Craft Retreat

On Saturday (13th October) I attended a "Craft Retreat" at "Greenhills" (The Cotter centre)
It was a lot of fun....a whole day of making things, with meals laid on.
I had chosen two classes, "drawing on polymer clay" (which involved creating brooch or pendant blanks, in polymer clay, and drawing "zentangles" on them; and "transfer techniques, and creating a wire bail for a pendant"

I enjoyed both of the classes....but when I saw what the students had created in Hector Vera's "faux dichroic glass" class, I was really jealous! Sparkle, colour and bling!            Polymer clay is amazing!

Almost finished

The main body of work is complete, I just need to add finishing touches and get everything ready for the exhibition. That means painting the board white, for the "cellular" pieces, and adding the fixtures to hold the glass panes; blanket stitching the edges on the textiles pieces, adding brooch backs to the polymer clay pieces, and putting lighting in the dollshouse.

New brooches and buttons

I am still enjoying the "Julie Picarello" Mokume Gane technique. These new pieces are ready to be baked.
The top row of ovals are a bit "busy", but will probably look ok on plain fabric. The lower row of ovals work better, I think. There needs to be a plain contrast section, between two areas of pattern.

Cellular close-ups

Here is a closer view of the cellular work, and the new fifth piece. Two of the pieces are actually made from "wing" canes that I wasn't happy with....and which were turned  into kaleidoscope canes.
Polymer clay is endlessly versatile. I hope the images are linked enough ....cells, butterfly wing "cells", organic structures.

Cellular work

Last night I focused on completing the "Cellular" series, each consisting of  polymer clay cane slices trapped between two sheets of glass. The idea was to create a "microscope slide" effect.
The multiplication of the slices is what creates the interest, and I wanted them to look organic - not perfect.
 I hope that this time I will get the baking time correct....I burned a previous experiment.  
Actually, I think I would like to make a fifth  piece, and hang them all in a vertical row, like the textiles squares.
 Most of my work is complete now, and I just have to concentrate on how to "finish" everything....(such as adding brooch backs to the polymer clay ovals), and get it ready for display (working out how I am going to attach the glass pieces to the wall or backing board)

Square five

Square five finished. That might be enough for now. I feel like some "poly-clay-play" instead of more sewing.
This was the ugliest of the nuno-felt pieces I made....it had bobbly green and yellow fun-yarn, trapped in the wool.
It has provided interesting texture though, I'm much happier with it, since accentuating the bobbly bits with blanket stitch.

Wall hanging

Four squares completed, and working on number five. I think they might look good as a wall hanging.

Hung vertically, instead of horizontally though.

Square number five looks like this....so far.