look for old laces, but something tells me I won't find too many 18th century French cap backs in Texas!

Leaf Bag

Organza leaves have been embellished with beads and metallic threads, which form veins along the leaves. The leaves are stitched to a silk bag.

Felt making

A piece of felt made in Betsy's workshop

An Art Bra - in progress

Different colored organza have been burnt into leaf shapes and embellished with metallic threads and beads. The leaves are stitch to a regular bra. I thought of calling this bra "Waiting For The Fall"!

Fantasy Garden Silk Evening Bag

Dyed Silk rods and embellished cocoons are stitch to this silk bag; French knots, straight stitches and bead work are also used. Inspiration from Stef Frances.

Velvet and felt bag

This bag was made from an Australian pattern. I wanted to learn how to make the flowers.