February Take It Further Challenge

I have been struggling to find a topic for the February Take It Further Challenge!
The topic is "what are you old enough to remember?"

I remember:

• the introduction of photocopiers (with shiny paper that curled, went yellow and faded), video players, the first computers, TV games, playing vinyl albums, the first Walkman, mobile phones the size and weight of bricks (before them you had to arrange in advance where you would meet and be there on time!)
• the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of Nelson Mandela
• penny chews, Bagpuss, the Clangers, Mr Ben
• going to the library to look things up in books
• Roller skates that go over your shoes ...see freeflyinglady's work
• Hopscotch in the playground...See flyingcolours beautiful work

I remember so many things...
I did think I might do something about blue-tits stealing the cream from the milk when it was snowy in Winter, when we had the milk delivered when I was a child. We had to race down to get there first in the mornings before these charming, but cheeky, little birds did! But apparently they still do it...

Then I was going to do something on a derelict gypsy caravan that I used to play on in the woods when I was little. The woods were ploughed up for farming fields in the late 1970s and only a thin strip remains along the roadside. I have happy memories of exploring those woods.

But now, I have finally settled on something!!
I am old enough to remember the introduction of mini-roundabouts! A little strange I know but somehow this topic has captured my imagination...
At first we were not sure whether we had to go around then or just to drive straight over the bump in the middle of the road.
What better way to remember the mini-roundabout than to do a piece based on the famous "Magic Roundabout" in Swindon.
For a while I lived in Swindon in the UK which has few claims to fame but one is the Magic Roundabout - which I have been told consists of 13 mini-roundabouts in one. It is pretty daunting the first time you go across it. I was told to work out where you want to go and just keep going! It actually keeps the traffic flowing pretty well.

Since moving to Australia and learning about Aboriginal art, I am intrigued by the idea of aerial view maps for design and explaining about where you have been as part of your personal history.
I have now found some aerial views of the Magic Roundabout in Swindon (which is surprisingly interesting) and will do a design based on this.

Finished!

I have just finished my first Sumptuous Surfaces project. The shells and sea debris were fun to do, to experiment with a variety of stitches and textures.

Now on to a colour design...

Beautiful, but Deadly - Sumptuous Surfaces (3) - Texture

Here are my starfish so far. I have used Perle threads and beads to give an encrusted knobbly look. I am pleased with the result and think that I have got the starfishy look. I looked at lots of photos on the web to try and make them scientifically accurate.
I didn't realise that using the perle threads would make them sparkle in the light - so they look quite glamorous! Sadly you can't see this in the photo. (Maybe even beautiful, but deadly!)


The Australian CSIRO have several pictures of the real Asterias amurensis. I have tried to copy the tube feet, patterns on their back and the knobbly lumps (beads and drizzle stitches). They range in colour from creamy yellows to purple. As we are working in monotones, I have kept to yellowy/cream colours. I am also pleased that the palestrina stitch has conveniently turned up at the tips - as this is a distinguishing feature of this seastar.

The background stitches are different sizes and layers of cretan stitch and then the gaps have been filled with seed beads and
drizzle stitches and the odd french knot.

Now - what to do with the background, so that they look out of place...





This is what the real ones look like:
CSIRO picture
Museum of Victoria Picture

Starfish

I am still working on the Sumptuous Surfaces project. This is my progress to date.

I have started my edges and low relief work. My design has changed slightly - I took out my third little starfish as I realised that it wouldn't leave me any room to put in the seafloor and sea shells etc.

I've used gold organza outlined with palestrina stitch (hopefully to look like the suckers/feet under the starfish). I plan to add some stitches to show the patterns on the backs too and drizzle stitches to show the spiny bits - probably next week now.

The background is cretan stitch in crewel wool. I decided not to pull the stitches, after an experiment, as I prefered the smoothness of the standard stitch.

I'm not sure what to put around the border of the post card. I've looked at a few wools/threads - but so far none has looked right. I may have to buy something new, but I thought I'd wait until I have stitched some more.



There are some lovely pieces of work in the group and I'm really looking forward to see how everyone's work is developing next week.

Sumptuous Surfaces - Week 1 - Concept Development

Concept Development:

Since moving to Australia I have had to come to terms with how strongly people feel about"feral" wildlife and plants. In England the animal and plant hunters made non-indigenous plants exotic and glamorous. The opposite of this took a bit of coming to terms with. Now I get it.

