The One True's Standing Mat

'This here's the wattle
the emblem of our land
you can stick it in a bottle
or hold it in your hand'
(Monty Python's 'Bruce' sketch)

What you can't see from my crummy phone photo's is that the wattle blossoms are raised a bit (apart from the colour being terribly bad). He wanted me to leave the linen edge as it was. Approx. 50cm round.

My hubby has a lot of pets. Wild birds. They come and sing or chortle outside our bedroom window if they see us there. He's their friend. So when he said he wanted a pad to stand on while at his easel, painting, I thought, there you go.



The One True's Bits & Pieces Box

Which he'll never really use, but I wanted to make him one.

 

The images are from two old art books he was throwing out. The photo is awful (phone and flaring in the light), but the pics are gorgeous! I managed to get four things out of two books.
I think I accidently chose Swarovski crystal beads, being the perfect colour (and a bit extravagant for a fancy-work box you might think) (but I don't care).



I've cut out bits of another picture and pasted them over this beautiful girl, just for balance. Also , they're the One True's favourite type of painted trees.
For the inside, I used the score from a couple of old and well-worn piano scores (Op-Shop). They have the pianist's notations and comments, which is touching. I managed to get a theme going in the words and it's quite romantic (so I won't show you all of it, you'll have to pop into Morris & Son's when I get the display together, which will be a little while because I have great plans and great plans take time). 

This pattern is the same as this one. Please follow the tags below for more boxes and the Tutorial.

Words cut from various headings, ala Ransom Note.

I have a lot of (and then found more) chandelier baubles, so added them around to give the lid weight. I used to make the lid a bit bigger than the base, and now I remember why.

Fancy-Work Boxes Still. The Bunny Fur Bee Cushion Box.

Do you think I could build my own coffin? Just a thought. Again, apologies for the awful pictures.

This little box is made using my old cards (I have cards with pictures from my embroidery, but have run out of envelopes for the time being). So, it's a picture of my Rabbit-Fur Bee Cushion on the top, and a detail for each side panel.
The beads are from my Grandma's old stash, left-over from her lamp-shade making days. She made and sold them for years, just word-of-mouth (Oh and in my Mum's shop). I have her fringe too (just so's you know).
The crochet is done with some vintage War-Silk (rayon) I bought from the Op-Shop many moons ago (see! just do it!).

The picture on the card is up one way and then the other.

These are hand made papers I bought some time ago (also not in vain in the end). They are heavily textured and gorgeous and had to be bought.
For the pattern, go to Zoe's Hanky Box and for a tutorial, follow the label below

Been Busy, But No Camera...

So, you have to accept these lousy phone shots until I get one.

Sadie's Second Hanky Box. Or, Jewellery Box? You can't see because of the flaring (because of the plastic), but it's a gorgeous old kiddie's book illustration of a lamb. I've added cut out bits of flower (as used on the sides) to fill in some gaps and highlighted it with my coloured pencils.

Inside is a picture of myself with little Sadie, at my 50th in 2008. A couple of months before I lost my Mum (the photo reminds me of how little Sadie was then). The inside-lid illustration is the sometimes approach mothers and grandmothers have to their little's, especially when those little's are full of life and verve.

Mercedes (Saide). I made this removable so she can have a look at the picture more easily. Incidentally, the triangles created are just the size for hankies, pressed into quarters, triangularly.

Ane here is my little darling at the Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda, near us. The photo completely captures her lovely nature. A happy, interested child.

What's not well illustrated here are the really pretty pink glass tear-drops. I've been at Maria's Beads frequently of late (I've been knotting my old and newly collected pearls).

The floral paper is downloaded from one of pillpat (agence eureka)'s amazing sets of vintage book and game and everything images. Worth spending a few hours looking through. I've used heaps from there (not to mention the cut-out-and-assemble games the children have enjoyed). Sorry I can't remember where the flowers came from!
Follow the links below to see more boxes and to find the tutorial. I will be teaching this method at Morris & Son's in Melbourne, just as soon as I've built enough for a decent display.

Bambi Is Here Now

(the blue binding in the photo is the right colour, but the oranges above are too bright)

I finally finished my Bambi Rug (last night)! Yes, after 6 months (although a lot of that time I didn't touch it excepting at the weekends, so it could have been quicker).

We (the One True and I) went on an emergency trip to Kazari in Prahran last Saturday, because, even though I have as much fabric as they do, I didn't have anything that looked right for the rug binding. Nothing! And, being silks and cottons (and nylons), I wasn't going to use wool (which I could dye the right colour but which wouldn't look right, texture-wise).

I managed to find (within the first minute) the perfect colour and a pleasing texture to use. An old kimono, unlined, $20. You can see it in this awfully blurred and temporary photo (which shows the colour well, nonetheless). It's fluffy because I cut off-grain and the back-colour shows at the edges (an old shell-pinky shade). Noice.

I also had to have a $10 length of gorgeous, purple, silk-satin damask (amazing colour), and... a shell thingy and a fabulous ceramic bird in jade green. While I was choosing the fabric (and I looked at every roll of cloth in the shop, but came back to the first choice) my Fella went to the art supply shop and spent loads of money. Loads. So, our $20 ended up being nearly $300. Sooo naughty.

But we don't care.

Bambi's now in pride of place in front of the chaise, looking the wrong size but nearby enough, for the moment, to gaze upon all of those beautiful mostly vintage silks.

This Is So Nice To Work On, Out On The Verandah

Well, I am still thinking of Magdalena Briner Eby,ish... though not trying to copy her so much as starting with her work in mind. She had a fantastic, organic style, and this rug has been growing too, rather than following any pre-known or colour plan. I like to begin with the Must Use fabrics or Definitely Will Include colours, and then follow their lead.

As usual, in so doing, I make work for myself. But the idea of using old clothes and fabrics dictates the colours and you can't always know what works, in advance. As opposed to dyeing woollen cloths to suit, that is (where you obviously have a plan).

I've really made inroads into my (often) Japanese silk and my (unwearable) vintage clothes stashes! It feels at once wasteful and the exact opposite. You can't see the details of prints etc., but the lusciousness abides! And I don't do so much embroidery these days so it's just sitting there accusing me.

Scribbles become intelligible if you Add Too Many!

These are just crummy 'phone shots. My camera had Alzheimer's. So... the colours aren't good in this overall shot. Probably, the first photo is most accurate.

Christmas 2014

My Viking modelling the Dwarven Battle Bonnet

Leif's Bunny

Lee Lee's Laurel

Ruby's Frederic/a

Nessie's Nellie

Plus what I've already uploaded! It's been a marathon and I fell in love with every little thing.