Recycle, Reuse

Recycling, reusing and repurposing provided the focus for our recent meetings. The group was encouraged to look at how ‘rubbish’ or items that might go into the waste stream could be repurposed for art making. 

Janice showing us clever ways to use wrappers, plastic, bottle tops and other discarded items to make small hoops

Jo talked about ways to recycle old cans and metals 

Jenny demonstrated ways to create new fabrics from old with the embellishing machine.

The artisan book group also joining in the theme by reusing a box/tin as a cover/container for a concertina book.

 

The grand finale or our Christmas meeting. We celebrate with a shared lunch and the making of a small Christmas ornament. This year a simple Santa made with gifted leftover yarns, old string, a small wooden bead and a piece of paper towel roll.

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Coloured by Nature

The past few months has seen the group experiment with ways of getting colour and texture onto fabric from plants in the form of natural / eco dyeing  and botanical contact printing, rusting, pounding of leaves and flowers and rubbings from trees and the landscape.

Botanical contact print

Pounding, taken from the Japanese technique of  Tataki zome / Hapa zome

Rubbing

Gathering up the necessary materials for eco dyeing

Unwrapping the bundles

Getting into rusting using the dip technique

Finished items, works in progress and experimental pieces – Some of the fabulous work from group members.

A Walk Along the River

The theme for the March  meeting was mark making in nature. Great fun was had by the group as we assembled with our pencils, inks, crayons, pastels and anything else that we could use to put a mark on our cloth. Nature turned on a glorious sunny day that perfect for a gentle stroll. 

‘Rubbing’on the bark of the trees

A resting place to have a group conference and sharing the mark making of our walk.

Some of the work that was brought to the April meeting, all inspired by or referencing the walk along the river.

The Making of An Earth Goddess

The theme for the GeeTAG group this year is earth. At a previous meeting members were shown how to create a simple flat doll shape and asked to bring them to the meeting ready to embellish or sculpt so as to create an Earth Goddess. As with many of our activities and projects there is often a bit of time between starting and finishing the project, however, hopefully there will finished dolls that appear throughout the year as show and tell.

These are simple dolls that started their life as flat ‘pancake or cookie cutter ‘ doll shapes. These dolls show a variety of ways to add limbs and sculpt to add further shape to the body.

Some simple sculpting to create a motherly pregnant shape for this earth mother, legs and arms made from wrapped wire.

 In various stages of production

Meg hard at work

Hilary, a visitor, came along prepared with many dolls to work on.

This year we are having a year long activity that is focussed on collage, design and responding to a fortnightly prompt. The works can be glued into a book or made as postcards or maybe both for some.

This goddess didn’t get to the meeting.

And sometimes we get to see some spectacular work. Marina has been working on this during the  Covid lockdown.

Beads and Buttons

It was fitting that we were able to celebrate our last meeting for the you with the glamour of beads and buttons. Laurene brought along a selection of the the very textural pieces that were heavily encrusted with a fabulous selection of beads, buttons and deconstructed jewellery and then gave an explanation of how to construct the pieces.

Beads sorted into colours

A piece in progress

More eye candy

Beaded Pieces  and Hand Made Beads from Gillian

Made Fabrics and Embroidery From Jenny

Bags From Carol

Embellished Traycloth from  Janice

Art Doll from Laurene

Embossing into Velvet

The focus activity for the meeting was embossing into velvet. A little research showed a couple of different techniques that required minimal products and equipment and would be simple to do.

A simple process of using a rubber stamp, placing the velvet right side onto the stamp, misting the back of the fabric with water and then pressing with a hot iron.

The stamps, open designs worked the best.

The next technique was to use Lumiere paint and acrylic paint on the stamp

Not as successful but possibly due to poor technique, more investigation and experimentation required.

Embossed velvet made into a small pouch for an amulet or talisman.

Sneak peek of the group entry for the upcoming exhibition, responding to 2020 lockdown stimulus – Covid.

Wild Gardens

What a fabulous time we had in this mini workshop with Gillian. Using the concept of a garden as a starting point and restricting our palette to a range of black and white media we spent the afternoon creating a variety of marks on paper. The next step is to investigate how these methods could adapted to fabric and stitch.

Gillian beginning her demonstration 

And then to work 

More Wild Gardens 

Some show and tell from Claire

Robyn sent in some photos of projects that she has been working  on

Faux Leather

Our first workshop together for nearly a year. The technique of making Faux Leather from brown paper bags.

Demonstrated by Jo and Carol. 

Then the group was into it

The resulting ‘leather’ can be used in much the same way as fabric and for a variety of applications. The theme for the month was brooches, however, it is great for book covers and other jewellery.

For inspiration, show and tell. It is always good to see what the group has been working on.

Zoom Zoom

A snap lockdown and the plans for our first meeting  were in disarray. Jo, keen to get us started, organised an emergency meeting via Zoom. So there we were,  zooming away, introducing ourselves to new members, planning a slightly revised program for the coming year and even some show and tell. 

An album cover and Covid piece from Carol

Artists Trading Cards and swap from Sandra

Free machine embroidery, fabric collage and paper collage from Kerrie

We’re Back – Christmas Catchup

Covid restrictions relaxed and the group could finally meet. A small group were able to catch up at short notice for a shared lunch and a mini workshop – Paper Stars.

Some show and tell to round out the afternoon. A fabulous collection of pieces from Rhonda and Carol

Recycled denim jeans make great bags

Bags and pouches 

From Jenny T

Lampshades

Machine embroidery on Geo textile

On velour

Layered sheers 

On paper and framed

More stitching on paper and ready for framing

A selection of artist’s book and hand embroidery on tea towels and a journal cover from Kerrie.