Chatting, Tea, and Playing!!!

Rochford Art Trail is NOW ON. Take a look around, lots to see, including an anonymous postcard sale, for charity.

I went out for my Playday with my friend Mary. Its been absolutely eons since we've done this. We didn't get so much playing done, as by the time we have consumed tea, lunch, I put some bits on Mary's computer for her, and we watched a Jan Beaney/Jean Littlejohn dvd, we only managed the one sample!!!
Having been doing this creative stitchy lark for sometime now - very little seems to be new any more, product wise. Sounds pretentious but it does get a bit, seen that, done that, lots of the new books which come out, I take a look and realise, did that 10-15 years back. Or I know techniques, or products by another name.  But as they say there is very little new to be discovered, just probably better ways to design and use, and of course the skills and individuality involved. What keeps every artist of any kind going... the need to keep trying things.... to keep on scratching that creative itch. The "what if...."
So what did we play with, something that is new to us.... Aquabond 2... its the sticky dissolvable fabric - of course both of us have used many different types of dissolvable over the years - but the sticky has been around for a while, but we'd not tried.  First problem finding an edge to peel it off its paper, and then to stop it welding itself to everywhere, scissors, table top, fingers. I used the sticky as it was, sprinkling chips of fabric on it. This is the difference between the two of us. As I go for just testing what it will do, so I'm more interested in will it hold, chiffon, net, cotton - but Mary sees design in everything and carefully cut out and placed her fabric shapes. I used pinks, reds, oranges, colours I never use, with a lime green thread, again a combination that I wouldn't normally bother with - whereas Mary considered the tones of her autumn colours, swapping out things until she had a pleasing design. She put her piece into a hoop to free machine, whereas I did it flat with no other support, again I wanted to know if you could move it around without need for a hoop - and yes you can. We've made dissolvable sandwiches before, but there's still an element of things moving during assembly before stitching. So we were pleased with the ability to place a fabric and have it stay.  Now I want to play with placing paper - will it disintegrate when the sticky is washed out........ I'll let you know - but actually that idea also sounds appealing!!! Here's my sample - its not about design, or beautiful stitching, just about playing with a product, which, ironically.... you can no longer see!!!

Shopping....

Despite what him indoors thinks, I actually don't buy a lot of art supplies - in fact I can't recall the last time I bought hand embroidery threads.... I've got mine from years back, my gran's and others donated to me, as well as what I was buying when doing C&G - so the biscuit tin of threads has increased to a huge box, and I mean huge. I keep a record of everything I buy - partly cos I'm registered Self Employed and partly so I can properly cost out anything.  I do a lot of searching around for the best prices - beware P&P is often prohibitive.  I get a bit fixated to track down best prices and what products are really called by manufacturers, not the fancy names given to them by individual shops.  Repair Tissue for instance I've been using since mid 90s, and I know it by at least 10 different names.   I do however wrestle with my conscience, best use of my money versus taking trade away from small businesses.  Unfortunately mail order is often the only way to get what I want - because its not available locally.
But above are two of my latest purchases which came this past week.  I always have a little play with everything - would make more sense if I kept all this info in one place, but it usually goes onto the next blank page of my sketchbook.
The paints - wheeee so pleased with those.  Golden Fluid Acrylic.  I won these on Ebay - a pack of 10 brand new sealed, for just under £25 inc p&p,  On their own they are around £5.50 a bottle - and I discovered the bright red is over £8.  I have some others of these, so I know how they work,only need a small amount, good job at that price!!  I love products which do more than one thing, so acrylics as they will go on paper and fabric suit me fine.
The threads, sigh.  I have been thinking about these for months and months.  They are King Tut - and what's been drawing me in is that the variegation changes about every inch - whereas other threads 4"-5" or more.  But I'm not a quilter, so I wasn't sure if they would meet what I'd want to do with them.  They are 100% cotton too, not normally a fibre I go for.  Again quite a considered outlay when you don't know what they are like, which is why my hesitiation - and what colour?  However Barnyarns offer a Try Me, at the cheapest price I could find for them - max of 5, but they choose the colours.  So this is what I got, and I love them.  Did my little test, stitched beautifully, on zig-zag the colour change is about every 4 stitches, yipeee!!!
Embroidery magazine came too this week, waving to Gina who has a piece in it.  So lots and lots to absorb and play with.... goodies are almost better than a supply of choc (I said almost!)