Ghosts!!

I have started dyeing samples with Procion MX for the cover of 'Christmas Carol' This is the first. A bit too much light from the flash. The background is really a uniform iron gray. The next thing to do is trying bleaching the ghost shape. Actually the next thing to do is read the Thermofax Company's website and dispatch the title design to be turned into a Thermofax.

The knots in the ghost warp have passed into the Megado's castle. Normally the warp stick finishes a few inches below the bottom of the photo so I have already gained 10 inches of expensive warp. At this stage, the knots had not met the heddles. Since then the knots have made it half way through the heddles. It is slow going because I have to inspect the shed before each pass, from which you may deduce that I did not cut the knot tails short.  Yes it is slow but I would rather not risk an accident with a pair of scissors. I can clearly get yet another six inches out of this but the knots still have to clear the reed.

Progress on Most Fronts

I have been busy since the last post. Putting everything away after Sunday's class, weaving on the Megado, continuing to rethread the Louet Kombo and fighting with Michael's firm of carers who are being unhelpful. Oh well.

When Ruth, No 1 daughter, was here over the weekend, she admired the Megado's warp from the back and then moved round to the front and admired the fabric even more. The upshot is that it will be made into cushion covers and  given to her for Christmas. I am quite pleased about this because I could not think what I would do with it. There is not enough for a jacket and, in any case, the next warp is for a jacket. I will use a matching plain fabric for the backs of the cushions and should get four cushion covers out of the length. The ghost warp has come into view on the Megado and the next weaving session will see it through the heddles. I left long tails on the knots but I don't think I can rely on getting them cleanly through the heddles and reed so intend to cut them short as late as possible. What this implies is that it is time I started planning the next Megado warp. The yarn is all sitting on the office desk and I have decided in principle what to do but need to sit down and do some sums to make sure I have enough of everything. Then it is space dyeing warps with acid dyes. Did I say I was going to use the design I generated at the Creative Development course in October? Did I also say that Samantha is running another course next September and that my sister, Dorothy, and I have signed up for it already.

We have also signed up with Committed to Cloth for a 5-day course on screen printing fabrics. That is late October 2011.

The Kombo rethreading is now about half done.

I have also spent (wasted) 24 hours with some bug. Since Michael had it and so had our son-in-law, we think this is a family gift. Not at all serious.

This morning Michael and I did a session with mono-printing using acrylic paint and paper. Discovered all sorts of useful facts. Absorbent paper is better than cartridge paper. Flow System acrylics are better than ordinary ones which dry too fast.  Michael has not exhausted the possibilities of paper yet but I have and shall go back to fabric tomorrow

Japanese Bookbinding

The class worked incredibly hard and, at times, there was total silence in the hall! This shows some of the results. Every one of the ten students managed to make two books although 3 or 4 will have to finish the sewing at home.  They all seemed happy about this and I think some of them will be going on to do more at home. 

The only annoying thing was entirely my fault. I put all my sample books in a plastic crate and added a carton of milk and, yes you've guessed it, I have milk on three of my sample books. I don't see what I can do except let them dry out and hope the stains are not too bad. One has nearly dried out and you would have to know that there was a stain there to notice.  But one has been soaked. Oh well, there is a moral there somewhere.

I have unloaded the car but have no intention of tidying up till tomorrow.

Monoprinting

Yesterday was monoprinting day at Bourneville. I have used this method before when doing City and guilds in Creative Sketchbooks but that was on to paper. I was never very smitten with it. However Annette Lucas (the Bournville tutor) is first rate and produced lots of samples on fabrics ranging from felt to calico to organza and with a variety of paints.  Several of the class had come with the intention of getting on with their piece of wearable (including me). Instead we all mono-printed and had a great time. We used acrylic paints and a textile medium. The purple and black in the photo is felt and it took the paint really well. One interesting fact is that it hardly alters the handle of the fabric. I can see this being used for book covers.

When I got home and displayed the results to Michael, he was very taken with the method and has sent for a tub of textile medium. We don't have any shortage of acrylic paints in this house!!

I did do a little work on my wearable art which is going to be a loose waistcoat with calladium leaves in Mola work on the fronts and the back. The photo on the left shows the back shape. The front is three much smaller leaves in a vertical row. I have space-dyed some silk velvet and am using that as well as odd bits of printed cotton from the stash. So I pinned all the layers together yesterday and intend to sew them up before the next class.

Everything is ready for the bookbinding class tomorrow except the book guide which needs a final coat of varnish. 

And Ruth has arrived from Kuala Lumpur for the weekend so must go and talk to her.

