sparkles for opening night

brown and gold sequin cuff
Originally uploaded by djbebe

Well tonight is the opening of the Re-Creations exhibition and, as usual, I decided at the last minute that I absolutely must make something new to wear. I quickly discarded the idea of making a fabulous new blouse or dress - too risky. What if it turns out bad, leaving me with no time for plan B? So, I got out this box of fabric samples that I was given by Lyssy May who recklessly ignores my fabric diet - anyone doing a project that requires small rectangles of tweed or taffeta? I've got a few to spare... Anyway I found some gems in there and managed to make this cuff which I think is quite fabulous. Having something new to wear is like a secret talisman that will keep me safe through the nerves of crowds and meeting new people. Plus, it's brown, and it's got sequins! Two of my favourite things.

Eek! I've been tagged by Mel. I don't know about this tagging thing, it feels a bit like chain mail but ok just this once... Also I've been a bit slack on the craft front due to a sore back so this will have to do for a blog post.

The rules:
1. Link to your tagger (see above), and also post these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself (random or weird) on your blog.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

... so 7 facts about me:
1. I have an ever-expanding collection of fabrics, buttons, lace and ribbons - but mostly fabric.
2. I'm on a fabric diet.
3. It's not really working.
4. I was born on a cattle property.
5. I don't iron unless absolutely necessary.
6. I abide by the philosophy that any problem can be lessened by a cup of tea.
7. I love cheese. All kinds.

And I hereby tag the following (but I'll understand if you conscientiously object to blog-chain-mail):
1. Ali
2. Kim
3. Martine
4. Claire
5. Fi
6. Ellie
7. Hilde

PS If you're in Brisbane, don't forget to check out the Re-Creations Christmas Exhibition at Reverse Garbage. If you can make it to the opening on Friday night I'll be there - would love to meet you!

Christmas cards

selection of christmas cards on cream
Originally uploaded by djbebe

We're having a pre-Christmas mini craft market at work - it was meant to be today but it seems I was the only one organised enough so it's now next week. So I got all seasonal and made some Christmas cards and gift tags. It's fun to play with gold thread and sparkly fabrics - and I thought the musical paper (last seen here) made good trees. It would have been perfect if the music was Christmasy but unless you can decipher the tune from that tiny fragment you'd never know it was just random olde tunes, right?

I also got carried away and made about a million furoshiki. I've been practising the various wrapping techniques, wrapping up empty boxes, wine bottles, boxes of tissues, wallets etc. If nobody buys them HandyMan will come home one day to find everything in the house festively wrapped up. Now which one of these contains the tv remote...

antique polyester

Or, adventures with a soldering iron. I finally made something for Whiplash - the fibre and mixed-media inspired jewellery is right up my alley.

A while ago I got a book out of the library called Stitch, Dissolve, Distort in Machine Embroidery - interesting effects, but since it required the acquisition of a soldering iron, I put that one on the backburner for a while. HandyMan handles all the power tools and HandyMan stuff in our house, and if I need a nail hammered or a jar opened I go to him - hence I wasn't sure I should be allowed near a soldering iron. But since I've been making brooches with raw edges, I've found there are some fabrics that just fray too much, even with top stitching and gentle handling - these seem to be the super synthetic polyesters. Also, somewhere in the FJ restoring process, HandyMan bought a soldering iron.

So, on the weekend I was feeling reckless enough to get out said soldering iron and have a go at melting some synthetic fibers. It's a bit scary to handle something that hot - I was worried I'd accidentally drop it and set something on fire, so I made sure HandyMan was standing by. I got the hang of it after a while and was able to cut through nylon like a hot knife through butter. It's hard to be precise though - straight lines are easy but circles are difficult, since the fabric moved around a bit, and I found Christmas tree shapes impossible. As for fabrics, nylon works the best; polyester works too but rayon just burns without melting.

And I teamed the results of this experimenting with my new love, vinyl - and whipped up a couple of brooches this afternoon.

I like how the edges look like old photographs. You can get that effect on paper with lemon juice and candles - or on synthetic fabric with a soldering iron. Just watch out for the fumes!

Go stop by the OCT/NOV whiplash thread to check out the other fabulous and unique entries!

teapot coaster

teapot coaster
Originally uploaded by djbebe

I was sick of looking at the teapot rings on my desk at work - and I've just got my own office for the first time ever so I'm still in that honeymoon phase where I don't want to mess it up. You know, like when you tidy up your craft room and for a while you're really conscientious with putting things away?

For something made purely out of scraps of recent projects it turned out rather cohesively, I thought. Made using foundation piecing method onto a piece of sturdy flanellette, then backed using the envelope method and machine quilted with pink thread - because that's what was on the machine at the time. I was on a roll - no time for changing threads!