SHRUNK SILK - AGHHHHHH

I was really happy with the colour once the silk had dried. It took 2 hours to iron, in 35 degree heat, but I must admit I have air conditioning in my studio -  so it wasn't really much of a chore. I was just a tad surprised to find that once I had draped the lengths of fabric over the screen, they had shrunk by a good 20% - a combination of boiling, hot machine drying and hot ironing! I had allowed for 5-10% shrinkage, not 20%. No matter. I had bought extra silk 'just in case' of such emergencies, so I dyed some more, a slightly deeper colour, and the extra seams will add extra interest.

The collecting, dying and stitching of individual componants is coming along nicely.

JAPANESE STYLE SCREEN & wabi sabi huntsman

The lining silk has been dyed. I left the two pieces on the line to drip dry, tea leaves and all. I should get some uneven splodges and hope that where the fabrics have touched, I will get more uneven patches. The next step is to wash the fabrics in the machine to rinse out excess residue and tea leaves.

I have an intruder in the bathroom - I'm a bit nervous about having a shower before I go out. The poor thing has a couple of legs missing, so I can't be mean and kill it or even shoo it away. I'm OK with other spides, but huntsmen frighten me - I think it's the way they run off suddenly and maybe run up your arm.....eeeaaaggghhhh!!

GALLERY SEARCH

In Brisbane yesterday, I drove and walked and got lost and drove some more and got very hot and bothered on the elusive hunt for a gallery to take my jewellery [not to mention the cost of car parking]. Three fabulous galleries [including GOMA / Qld Art Gallery Store] were interested but they 'place their orders in the beginning of the year'. Hmmmmmmm. Hard for an artist like me who does different 'stuff' every year! Never mind, I will keep in touch and hopefully my work will be one of the orders next year. The compensation was that I got to see a lot of the beautiful Southbank precinct as I was in the wrong car park and ended up walking from one end to the other.

Early this morning I waved goodbye to my 21year old daughter as she flew off to London and Europe for a month. Mixed feelings on my part, but I'm SO excited for her.

The timber frame has been delivered to my studio and I have taken the plunge and cut the silk to size. I have very many lovely samples of silks dyed with tea and coffee. Now I need to remember what 'dyes' I used with which silks. No measuring, calculating, weighing and recording for me - after all, this is wabi sabi.

JAPANESE STYLE SCREEN

I have a commission to make a 1.5metre square translucent screen to slide across a TV and entertainment unit in a magnificent new home in Maleny overlooking the Glasshouse mountains and Moreton Island. The owners, Robert and Ann Hadley, and the architects, 'Bark' design, have entrusted the task to me. I am using tea and coffee dyed silks with a multitude of 'pojagi' [Korean] style machine and hand stitched seams. I have enough antique kimono silks to use for the feature areas and the whole screen will be lined with new 'Dupion' silk organza. The end result will be a wonderful expression of wabi sabi.

JEWELLERY

I am going to Brisbane tomorrow to take some jewellery to a gallery I found in Fortitude Valley.  I love the selection I am taking - my favourite wabi sabi series. They were in the Noosa Regional Gallery shop and were selling well until I was swamped by some fabulous competition! Time for a new outlet. It is always hard 'putting yourself out there' as an artist.

These earrings are made with teabag tissue, watch parts, freshwater pearls and silver plated wire and beads. I rarely use sterling silver because I want my jewellery to be affordable and not too 'precious'.

The neckpieces are made from antique barbed wire, hand fabricated rusty wire, 'Picasso' stone, dyed teabag and silverplated findings and stainless steel wires.

UP AND RUNNING

My friend Fiona has just helped me set up my blog site - wabisabiart!  I hope to use it to share my creative adventures with the world!