I have pasted the last few fabrics onto paper for next Sunday except that the arabesques (lower right) is for a cased-in book for me and will not be going to the class! 

I have started on making a book guide, wood sawed up and sanded, first pieces glued and clamped. I have been meaning to make one of these for about a year and I am glad I have got round to it. It does make things easier.

I went to the bookbinding class yesterday and continued with paring bits of leather - and not making a good job of it. These are only practice pieces but all the same - - the level is terrible. I was sitting there gloomily wondering what to do about it all. So much effort (three weeks worth) and nothing to

show for it. And even if the leather was alright, I still have to do the tooling for the title and author. Then a Eureka moment. If I were to dye some calico black and red and use a discharge process or possibly wax, I could get back to a a shape in white on black and then I could have a Thermofax made with lettering in Photoshop andscreen print the title and author. The graphics on the left are a first stab at seeing what it might look like. 

Michael thinks the font for the title is awful. I don't (AND IT'S MY BOOK) so it stands. To start with, I will space dye some calico in black and red and  try a discharge process.

Getting Ready

It was too cold, just above freezing, to paste fabric to paper today. The garage has no heating and it was not so much my comfort I was worried about as the effect of all this cold on wet paper and fabric. If it continues cold, I will do it in the kitchen on Thursday.

I did finish off the student's handbook on Japanese-style Bookbinding which has turned into a monster with lots of graphics and photos and step by step instructions on how to sew a Japanese style book in four variants. It occurred to me that had I started a lot sooner, it would have been a nice touch to bind it into a Japanese book!! Never mind - next time! 

That took all morning although I did manage to get the table mat warp wound onto the Louet and intend to thread up today as well.

Yesterday was a very enjoyable afternoon shopping in Cheltenham with Anne. Spent a lot of money but mostly on Christmas presents. I admit to buying two pairs of trousers and two cardigans. The cardigans were not essential but the trousers were since I don't own a pair which fit me. I am still losing weight although rather more slowly now. That has one advantage. I don't think twice about  eating cake with my coffee when out!! But as that only happens rarely, it would be okay anyway. It has come to something when a visit to Costa coffee counts as a great treat.

Michael has a visitor today - must go and offer refreshments!

Preparation for Next Sunday

I spent Sunday getting ready for next Sunday when I am teaching a class in Japanese -style bookbinding. Note the word 'style'. This is not purist stuff with the correct Japanese paper but more about the stab binding and how to make a hinged cover.

There are piles of decorated paper for covers, all labelled with what they are best for. My grand-daughter made up packs of paper (watercolour, sketch, cartridge and Khadi handmade) for me two weeks ago.

And yesterday I pasted five lots of fabric to paper.

Here they are drying. Each piece should do two A5 books. I ran out of prepared paste and need to do another lot soon, like tomorrow. I aim that the students should make at least two books and hopefully three, even if they have to finish the sewing at home.

I also need to finish writing the student handout. The demo stuff is all done. A last check will be made on Thursday. That will give me time to buy/make/acquire anything that is missing.

Michael did a lot of screen printing yesterday. Last time, he found it difficult because the table was too high for him in his wheelchair so I bought a tarpaulin at Halfords and put it down in his room, put my height adjustable table on top and that was fine. For the first time, the printing was done with Manutex and Procion MX dye and that worked well. The printed pieces are all in the garage drying. I will bring them in later and dry them off indoors.

The warp for the table mat is wound and ready to be put on the Louet Kombo. It has ended up as 22/2 cottolin in dark blue, brown and red with 2 threads of blue to one each of the others. I was getting fussed about weaving for the Christmas cards but have designed the 'table mat' warp to be used for cards as well. 

I am going to Cheltenham this afternoon with Anne, my daughter, to get some Christmas shopping done. At some point this morning, I need to think about what I want to buy!! But the builder is coming back to finish off the door and the McMillan nurse is coming to see Michael so maybe - but more likely it will be done in the car as I drive to Cheltenham.

I went to Kennet Valley Guild on Saturday and listened to a good talk on dyeing by Helen Deighan. Realised later that she talked using samples to hold up and illustrate her points - no slides - no Powerpoint presentation and all quite effortlessly.  The weaving group discussed the projected exhibition in November 2011 and agreed that a rainbow of scarves would be feasible so Rosie Price prepared bits of paper each with a colour written on it and these were handed out. There were some cries of 'Oh, no!!, I hate green' but a certain amount of swapping went on and everyone ended up happy. There will be 16 scarves in all. The idea is that only the overall colour effect is specified. the weavers can use dimensions, yarn, pattern as they please. I got yellow.