Playing with Textiles - Week 1

I recently started a City & Guilds Certificate in Craft & Design course at my local college and it is an amazing amount of fun, so I've decided to share the ideas and techniques here on my blog in the hope that it will inspire a few others to have a go at playing with textiles.  As the course started a few weeks ago I have a bit of catching up to do, so I'll start right now with week one.

The first step was some quick sketching of leaves and seedpods for inspiration while the wax was heating.  Next up I drew some wax patterns onto different weights of discharge fabric using tjanting tools.  These tools really do take practice and I ended up having to incorporate a lot of drips and splodges into my designs.  Once the wax is dry the fabric is soaked in sterilising fluid to remove the black dye.  I let my fabric have a fairly good soak for a lighter colour.  After rinsing and ironing to remove the bulk of the wax, this is how my designs turned out.

Even the papers I used to absorb the wax were put to use.  As they now sported the pattern from my discharge fabric I was able to colour wash them with varying degrees of success.

While the wax was hot I also got to try a batik technique on tissue paper, building up layers of wax and colour washes.  Each wash blends with the previous ones (so you do need to think about colour mixing) except where the wax has been applied.  With a little planning this technique can be used to produce beautiful batiks but I was happy with my "work it out as I go" effort.

An added bonus is that I share my day at college with a lovely group of ladies in various years of both the certificate and diploma levels of the course - so there is a range of different work going on all at once and plenty of textile eye candy for us newbies.

Sunshine and Singers

What a great day!  For a start it was blue skies and sunshine which have been pretty thin on the ground lately.  My son suggested a trip to the beach this afternoon, which means going swimming in the freezing cold ocean (which I managed to avoid) and then eating icecream (which I didn't).  Strolling along with our treats we passed a small second hand/antique shop that had a notice mentioning vintage clothes so I decided to take a quick look.  Although none of the clothes took my fancy I browsed the rest of the shop and my eye was caught by a rectangular domed box with a key in the side sporting a tag which read "key for sowing mashine dont loss hte key".  How could I resist?  So I lifted the lid and this is what I saw:

This one turned out to be a Singer Model 99K made around 1932 (approx. 15,000 produced).  When I asked if they had any other machines I was pointed to the following, which is a hand operated Model 28K from 1907 (approx. 20,00 produced).

After mentioning I'd love them both but wasn't sure if I had space the shop keeper said he could do me a deal and I could have both for £20.  Deal done!  I know they will need a good clean,oil and possibly some repairs but there was no way I could walk away from these babies who just need a little love.  Now all I need is an old treadle machine and my collection will be properly underway.

One Week, One Pattern Success!

Recently I took part in the One Week, One Pattern challenge where participants wore items of clothing made by themselves from one pattern every day for a week.  I chose a self-drafted skirt pattern of which I have 3 incarnations.

Day One

This is the second version of this skirt that I made.  It uses a lightweight checked cotton that I bought as a furnishing fabric about 12 years ago.  It then sat unused in my stash for about 10 years but I think it was worth the wait.

The photo here is from Day 3.  I wore this skirt on Day 1 and 7 with a blue cotton top and on Day 5 with a navy fitted T-shirt.  Four outings indicates some favouritism here.

Day Two

This is the original skirt which I then loved so much I made more.  It is made with a fairly heavy, slightly stretchy black pinstripe fabric I bought in Walmart in Canada for $2 a metre.  This was a good choice for a day at the ice rink watching my son skate (although covered with a long coat, scarf and gloves).

Only one other outing for this skirt on Day 6 with a flowing white top.

Day Four

Here is the dress version.  The skirt is in an olive viscose with a peasant style top in a cream brocade.  Although I still love the skirt part, I think the top needs work so this one may have to undergo some alteration.



If you would like to know more about the OWOP challenge you can find the details over at Tilly and the Buttons

Reading Caitlin

I am in the middle of reading "How To Be a Woman" by Caitlin Moran.  I have to keep stopping and attempting to read sections out to my husband while giggling until my eyes leak.

I don't watch TV or read newspapers so this is my first experience of Caitlin and I'm enjoying it immensely.  I like her no nonsense style and her storytelling.  After reading some other reviews, it's clear that this book is not for everyone but I do consider that some of the criticisms are wholly unfair.  This is not an academic study of feminism but one woman's real, ranting and rather rude opinion, which is why I love it.  I don't have to agree with everything Caitlin says but I admire that she has the courage to say what she thinks (which, surely, is one lesson we could all benefit from).

