Burning back

Some time ago I saw Margaret Beal layering synthetic fabrics and using a soldering iron to burn the layers back to create patterns.  Kathleen Laurel Sage layers sheer fabrics, stitches a design onto the layers and burns back some layers to create colour variation.  Just recently I've seen Susan Lenz use a combination of both techniques to create her own version of stain glass windows.  I've taken courses with both Margaret Beal and Kathleen Laurel Sage in the past and the technique fascinates me.

This is the piece I made in Kathleen's class with a close up of one of the flowers, that's beading in the centre but I think it looks like a button.  I've always planned to make a larger piece, perhaps using four of the above pieces to create a window hanging for my small landing window.  But so far its just a 'maybe'.

I don't have any of the pieces I made with Margaret, they were largely button's and odd shape pieces and have now all been used on other articles.  But this is a good way of making bits and pieces to add to your creations so I will be restocking sometime soon.

I thought I'd try Susan Lenz's combination idea to create a "burning back" piece which I think will end up on the front of a book cover.  This is my February journal page. Not sure whether I would layer on felt I rather like the more delicate look of the fabric only piece.

I started off using Margaret's layering on an acrylic felt background method, then free motioned a design over it, some edges were straighter than others.  Then I burned back some of the layers and finally sewed the whole piece onto a bit of glitzy fabric to show off the holes and pull all the colours together.  The acrylic felt made a very sturdy fabric, much easier to manipulate than the flimsier fabric of Kathleen's.  It would make good book covers and boxes where you need a bit of added strength.

What with Lesley still being in hospital I have had very little time to do much of anything.  She is slowly improving, still dehydrated though and they are still continuing to give her fluids intravenously   Her blood count isn't back to normal either but she is looking and sounding a lot better.

Now I'm going to make some small triangular purses to put mini eggs in for Easter.  So far I've made two.

I made one of these to put my Ipod headphones in. I also want to make a few cable wraps as I seem to have so many power cables etc for my various readers, cameras, phone etc.

This is one I made earlier.

Catch Up

You know those days, busy all day but with very little to show for it:  well I seem to have had a few weeks like that.   I have done some sewing but not a lot.  First my Bernina B710 developed a fault, it wouldn't switch on.  Apparently it needed updating and I'm waiting at the moment for it to be returned.  In the meantime my old trusty but very weighty Bernina 1630 finally got the better of me. Loading it into and out of the car, carrying it, setting it up in workshops left me breathless and with an aching back.

To cut a long story I finally agreed to take a pre-owned (owned for one week by an elderly lady who couldn't manage the complexity of the machine) Janome TXL 607.  The lady had bought the quilting package of table, walking foot and extra feet so these came with it.  It arrived last Thursday and I love it.  It's light, well half the weight of the 1630, and comes with all the functionality I wanted plus many more stitches than I anticipated.  I haven't been able to do as much sewing with it  as I was due to leave for Kent the following morning and had company at the time of its arrival.  But one bonus is that it fits on a small table I have so I can use it and watch tv at the same time, yehhhh

I have been promising to visit my friend Judy for some time and on Friday morning I set of to stay with her for a long weekend.  I only got lost once trying find the right platform at St Pancras.

The weather wasn't too good in Kent, it was much better at home in the North East, but we did our best to get out and about.  The village of Wye where Judy lives is lovely with a lot of medieval buildings,misshapen and high pitched roofs.  The walls also have lots of quartz in them, similar to those I've seen in Lincolnshire and Norfolk.

 This is the oldest part of the College, I just love the doorway.

The local church had long bench covers detailing aspects of the village.  I've only shown three parts of one as I took so many it became boring.

Sunday we went into Canterbury I wanted to see the tomb of Thomas Beckett but once again I was unable to do so.  Last time there was an international synod taking place and the cathedral was closed. This time it was a different function but with the same result.  

After dinner with Judy's  family we arrived back to find on my mobile two messages for me to ring my brother and nephew urgently.  My sister had been taken into hospital seriously ill.  She had apparently taken ill on Friday morning downstairs in her kitchen where she was so exhausted she fell asleep on the floor.  She can't remember so we don't know if she fell and landed on the floor or whether she lay down.  She struggled upstairs where she thought she would take a bath. Having got into the bath she couldn't get out and spent the rest of the time lying in an empty bath until her son found her on Sunday evening.  They blue lighted her to hospital where she got the treatment she needed for dehydration, confusion and hypothermia.  I spent a very worrying Sunday evening and journey home the next day. I went straight to the hospital to find her sitting up in bed, tired but happy to see me.  She will be in hospital for several days yet and I am hopeful that the help that has been offered before she will now accept.