Thinking Outside.......

Hello All,

 tonight's PaperArtsy blog takes a bit of rock art and puts it back outside on the rocks!

It's a combination of inspirations.......rock tombs, the custom of dressing the dead for

display in Italy, and the rocky beachy landscape that I see every day when I'm out

and about on my many walks with the boys.

The current theme for the PA blog is "faces" but nobody said they had to have skin on.

I think these guys have real character and look at home in their natural surroundings.

Take a look HERE to see how it's done and have a go.

P.

Victorian Steampunk Meets Halloween!

Hello All,

                If you have been looking at the PaperArtsy blog you will have seen this

 slightly weird corset style belt and the happy Halloween style stamping.

Pity I don't have the waist for it these days!

I promised to post the details of the pattern so that you can make one yourself. It really is

very easy, I just wrapped some paper round my waist to get the shape.

Cut out the pieces (3 plus 3 in reverse). I have placed the pattern on the 1inch squared

background for easy copying. To fit, the long length of each piece should be extended

or reduced to measure half your waist measurement plus half an inch. The two pieces

will be joined at the back with a half inch seam. Obviously the lacing at the front allows

for some expansion!

Sew the quilting lines as shown, and then all round the edge. the raw edges are covered

by the lace edging or can be bias bound.

5 eyelets are inserted on each piece, half an inch in from the front edge.

Am happy to answer any questions if I have missed something :)

And you don't have to sew.....

Bye for now, Penny.

Zentangle Inspired Quilting

Good evening all,

On Saturday I am giving a workshop for the Isle of Man quilting group

"Mannin Quilters" on Zentangle inspired quilting. It is a free machining

workshop, doodling in thread. Free machining is a brilliant way of designing

on fabric and I actually find drawing with the needle easier than with a pencil.

Anyone can do it .....but it does take practise like anything else.

A small wall hanging as an example.

And a cushion with 49 different patterns

For inspiration

Should be a good day!

And the next project is......

To replace this rather tatty Viking pennant for the House of Manannan museum in

Peel. Some serious double sided appliqué......mmmm!

I love a new challenge.

Bye for now, P.

Pearls and lace and work in progress....

Good Morning!

                      I really need to make more effort with the blogging. the problem is (now for

the excuses) I often work on projects the take a lot of time to complete, or that are made

in advance for later release, such as the PaperArtsy demo samples.

 What I need to do is perhaps aim to showcase work in progress, or the smaller

"that's too insignificant for blogging" things.

  This is the latest museum costume, based on this portrait of Countess Charlotte

(1599-1664), wife of the Earl of Stanley.

 It will be seen at Castle Rushen in Castletown (Isle of Man) as part of the current

 "History in Heels" season, featuring prominent women in history.

    This next photo is a sneak preview of another  project in progress.........

      I haven't done any goldwork embroidery for ages so this is a real treat!

     Anybody out there into Cosplay? Am thinking of branching out into a bit of fantasy

     costume making, so watch this space.......

                Bye for now, P.

A Bit of a Rush This Week....

Hello All,

                 there's nothing like a very short deadline to challenge the creative mind, and

this week a last minute call from PaperArtsy to illustrate the possibilities of some of their

newly launched products certainly gave me that challenge!

                 I have to say though that the images are generous and detailed so it wasn't too

bad really and I am pleased with the results :)

 Leandra's subtle colour choice turned out to be inspired

I should loosen up and play with my art materials more often, it's surprising what happens.

There are lots more examples on the PA blog tonight so take a look HERE.

Bye for now, P.

........And Back in the Room!

Well Hello people......it's been a while I know.

Sometimes the motivation wanes a bit, and blogging inspiration is difficult to find.
Practical tasks take over, too mundane to write about. And there's the "when I have
finished this I'll have so much time to do....." Er, no.

So to catch up...

My PaperArtsy project this week involved "Hidden Objects"

Messages in silk and stone. It's an interesting theme and well worth a look at what the
others have come up with so far.

