DEVON RAMBLINGS
In recent times, I have had experiences and met people that have encouraged me to "free up" and became more adventurous in my creative activities. The mixed media workshop I took part in opened up all sorts of possibilities to me. I have decided that I do not really want to get too involved with paper and cardboard, or even paint, but there is a wealth of stimulating material available for me still....dyes, beads, buttons, laces, fabrics, threads, and those wonderful new generation yarns that are available now, used as much by textile artists as knitters!
And of course there is the computer, and the artistic possibilities are endless. For a long time I have wanted to do more with printing on fabric. Peggy at Kaliko Kottage has supplied me with some wonderful pre-prepared fabric in both cotton and silk, which feeds through the computer and accepts photos beautifully.
For inspiration, I usually try to look close to home and my own experiences. Devon offers many possibilities, and so I finally decided to make a concertina book called "Devon Ramblings". It will have 5-6 pairs of pages, with a picture on each side. I will join the pages with feather stitch, a technique I learnt to use on delicate bags some years ago.
Here are two of the pages which are close to completion. They just need a few more embellishments, and then the borders, which will probably include some script.
The first shows the terns nesting high up in the trees in the woodland. They return year after year in the Spring.
Thje second picture is of the back deck, with the old laundry and the Nigel room in the background. Bernie calls this deck "Mary's folly." I had it built some years ago because the back of our house always looked so bare and bland. But the one who mostly uses it to chill out is Basil the cat! So I must remember to add a cat charm or button to it.