Eclectic Natural Printed dress 個人獨特裙子

 

It's a sunny summer day. 

Go natural, be myself.......

in a stable, greeting by the horse in a beautiful day...........

 

Not in a fashion trend but eclectic is my way. The day in a natural wrap with my own eco printed/ dyed "experiments". Having a good day in the north of the territories........

I've done lots of natural experiments with fabrics in many ways. To make use of my various scraps, I designed a simple loose dress just with a few panels, the front & back of botanical imprinted silk, two sides with turmeric dyed chiffon. Cut both down sides of the chiffon to sew the scraps of botanical imprinted silk. 

While I was thinking the next step, Mogi grabbed it for a nap......

   It's done, shoulders with folds, waist with strips. 

This is eclectic dress, either can be front or back but with different styles.

 

Tie the waist side strips to make ruffles movement.

 

With the loop and the twisted knot, wrap around to have folds in the front.

Such easy and simple to make a free size loose dress, I made without measurement. I'm no good in measurement or calculation but only done in instrict. Since I was a teenage my father bought me a Singer sewing machine which costed him a month's salary. He loved all of us. Today I have my hands to print, to make my own dress all credited to my beloved father.  He's in the Heaven I hope he knows I'm happy with the talent he gifted me. 

隨心隨意做的一件衣裳，沒有刻意去量度，祗是直覺的剪裁，因為這是自己穿著，沒有外來壓力，很輕鬆的完成，感謝父親在我年少時送給我一台勝家衣車，練就我對車縫的興趣。

Thinking of him on Father's Day today.

Refurbished vintage chair 翻修舊椅子

Come in, have some tea please .....

A chair almost in the waste disposal but I turned it into sort of vintage chair in my sanctuary.

 The day I passed by the waste bin near my urban block, I saw this used small chair but the wood is heavy and sturdy.  Only a tiny crack and paint off.  It is such a waste let it go disposed.

Clicked my mind to take it home and do something to keep it mine.

 I washed the chair and took out a fabric I printed in Vancouver with euc and maples.
With Paverpol technique learnt from Sharon G.,  I dipped the fabric into the Paverpol fabric hardener then covered the chair surface and the back.  This way is kind of decoupage I used Paverpol instead of Mod Poge.

 Made it flat and smooth just in a few minutes.  Let dry.  That's it.  A piece of "vintage" furniture with natural prints. 

 Sounds Mogi approves it !

 Another piece of furniture for my use.  Be it a stand for plants.....

 A stand for light tea .......

 A chair for corner reading or a chair to show my works 

 

Now this little chair is in my suburb studio by my side

 A look of the "Before and After"

 The normal size chair and the refurbished one

 

 

I like to do up cycling whenever possible. The ladder (last post)  and the rack (last post) were also refurbished and now proudly stand in my place.

Make something durable, longer usage, make the earth healthy.......... 

 

These days I'm not in good form and staying in my studio, a few miles away from home,  for a few days isolation as I do not want to spread flu virus.

 My sanctuary has lots of my own made stuff from ceramics, paintings to wool felt.....  I really enjoy the tiny studio of my own.

 Just a few minutes walk is the sea. These days the skies particularly blue with clouds.

 

Mogi, do you miss me?

Nono felt scarf workshop 羊毛混纖製作

 

                       

Now Hong Kong is into hot summer, a group of enthusiastic volunteers from a NGO was still interested in wool felt. Thankful for their engagement and glad to introduce the session of making a basic nuno felt scarf that's airy in summer air-con indoor and warm in winter days.

在盛夏的香港，難得非牟利機構的十位義工朋友有興趣玩玩羊毛工藝。是日在機構的安排下，學員們很投入的在兩個多小時從舗羊毛、加水、蓋紗、磨擦、滾動、搓揉等動作後完成一件輕薄的羊毛混纎四季皆宜圍巾。

          

A group of 10 persons working in the spacious venue

They started layering wool

Each of different layout of preferred colour

Some like black and white

Some like colourful 

After all the steps of wool layering, wetting, covered with net rubbing, rolling and fulling..... All done in 2.5 hours.

 

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Thank you for the group's engagement in all the settings. The first piece of nuno felt was an introduction to wool felt. I hope they would like to explore the versatility of wool and I'm more than happy to share my skills.

"Swirl" vessel " 旋風瓶子

 Versatility of wool is amazing. Ever since I encountered wool felt I almost hooked.  When I discovered other brilliant artists' works I was fascinated by the alchemy of turning wool into textile 3D shapes. Two years ago I went to Pamela A MacGregor's studio to learn tea pot making.  Every time when I see ceramic pots, vases, bowls... I come up all the possibilities of making 3D wool felt sculptures of the same sorts. 

 Last year I visited Israel Museum, the exhibits of ancient pots were most impressive .

 I decided to make my wool felt pot with the inspiration came from those exhibits.

I used Finnish wool,  mulberry silk and yarns for two-sided textures. 

 After some rounds of "rock n roll", removed the resist and took the handy tools for the fulling.

 All full, ready to cut off  both sides to show the textures.

Side one texture of "swirl" made of  Finnish wool.  The other side cut off to show the yarns.

 Embellished with banyan tree air roots.  

My latest work "Swirl"