In Memory of Anne McCaffrey

An author who inspired and entertained me since I was a little girl, Anne McCaffrey has brough joy to many with her writing. Her books are a treasured part of my library and have been read many times. The world would be a lesser place without her dragons and I send out my heartfelt thanks for her part in my life. Rest in Peace, Anne. We will not forget you.

A little collection for the dragonlover in us all ...

Batik in Blue

I've had these photos, taken at the Spey River near Craigellachie one beautiful sunny day, on my hard drive a little while now. They have just been sitting around, waiting for me to be inspired to write something entertaining to go with them. It is said that success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration so I decided to give up on being inspired and just get stuck in.

Many years ago I bought a lovely piece of batik cotton fabric while on holiday in Bali and it has been sitting in my stash untouched ever since. Admittedly this was partly because it was too nice to use and partly because I had no idea what to use it for. So finally I bit the bullet and made a decision. As the piece was too small for a whole garment I had to make a feature of it and design a dress around that. The rest of the fabric came from a roll of navy poly cotton that had also been biding it's time.

I wanted something easy to wear and comfortable for the occasional warm day we get here in Scotland, so this dress just slips over the head and pulls in behind the waist with matching fabric ties made from the batik. The neckline is finished with bias binding also made from the batik and has a false underskirt effect to achieve the length I wanted. It was very much a "make it up as I go along" process.

Overall I'm pleased with the result and have recieved some lovely comments when wearing it. This success prompted another experiment which I will blog about shortly (when I can produce some photos I'm happy with).

Beads, Glorious Beads!

Whoops, I think I lost May! But it's a new month and a very sunny day and I just got a nice package from the post office - my latest glass bead order. It may seem very sad to the non-beady but I always get excited when I have parcels of new beads to open. All those shiny pretties to look at. So here's a peak ...



My son will perform the essential secondary quality assurance check when he gets home from school. Every new bead I make or buy must be examined and given the seal of approval. I wonder what his favourite of this lot will be?

Then I just have to think of what to make with them.

Dresses for Charity

This morning as I was browsing the blog-verse I got diverted to a lovely post by Louise at Sew Scrumptious about a charity campaign to provide dresses for girls living in poverty. Louise is encouraging her readers to get involved and has offered to bundle up and send off any dresses she receives by the end of May.

I don't know whether it was the gorgeous sunshine or just the fact that I've been feeling very lucky to be me lately but I really liked this idea. I have plenty of fabric and what better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than at the sewing machine. So I offer you pics of the two dresses I came up with, based on the pattern from Little Big Girl Studio. Both use recycled fabrics (another bonus) and ribbon that I got in a bulk lot.

Multicolour floral cotton and mulberry cotton fabric with pink grosgrain ribbon.

Green sari fabric with gold satin ribbon.

A Touch of Blue Treasury

One of my polymer clay necklaces has been featured in this fab treasury by hybridhandmade.

Pay It Forward 2011

Well, it's still all cold and frosty outside and there is no better excuse to stay inside keeping warm and getting busy with making stuff. Currently that means finding new ideas for Pay It Forward 2011.

There are probably lots of versions of this doing the rounds but I signed up after a friend posted it (on a social networking site that shall remain nameless). The plan is that I will receive a lovely handmade item from this friend and in return I promise to send 5 other people an item I make myself (who then promise to make items for 5 people and so on). I did see a comment along the lines of "this is the worst pyramid scheme I've ever seen" and this is very true since each participant will actually give out far more than they receive. But I love it. How fantastic to join in with something that is designed to bring a smile to someone's face, give them a bit of a boost, or even make their day. And what a great excuse to try out some new crafts!


Here is my first item and my first ever try at coptic bookbinding, which will be sent off soon. I'm hoping to make something different for each person and I'm trying to match the gift to the person it is for. Each of my five will also get a Morsbag I have made from recycled fabric (if you like to sew and care about our beautiful planet, please take a look at the Morsbag site).

Happy Crafting!

Quick News Spot

I'm currently busy creating more polymer clay octopuses while the snow slowly turns into multitudes of icicles. Looks like another intense winter for Scotland.



I have just posted a giveaway on my facebook page



And Suzanne, a lovely fellow McEtsian, has done a little feature on me on her blog.

Some Day ...

Here I am almost 2 weeks into NaNoWriMo and falling dreadfully behind on my word count. I see posts on the NaNo forums whose authors are already past the 50,000 word count and we're not even halfway through the month. I haven't even hit 11,000 yet. And while I am managing to write something every day (even if it's only 100 words or so) so many other things are just not getting done at all.


