Skip to main content

Where did January go?


I woke up this morning with a shock - it is February! Not sure what happened to January....
It's been a busy week - top of  my "to do" list was to do some preparation for the Wise Women Exhibition, which I will be curating to celebrate International Women's Day. The opening is on 8 March and the advertising goes out this week. The photo above is of some "almost finished" art dolls which will be included in the exhibition. Participants in my "Wise Women" workshop will also be displaying their work. Here is one of them - a fantastic result from a beginner doll maker! To find out more about these workshops  before the exhibition -  please check Timeless Textiles

I have also just managed to keep up with the blog group challenge  Tag Tuesday. I struggled a bit with both the themes "White" and  "Vintage" but in the end was fairly happy with my tags.  


I tried some different techniques with this vintage one - a photo of my great grandmother scanned and printed onto silk, then painted the silk around the image and over stamped it. I then  put a printed  and over stamped sheer layer over the top and stitched both layers to an old luggage tag. Then with the addition of an old Chinese coin and a snippet of sari  silk "ribbon" , it looks "vintage" 



 And we had another week of celebrations... Australia Day and our first grandson's eighth birthday ...



Happy Birthday BJ!  
Labels:

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 1, 2012 at 2:42 PM

    Wilma, you did a good job with the tags.Isn't the group coming along!Thanks for telling me about this site.I have told lots of others too...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vivienne RochfordFebruary 1, 2012 at 8:53 PM

    Wilma, I just love your art dolls - they are gorgeous. I think you started an epidemic when you shared these wonderful pieces with us at the craft retreat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Diana TaylorFebruary 3, 2012 at 5:54 AM

    Love your tags - especially the black and white one. I found your blog through Tag Tuesday as I'm taking part too - thank you for your kind comments about my tags - much appreciated. I have enjoyed browsing your blog and found it extremely interesting - your dolls are amazing. I shall definitely pop back to see what arty stuff you are up to! Happy tag-making!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Naomi TruteFebruary 7, 2012 at 8:55 PM

    Mum, Love your vintage tag! Hope all is going well for the exhibition. xo Naomi

    ReplyDelete
  5. queenb2uFebruary 9, 2012 at 11:00 PM

    Love your tags. Just popped over from Tag Tuesday. Your work is inspiring! I am intriqued by your dolls and am not familiar with art dolls so it is all an education for me. Your dolls seem so spiritual. I can tell they are made with love. I'll be browsing again to see your lovely creations.
    Hugs.
    Beth

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks for reading my blog and please share your thoughts about my blog post by leaving a comment.Your comment won't appear immediately as comments are verified before publication in an effort to reduce the amount of spam appearing. Anonymous comments will not be published.

Popular posts from this blog

Too Precious to Waste

 Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons  More than a year ago, a decision was made.  The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2]  A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that
Post a Comment
Read more

Fish and Sticks : Art Dolls

This week I've been working on fish and sticks ....  The sticks are the message stick art dolls which were very popular, attracting some attention and a few orders at the Wise Women exhibition. Each of the message stick dolls are from the Wise Women series, each with her own personality and  message of wisdom, handwritten on a handmade timber tag. I gather the sticks during my walks around my neighbourhood and the tags are made from special bits of timber, some collected by me or  my husband or from off cuts gifted to us  from another doll making friend whose husband makes bagpipes. These dolls start off very simply with a wrap around a stick, in the general shape of a body. 'Naked" message stick dolls - strips of wadding wrapped around found sticks.   Then I usually wrap other layers of fabric, wool, and/or fibres, over which I do some simple embroidery. I sculpt  or mould small face masks for these dolls. I really like using "sari ribbon" as wrapping str
3 comments
Read more

Wednesday's Child /2

Work in Progress - 3 of the 193 for "Stitched Up"- Wilma Simmons   The work for the "Stitched Up " Project  continues. See the previous "Wednesday Child" post for the background to this art project celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Newcastle Industrial School. I have been documenting the progress of my work, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of the early stages of the "stick dolls" ... Here are some of the beginning steps.. Sticks collected while walking the bushland in my neighbourhood  Drying and getting rid of any insects - oven heat 75 degreesC for approx 1-2 hours.  Trimmed and cut if necessary  Ends sealed with matte sealing solution.  Drying  - solution goes on white but dries clear.  First wrapping - foil to create a body shape  Second wrapping - stretch fabric.  Third wrapping - fabric strips  Some stitching - more stitching and embellishment to come.  Follow thi
Post a Comment
Read more