Barks and leaves prints 樹皮配葉印畫

 Eucalyptus printing is such fun to play with.  We can make color from barks to leaves.

Come and have tea.  I show  you the brief making of the placemats.
從樹皮到葉子每片都 "出色" , 桉樹 (尤加利) 由始都是我的至愛植染, 加上印在羊毛绒布上更明顯, 做了四片同系墊子或作掛畫, 
對著墊子, 一口清茶, 讚嘆桉印染的奧妙........

 See that impatient brat...... but he's my good company for shots.

 The wool flannel is a wonderful fabric to take the pigment. So I put the euc leaves and tree barks to form my desired layout.

 After 1.5 hours bundle boiling,  came out quite bold prints but too plain.

So, I put a few pine needles and rose leaves to make a better look.  The right one is the outcome.

 Same for the the above one and the other two pieces, I put the same pines and rose leaves to change the look.  They're boiled again for another hour.

 Then came out better and I back each with dark brown fabric.

 Sewed the fabric with the printed wool flannel.

(Have to bear with this brat even in my cramped workspace)

Made a set of four different layout botanical printed placemats.

Thought it also looks good as wall hanging.

Eucalyptus is such a pretty tree to give different shades and shapes of prints.  Loving it.....

Fingers crossed if I put this set on my ETSY or for a planned project coming soon.

"Behave brat !"

But he's sometimes such a great observant !!

I'm making another piece of wall hanging used pine needles and euc for the layout.

Stay tuned for my next post.

The gifts - nuno felt dresses modelling 一展我的製作

 

My last post I mentioned the expected gifts on my day. Here shows what they're. 

The logwood dyed chiffon I tore to pieces and made a seamless nuno felt dress (the left one).  With the leftover of the silk scraps I also made a seamless nuno felt "one shoulder dress" (the right one).  The purple crinkle silk chiffon is the gift from hubby on my last birthday. All done in one piece without needle, sewing or thread.  Merino is the "glue".

I'm a year wiser, I don't mind about age but I care about the anniversary.  That's the excuse to make something memorable for self. I don't need precious present.  I told my hubby yards of fabrics are fine to pamper me.  So I made these dresses,  probably not to wear but to satisfy own creativity and practise what I've learnt.  However I need a good feature to demo.  I asked my daughter.  She's reluctant, yes, unwilling in the first instance.  She said she's no more younger to show.  I said she's the perfect to show my wearable.  She's ever young and pretty in my heart.  Then we went to the beach........

 

The dress base is very fine silk gauze, flowing like the waves.  The front is made with the prints of euc and logwood dyed purple. 

  

 The back chiffon is mainly logwood dyed blue/ purple

 It's reversible

 The other side is mainly white because of the silk gauze, makes it a two-styled dressing.

 Close up of the textural nuno felt surfaces

 Front and back look

 I used the leftover of the previous project to make a "one shoulder dress".

 With focus on the textural top, some fine silk gauze, mulberry silk were used.

 Finished textural effects

 Close up of top, front & back as well the main part on the shoulder.

 The one shoulder gown all made in one piece, no needle, no sewing, no thread.

 The long draping can be put up - make it a short look.

 

Or let it flowing in the wind

 Airy and light

 

 

 

Thank you girl you made me a happy day, a fabulous week and a wonderful life.

Eco printed fabric bag 植物印染布袋

 

A bag specially made for my good friend, iL.

Last time we met I saw her still using the fabric bag I made her years ago but it's wore out. Happy that she used it till wore out, that means she liked it. Making a bag takes me time. In the market one can buy the mass production at very cheap price. I gave some friends my handmade bags but I know some may not have put to use. They may not know how much effort I've put on making OOAK.   Now I will only give to someone who really appreciates my work. 

 

The bag I made with the sample prints of pines and euc on  "boiled wool".  

 

I made use of the strips to put on the fabric bag, that's the theme.

Yellow to golden euc I picked in the train station and dark prints of pines I picked in my mother's area.

 

I sewed the bag with the fabric leftover of last projects.   It's a mid-night.

The bag is double-layer with inner pocket. Straps are long enough to put on shoulder.  Bag size is just a A4 fit with box base.

Side A

Side B

My friend, iL.  You said when you see the leaves you thought of me.  You know I'm  hooked on botanical printing.  This is specially for you - for your new page. 

Crazy mum and the fluffy

 

"Mum's so crazy, she's crazy about fleece, she's crazy to do felting in the hot days"

Yes, we're into summer but I still crazy about wool felt. Being fibre fanatic wool is my second skin. Like my hair and skin,  wool follows me life long. Last weekend my studio neighbour Z. got some raw fleece from NZ,  freshly shorn from lamb and sheep !

大熱天還攬著毛茸茸, 瘋瘋的. 是喲, 羊毛就好像我的身體髮膚, 無論冬夏總是隨著我走, 這日鄰居給我好大袋的新西蘭原羊毛, 我們先做一小片試試, 好易氈化,好柔軟的, 之後我做了一大片牆上掛飾, 然後加上植物印染, 又可成為冬日肩上被飾.

  

We played a sample with all those 5 breeds.  They're so beautiful, curly and sheen.

 

Not long we felted a piece, so soft and easy felt except for the black one.  I'm not sure what are the species, one should be Romney.

 

My neighbour's so kind to give me a lot. I'm crazy about raw fleece especially the curly ones.  Immediately I made in the studio a wall hanging with all those fleece. 

1) I laid them carefully with the tips up, in the middle left the flat blank white but scattered some mulberry silk.  

2)Turned it over and layered a thin wool

3) Covered with scraps of chiffon as backing and light draping. 

4)  I made it in the both room since it's muddy. 

Less then 1.5 hours finished with the sheen look.

I hang it in the studio.  It looks fine,

Like playing color with euc. Why not put some color on it ?

I dipped the leaves in vinegar, rolled up the bundle and boiled for 1.5 hours.

"Hmmmm, what's the smell?"

"Pleasant? Yap, I love the heavenly smell."

Color added. Leaves sheen with mulberry silk .

The "Before and After" wall hanging.

Indeed I also like the original but keen on experiment of natural prints.  

 

Be it a wall hanging, a table runner or a shoulder wrap in a cold winter.

A bit color is fresh in a gloomy winter.

"Oh mum it's already summer here.  Are you crazy to wrap with all those fluffy?"

Well, refresh with the cool mint in the hot summer.  This is the display of art walk in Stanley where my little studio located.