Leaves - September

I was welcomed home with this beautiful creation by Elizabeth.

Elizabeth created all the fabrics she used to make this page except for a green batik. She's used a number of techniques too - rust dyeing, hand painting and sun printing. Thank you Elizabeth this page is going to make a beautiful addition to my book.

There's no place like Home

When you are on the road and away from home as often as I've been lately, you start appreciating that space you identify as home. Everyone's definition and description of home is different. Here's Pat's interpretation in the form of a fabric ATC and postcard. Both are little gems.

Can't stop admiring the details of embroidery and the beaded edge. I've made heart themed ATC's for a swap but this is the first in my collection.
My dream home will have a fireplace and on winter nights there will be smoke curling out of the chimney and a garden.
Thank you Pat for these exquisite little pieces of art. I have yet to begin on my part of the swap but I'll surprise you sometime soon.

I'm off again on a craft project at the end of the week. I'll be back in a fortnight to appreciate once more the comforts and quirks of the place I call home until then have fun and stay safe.

Circles

I've been travelling, travelling a lot is more like it and everywhere I go I carry a scarf to embroider and its circles that I've been creating with a million little running stitch.

This one I've named 'Amulet'. Its large two and a half meters long and forty four inches wide. Its an amulet you can wrap yourself in.

Has the running around in circles unconciously translated itself into my work I wonder? Finding time early in the morning to embroider what I like to call little pools of potential on the scarves before the duties of the day have to be dealt with.

This one is named 'Fossil'. Running stitch circles on tussar silk with a sprinkling of sequins.

And this one is named 'Pond'.
Someone visiting the store asked if embroidering these scarves were my way of meditating and I couldn't agree more.

I'm travelling again today to visit family and there's a scarf I'm taking along with me. Circles and running stitch have given way to lines and open chain stitch.

All Creatures Great and Small

Gayle's book is based on the theme All Creatures Great and Small and this was my contribution for the month of August.

A shiny, glittering, embroidered and sequined peacock perched on a Flame of the Forest in full bloom. The leaves are printed foil from a snack packet and for the flowers I got to use my nail polish and some embroidery.

If the idea of upcycling appeals to you and you happen to be in Bangalore then make time for Anu and here's some upcycling and recycling I'm doing.

Plantation House

Have you visited Plantation House yet? For a number of you geography gets in the way so let me take you on a little visual tour.

I was there yesterday to spend time with Shalini and hand over three pieces of my handiwork and of course talk and talk and talk.
That's 'Overgrown' which has many admirers I'm told.
Overgrown is about tussar appliqued squares and cretan stitch on a bright turquoise cotton silk fabric.

A little section just for my scarves! 'Islands' is draped on the t stand and folded on the step stool is 'Autumn'

Detail of Islands. This is a reversable scarf.

Plantation House garments can be worn in more ways than one like this Bedouin inspired Japanese tunic in the foreground but for that you need to visit the store to experience the transformation and be enchanted.

'Autumn" is a hand pieced patchwork scarf.

My work has been received well at Plantation House and I was delighted to see a Japanese lady visit the store wearing one of my scarves and apparently in that state I stop functioning because I failed to ask her, her name or remember to take a photograph. Thank you for choosing to buy and wear a Maya.

Story of the Traveling Pages Sent and Received

I'm back after a month of travel and living out of a travel bag. It feels so good to put up my feet, sip tea and settle into a familiar routine. Sigh, there's simply no place like home.

Other people have been busy too. Liz created this page for my book on Leaves.Its going to be a great addition, thanks Liz.
the page I made for Liz. The theme for her book is Doors.

OK this post was just a quick one to say hello.

More in the days to come about my scarves which have sold well at Plantation House, way beyond my expectations! 

Maya now available at Plantation House

Maya - limited edition hand embroidered scarves by moi are now available at Plantation House, The Leela Galleria, Bangalore.

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.