Theme of the Year of the Sheep 羊年喜氣 "羊羊"

            The upcoming Chinese New Year falls on 19 Feb. 

 With the zodiac of Year of the Sheep (Ram or Goat), I made something of wool felt related to sheep. Of course wool is the media and the sheep is the theme. Not much like doing needle felt but I did make the small sheep.

今年農曆年是羊年, 藉此做些以羊仔為主題的手作. 針氈小羊兒, 濕氈羊毛畫及在牆壁塗畫小羊. 充滿喜氣 "羊羊".......

   This is a wool felt painting of landscape with yurts and gazing sheep.

 In Mongolia the traditional roof of the yurt is made with wool felted blankets but this one is my Israeli friend Rachel's son with family lives in the North near Galilee.  Last March when I was there Rachel took me there for a visit. Post of my last Israel visit.

 There're a few yurts in the site.  

 Simply life for the family. One of the yurts is a playground for the kids. Rachel made the eco printed vest for the grandkid.  I helped stitching the seams.

 View through the door is endless green field with pretty wild flowers.

 I was relaxing with the dog ......

 and watching the free-range hens.....

With the beautiful memory of the Israel landscape, I came up the landscape picture of yurts and sheep instead of hens

 This is the finished wet felt picture of sheep

 Who knows I felted the yurt with this hair from my Chinchilla fluffy ball !

 As it's the Year of the Sheep for the Chinese New Year, I made a phone pouch with both sides sheep. Red packets are given during the new year days

Red is fortune, red is luck, red is welcome. 

  

"Mum's ready for the New Year of Sheep and painted the wall with a little sheep !!"

Wish the Year of Sheep brings luck to you all !

Bontanic Alchemy 植物奧妙之美

What the botanic

alchemy is? A plant is not only a plant.   See how you make use of it. A dying plant can make something forever pretty.  These marks I made the eco prints with the windfalls and fresh leaves on a silk fabric. 

The other day I picked some windfalls and a few fresh eucalyptus leaves near my studio.

To use the same method (last post) of sandwiching leaves in between rich iron fabric and white silk fabric then steamed for an hour.  Stayed overnight in a themo pot.

Unbundled it after 6 hours.  Quite nice to my expectation.  

Green leaves are still green

The dried leaves still got some bold prints of brown.

Nature alchemy - blowing in the fall.

Fall has fallen. Nature is changing it's clothing, green to red to yellow. Then falling.....

It's not the end of some kinds of plants.  Eucalyptus are mysterious to prolong their beauty for persons who love it to keep it forever - the prints I love. 

These are not dirty scraps. My treasure to do with eco prints.

Shade for Mogi, to play seek and hide.....

I'm hooked in experimenting plants prints. These days I was fallen down.  Got a cold, sore body and ...... Bed rest for some hours. 

Done the bundle last night, in the early morning I was so excited to see how it looks.
Almost forget my illness.

Pets help healing pains.  When I was in bed, Mogi laid beside me, I pinched him and told him I was tired and painful. 

Mogi said, "Mum I'm feeling quite good when you're soothing me!"

Subtle color scarf of nature beauty.

Got better now and going to pick some more windfalls.

Have something indulged, keeps pains away.

Linking with FromDreamToReality

Color from Mother Nature 奇妙色調

For the preparation of upcoming eco print workshop I tried the fabrics bought.  I'm serious in teaching.  I make sure the materials are good. Done a few pieces in the last 24 hours.  

All with fresh or dried euc leaves, barks, rose leave, air roots..... 

 Leaves prints on a wool felt scarf

  Different shades of orange color of euc leaves.  All are strong 

 Soft and light chiffon scarf with fresh euc leaves

 My first trial with banyan tree air roots to make a painting of "grasses and flowers"

 Folded to have double side

 I may make a tote bag with this double-sided fabric

  Floating in the air

 Propellent of curiosity of eco print will be long.  We've a saying "A journey of thousand miles begins with a single step".  There're lots to discover, lots to experiment. 

 Are  the 4-legged ones walking faster to success !!??

 Mogi - my 4-legged.  I count on him to  show my piece in a good manner.

Oh dear,  you. behave...... 

 Giggle...

 Prints of bayan tree air roots are wonderful to discover.  Tried before the leaves but no avail.
 

 But the thriving leaves are good shade for sunshine and rains

 A bounty of beauty from Mother Nature.

 Curiosity of eco print drives me into never ending experiment.

Mogi said, "mum, do whatever you like, whatever you find happines but don't bother me.  I wish I've wings to fly......" 

  Linking with Happyhourprojects
Linking with FineCraftGuild

How come the tortoiseshell dye ? 怎麼會是玳瑁色?

 Done the eco dye on a habotai fabric intended to get the leaves print.  How come it looks like this?  Total out of my expectation - terrible.  Got to learn from error.

這件絲質料是用植物印染, 本意想要有明顯的葉紋效果, 誰知一團糟,  太深色, 好似玳瑁色, 可能是布料不洽當曾浸在鹽水? 還得要再做實驗.

 Thought fabric soaked in sea water for mordant would get nice effect.  Instead I soaked my white habotai fabric in salt-solved water, bundled around the iron cans and  boiled for an hour in the dye pot with eucalyptus leaves and barks.  Challenged my patience to wait for some 10 days to unbundle.......

 OMG, very disappointed, only a few marks of leave.  Most part is dark with can marks and brown of euc dye pot. 

 

Not my cup of tea.  

 Mogi, "Mum, what's that?"

 "Mum, smell of euc is good and the white string mark seems not that bad."

 "Mum always plays tricks on me and challenges my patience"

 "Well, I'm always a good guy to demo"

 "Should I change my fur to tortoisehsell look like this one?"

Daunting at times but learning from errors and trials is way to success.  Well. this weekend will do some more euc prints experiments on silk fabrics and wool felt scarf for my upcoming class.  Better to keep this in stash for sometime.

Thanks for stopping by.  Have a nice weekend.

Linking with HappyHourProjects