More geometry..

These where actually the construction lines for the eight petal rosette pattern I was constructing. As I was drawing I kept seeing new patterns in them so I traced the grid, then photocopied it several times and today I coloured in some of them, with a bit of colourplay on the last one.

Felting for smaller sizes

As I have a new niece and a nephew on the way.. I would like to try and make them a small sized hat. I got a bit late starting, but better late than never. I'm using all natural colours. Undyed merino wool in white, grey and brown. 

 

 

New grid for silk painting

I'm slowly getting closer to start silk painting again. I think I now have all the matierials needed. Plus here is a new grid, ready to fill with colours when I finally do get started.

 

As I'm learning islamic patterns here is one of the basics. Stars and hexagons.

Natural colours.

I sorted out my wooden hut... again. I have probably been saving onion skins for the last 12 years now. I found lots of white wool that I had already mordanted and forgotten about and loose bags of pomegranate skins. The message seemed quite clear, so I did it.

Theese are my results after some iron water modifications.

Beach constructions

I broke my electric sewing machine.

Thank you singer for being so beautiful, strong, good tempered and reliable, even though I normally use you as a second choice.

Arabesque design

  
Little arabesque design with eight point star. Remembering my days in the leather workshop, I intended to tool it in to leather, and put it on a wooden box as a gift for someone, but never got the time to finish. I like the design though, so I will probably use it for something else.
 

New hats on the line..

Little pile

Nice picture of a pile of kufi hats about to go in the wash.
 

Star colourplay

My latest favourite mosaic colourplay.

Watercolours

As my efforts to paint silk again during the last year have become quite frustrated, some months ago I bought some watercolour paper and started painting watercolours. I realised I really miss using colour. I started lots, have so many Ideas.. but have to go slowly when I ocasionally find the tranquility to get them out (usually when the boys have gone to bed). Some are patterns, some have geometry, some have square kufi script in the middle. Any excuse to colourplay! I go slowly adding layers or expanding..  I'm hoping at least to have a few presents, a new colleciton of cards and a grand new collection of patterns from them all! Here is a preview.

Another pattern

I'm sure this one will be selected for one of my new little cards! It would also make a lovely quilt... 
The original is painted in watercolours, then I digitally modified and doubled up.

Finished!

And here are some pictures of our results! My 6 year old really enjoyed doing this, even though I had to help him a lot. My 3 year old, enjoyed me making one for him too.. but had not much interest in trying after the first cross.

And of course, already being used in their kitchen!

Using our morning glory

As our morning glory tries to win the battle and grow everywhere I find myself cutting and pulling its long crawly climbers quite regularly around our garden. I've often admired the spirals and spring shapes it winds itself into around the other plants. Its quite amazing really, as most climbers are when you look at them closely. This time however, we used these bits to do a little weaving. 

Adventures in to geometry

I find it very satisfying to complete a geometric pattern. I received a lesson to build an eight point rosette some time ago and ever since I have occasionally been looking for new lessons to construct. I have worked with grids and tesselations before, but now I'm searching to learn sacred geometry and Islamic patterns. I'm sure geometry will have more of a presence in my work from now on. This is an open door to a whole new world of patterns!

 

Venturing in to square kufic script

I have been including some square kufic in my watercolours. I like the simple clearness and the balance. I also like that it has a meaning even if we cant allways read it.
I've wanted, for a long time now, to make a little dua for the protection of children. A picture, something to hang, beautiful of course. But nowhere I could find this dua in square kufic. So of course as a passionate of diy I found myself searching how to construct square kufic and triying to do it myself. I would really like to have someone who could correct or aproove my script, though.
I found this site very helpful, as it gives very basic but very clear guidelines.

 "This style is absolutely not concerned with legibility: it is understood that the message, the Word, is there, and gazing upon it is enough to receive its blessing. Literacy may have been limited in the past, but beauty was always accessible to all, and it is the beauty of the pattern that matters. In its simplest form, square kufic is austere, and derives its beauty from the purity of its austerity; but it lends itself to clever, even playful variations only limited by one's creativity. More than any other calligraphic practice, creating in square kufic feels very much like solving a puzzle, giving it particular appeal for problem-solvers."       Quoted from Joumana Medlej, from "Creative Arabic Calligraphy: Square Kufic"

Stocked up again!

