Since I had such an easy time with the first exercise I did activity 2 as well today. I had to deconstruct a box and then use it as a pattern to make two more. Yesterday I was sorting out our collection of greeting cards and emptied a clear plastic box that had contained Christmas cards. This was the ideal size and material to use as my pattern.

I used papers that I had made for one of the activities in module 4. The first box is made from painted paper left to dry under cling film. Once the box was constructed I wrapped black thread around it and used the lines made as the design (not my idea but part of the exercise). Here’s a photo of the box all tied up:

I used a dark purple acrylic paint for the lines. They are painted in various thicknesses and some are dotted. As it is actually one continuous line you have to keep your wits about you, so that the lines connect properly with no strange jumps in thickness.

The second box is made from painted paper sprinkled with salt grains and left to dry. I thought dots would go well with the salt grain patterns. I used a hole punch to create dots from some off-cuts of the paper. Then I had the idea to make ticker tape from the holes too. I added some dark green and dark blue dots punched from magazine paper and some dots I found inside the hole punch when I opened it Here is the box in 2D:

And here it is in 3D:

I’ve started the next module. This one is all about form. I anticipated that the first activity would be to provide a selection of images to illustrate form. While on holiday in June I (well we actually!) not only took photos of texture but also of form. So most of the work for the first activity was done. I just had to make a choice. I also took a few photos yesterday of objects in the home.

As usual I’ve uploaded a selection to Picasa. Here’s the link.

Last night I did the final piece of course work for module 4 of the C&G course. It was another collage. I used wrapping paper this time. If you look carefully you can read parts of the word Christmas I wanted to try out an idea I’ve had in my head for some time - namely to do a traditional type of patchwork but to have the colours migrate across the piece - a kind of metamorphosis.

This is a small attempt at the idea but I am pleased with the results. Small being the operative word here - the squares are one inch squares. I wanted a size that would fit onto a page of my sketchbook!

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon and early evening making collages. Not to mention most of Saturday evening choosing two images to use as inspiration. I had quite a lot of fun making them. Funnily enough apart from doing pottery the only other thing I remember from art classes at school was making a collage of a guitar in a still life class. My finished piece hung on my bedroom wall for ages!

Here I am surrounded by various pieces of paper, working on my first collage based on a landscape. I chose a seascape as I love the sea. I grew up at the seaside and really miss it being stuck in the middle of Europe here near Frankfurt.

Here is the original photo taken on holiday a few years ago on Madeira.

And here is my version of it as a collage made from magazine paper:

The second collage is based on architecture. I thought the Hundertwasserhaus would be a bit different from the usual wall, window, door image.

My interpretation is made from magazine paper and a paper bag from the bread shop.

I was able to recycle some bits left over from other classes in this exercise for the C&G course. I tend to hoard all my samples as you never know when they may have their use. I was able to recycle a four-patch square, a strip-pieced square, a hexagon and a diamond-pieced hexagon for this activity. The only thing I had to cut especially was the triangle.

Here are all the samples. As the tape measure shows they are quite small.

The four-patch square gave a nice result. The centre square on the strip-pieced square is a bit messy because the original strips were not all the same width. They were only rough cut.

The folded hexagon made from one piece of fabric is an interesting effect. Unfortunately the diamond-pieced hexagon didn’t really work.

The problem was that there was nowhere for the seams to go at the back. Maybe if the starting piece had been larger I would have been able to get a bit neater hexagon on the front, but the problem of the seams would still be there.

Funnily enough that wasn’t a problem with the 4-patch square.

And to finish up here’s the folded triangle:

For good measure here’s the reverse too - quite an interesting pattern of kite shapes on the back.

I’ve not been working on my C&G’s the last couple of weekends because of one thing and another. One thing being, I have been doing a bit of dressmaking for a change. I think I mentioned that I bought some linen to make a dress at the fabric market a few weeks ago now. I made a start on the dress before we went on holiday and had finished the bodice and the collar, but not sewn the two together.

