Very Strange Fruit!

                   I found a very odd lemon on the tree this morning, a totally weird formation!

Another Little Bird.

 I needed another bird in the series to make a total of three, and as this one is to go in the background, I needed it to be smaller than the other two. I also carved it facing the other way for yet more variation.

                                                  All carved and ready for the test print.

                                                A few adjustments needed here I think!

Another Bird Stamp.

 I need another couple of bird stamps for my Shorebird project, so here is the starting point for bird No. 2

                   Those narrow feet are always problematic, as is the sharp pointy beak.

                                                          Ready for the first test print.

                                                     Not much tidying up to do at all!

Flower for July.

 While up in Brisbane in July I spotted a large Poinsettia in flower in a park. It's ideal for the series of flowers that I have been working on this year, so the Poinsettia is my flower, or group of flowers, for July.

 

 I've ironed an old leaf patterned scarf onto the A5 sized piece of heavy stiffened Vilene and after cutting out several leaves from another piece of cotton fabric I ironed them into place and satin stitched around them all, adding a central vein.

 I decided not to cut out each petal (not petals really, but coloured leaves) separately, but to cut several at once and stitch the outlines to designate the separate petals. I've used 2 different reds for variation and to reflect the different light falling on the flower head.

 The central small petals (leaves) aren't really pink, but the light in the original photo suggested a paler colour and I had some polished cotton with both the red and a pink in it, and I like the effect.

     The centre of the original flower is more open than this, but I've used artistic license again and then I machine embroidered the actual small yellow flowers.

The backing and the label are now on and I've finished it all off with a border of satin stitch and  indicated some veins with light reddish textile markers.

New project & New Stamp.

 As part of fund raising for research into the migratory birds that visit Australia and other international sites and their habitats, a series of prints is being made in studios and schools around the world.  These will be exhibited in various venues over the coming years.
I decided to focus on the critically endangered Curlew Sandpiper. Here are my 2 proposed images from which to cut stamps and the first 2 prints, both of which need further trimming.

 As these birds are foreshore birds, I wanted some ripples to go with them to indicate shallow water, but this stamp is not correct in perspective at all! The bird carving is pretty well O.K though.

                    The final stamp and image as well as the ripple stamp which will need replacing.

Return to the Cracked Mud & Water.

                Although you can barely see it, all the printed strips of silk have been hand stitched.

I followed the contours of the water patterns in a simple running stitch in the colours of the printed water.

As the stitching is so hard to see, I think that I'll add some more in metallic threads, again in the colours of the water patterns.

As this pattern shows the reflections of some reeds, the colours are much more vibrant and the stitching more obvious.

This shows the piece with the metallic stitches. Click on the image to see it in more detail, and hopefully to see the metallic threads.

Amazing Home!

 While walking into town one morning I spotted this amazing 'home' in amongst the trees. I wasn't at all sure that it was really a home, as it is so bizarre that I thought it might have been an unoccupied 'folly'

However, someone assured me that it was indeed an occupied home. What an fascinating building that is apparently being continually added on to, as you can see on the far left of the first photo.

 

A detail of the house.

 

Pretty Birds.

 What a collection of beautiful birds! On retreat in the country town of Warburton this week we were entertained once again by the colourful bird visitors to the outside deck where the owners of the house put out seed for the birds. Here is a collection of male and female King parrots, the males have the beautiful red heads and the females have green. Top right are 2 Eastern Rosellas hoping to get some seed too.

   The seed dish on the railing is a popular spot too, with this King Parrot pushing out a Galah.

                                               
                                 He, or she, has it all to themselves now and can eat in peace.