Happy to receive a box full of wool. I bought as local as I could this time. All natural colour. Spanish bread merino sheep, 21 microns for the white, around 23 for the brown. I have hopes of diying and getting some nice natural shades on the white wool. It was also a nice change to have no plastic in the box!

Pendants for another piñata

We made another piñata, using the same method, for my 6 year old. Just a bit bigger and a bit more sturdy (we wrapped three times round instead of two). We filled it incuding theese necklaces hoping each child would get one. We made them together a few days earlier. 

This is how:

-We cut the shapes with biscuit or plasticine cutters from white self hardening modelling clay. 

-We made a hole and decorated with dots and lines.

-the next day, when they were dry, we painted them with golden acrilic paint. I added a tiny bit of tempera to modify the golden paint and we had different tones of metallic.

-we put them on the strings (mostly me that part) and in the piñata!

More printed fabric.

Not so recent though..

Sweet hearts

It was lovely to meet my sweet little niece yesterday. May she be blessed and protected always. This was our handmade gift for her.

 The bigger one is a cushion. The smaller ones are intended to be soft toys. One has a squeaker inside, one has beads attached and the smaller one is quite a lot harder. They are held together by a buttoned tape so they can also be easily separated.

New project

Here is my colourful selection of fabrics for this new project.

Workspace and printed fabric

Handmade piñata!

Happy Birthdays!

My little boy is three today and his dad had a birthday yesturday so I've also been busy otherwise theese days. Putting love in everything, thats the best ingredient.

Printing again!

Ok, I'm doing it the funky way... but I'm doing it. And I can only imagine even better results if I ever get my silkscreens printing again! Doing this really makes me happy.

New outdoor workspace

I hope to use this workspace a lot this spring and summer. I'll use it mostly for dyes and wet felting. I know the picture doesnt show much but its really just a table outside. It has its charm though, under a fig tree with passion flowers crawling up. Lets see what will come from it...

Handprint versus digital

See for yourselves. My originals (on the right) versus the digitally printed versions. 

Somewhere on the way they changed. I lost great brightness and luminosity on the first one and a lot of contrast on the second one! I will have to make efforts to improve for the next time!

Precious flowers

 I feel very lucky to have these just outside my door...

...and if you stop to lift one of these little precious flowers up you can admire how really perfect they are. 
 

Not taking pictures

So I was heading out with the camera to finally take pictures of all my 'new things' and the fabrics I printed with the stencil... of course I got distracted taking pictures of the beautifull irises that are coming out at the moment. Anyway, I had time to take two pictures of the wind blowing up theese fabrics and this one before the camera run out of battery! Photo session will have to be postponed for anohter day..

Little flowers about to open

Additions

I added a few brush strokes to my prints. Then I added some silver or gold. I have a lovely new range of patterns, inspiration for my next silk painting session and I feel a bit less rusty!

I wander what to do with my paper paintings though... 

Happy begginings

I finally sorted out the wooden hut enough to start some work again. There is really too much stuff in there! 
I've wanted to start painting silk again for quite some time now but I must admit its been so long, I feel a bit rusty... So, I did a bit of colour play on paper and tried out my new stencils. I think I'll try them on fabric next time. Then maybe I'll feel ready for the silk.

Stencils

I've been cutting out stencils from some of my newer pattern designs. I like working with stencils cause it allows quick colour play and endles variations of the same base design. It takes some time to make the stencil but its worth it in the end.

2017 new year resolutions for lasidi

These are my intentions for this new year for lasidi. I will try to keep it realistic:

Post on my blog at least once a month.
Relink my blog to Facebook and twitter (if it still works like that).
Use Instagram at least once weekly.
Review all 'About me' texts and update them.
Make new cards with my new domain 'artesanatextil' as 'lasidi' has been taken (hopefully just temporarily)
Start painting again.
Reopen my Etsy shop and list new items.
Make a new gallery for my work (as mosaicglobe has disappeared)

I think that's enough, as I also have to be a house keeper, cook, wife and mum of two, daughter and hopefully give some time to my friends. 

Acrylic on wood. 30x50cm. approx. I painted this as a study for a larger painting in my second year of art school... that is about 15 years ago! How time flies.

Happy new year

My best wishes to all people for this new year.
Peace be upon us all and peace for all that have left us along the way.

May we all be blessed, protected and guided
on to the true path of love, compassion,
feeling grateful for what we have and
finding forgiveness from our true selves.
May we grow in faith and become stronger.
May we free the inner light.
Let us always be connected...