Well now the dress is finished. I put in two evenings of sewing after work this week too, as I wanted to get it finished before this weekend. As always the sketches on the patterns never really bear out the reality. The neckline on this is rather more plunging than I would normally have chosen. Means you need to get a good tan without various tidelines due to wearing differing necklines. But all told I am pleased with the finished effect and I do like the neckline, especially the way the collar stands off the shoulders a bit.

Here are the photos taken in the last of the sun this evening in the garden. (Yesterday was too grey) You can judge for yourselves:

Module 4 of the C&G course is all about texture. The first activity as always was to collect images and other resources to illustrate texture. Being on holiday for 3 weeks gave me an opportunity to collect images from more than just the home and garden. I enjoyed being on the look out for good texture everywhere.

This must be the first holiday where the typical holiday snap shot images are in the minority. Sqeze has always said that the best photographs are of the details and he has always practised what he preaches. Details certainly add a lot of interest. Looking out for the details or in my case the texture certainly opened my eyes and made me take much more notice.

I’ve uploaded the best texture images to Picasa.

As promised here are some photos of the Plaza Redonda in Valencia. It is a circular space created in the mid-19th Century on the site of the former slaughterhouse for the Mercado Central. There are stalls selling all kinds of bits and bobs and locally made crafts. We were lucky to find some craft going on in the central space as we were actually there on the wrong day. The day to see the bobbin lace makers is Thursday apparently between 10:00 and 13:00.

And this one is me buying my fan.

Today we went into the centre of Valencia to look around. Near to the Central Market we discovered a small round area like a mini market with stalls selling haberdashery and needlework supplies. It was thanks to Sqeze, because he took a detour down an interesting little side street. I was so busy looking at all the things on sale that I didn’t have time to take photos. Luckily Sqeze was not so enthusiastic about what was on sale so he concentrated on taking the photos. Unfortunately we can’t get them to download from the card to this PowerBook so I can’t post any of those photos yet. I’ll put some up when we get back home.

In the centre of these stalls were a couple of tables where Spanish ladies of various ages were sitting together and getting on with their needlework. One lady was making bobbin lace, some were crocheting and one was designing what liked like needlepoint. And all this going on right in the centre of town!

I was quite restrained and only picked up some white embroidery thread, which I think will be ideal for sashiko. It was an incredible bargain at only 1.90 €. I also treated myself to a fan with a little bag to keep it in, 10 € for both. Here are my purchases:

As you can see the fan is made from lace and the little bag has some embroidery on it. The skein of thread should keep me in supplies for a bit.

I had a nice surprise today when the postman came. These two books arrived from my cousin Bernadette in the UK. Thank you!

The one on the left is from 1987 and has some interesting ideas for using different materials in appliqué such as cords, ribbons, beads and buttons. There are also ideas for ways of using the appliqué itself from lampshades to leather jackets.

The one of the right is from 1957 and is called “Werkliches Schaffen”, which is a wonderfully quaint title in German that I am having trouble translating. (Leo my favourite online dictionary had never heard of werklich!) It roughly translates as artistic creating. It covers all kinds of handcrafts from the usual knitting, crochet to leather work and pottery. According to the introduction it is aimed at girls, women and mothers (are they not women?), kindergarten teachers and teachers. They should not spend their free time sitting their hands in their laps but should develop a creative hobby.

Despite some rather old-fashioned and somewhat strange ideas -

for the non German speakers “This laundry bag is useful for storing dirty laundry not just in the household, but particularly for single girls” Why single them out? - it has lots of interesting and yes useful things to try out.

Here’s another quaint photo showing girls weaving tapes and ribbons.

I actually really like these old fashioned books. Despite the rather strange language and ideas they are usually full of techniques and handicrafts that are in danger of dying out and getting lost altogether. I have a few pamphlets that were my mothers with things like making shepherd’s smocks and some handicraft magazines from the 1960s from the next door neighbour to my parents.