Friday, July 21, 2017

Corset creation

It's been a long time since I made clothes and even when I did they were quite basic, but recently Art a'Peel (the local textile group I'm a member of) challenged the members to create an artistic corset.  It was interesting to see each members approach to the theme - some did two dimensional designs which were framed, or on canvas, and others created actual corsets in varying sizes.
It's always inspiring to see how each person interprets a challenge.  For me I threw myself wholeheartedly into creating a full size corset with no idea at all what I was doing, as lining and boning were new techniques.  However, I have to admit once it was done I was quite thrilled with the end result.  It's good to push your boundaries and try something new - we never know what we're capable of until we try.
I started off with some Osnaburg fabric I'd previously rust dyed, as it had good strength but was soft and manageable, and lined it with Quilters Muslin.  The embroidery was hand stitched and on an evening sitting attaching the many sequins was quite relaxing.
The rings for the lacing are metal curtain rings, heated with a heat gun and dipped in embossing powder to coat them with a colour to match the sequins and embroidery.  It was fiddly but worked well and tied it all together (pardon the pun!).
My grandson asked me if it was for me, or a young person - I've learnt to smile sweetly and not take offence.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

I'm back .... with exciting news

Well time certainly slips by and it's shameful to see how long it's been since I last blogged, but I'm back and intend to keep you up to date with all that's happening at this end of the world now that I'm getting a handle on social media.  I've definitely got a lot to catch up on but that doesn't mean I've had idle hands - there's been quite a bit of textile and embroidery work getting done in the background and in the next few weeks I'll be telling you all about it, but in the meantime my exciting news is that my new website has been launched and I hope people find it easier to use and navigate around.  Be sure to visit me at Thimble Fingers and have a look around.
 I'm also up and running on Facebook if you want to follow me: Thimble-fingers Australia - I'd love to hear from you.