Origami Dress

Maybe a bit mad but it needed to be done. :-)

Origami Dress

I am so in love with this dress, and I even thought about if it could be done, but the fact is, I might be okay with a crochet hook, knitting needle and a paint brush... but sewing needles are just not me. Anyway, this is a dress for the red carpet at the Oscars not for every day or even a special day...

Each layer of fabric has been designed around an origami fold (looseley), like the Kanzashi flower which is often used in Japanese accessories.

Each and every pattern was made by me and layered over the 'fabric' to create the damasque effect.


The shoes are based on a popular Japanese design and look a bit like the Geta sandals.

Mermaid Shawl - Progress Report - Part 2

A day and a half have brought me to this:


It is slow going but utterly satisfying. The funny thing is, it looks jolly complicated, but it isn't, really. I use it to try out new patterns - some I make up, others I get from the net or from my stitch library. The good thing about this is that I get to try a pattern I like the look of but don't need to do too much of it if I then find it's too fussy or I just can't remember the stitches... It does happen quite a lot with lace patterns. Some just don't seem to have a 'rhythm' that works with mine.
I am particulalry pleased with this fish tail. I hadn't intended to make a fish tail, but when I tried out that 'little scallop' pattern I thought it looked like scales... so one thing led to another and here's my pretty fish tail. I think I'll embroider it with some sequins at some point.

On the topic of embroidery, it took me all morning to embroider these beads and finish off all the loose threads (which is why it looks a little tidier now). Embroidery or sewing isn't really my thing which is why I try to pick up stitches or crochet on existing edges rather than have to sew on bits...

Here's a little ruffly coral that was knitted separately and incorporated with the rest of the shawl with a bit of creative crochet. :-)



And here's a limpet:


All in all there IS progress, but it will take time...

... mind you, I just ordered some specialist yarns (glitters, snarls, metallics and other fun stuff) in reds and pinks for the next one... this could become an addiction....

Sneak Preview - Mermaid Shawl

I've been labouring on the patio in the shade on my mermaid shawl. Here's a quick preview of what I've done so far.


There are still loads of unfinished threads and many more rows of knitting, crochet, many more stitches to embroider, a lot more assembling, and general agonising over what to do next....

However, here are some of the details:

Seaweed fringe at the bottom

Webbing


Little Shell


Spiral Disk Sequins

Shell Sequins


Snail


Anemone


I've used a whole range of yarns in a myriad of shades- from a silvery white to dark blue to every shade of turquoise and teal. The textures range from fluffy kid silk mohair to feathery to silky to glittery to sparkly. Some of the shapes are done separately and then attached to the shawl, others are knitted or crocheted onto the main body of the shawl. Some parts have been embroidered, to others I have added sequins. There are pearls and beads yet to come.

At the moment the shawl is only about a fifth of it's final length... so a lot more to go.

Smolder Shrug

This shrug took me some time, especially as it was supposed to be a cardigan!



I used a pattern but a different yarn which changed the shape. and so I ended up with a cardigan that just didn't look like it should... Here's a link to the original pattern.

So I unravelled the bottom of the cardigan (it's knitted from the top down) and changed it into a shrug. Much, much better. :-)

The picture doesn't really do it justice, but it's far too hot to try and take more pictures.... You'll get the idea. :-)



The yarn is Rowan Summer Tweed in Smolder and a little of a merino/mulberry silk yarn in a lovely dark red. The Rowan Summer Tweed is half silk half cotton and has a lovely texture.

It was very quick to knit - the whole cardigan only took me 4 days. Without the changes and extras it would have been really easy, however, I prefer my version of it. :-)

Alison's Magpies

Alison sent me some pictures of magpies she's taken. She obviously knows I like them. I wonder what gave it away? ;-)

Here they are (posted with her permission):


Aren't the pictures great?

I have a thing about magpies, ravens, jays, rooks, and crows. They are such interesting birds and highly intelligent. Apparently rooks are able to use tools, and even to make their own tools. There was an interesting bit on the news about this recently. (Read it here.)

Make sure you have a look at Alison's blog - lots of great photos and amazing stories to go with them.

Finally

Remember the illustrations I did a while back? Well, some of them were accepted for the Big Book of Contemporary Illustrations and I had an e-mail today saying that the 'on-the-shelf' date for the book is going to be sometime in September.

Here are the illustrations that were accepted:

Dragonflies, Alchemist's Cupboard, Red Back Spider, Marilynin Ottawa Orchid

I can't wait to see the finished book. Here's a link to the book entry on Amazon.

* * * * * * *

On another note, the Chanel-Boho top is finished but it needs washing and blocking... I've started a lovely raglan cardigan in deep red and I am waiting for some fancy threads and yarns to mix in with the mermaid bamboo I dyed to make a mermaid shawl....

* * * * * * *

... I am also working on an illustration and bought myself some mini canvasses to play with, probably with acrylics. I thought I'd start small (the canvasses are only postcard size). I also got myself some oil pastels to play with.... watch this space. :-) Not that I am bored with painting digitally but sometimes it's nice to have a proper brush and paint in your hand (and not just to paint the walls with).

An Award, for ME! :-)

Caroline, from Uniqart gave me an award this morning. What a lovely thing to wake up to:


And all the lovely things she said about me... My ears are still red! High praise indeed from such a talented artist who can even make potatoes look stylish. :-)

I am going to pass on the award to Toby at Natural Attril. He's a fantastic designer, not only for one so young but on any account. I greatly admire his focus and his business acumen, the latter of which is rare in artists, and he is lucky to have a talented mum who supports his ambitions and creativity.

Distractions....

Now my computer is finally back and in working order, I've been distracted designing Caroline's website. Check it out here. Caroline has signed up for this year's Cambridge Open Studios and was desperate to have her website up for people to view her art on the web.

The website is still an ongoing project as Caroline hasn't taken photographs of all the paintings she wants to show on her website and some of the info is still a bit sparse BUT at least it's up and running...

... so hopefully tomorrow I can finally get back to:

- finishing my top
- painting
- possibly dying some more yarn....

The weekend was gone in a flash with work on the allotment, including shifting lots of paving slabs in preparation for a shed. However, despite the hail we had yesterday all the vegetables are looking great (except for my poor melon). We even discovered a gooseberry bush at the back of the allotment with lots and lots of fruit, which I turned into three large jars of jam.