Orange painted Vilene Spunbond CS800 (the heaviest) decorated with painted Bondaweb and synthetic fabrics.    Th e same sample zappe d with a heat gun to create some f abu lous lacy edges. We had great fun playing with all the products on this course, learning which would zap and which wou ld cut with a soldering iron. The heaviest weight Spunbond is great fun to 'cut' with the heat from a heat gun.    This sample shows the S p unb ond partly zapped before it is ripped apart. The idea is to almost cut through the fabric, just leaving a few strands, a kind of 'laddered' effect. Then you rip apart your work and the laddery bits seperate.    A blue sample which was then zapped . . . .     . . . and then ripped apart.       . . and another one . .     . . and another one . . (decorated with foiled Hot Spots!) This is Earth Jewel ls - one of my vessels. It is five foot ta...

  The insides of my very old and very lovely Bernina 707.   I took a day off today to do a 'Getting to know your sewing machine' workshop at Foredown Tower with Sara Cook. I have always wanted to do this course, but never quite found the time. Like many of you I have been stitching for more years than I care to mention, in fact since I was eighteen - so a VERY long time. I have never taken the time to learn how to service my machine and get to know all the working parts. I have five much more modern sewing machines but this one is my favourite and consequently gets a lot of abuse - no I don't shout at it!!!! It was very satisfying to take the machine apart and oil the appropriate parts. I never knew I had an oscillating shuttle - how exciting?? I couldn't believe how much fluff and stuff was in my machine - I'm surprised it could work at all. I must admit I was pleased I had my old Bernina when I saw all the modern plastic machines. The old metal mach...

  Newspaper block printed with Colourful Thoughts multi surface paints (bubblegum & copper) I had a day off yesterday - Shock! Horror!! I had chance to work on a large piece of newspaper faux chenille - Oh no!!! not newspaper AGAIN you cry!!! Colourful Thoughts multi surface paints are thick enough to print with and can be watered down to paint Bondaweb and Tyvek and they are gorgeous. craftynotions I have a deep box canvas 1m x .30cm I wanted to cover so layered up 7 - 9 layers of old dyed newspapers and backed it with some dyed craft/pelmet Vilene. My finished layers were large enough to cover the canvas and stick down around the edges. I have new wooden printing block I wanted to try out that Sarah Lawrence had given me at Festival of Quilts. I printed the top layer of newspaper, waited for it to dry then pinned all the layers together ready to stitch. I wanted to try stitching wider channel than I have been to see if I liked the effect. The channels are 2...