For example, I haven't found the time to work out how to photograph my Medieval belt designs so that the details are clear while at the same time the whole item fits in the picture (see above). Suggestions very welcome, oh pretty please!

It is so easy to get caught up in all the little things that seem urgent but aren't terribly important in the long run. And then there are such a lot of them that they seem to work like a black hole and suck all of your time away. So many things you would like to do fall prey to the "I don't have time right now but I'll do that tomorrow" and tomorrow is always a day away. So time passes and you find you still haven't done whatever it was. I've got a long list of those things, waiting for the day I finally have time to do them.

Well, I'm no magician when it comes to ticking off those "some day" plans (hence the list) and I have a notebook that my sister gave me 18 years ago with the inscription "I look forward to seeing this published!" which is still empty. But for me NaNoWriMo is about making a start and, even if it takes me another 18 years, I'm going to get there.

Words, Weekends and Wickerman

Why do I always seem to find more to do when I already have a list as long as my arm? As if I didn't already have a queue of things patiently awaiting my attention, I decided to sign up for NaNoWriMo. For those not in the know that is short for National Novel Writing Month and it is happening now.

I must admit I have always wanted to write a novel but never had the motivation. This seemed like the perfect way to get started. You have a clear goal (50,000 words in 30 days) and plenty of support if you join in on the forums and events. What you write doesn't have to be blindingly brilliant, it's just a first draft after all. Four days in and I'm just on target, my hubby has read chapter one and says he wants to read more (always a good thing to hear) and I have a rough idea of where I want the story to go (although I neglected to do any advance planning - oops!).

Unfortunately there are side effects I had not counted on. My eyes seem to be losing the ability to focus due to spending hours starting at a blank white page. I have a head that feels like it's stuffed with cotton wool. I feel guilty if I do anything, including eat, before I've at least managed to write a few hundred words for the day. And I'm beginning to worry that I won't manage to leave the house for the whole of November.

At least I spent my last weekend of freedom (for a month) out in the fresh air at Archaeolink and just to prove it ...


(Did I say fresh air? Better change that to flame-filled.)

Autumn Madness

No new photos to share and the bag tutorial has been put on hold while the house undergoes a good clear out and some re-organisation. Everyone talks about spring cleaning but I find that autumn is when I get the urge to completely re-vamp my home. I guess it's a preparing for winter instinct (like hibernating animals stuffing themselves to build fat).

There will be some great benefits when I'm finished though. I will finally have all my fabric organised so I can actually see what I have and start to plan some projects. There is currently a pile of storage boxes waiting to be filled, but this will require getting ALL my fabric out so I can sort it by colour (OCD here we come). I will also have a little more space as I've steeled myself to be ruthless and actually give away items I will probably never use. Mind you, this will most likely lead to an uncontrollable urge to buy more to fill the gap.

I also have a small flurry of sewing alterations that have just come in. All of these customers have been looking for someone to do this for several months at least. It seems strange to me that so few people offer this type of service, especially when it is mostly just taking up hems. Oh well, at least it will keep me busy.

Roman Food Evening

Well, another victory for the Romans. On Monday I was involved in a Roman Food Evening at Elgin Museum that turned out to be rather a success.

Tickets for the event had sold out some time before the night, making me rather nervous to say the least. And, unlike the brilliant Museum Curator, David, I am not in the habit of speaking in front of an audience. Hence this rabbit-in-the-headlights picture of me taken by my lovely husband just before the event began.


I think I only put one person to sleep during my talk and everyone seemed to enjoy the food tasting afterward. Shona, the chef from the Beach Bar in Lossiemouth, had done a magnificent job with completely unfamiliar recipes and some unusual ingredients.

All in all, a successful event, although I doubt this is the beginning of my worldwide lecture tour.

Random Rambling

Where did August go? I'm positive some sneaky individual hit the fast forward button while I wasn't looking. If it was you, take note, I'm on the lookout now and you won't catch me out for September.

For anyone looking forward to the Tote Tutorial, I have a little progress report: I have taken a photo of the cut out pieces of fabric. And that's it! Aren't you just amazed at the huge amount I have accomplished towards this project in a mere four and a bit weeks. With my speed and prowess I'm sure I could revolutionise the world in the blink of an eye (or maybe a few centuries).


