Its raining Leaves

I'm posting sooner than I expected. Its because this page created by Ann in May and given up as lost has reached me after two months.

The story behind the three pages Ann has created for me needs to be related.

Ann had to create a page for me in March based on the theme - Leaves. Unbelievable but true the first page and then the second went missing and finally the third page reached me in July

Ann this page is beautiful. It depicts the four seasons.
Thank you for the little ivy leaf. I'm going to use it on the cover of my book of Leaves. Everybody will have thirteen pages in their book but I'll have fourteen and should that first page Ann created, arrive in the next two months then it will be fifteen. Expecting the unexpected is the attitude I'm going to adopt especially if its as pleasant as this.

Leaves - June

This page created by Gayle arrived in the mail about ten days and has been waiting for me to get back from my wanderings.

Gayle has used Shibori techniques such as 'stitching and capping' and for the metallic gold thread a technique called 'tsujigahana'. The reverse of the page has has been dyed using the 'short pole technique'. In addition Gayle has been really resourceful in using Easter egg dyes for all her shibori explorations.
Thank you Gayle for sharing details of your life and the place you live in as well as the beautiful page for my book of leaves.

My wanderings continue all of August and I don't see an opportunity to post but I just might surprise you so do come back and visit. There will be a lot to show and tell at the end of August.

Take care and stay safe until we meet next.

Leaves - March

Ann made this page for me.She sketched the oak leaves in her garden and then quilted the page.

Ann has made three pages for me. Two got lost in transit and finally the third made it from Berlin to Bangalore.

The reverse of the page and the most exquisite little ATC with fabric origami flowers. Thank you Ann, I really appreciate the persistence and effort you've made to make a page for me three times over.

Bamboo

Traditional bamboo baskets of Kerala.
Its going to be a while before I get back to my old routine which will allow me to post on a regular basis as internet access is not always available at the places where I go for my craft projects.

Its as if I step back in time - there's no internet access, cell phone signals are poor or non existent,candles must be kept handy because the power cuts last all night and insect bites can make your life hell but I get to work with skilled craftspeople and some locations are simply beautiful.

So I hope you'll keep visiting because I'll be posting about the craft projects I'm going to be working on and the locations whenever I have access to the net.

Jaali window for Elizabeth

Elizabeth has received her 'jaali window' page so I can reveal the same here on my blog. This the page I created in May for the on going swap over at The Story of the Traveling Pages.

Jaali windows are sheer poetry , the real thing I mean. So it was quite a challenge trying to translate the stunning beauty of the sandstone and marble jaali's with cloth and thread.

Incidentally jaali in Hindi means net. Time did not permit me to actually sit down and create a pattern for a pointed arch shaped piece of crochet and I couldn't find a free pattern on the net so I crocheted a square 'jaali' which was set into the centre of the page.

It helps that the shape of the page is an arched one. Most monuments and palaces where these jaali windows are found are decorated with murals which I have interpreted as the floral forms on either side, stitched with brown thread and the line of gold sequins. Cross hatching was done with a black ball point pen, some strokes with the brown oil pastel and tea decoction were used to add more depth.

Detail of the crochet 'jaali'.
The reverse of the page.

In June I'm going to be creating a page for Liz and her theme is doors.

I'm going to be busy on a project starting next week involving bamboo and I will have no access to the net for almost three weeks. Will be back with news and pictures of a number of projects that I've got involved in - when it rains it pours and its not just the monsoons I'm talking about. Busy and in a total tizzy is the state in which I actually thrive I've discovered. Hope things are buzzing with you, stay safe and we'll reconnect soon.

Autumn leaves

Ruth created this page for me for the month of May. She's represented autumn leaves which are her favourite. She has painted with fabric paints on muslin ,thread sketched and machine quilted the leaves.

Thread sketching is new to me. Never even heard of it. Must do some googling.

Red

Chip packets and crazy quilting. My entry for the rainbow of stitches contest over at Feeling Stitchy.

A couple of days left for you to enter - click here to see the other submissions.

Page for April is from Australia

The page for April was created by Johoanna. Its the form of a leaf from a tree in her garden. The background fabric is quite gorgeous.Love that little blue frog. Nimbin in Australia where Johoanna lives is most happening, a Mardi Gras festival promoting the legalisation of marijuana has just concluded. Hemp is a fibre I haven't had much to do with, I think I'll put Nimbin on my list of places to visit.

On a separate note -

Tell me this doesn't move you to start doing your bit to stop it all from unravelling..

Mini accordion fold book

Now that Eliza has received the mini book I made for her I can show you what I created.

A mini book in a little foil envelope personalised with a little monogram and a closure for the envelope made with coconut shell buttons.
Brown and red little accordion fold book edged with sequins.

Small bits of paper the edges of which are burnt make up the spaces to do some writing on both sides of the accordion fold.

To participate in fun paper exchanges click here.

Art Nouveau in April

For The Story of the Traveling Pages in April I created a page for Cobi whose fibre book is Art Nouveau themed. So here's the page.

Art Nouveau meets Indian bling. Couldn't resist the sequins.
The reverse of the page. Tussar silk with sequined swirls and a cotton label embroidered with details.
Blanket stitch secures the plastic foil and silk to the base fabric. Texture created with running stitch done at random vertically and horizontally with blue metallic thread.
The flower and butterfly are made with shiny plastic foil, which is part of the packaging for the muesli I buy and pieces of silk.Reverse applique is the technique I've used.
To see more of the pages being created for this fantastic year long collaborative fibre art project, click here.

