Vintage Tapestry Purses and Fabric Book

Over the past few years I have been adding to my small collection of

Vintage Tapestry Purses.   These are usually lined with  a satin fabric and hang on a gold chain.

This dear little one was given to me for Christmas by my friend Sue who knows just how I am drawn to these gorgeous and inspiring tapestries.

And

when I was going through my fabrics I found that I had kept the remains of a quite

tattered purse and as I was itching to get back into my studio

over the past few days

I decided to make a little fabric book

out of this fabric and this is what it turned into:

It looks quite large but in fact it is only about 6" x 9" in total

and the cover is virtually just one side of the original purse folded in half

and the inside looks like this:

It is simply amazing how much one can fit into one tiny page using

laces, printed chiffon, brocades, braids,  burn out velvets and silks.

All of these pieces have been collaged onto small pieces of

red felt.

So this is some fun you can get up to before the new year begins!!!

Change of Plan

Due to the wonderful vagaries and glitches of technology (we dare not blame as humans) I was not linked to Crescendoh but instead I am featured on Lovey's  blog at  Fabric Photo Memories so you can check me out here.

 Lovey is the creator of the most beautiful fabric photo collages that I have come across.

Thank you Lovey

for featuring my work.

Christmas Greetings

I wish you all a

Merry Christmas

in celebrating the birth of

the Christian Avatar

May you be filled with love and joy for all those people and things you hold dear!

Thank you for your kind support and friendship in appreciating my work which I share here and for the comments you have posted to show this.

All good wishes and hopes for a most creative New Year ahead in 2011 and let's hope it will be productive and fulfilling!



I'm still pursing away.........

Well I've decided that I'm not all pursed out yet! In fact, sometimes you get on a role and you just have to keep going so this is another little purse which I had hand sewn and patched on a recent trip away and decided to put it together using some beautiful sari ribbon which I purchased recently.  I used the red sari ribbon to bind it all together after machining it up. It looks a bit chrissmassy doesn't it! but I didn't intend it for that at all really.

Actually I have made two pieces similar so I shall make the other also into a similar purse - is that a good idea?

I've used some stamped velvet, rusted silk, a piece of vintage fabric from Rhajisthan, braid and sari fabric.

Thought I might also share this collaged diary cover I have just completed as another gift for a friend.

I seem to have lots of Birthday gifts to make lately

all at Christmas time - that's life!

This has been made from a collection of vintage fabrics, dupion silk, lace and velvet in shades of gold and purple

and

it is embellished with a little piece of Indian braid.

Bags and Purses for Christmas

 Some friends have expressed sooooooo much interest in some of my bags I thought I would turn this interest into gifts for Christmas and now after these I think I am almost bagged out for the moment.......that will probably only last for a day though knowing me!!!  I love making these crazy patchwork pieces especially choosing the fabrics which I know will work.

This rose on the front is one I made from some from some dyed cotton  and am pleased the way it turned out.

The rose on this one is made from felted and quilted dyed mohair on top of some gathered up organza.The back of purse is from dyed velvet, a vintage tye, brocade and sari silk.

These tote bags are made mainly from cotton fabrics with a little bit of tapestry, lace, ric rac, lace and silk puffs.

Last, but not least, is a card I have made from Bali batik scraps, a little cotton and lace dyed by me and the centre is made from felted silk, embellished with a piece of beaded braid.

A Little Bit of Homemade Christmas

It's that time of year when we tend to become less busy with our creative projects and turn our attention hopefully to thinking of a more peaceful time  and  a time to share a bit more good will!  Even though I prefer to keep things nice and simple and less fussy at Christmas I do like to have a few decorations
around as a reminder of what Christmas is really about.

A Christmas wreath which I made from Wysteria cuttings a few years ago, decorated with gum leaves and gumnuts which I sprayed gold along with a few miniature pine cones and a few other bits and pieces.
In keeping with a simple theme we came up with the idea of a Christmas tree made from boxes!

I searched the house for a suitable arrangement and came up with these:

A handmade timber box made from oregan timber

A Chinese camphor box with brass closure

A hand painted box from India

A beautifully hand carved mother of pearl box from Turkey

Another hand painted box from India

and

Last but not least another tiny wooden box from India with a metal decoration on top.

and

there you have it a decorated Christmas Tree!

But Christmas would not be complete without Angels so here are a few to set the scene.

HHope you are all enjoying this time of year and not getting caught up in the flurry of things you must do, have and buy for Christmas.

Search inside yourself for what you already have!

PEACE AND HAPPINESS!!!

Diary Covers

As I was wanting to make Birthday Gifts and a Swap I came up with the idea of making my friends Diary Covers with a diary for 2011.

T

This first cover was collaged in Indian cotton, shot silk, dupion silk, crushed velvet, printed organza with some Vintage sari braid which came from my friend Jo in New Zealand and for whom this gift was made.  Jo is a wonderful dyer with natural fibres and plants, and is currently running a week's workshop with India Flint in New Zealand. 

This second cover for Andrea who lives at Coff's Harbour in Northern News South Wales, Australia

was made from some silk and satin strips which I ripped and roughly sewed together

and which I attached to some grape coloured velvet  and then collaged with some

lace and purple roses.

and the final Diary Cover I made for my friend, Judy, at

Judysfabrications.blogspot.com

as part of a swap.

I used some homespun cotton here which I dyed

then collaged several layers of cottons and silks with a very old piece of lace dyed in turquoise on top of which I added these blue motifs.

Oh Yes!

and

finally added some gold bugle and other beads

to set off the beautiful lacework

and

VOILA!

Pierre de Ronsard

From this gorgeous display of Pierre de Ronsard climbing all over this fence at the entrance into our front garden has come this:

beautiful bowl full of dried but fully formed

rose buds all by themselves without

any

human intervention.  First they were rained on

and then the hot sun came out and

totally dried them.  There is still some evidence of their soft pink shade left.  They almost look like they have been made with paper.  How can we possibly compete with the hands of nature!

Hope you all have a restful and peaceful weekend!

We have a Winner!!!

I wish everyone could be a WINNER but in fact we all are - as we are ALIVE!!!.  However,as it is in  the nature of these little competitions there can be only one Winner.  So my friend, Maggie, this morning, drew the name of that happy little blogger whose name is:

Oxana

from

lisa-alisashobbyhimmelen.blogspot.com

a wonderful and most talented mixed media, fabric collage and jewellery artist!

Oxana will win this package of goodies which will be sent all the way to Norway.

Congratulations to you Oxana - Hope you will enjoy this!

But

because everyone has been just so generous with their support and comments over the last few months

I have decided to give a small surprise gift to 2 more bloggers.

The second winner is

Dian

from

beachtextiles.blogspot.com in Victoria, Australia. 

Dian will receive this Christmas Card made by me to keep or give as a gift.

and

Third Place Winner

is

Gaby Bee

from

colourfuladventures.blogspot.com in Germany

This gold metallic Christmas Card also made by me.

So all I need from you three happy bloggers is your email address with details of full names and addresses so that I can pop these in the mail to you as soon as I receive them.

THANK YOU BLOGGING FRIENDS

for being part of my life

and

I am sure there will be another Giveaway in the not so distant future!

Making Christmas Cards

This really beautiful hand painted cotton from Lorraine at Creative Daily was the inspiration

for these Christmas Cards and I have used it in several cards now.  The colours are of a buttery yellow and muted greens.  I will be sad I think when it runs out.  So often the fabric is what gets my creative juices running.  The other materials I have used are some paper bark from our wetland and Wild Cherry both from our property.