I did manage to corner my poor husband and force him to play photographer on one of those rare sunny days we had. So I finally have some shots of my polymer clay lentil necklaces on a model (only me, I'm afraid). Due to the wonders of Picnik I was able to take some rather oddly lit shots and come away with decent pictures. I'm particularly pleased with the one below because it's the first image I've been able to get of this necklace where the colours look right.


But now, fair readers, the lists call and I must away.

Handmade Quilts to Support Children with Cancer

As the curator of the McEtsy blog, I have had an event brought to my attention that I think deserves a mention. Michelle of Rubarb & Ginger, has made a commitment to help children with cancer by making quilts. Individual, customised quilts will be made for children at Ninewells hospital plus extra quilts will be sold to raise funds for CLIC Sargent.

Michelle has asked anyone who has spare fabric (or suitable craft materials) that they would be willing to donate or anyone who would like to help make squares for the quilts to please get in touch. You can check out the latest news about the event on the Rubarb & Ginger blog.

I think this is a really worthwhile endeavor and want encourage anyone who can offer their support to contact Michelle.

Not For the Fainthearted

I recently managed to get registered with an NHS dentist, after being without for 5 years. The dentist assured me that my teeth were fine, but I would need to visit the hygienist after such a long break. Today was the day and I'm sure you'll be quite relieved to discover there are no photos accompanying this blog post.

As I lay back in the chair, I was advised that the water syringe could be a little cold and if I wanted a break I could raise my hand. I can handle cold, I thought, I like the cold. What I got was an experimental form of water torture. It may be called a water syringe (although I wouldn't trust my memory on this) but it feels like a pneumatic drill. Firstly my face started to spasm, but I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing calmly through my nose. As the pain increased I tried to calculate how much of my mouth there was left to do and if I could make it all the way through without biting the hygienist's hand off. I was afraid if I asked her to stop I wouldn't be able to let her begin again, so I lay there clenching my hands over my stomach and trying desperately to keep my mouth open wide enough for her to actually finish the job.

Finally she stopped and asked if I was fine. I gargled unintelligibly. The hygienist correctly interpreted this to mean I needed to rinse and spit before I could manage human speech. I was concerned at this point that I was on a compassionate break, due to all the face twitching, and I was going to have to lie back for more. Relieved to find this was not the case, I discovered that now it was time to have miniature bottle brushes forced between my teeth. In comparison to what had gone before, this was almost pleasant, even if not painless. After testing a couple of sizes, the hygienist informed me that the brushes should fit when the swelling had gone down and not to worry about bleeding for the next 7-10 days.

Thinking that my ordeal was over, I started to relax, only to be cheerfully informed that I'd had a general clean and that next week she'll be going under the gums. As I sit here, hours later, nursing an aching jaw, I wonder if it's feasible to give up eating and drinking altogether so I don't have to go back.

Sew, Sew, Sew Your Tote

First up on the list of sewing jobs must be the tote bags I've had cut out ready to put together since the beginning of the year. And that brings me to a good tip if ever I had one (although I admit I don't remember if it was my idea or if I borrowed it from someone else): hang onto those heavy duty plastic covers that sheets and duvet sets come in and use them to store your sewing projects. I even included thread and buttons in a couple of the bags (how organised am I?).


I'm looking forward to finally seeing these completed, mostly as an excuse to start cutting fabric for new projects. Fortunately this should only take me a day or two (allowing for the spate of interruptions I can guarantee will occur as soon as I switch the machine on) as you can also see my pile of men's shirts awaiting transformation in the background.


This is what the finished article should look like, and this design is fairly simple to put together. If I'm very organised I'll have my camera ready when I'm putting these new ones together so I can post a tutorial sometime in the near future.

Advance of the Octopus

A number of interests have all come together in the last couple of days. A love of marine creatures, steampunk, randomness and polymer clay finally combined, resulting in a small collection of miniature cephalopods.


I hold my hands up and admit they are not anatomically correct, for a start they are suckerless. They are also somewhat different in colour to wild octopuses but just as difficult to photograph. And yet, these delicate little creatures have just devoured most of my day and I don't regret it one bit.


I'm not sure what to do with the unattached ones. Are they too delicate to use as pendants and, if not, how would I safely attach them?

I will now be packing away my polymer clay for a while as I have a large list of sewing projects waiting, and there is only room for one thing at a time on my dining table. Look out for upcoming projects including my version of Kristen's Men's Shirt Makeover (http://kristenmakes.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/mens-shirt-makeover/).