Spoilt Silly

The postman came bearing a package from Poland yesterday as a result of participating in this swap..My swap partner Eliza made this gorgeous book for me.

Wrapped in a piece of wall paper tied with ribbon and a monogrammed tag was the little book - Women who Create. Let me walk you through this beautiful creation. ( click on pics to view enlarged)
Vermeer's - The Lace maker I got to view at the Louvre when I visited Paris, its a jewel of a painting and I'm so glad Eliza decided to include it in the book.
I love that little slide.
How did Eliza have the heart to cut up the little coaster I wonder? Fantastic use of images and other bits and pieces on all the pages, so beautifully balanced. Very thoughtful of you to include so many beautiful textile bits like the lace, crocheted coaster and the measuring tape.
Isn't that little gingham heart cute? Eliza took the trouble to go through my blog I see.
She sent me a piece of embroidered net which was used for her wedding dress. Its really delicate and pretty. Thank you, it must be imbued with so many happy memories.
Another Vermeer painting - A Lady Writing. The book lies on top of a traditional Polish scarf which I'm told is still fashionable. Waiting for cooler weather when I can wear it.
A set of twelve traditional Polish folk embroidery patterns. Beautifully compliments a page on embroidery in the little book.
The back of the book along with a postcard and a selection of papers.

Thank you Eliza for this beautiful book and the wonderful array of gifts from Poland.

P.S. Lawendula is organising one last swap before the summer - Paper Swap :Art Failures. Read more about it here.

I won!!!

Pat had a giveaway on her blog for Mother's Day about two weeks back and I won.The first ever giveaway I've won.I was ecstatic to get up one morning and read Pat's e-mail. Today I had the pleasure of opening a box packed with goodies.Wrapped with care in pretty pink and rose patterned tissue paper I unwrapped something to delight every sense.

A little note pad, a little book - For Mother O'Mine by Mary Engelbreit, a little zine Pat has created on How to write on Fabric which has her beautiful handwriting, a little box of chocolates! Its the little yellow box of Whitman's Sampler and a charming little porcelain plate with roses on it and three exquisite vintage mother of pearl buttons.
Aren't these vintage handkerchiefs beautiful. They are in pristine condition. They inspire me to start a handkerchief collection.
Just look at all that. Three little charms from Blue Moon, a set of vintage crystal buttons made in Germany, skeins of silk thread,a vial of glass beads, a length of lace and a beautiful crazy quilted needle case made by Pat's friend Brenda to which Pat added the bead edging. Looks like I can't put off exploring crazy quilting much longer, I have everything to get me started.

Pat you've taught me a thing or two about giveaways and you certainly do things with style. Can't tell you how thrilled I was to unwrap each little treasure. Thank you.

Chocolate doesn't last long in this household, I'll be sharing that with my husband this weekend as we watch T20 cricket on television.

For the years of embroidery I've done I haven't made or got myself a needle case so looks like I was meant to have one and its going to be pressed into service right away. I'm going to put a picture of this beautiful needle case here.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Bountiful

What image would you choose to symbolise bountiful? I found my image outside my window in Kerala. An absolutely amazing fruit laden, jack fruit tree. I've never seen anything like it.

If this isn't bountiful I don't know what is.
There's fruit resting on the ground!
Jack fruit can get really large, three times the size of what you see in this picture but on this particular tree I was told the larger fruit in the picture will be ready to cut off the tree in a couple of days.
When the stem of the jack fruit is cut it produces a milky sap.
Look at that texture.When is a jack fruit ready to be harvested? When a large proportion of the short spiky protrusions flatten out like in the upper portion of the image. It takes another week or so before its ready to be cut open.

A jack fruit came back with me to Bangalore and I spent two hours cutting and taking out the pods. Its sticky and messy business, cutting a jack fruit. One needs to put oil on the knife and on your hands, therefore there are no pictures of the inside of the jack fruit. Maybe next time. No pictures of the fruit either which occupied most of the lower shelf of my fridge and it was jack fruit for two weeks every night while we watched the IPL cricket matches. There were various recipes suggested by friends - payasam, puttu, pradaman but we love it fresh.

Now all that remains is a large bowl of the seeds. Do you have a recipe for jack fruit seeds that you can suggest? I'm keeping a few of the seeds to germinate into seedlings, a tree like this needs to be propagated and the goodness shared don't you think.

Screwpine

I thought I'd share pictures of my fifteen days in Kerala with you. It was hot but a lot got done, I got to buy more, traditional Malayali cookware. I should do a post on all my traditional Indian cookware and utensils. For fifteen days I was working with women to add new products to the existing range of products made of screwpine mat.
The Screwpine plant is of the Pandanus family. This is the female plant which produces softer and more supple fibre than the male plant and has been used traditionally to make mats for sleeping .
Braids of screwpine fibre being woven into the mat. Plain weave is the weave used. Two or even three women work side by side on a single mat.
Women weaving mats in the background and some stitching the products with screwpine fibre.

Traditionally sleeping mats were woven of natural coloured fibre by one group and two mats were stitched together by others. So today there are weavers and there are those who stitch and some who are skilled to do both.
We made large biscornus to be used as floor cushions.
The women use chemical dyes to dye the fibre and they have a great sense of colour and they use it so well to produce beautiful checked patterns.
I decided to use the fringe like edge of the mat which is usually discarded.
A visiting card case
Case for scissors
I introduced the basics of satin ribbon embroidery as a value addition technique.

Products are stitched with screwpine fibre, lined with fabric and thin cardboard is used sandwiched between the fabric and the screwpine mat to create different shapes and to give strength. The women were very keen on making these heart shaped boxes and called them love

petti or love box.