starry

For the handprinted fabric swap I wanted to use this technique that I saw originally on the Home Sweet blog and through some posts of Jesse's. It involves cutting shapes from sticky foam sheets and attaching them to perspex sheets to block print. The perspex enables you to see through to the fabric for accurate alignment when you move the block. And the sheets give a lovely flat surface for printing, which amazingly stands out from the background material even though its only millimetres thick.

I've cut some shapes out before but not got around to printing. Its quite hard to cut them smoothly with scissors and I'm not adept with a blade. In the back of my mind I've been imagining designs and then the other day this quilt of Sarah's really jumped out at me. I love this graphic star. Obsessed as I am with pattern I straight away started wondering how it would repeat and went into Illustrator to play around. Five minutes later I had the repeat and knew I wanted to print it with the bonus that I knew it would be simple to cut out.

I'll do a mini tutorial on my process next week when I get time but its very easy to print this way once you have the materials. It was fun to be block printing again and I love the result. I've got the panels hanging in my room and I can't stop looking at them. I love the optical illusion. One is printed linen/cotton and the other cotton drill. Miss A has asked for a bag in this fabric so I'll be printing more, I think I might want some for myself too. I want to try white on linen, and maybe red. I would have done it the other day but I crashed my poor computer with one click and had to erase (sharp indrawn breath) and reload all my data (but only after I backed it up twice)! Luckily I could still access the hard drive. Though it was a relief to think I'd done a backup a couple of weeks back. I'm usually a little slack...

Did you manage to take advantage of Spoonflower's free postage day yesterday. I really had to hustle to get my computer back on line, edit my patterns and in between attend an assembly and a music night! Luckily the offer was open till midnight! Can't wait to get my fabrics! I've ordered heaps and some new designs. The lego bricks have gone off!

Happy weekend to all. We're planning a long lunch with friends here tomorrow, my favourite lemon cake is made and in the fridge, it always tastes better the next day!

my creative space - stamp

I'm taking part in the Handprinted Fabric Swap at Leslie's newly rechristened Maze & Vale blog this month. With the deadline fast approaching I've spent today printing and stamping a design that popped into my head yesterday, with a method I've been meaning to experiment with for too long. Its lots of fun and I love the results.

Maddeningly I've also managed to do something bad to my computer today so now I have to back it up and rewrite the hard drive, bleh! I've wasted precious creative time doing that. Trying to look on the bright side at least I haven't lost anything and its good to be backing up again, but its so slow! So more photos later.

Lots more creative types at the home of creativity.

sculpture by the sea

It was probably total madness to set off for Bondi on Sunday, the first beautiful beach day in ages, to enjoy the Sculpture by the Sea exhibition which is set along the cliff path from Bondi to Bronte beaches. As expected the crowds were huge, but Mr F's mum and sister were in town and we really wanted to share this wonderful Sydney happening with them, plus my brother's gallery has a piece in it this year, so off we went.

As usual it was the most wonderful mix of people and public art, with a splash of humour thrown in (not least in that those big taps won the Sydney Water prize!). And as usual the landscape and views made the most stunning  and breathtaking backdrop, in fact I think my favourite sculpture, and one I love returning to each year, is this amazing rock in the first bay you walk around.

If you've been reading my blog for long you'll know that visiting is a regular occurence, in fact it was one of the first things I blogged about back in November 2007 when I started this blog. (Previous visits to SBTS including that first one here, here and here.) Can you believe I've been writing this blog for four years. I can't!

My blogiversary is on November 11th, which is also when I started my Etsy shop, and so I'll have to come back later in the week for a bit of sale action or a giveaway methinks, as that's definitely something worth celebrating.

p.s. Overheard near the Meeting sculpture of the red crouched figures I heard a dad telling his eight year old son "You're not allowed to touch!" to which the young son replied "I know but they're Buddhists."

p.p.s. Thanks for the bricks love :-)