Clematis in Bloom

Mother Nature always surprises me and keeps me smiling.  The temperatures are getting colder and colder here now, yet when I walked out of the house the other day there was the Clematis vine blooming!  During the summer it had been absolutely covered in blossoms which had inspired me to paint this silk scarf.  It only had three blooms this time around, but I had to admired its tenaciousness to be blooming when temps are topping out at 50!  And the deep, intense purple and pink-purple was just as breathtaking as it was earlier during summer.

I draw free-hand on the silk with gutta after preparing the silk.  Then I use special dyes designed just for silk to paint it all.  After that it sits for 2 days and then gets wrapped up in paper and stuffed into my homemade steamer for three hours.  Then another day resting.  Next it gets a rinse in a special soap, hung until damp dry and then ironed.  Whew!  And most of that I actually enjoy! :)

Hope you enjoyed seeing this...and now I wait until next year to see the Clematis in bloom again,
Janet

New Blue Bliss Handbag

These two items will be on their way to Blue flag Handweaving Studio in Sandpoint, Idaho on Friday.  See them in person!
http://www.blueflagweaving.com/

Darn!  This new method only worked once! Ugh!  Well maybe the slideshow will fix itself and be there for you to see.

Hand-Felted Handbag and Technology!

Well wonders will never cease...my husband has amazed me yet again with the technology available to us in this modern world.  My husband installed a program called PhotoBucket.  Now when I snap a photo or two of my work with my phone it will automatically send it to a website for storage until I need it.  Then I can simply and easily put it into my blog.  Whew!  What a relief.  I have been emailing to myself; then downloading the attachment and then uploading them to my blog.  Long process that often failed to work. So...!  Tonight we test it...

Tonight I finished lining and putting a leather strap onto the autumn colored "Circles" handbag I felted last week.


 That's all for tonight,
Janet

Pretty Pink Scarf

Well Happy Halloween Everyone!

Hope everyone saw the link in my last post to make these cuties for your families!  If not, go check it out!!!

I was still seeing those amazing * because of the sheer mass of them * spider threads all over lawns in our neighborhood this morning.  Those tiny threads don't come out in photos or I would post it...you'll have to take my word on this.

Since they inspired me with their beauty I got to work on a scarf to represent them.  My 'spider threads' are made of metallic yarns but are still shiny and shimmery.  I added freshwater pearls and seed beads as an accent at the top.  I also plan to make a brooch as a closure for this.




Can't figure it out!  I've uploaded this over and over and it keeps turning my photo upside down.  Technology gets me again!!!



The fibers are embedded inside the silk chiffon with the puffs of merino.

Detail for pearl and seed beads...looks grainy here...much more beautiful in person.  This wrap is going to Blue Flag Handweaving Studio in Sandpoint, Idaho later this week.

Well got a phone call and my dress form is in...so ta ta for now - I'm off to pick it up,

Janet