the Results

All hatched and with some amazing results.  To answer a question asked ....... I used minimal agitation so I do have some marbling and also so funnies.  Every now and again when using a mix of colours and not agitating much I get some surprises as for whatever reason the colours split.  

This is such a result (apologies to the pic - should have charged camera battery!)

But what an amazing piece.  This is just half of the strip. It repeats itself at the other end.  A background piece in the waiting.

Otherwise I am very happy with the results.

This gives me enough to put together some very handy thank you packs.

The final piece is for a challenge due mid year (if accepted) and I cannot say any more as we have to keep it below wraps  - one of the conditions. This will only be revealed much later in the year.

Not the normal colour I would work in but it is just right for what I want it.

HAVING FUN

Another task ticked off.  I needed to dye up some fabric so this is what occupied me this morning and are resting in the kitchen for the moment.

 

I needed a good variety of colours to put together  as gift packs which I think I have achieved.

HEADWAY ON THE SECOND PROJECT

I have made headway on the next project after getting the threads sorted and pictures transferred onto cotton percale using TAP.

You definitely get rusty if you give a technique a break .........

...... you cannot see here as the light from the machine distorts the colours of the thread but I approached this one completely wrong by starting with the white and then working in the pale grey as you now can see.......

.... having said that, photographed on the black background it suddenly looks okay.  I then stitched the second one and personally I do prefer it.

Here is a picture of the two together, with the 'better' one in the background. I have also used a different fabric for the background.

The bits missing from the flowers will be done by hand at the end.

Getting there.  I need a few more flowers to play around with.  They are stitched surprisingly quickly so no problem.

NO MORE FROG

I had friends around the other day for a chat and some nibbles and managed to make such a dent in the removal of the frog that I continued for the rest of the afternoon and voila!

...... no more frog, well for the moment.

I am not liking the blueness of the silk paper and actually I felt it was half the problem for redoing this piece. The frogs are quite olive dirty green so the contrast was too high.

Result.  First step is to knock back the blue a with paint.

TIME OUT

Unfortunately I am experiencing problems posting pictures for whatever reason so those will follow, nevertheless, we took ourselves off to the bush over New Year and had a wonderful time at Ithala Game Reserve , northern KZN.


The weather was fabulous .... no rain as predicted and all the expected sightings of animals were experienced except for the elephants who had made a runner across the Phongola River and were causing trouble with locals.  Apparently they are going to try and shoo them back with a helicopter.


None of the small cats and jackals which are rare were sighted but we were quite successful with the bird life.  Specials were a number of Secretary Birds foraging in the long grass, Blue Cranes our national bird and a number of Black Bellied Korhaan making their unusual calls which sound like frogs.  The highlight was a Jackal Buzzard who had killed a family of baby Guinea Fowl and was attempting to devour them with a very upset mother strutting her stuff around them. She eventually gave up and he was able to finish his meal.  Nature!!


Nothing better than time out away from the hustle and bustle of life.