With my practical hat on I made this snazzy waistcoat by request

and then played around with Zentangle stitching to get back into the free-machining
flow,

in preparation for a workshop for the Mannin Quilters group in September.
The motivation thing is so much better when you have PURPOSE (and a deadline).

And there's some interesting costume making coming up :)

Back to the practical.....giving the dog a haircut

He didn't want one.

Bye for now, P.

Finding Your Niche.....with a bit of rock art.

Hi there,

    I have been creating another bit of rock art for the PaperArtsy blog.

Living near the sea I seem to be drawn back over again to beach pebbles in all

their lovely shapes and colours. They are works of natural art in themselves.

The theme this time is "Niches".

So I have gone a bit archaeological with this one.

Why not visit the PA blog HERE to see how it was done.

Bye for now, Penny.

A Few More Curiosities....

Good evening All,

You may remember a few weeks ago

I made a few "curiosities" for Darcy's PaperArtsy product launch using her biological

stamp designs and including some stamping on microscope slides.

I promised to post some more details about how I did this....... so today on the PaperArtsy

blog HERE you will find step by step instructions on how to make your own microscopic

works of art.

Why not have a go and enter the blog challenge.

I would love to see what you create!

Best regards, Penny.

Doll Days......

Hello and Good Morning,

The last few days I have been doll making........ something that that I have come back

to many times over the years in different ways. This latest cloth doll is in 18th century

style, as part of my costume project.

The cloth face is tightly packed with toy filling making it a good firm surface for

painting with acrylic and a gloss medium, so it sort of looks like painted wood or

ceramic.

I am pleased with the hat...felted and beaten into shape from wool fibres. I hope I

have managed to recreate the style of face without it being quite as scary as some

of the 18thC originals!

Many years ago, I painted porcelain faces

Don't know if people are still doing these?

You have to have (or borrow) the equipment and a kiln, but cloth sculpture is much

more accessible.

Now back to the full sized costumes.

Have a good day, Penny.

18th Century Style........Pretty Frocks

Good Morning All,

        Much sewing has been happening here! Museum visits these days are so much

more interactive with the emphasis on visitor participation and "living history".

Everyone likes to dress up.

That is my brief for this collection of costumes.......they have to look correct

historically but be easy and fun to dress up in :|.

............and the visitors come in all sizes

Can't wait to see real people wearing them :) They look so much better....

(Photograph courtesy of The Studio Colby).

Ok back to the sewing machine. Best Regards, Penny.

Another PaperArtsy launch...A Cabinet of Curiosities.

Hello Again!

Having a chance to play with some new PA stamps by Darcy led me into

a wonderful and strange world of natural curiosities.......always been

fascinated by things in jars and bottles ( of a natural history variety!).

Many years of lab work and science must have had a lasting effect.....and a constant

inspiration for my art.

So I loved creating these. You can see more over HERE on the PA blog.

There will be more glass slide art coming later.

Back again soon, Best Regards, Penny.

Fabric, paint and new PaperArtsy stamps.

Good Evening!

     Been having a play with some new PaperArtsy products: stamps and lovely

bright paint colours. The houses are from the new Lin Brown Eclectica range

and the paints are a new limited edition set.

Unbleached calico (muslin) is a lovely base to stamp and paint on. It makes a nice

change from paper occasionally.

Two of the mini bag projects are over on the PA blog HERE.

And here are two more.......

One for sewists

and one for non-sewists!

If the flap-over purse takes your fancy....it is VERY simply made......any size...

Then fold the bottom up to about 1/2 inch from the beginning of the triangle and

stitch up the sides. Fold down the triangle to make the envelope shaped mini bag.

The larger house is stamped directly onto the flap, and the two smaller ones are

made separately on a double layer of fabric and stitched "over the edge".

Have a go......and enter the PA blog challenge.

Bye for now, Penny.