Our Creative Spaces: Printing + Bagging

My creative space this week has been all about fulfilling promises. Some of 
these involve screen printing and this orange number somehow came out of it. 



I began by printing with fluorescent yellow... but this was all but invisible 
except in the sun. (And don't get me started on lining up a screen to print when the 
rest of the printed pattern has disappeared into the fabric!)



So, I overprinted with fluorescent pink... but it's kind of bland too. Another sun shot 
here... too proud to show it's real dowdy self.
I think the more I use the computer the more I see colour in my mind as this 
back-lit explosion of vivid brilliance... which is obviously not the case in real life ;)



Next, out came the trusty embroidery floss... my attempt to add texture and colour 
brilliance to lift the bland-ness. I do rather like it but it can't be meterage... too high 
maintenance. So, they are going to be bags.



And I've accidentally ticked another job in my to-do list for someone I said 
I'd make a bag for. The others may go in the shop or they may end up as 
xmas presents.



I've only made up the front and back panels so far but I am pleased with how 
they are shaping up.



Note: flash photography can sometimes imitate that back-lit screen look ;)


What's in your creative space this week? See more here.

Our Creative Spaces: bubble and squeak week

I'm playing along with Our Creative Spaces this week - find more spaces here.





Actually, I've been quite sick with the flu this week, but I do have some bits and 
bobs to show you... I over-printed the fabric failure, with mixed results again.
Thinking I should leave it till I'm feeling well again ;)





There's been some experimenting with making the long narrow shape cushion 
with the crochet triangles....





I've also been toying with a new pixelated cushion in luscious dark shades....





Hope you've had a healthy and creative week? :)

Fabric Fail

I let myself be distracted by some screen printing over the weekend.



I decided to make my Atomic design less labour-intensive (I always block 
printed it before) and had a screen burned. 





I've been itching to try it out for ages. Unfortunately, I rushed the job.



Note to self: a bit of patience is worth it in the end ;) 


I'm now thinking a bit of over-embroidery upcycling might save the day :)

My Creative Space - Trying to Design

I'm playing along with Kirsty's My Creative Space this week. 

Visit Kootoyoo to join in or to see more spaces.

This week I've been procrastinating a lot. I haven't been sewing, I haven't been crocheting, I've done a bit of painting/drawing, but mostly I've been faffing about trying to decide on an Atomic design to burn a screen.

I've realised... 

(a) my blocks are falling apart and I just can't keep individually block printing the design each time (my poor thumbs!), and 

(b) that each time I block print the design it's all spur of the moment whimsy regarding placement... no two are the same!

So, I'm trying to decide on a final design... it's not going well ;)

So I've been amusing myself with making triangle patterns... 

Happy Creative Space everyone! I hope you've been more creative than me! ;)


I have a giveaway (below) too, if you're interested...

Tea towel love

Loving these new tea towels from Harvest Textile Studio in Melbourne. They've just opened their online store too :)

I know I'm not going to be able to resist these :)

Crafting

I was at my youngest's class on Friday helping out with their Christmas Craft Day. We made snowflakes from paper and then screen printed them on t-shirts. I think the girls had fun. Thanks to Ms Seear for letting me hang out at school :)

my Creative Space - bag no.4

I'm playing along with Kirsty's creative space meme this week - visit Kootoyoo to play too!

Finished is bag no.4 in my Atomic Green fabric and lined in an Ikea fabric.

I forgot to sew in a change pocket and I was having one of those "I'll remake the whole bag rather than unpick it!" moments, so I made a little purse instead. My girls are clamouring for pencil cases now.

Here's to happy accidents! Have a great creative space day :)

Bag no.3

The colours are a bit of a surprise, I do admit. It's not my usual palette so I find it difficult to appreciate this one. It doesn't have a swing tag either - the design is so busy everything I tried just looked 'too much'. Maybe if someone does want to buy it I'll block print their initials on little grey felt swing tags... maybe that will work... we'll have to see. Oh, and there's a side glimpse there too to show I did leave some panels with the white patch ;) Only one more bag to go... Atomic Green coming soon :)

Bag no.2

I've finished printing up the fabrics for my bags and now the sewing and construction work begins. I don't think I've shown you this fabric design... it's kind of a bubble and squeak really. I was having some fun with different screen printing patterns I had from previous endeavours. The colour choice was 'egg-ed' on by my Big Girl's love for aqua blue.

For a long while there I really didn't think it would all work, but then suddenly, it did. That's the funny thing about these bag panels, a normal fabric design can work but then a funny little put-together can too ;) The bag is lined with another Atomic colour combination I printed a while ago and never really found the right use for it. I think it works just fine as lining.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend :)

My Creative Space - Atomic Bag

I've been working on some bags in my Atomic design. This one is for a friend's Christmas Shopping list.

Find more creative spaces at Kirsty's over at Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space - Coral Tees

I've been doing some more screenprinting of childrens' t-shirts... this time in a coral colour and handpainting some more detail into the designs. It's quite intriguing how the Atomic design parts can be tweaked to look quite folksy :)

More creative spaces can be found via Kirsty's at Kootoyoo.

More Tees

Thanks for all the fabulous feedback about the new t-shirts. New colours have been requested, so I've been working on these. I do like the blue + red but I think I prefer the citrus and grey... any preference? I've decided to print up some extras of both colours to put in the 3 Sheets shop... and I've been playing with some girl t-shirt designs too. I'm not happy with them just yet - I think they need something 'more' - but here's a peek anyway...

Have a great week :)

My Creative Space - Boy Tees

click on photos for a closer look

I have a lot of problems finding gifts for boys. Probably because I have only daughters, I haven't had that immersion exposure that brings enlightenment ;) So yes, I'm the boring Aunty who gives clothes! My only hope for forgiveness is that the mums of these boys like the designs I've come up with for them :)

More creative spaces over at Kirsty's Kootoyoo.

My Creative Space - Fabric design

I've been experimenting with fabric design, printing up pieces of old cloth in a haphazard kind of collage way... It doesn't look like much and I know you've seen some of these design bits before but I've been trying to think of them in a fabric way if that makes any sense? ;) I'm very happy with my 3 tree motif and I've been playing with a telegraph pole screen and button hole cross stamp too. Not quite there yet but I'm enjoying the process :)

Pop over to Kirsty's at Kootoyoo to see more creative spaces or to play along yourself.

My Creative Space - Hit + Miss

My Creative Space this week was a real hit-and-miss affair with screenprinting a new stencil I'd spontaneously cut out on Monday. Making it all up as I went along, I thought I'd planned the design (with all the measuring etc) but I hadn't really thought about how it would work...

I decided to print up a few panels just to see how the stencil printed and these trials worked pretty well I think. My friend Sally gave me some bronze fabric paint for my birthday earlier in the year and I thought it high time I used it...

... making up a bit of a Three Colours Pink medley :) I did try to print them as a continuous pattern but it just wasn't going to work. The very talented Thea hinted at this and I knew the minute I tried to print them exactly what she meant! You were right, Thea :) So, it's back to the drawing board for reworking this pattern. Meanwhile... if anyone would like some pink and bronze panels for quilting or whatever, let me know and I'll send them to you! :)

To see more creative spaces or to play along yourself, visit Kirsty's at Kootoyoo.