They are talking about "feral" in the sense of non-native or non-indigenous - things that are not supposed to be here. In a way perhaps earlier on being a new immigrant I took it personally - perhaps I was not supposed to be here. Was I feral? I was relieved to hear an Aboriginal elder tell me that they believe that if you are here, you are supposed to be here - that you have been blown in by the wind spirits for a reason.

So maybe feral is things that are not supposed to be here- that are upsetting the natural balance of this ancient continent. It was separated so long ago that it has a very delicate natural balance and extremely sensitive to change.

Camels in the desert - natural surely? Not here. Wild horses, brumbeys - are causing lots of problems.

Cane toads - the most famous example of biological control gone wrong.

Some of these feral things are so beautiful. When I walk along the coast from Bondi to Bronte the colours of the cannas, blue/purple bindweed and verbena sing against the blue sea and sky and look absolutely stunning. I have to remind myself that they are strangling the native plants and stopping them and the native animals from thriving.

I can understand the early settlers feeling homesick and bringing their songbirds and cottage garden flowers with them. I cried the first time I saw forget-me-nots in a florist here! They are causing chaos and now with global warming and international travel the process is accelerating.

Bush regeneration teams spend their spare time pulling up asparagus fern and nasturtiums along the coast and replace them with natives.

The Indian Mina bird - that I remember in a cage as a child doing impressions in the sweet shop in my grandfather's village - is here too. The local honey eater doesn't stand a chance against this aggressive persistent competitor.

Last week I saw a documentary showing the same problems the world over.

So now my concept association list:

Native, indigenous, feral?

Beautiful but deadly

Cane toad

Bindweed

nasturtiums

asparagus fern

carp in rivers

goodbye to frogs

not where they are supposed to be

Am I feral?

Barrier reef starfish - Crown of thorns - nitrogen run off

Starfish at St Kilda pier, Melbourne - from America

So my concept is "beautiful but deadly" and my design will be based on a starfish.

I have an image of the starfish I saw in Melbourne that I will work with. It was the Northern Pacific Seastar (Asterias amuensis).

"This large sea star has five arms with pointed tips and is mottled yellow and purple in colour. It is native to the northeastern Pacific, around Japan, Korea, Russia and China. The Northern Pacific Seastar was discovered in Tasmania in 1986 and in Port Phillip Bay in 1995. In the Derwent estuary near Hobart it now dominates the sea floor. In Port Phillip Bay it is now widespread. In January 2004 the Northern Pacific Seastar was found to have spread to shallow reefs near Inverloch in southeastern Victoria. Volunteer divers and staff of the Department of Sustainability and Environment are attempting to eradicate this latest outbreak."

Now to work on an image/design...

Sumptuous Surfaces - Week 1 - Materials

I have signed up to do Sharon B's Sumptuous Surfaces course with Joggles. I have wanted to do this course for some time - but there has never been a good time. So I decided that it is now or never and signed up. I am very excited about doing the course and now just need to make some time to make the most of it.

We are starting off with a neutral pallet - so I have been through my stash and found quite a lot of "stuff". What I don't have much of is neutral coloured threads - I have wools and fancy threads, but not the basics - so I may have to shop for those. I don't have many beads either - I prefer buttons and found objects - so again , I may have to look out for some.

So I've started - now to work on a design...

Admiration

Here is my finished piece for January - Admiration.

It is based on a rangoli design from Mandana, Gujarat, India. From the book "Designs and Motifs from India" by Marty Noble.

A rangoli is a colourful design made on the floor near the entrance to a house to welcome guests. At Diwali, Hindus draw bright rangoli to encourage the goddess Lakshmi to enter their houses. Traditionally the floor painting is only done by women. Red sand and chalk powder are used to make the designs. They are also now found on block printed textiles.

This is my homage to the countless, nameless craftswomen in India who embroider our skirts, bags and cushion covers.

I am pleased that I kept to the colour scheme and have used a couple of TAST stitches from last year - pistil and arrowhead, with couching and beads. The background is fern green sheer over purple linen. It is 9x9 cms (3.5x3.5 inches)

I confess that this was to be the centrepiece in a larger piece - but life got in the way this month - and I have also signed up for Sharon B's Sumptuous Surfaces class (more in the next post) so this was as far as I got.

Still I am very pleased with the result and may use it as it is - or add it to the WISP pile - as part of my original design, when time permits!

I am looking forward to the February challenge.