Tapestry Exhibition

After nine years, I have finally finished studying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am having an exhibition in the crypt of the Good Shepherd Chapel at the Convent Complex at Abbotsford.  This is an amazing place and an amazing space and if you are not familiar with it, do what is standard procedure these days - Google it.   I started this journey in 2006 at RMIT and did a few subjects per semester then in 2011, I transferred to  Warnambool which specialises in tapestry weaving.   I started this blog to use as a visual diary in Yr. 3 at Warnambool and the first tapestry I put up was one for my son who built me a loom.  People keep asking me what I am gong to do with myself now that this is finished; I am sure I will find something.
Here is the invitation.

Quite a few of the tapestries in the exhibition,  are posted about in the blog earlier this year.

It would be nice to see any blog lookers there.

Not Tapestry

My sister turned 70 this year so for her birthday I made a Family Sampler to give her.  I used to do lots of cross stitch so I knew it would take a lot of time and I  started in Feb. to have it finished by her birthday in July. 

I used 32 count linen and only sewed in the middle of the day when I could see  properly.

It took me ages to work out the design; the surnames are blocked out for obvious reasons.

It looks much better ironed.

 

Tapestry 4

The whole of the last blog didn't get published because I inadvertently pressed the jump break button and the rest of the blog disappeared.  Now I know to avoid it.

Finished.  I have enjoyed weaving these tapestries.  My sister said they looked like I had cut them up and rewoven them; they are meant to look like that.

Now for a larger one to complete the series.

Tapestry 4

I have finally finished the 8 tapestries relating to the Christmas Table Cloth.  I used the same process throughout.  I wove a small 10cm X 10cm using images and letters from the cloth.

I then played with this image in Photoshop to come up with a background I liked.

 Then I collaged a Christmas symbol and other bits to complete the design.

It looks a bit dull as I scanned it.  In this cartoon I added the Christmas stocking, made a line from the white weaving and completed the C.  Then I wove.

Tapestry 3

I have finished (nearly) tapestry 3 and I have had  some trouble with the design.  In the first instance, I had the bell on an angle and it looked awful ; so I pulled it out, changed the angle  and wove away.  I am thinking of putting a bow on the bell before I take it off the loom.

This is the small 10cm X 10cm tapestry  I used to distort to get my final image.

One of the distortions; not the one I finally used.

The design with the bell on an angle.

It was much easier with bell straight; not as interesting but easier to weave.

May 26 th.

May 27th.

Looks awful.

June 4th.

June 7th. 

It's amazing how different the greens appear; it is the same mixture though.
Another step closer.

Finished Tapestry 2

I have finished tapestry 2 of the 4 larger ones I am doing; here are some pics.

I must have taken the last picture on a sunny day in the studio; the real colour is more the first picture.  I have taken it off the loom and am in the process of finishing it off.  I quite like this tapestry.  There are not as many columns (for want of a better word) as the first one.  I have started tapestry 3 and about half way there but I will blog about it when I finish, hopefully, at the end of this week. 

It is ages since I posted a blog; life sometimes intrudes.  The course I was  been doing at Warnambool have cut out years 5 and 6 about which I was very disappointed. I thought they were the "cream on the cake" years where you got to develop a series of tapestries and when I expressed my thoughts, I was offerered some of the subjects - Yr. 5 and 6 tapestry and design which I was very happy about.  I decided to develop the Christmas Table Cloth idea to do a series of 4, 20 cm X 20 cm tapestries based on smaller 10 cm X 10 cm tapestries using the same technique and idea I used for the one posted earlier this year; and in 2nd semester do 2 larger ones. I  have woven 3 small tapestries and have started to weave the second of the larger tapestries.  Here is the process I have gone through.

The small 10 X 10 cm tapestry

The final design.

The colour is different because it has been printed.

Work in progress.

Dyeing Paper

Several weeks ago (where have the weeks gone)  I did a natural dyeing of paper, bookmaking and Shifu workshop with Velma Bolyard at Beautiful Silks.  There were 7 of us in the class.
First we wrote/drew on Lokta paper for the Shifu.

.

Then we drew maps on the Lokta.

Next we used the  Arches text wove paper  and stitched silk or organza on it and scribbled with a graphite pencil.  It was then folded with various leaves, flowers etc and secured with string and large paper clips before putting them into the dye pot.  Here they are being fished out.

Next we unfolded them carefully as paper is liable to tear.

Next the various papers, silk and dyed fabric were made into registers - 

to be sewn together to make a book.

Cloth

Last year I did the workshop at the ATW associated with the Kate Derum exhibition. The workshop was run by Kay Lawrence.  For the workshop we had to bring a piece of cloth which had some meaning and I brought our Christmas table cloth.  Many  years ago I made the cloth and when the plum pudding had been consumed, I gave everyone a fabric pen or glitter pen and told them to write or draw something on the fabric.  You should have seen their faces!  The cloth is about 17 years old now and although it is not used every year, it has a wealth of memories.

A section of the cloth

At the workshop we had to use the piece of cloth to design a small tapestry and much of the time was spent in sampling and producing a small tapestry.

This is my first attempt featuring part of an angel and some lettering.  From there I scanned this image and distorted it to get this.

Then finally this.

The colour is not right here because that's how it came off the printer.

So after many months of sloth and disinterest, I have decided to weave this for an online exhibition later this year.  I have a colour pallette and have wound bobbins and started -  full of high hopes.

Hope it doesn't get too hot again.