This week's progress

Well I stuck to the plan and for several days this past week I've been up early for a pre-work session in the studio. I have to admit I'm more productive in the morning than after work, and it does feel good to start the day knowing I don't have to force myself to fit in creative time at the end of the day when I'm over it. Up here in Far North Queensland it's well and truly light and balmy even at 5.30 am so getting out of bed isn't too difficult. I did spend some time moving things around to fit in the large table I used to have in my Hobart studio. But now that I have dedicated areas for cutting, ironing, sewing and beading, I'm on a roll.

The only thing is, I still actually don't know what I'm making! I've always worked best with an end product in mind and I'm just not sure what that is right now. I remember my art teachers urging me to just make and explore and ideas will come, so I'm doing that. I've taken those lovely pink fabrics I gathered last week and have been experimenting with them using the same techniques and a similar motif to the work I was doing last year. Maybe it's the tropical environment or the climate, I don't know, but  right now I'm drawn to bright colours rather than the muted eco dyed silks I used back then. This new colour scheme and slightly more elongated shapes are giving that old idea a new lease on life. I guess that's what design development is all about… introducing different elements to an existing design and seeing where it goes.

So from this idea I could make brooches, hair accessories, miniature artworks, a major wall hanging or all of the above. For the moment though, I'm just enjoying the act of being creative (almost) every day. Let's see how long I can "stick to the program"…..

Here are some pics of this week's progress.

Please do leave a comment with any fabulous ideas!

Cheers,

Deb x
deborahotooletextileartist.com

My study old 70s sewing machine (a hand-me-down from my Mum) ready to roll in the early morning light.

Pinks on pinks on oranges, ready for stitching.

Opaque pieces stitched down.

Then the sheer layers added.

I use the free embroidery foot on my machine to sew through the layers creating the quilted effect.

I like to do a couple at a time.

The free embroidery allows me to use the machine like a fine liner and create fluid lines.
Here the basting glue I use to keep the pieces in place as I sew is still visible!

I then cut the pieces away from the backing cloth. Here I was experimenting with combining two pieces together.

Now I'm trying out a different colour combo on some mini motifs.