Saturday 24 July 2010

Overexcited and Underemployed

Hello - my name is Maggie and I used to blog here! It's been a long time and loads has happened. Things have developed on the house selling front but I shall say no more than that, as the chances of such a quick sale actually going through must be very low. However it has meant all kinds of running around and now I cannot settle to anything, although I have so much to do.
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I have managed to place the photos in the new book and that is almost ready to go to the designer. Grand-daughter Lauren's hands look great. The organising of work for the d4daisy display at the Festival of Quilts (stand Demo M) is also coming along with the postman bringing lovely surprises like this book from Lynda Monk (featured in the Stitching the Textured Surface book) and a huge and wondrous piece from Jae Maries. Lots more to come.

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Funnily enough this book came to light as part of my sorting out the work cupboard. It features a daisy and was made long before d4daisy was born.
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I used it for experiments with Castaway ink. You paint paper, then stamp with Castaway, iron it and exciting things happen. It inspired me to get some more Castaway ink but I can't make it work now and I'm sure that the same paint has been used. Any theories anyone?
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Haven't even told you about the last meeting of our Text 21 group at Urchfont. Jane Wild was giving us some drawing exercises. We had to shut our eyes while she put an object into our hand and then we had to draw it without looking at it and with the hand we don't usually use (in my case the left one).

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This was my drawing. The object will be shown at the end of the blog.
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Jane's interpretation of an elaborate gown, drawn very large, caused much comment at the Urchfont open day, which was a lovely event, as usual. Drawing below, with detail.
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I have a report on it (with pics) in the September Workshop on the Web. The work from the City and Guilds classes was outstanding. Great to catch up with Sian Martin and Ruth Issett too - they were there for the Distant Stitch summer school.
Next week the Scan'n'Sews will be sent out. Glad they found good homes. If this moving thing comes off there will, no doubt, be lots of give-aways coming up, so keep reading.

Here is the object I was given to draw. Funny how my drawing was so much less angular but still faintly elaphantine.

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9 comments:

Gina said...

Hey!... missed you! Love that drawing exercise... do you think Jane would mind if I got some of my students doing that? They hate drawing!

Amanda said...

That's a lovely gown drawing, I look forward to reading more in the WOW, your elephant is cute and just about there too!!

I assume the castaway paint is just plain out of date. If it changes under heat it probably had some kind of solvent in it that has just evaporated.

I did make the Highcliffe Castle exhibition at the last, is was great!

Heather said...

Fingers crossed for the house sale - you never know. Lynda's book is gorgeous and I love your daisy book too. What a scary drawing exercise but a fascinating result. Can't help with the Castaway mystery - sorry.

Pat said...

Do you think your Castaway Ink has just lost it's oomph. I threw mine away because it didn't seem to work anymore, I assumed that like xpandaprint it had a short shelf life.. Love the elephant shape.

Robin Mac said...

I think it is amazingly like an elephant considering you used your left hand and only felt it! I love the book of Lynda's too. Good luck with the selling - it does happen sometimes, the right person turns up at just the right time! cheers, Robin

JP said...

what a lovely elephant - did you manage to bring him home with you?!

Radka said...

Very interesting work!
Good luck with the house!

Becky Mairi Farrell said...

I think you should draw with your left hand more often :)

Carol Wiebe said...

I haven't tried Castaway Ink, don't know if I will now!

It sounds like the having Pop-up books in a school library: the shelf life is WAY too short (one use). I HAVE had experience with this!