Tag Archives: Fremantle

Random Thoughts and Other Stuff

25 Wednesday Mar 2015

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I know I’ve been really slack at posting when I come back to the WordPress site and none of it is familiar! OK, that’s not entirely true, some of it looks the same, but other bits seem totally different. When did that happen? Obviously I haven’t been paying enough attention.

More attention than the person who sent me one email recently though. To be fair, the email wasn’t directed just at me, it was a bulk mailing from a list I subscribe to. Touting a webinar on ‘better blogging’ or something like that. They lost me in the first sentence though, which read “Weather you blog for family and friends, or to promote your business…”. Their spelling mistake, not mine! Seriously, if you are going to promote yourself as advising people on how to write, please spell check more effectively than that!

OK, rant over. What else has been happening? I sent my entries off to the Sydney Royal, and I know that this year they arrived in time, because I tracked them on Australia Post. The show starts in two days, so I guess the judging is happening about now, but I’m not sure when the results come out. I’m not expecting anything great, just pleased with myself that this year I got the entries there in time. I hope at least to get to know the judges’ comments, that was one of the most instructive bits about entering some things in the Perth Royal Show a couple of years ago.

I’ve been busy working on a couple of other things, and also decorating my bedroom, as well as trying to keep the garden tidy. We had rain (the first for many weeks) about 10 days ago, and the weather is getting cooler and more pleasant, so that I can raise some enthusiasm about gardening again. I ordered some spring bulbs, so I shall have those to plant in a week or two. I have promised myself I’m going to try to look after them this year, so that hopefully they will flower for more than one year, instead of just vanishing after the first season. I ordered Dutch irises, anemones, ranunculus (ranunculi?), hyacinths, freesias, bluebells, and a few other things I’d never heard of before, but which looked good in the photo! Optimism springs eternally – I guess that’s pretty much the point about optimism, it’s always there.

Also spent a weekend in Fremantle recently, and took this photo, which I quite like. Although, it’s probably hard to take an ugly photo of boats, they’re generally attractive things.

Boats in Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour

There was also an exhibition of sculptures on Bather’s Beach, I think I liked this one the best.

Sculpture on Bather's Beach Fremantle, Portable Self Support Machine by Claire Bailey

Portable Self Support Machine by Claire Bailey

I’ve often thought it would be nice to have something like that in the garden – what do you think?

 

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Fremantle Limestone embroidery

15 Monday Oct 2012

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I finally got around yesterday to taking some photos of the wallhanging I entered in the Show, and here they are.

Fremantle Limestone wallhanging

Sorry I wasn’t able to resist leaving the prize card on it! Some close up shots:

close up

Close up 1

One of the ways I created texture in the piece was to attach shells to it, some which I had collected many years ago on the beach, I think in Rockingham or Kwinana. I made small pieces of machine embroidered ‘lace’ using water soluble stabiliser, stitching over it randomly in roughly circular motion. After washing out the stabiliser and drying the pieces, I laid them over the shells on top of the background fabric, and stitched around the edges, using the same kind of random circular motion, so that it looks as if the lace is growing out of the fabric. I was aiming to imitate the way shells and stones sometimes get embedded in rock.

close up 2

Close up 2

I made this texture by stitching from the wrong side of the fabric, with the top tension really loose. The top thread gets drawn to the underside in big loops. I then ironed on some fusible interfacing on the wrong side to hold the threads in place, and pulled out the bobbin thread, leaving the loops behind.

Close up 3

Close up 3

I made some crochet chain out of perle cotton, and hand stitched it down – machine stitching flattened it too much. The little bunches of threads that look a bit like flowers I made by looping the thread and stitching over it, then cutting open the loops. A wooden skewer is really useful for holding threads and so on in place while you stitch them down. It’s smaller than fingers, and doesn’t hurt so much if the needle goes through it!

I’m pretty pleased with the way the piece came out, and it’s certainly inspired me to have another go.  I already have a couple of ideas in mind, in the meantime I’m going to turn my attention to making some skirts to wear for work this summer.

 

 

Embroidered eroded limestone

17 Friday Aug 2012

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Well, here I am again, having missed at least a month. Pressure of work is my only excuse, but I’m determined not to give up. I really want to continue with the creative stuff, whether it is writing or art or sewing or whatever.

I have been busy, but I have decided I will spend at least half an hour each day doing something creative, and post on here once a week at least. That’s surely not too much to expect. Maybe I’ve tried to have everything too good in the past, which takes time, quick and dirty might be the answer.

I have put three entries in the Creative Craft section of the Perth Royal Show, which considering there was only six weeks to go when I did it is a big ask. Now there is only just over 4 weeks to go, and my first piece is well started but nowhere near finished. It’s machine embroidery, they all are, a wall hanging/picture inspired by some limestone rocks in Fremantle and the erosion patterns on them. I took some photos on a recent visit like this:

It’s going reasonably well so far, but has a way to go. Then I have to do two more pieces, I have an idea for one but nothing so far for the third and final one.