PROJECT: Artist in the Community, Kenmare. Co. Kerry

I had mentioned in an earlier blog post, I received funding through Create Ireland for research and development into a project with the Kenmare Lace Festival. (Read more about it here).

School Mural

 
Before Christmas, I did a mural for a local boys school. The design brief was two GAA footballers, one in a Dingle shirt, and one in a Kerry shirt. It took a couple of weeks, between showers and mid-term.  Yes, it was raining the day I took this. I was helped by one of the mums, and 2nd and 3rd class each got to paint a small part of the footballers. It certainly brightens up the entrance! this is what it looked like before:

It's finished!! (Embroidery Digital Commons)

I'm trying (desperately) to do just one project at a time. To complete that project before I move on mentally and physically to the next. Something I'm not very good at at all, I have a tendency to juggle plans and projects.

So, because I've got a a big crafting session coming up, (making some decor for Dr Stokers Truly Macabre Circus of Horrors), I've had to cram embroidery over the past few days. Not an easy thing to do. (As I always end up saying "gentle needle-arts, my ***!!")

But after many hours of stitching, many meters of thread, I've finally finished embroidering all the words for  the Embroidery Digital Commons Project. An embroidery of the text 'A Concise Lexicon of / for the Digital Commons' by the Raqs Media Collective (2003) (see previous blog post). I've yet to photo all the pieces, I'll do that over the next week. But phew! what a relief to be finally finished.

I have to say, I really, really enjoyed this project, much more than I expected. Embroidering the words gave me the time to think about the term as a whole, the individual words, the project, and travel mentally far and wide. I love letters, font, words, textiles, and a little geekery thrown in, so it summed up everything I enjoy. There is something about stitching words that makes it strong, permanent, and very powerful. Maybe that's why it is becoming the craftivist weapon of choice.
 
http://www.open-source-embroidery.org.uk/EDC.htm

How to draw a Tiki Head!

As I said in a previous post, I got my son to help me design the tiki stuff I made for the last Retro Romp. So here's is the method I worked out, so he could help me. He picked the features and I drew them out. Its an incredibly easy system, and a great one to do with the kids and for just general doodling. The diagrams I've drawn are a bit rough, but what the hey, you'll get my drift. This is tribal stuff, the rougher the better.

And don't be fussing about the lines! Kids are constantly told in school to stay within the lines, and unfortunately this can stay with us as adults. When one neighbours kid got upset because he coloured outside the line, I just gave him the big black marker and said, change the line. He was chuffed...

We had a Really Rather Very Good Time - Tiki Tiki style!

The car has just been unpacked, and packed again. I'm heading away on a road trip of sorts for a week or so. I thought I better get a blog post in before I get embroiled in another project.
The Really Rather Retro Romp Vintage Market and Disco took place last Saturday in McCarthy's Bar, Dingle. And PHEW! it was a long day and night, but a good one. I won't post all the pics here, you can see them either on Facebook  or on Flickr 

The Film Job...

Finally, I get the chance to sit down and blog about the film project.

First up, lots of cones of cotton/cashmere/silk mix, niddynoddied into skeins (torture and tears!) then dyed. Then panic phone call to Craftspun, who swift-posted a swift, and the skeins were easily converted (via swift via wool winder) into neat little centre pull balls...

Next step, DIY garden warp winder, warp made, navajo style loom created!

Then, design work and tapestry weaving, and half a blanket later...

There is no point showing you the final woven design, because such is the nature of films, that they decided to shoot the scene from the back. All the ends of thread hanging out, looked more in progress. And they had decided not to use all the spare skeins I had dyed...

So, I stood in silence on Killiney Hill on the day of filming and just smiled...This is what you will see, when the movie comes out, sometime soon.(in other words I don't know...). Don't blink because you will miss it.

Crocheted Horse Jump??!!

Some months ago, the RDS annowanced a competition Show Jump Design Competition for the famous Dublin Horse Show. I decided to enter something. We used to go to the Horse Show all the time as kids, but was more interested in the food fair: the cubes of cheese, the burger bites and the Coke/Pepsi Challange than the horses...

After I had designed my jump, I told my sister about it.

She said "What... Are you going to crochet it?"
I replied "Not quite..."

My Clones Doiley

Photoshop'd

into a Horse Jump!!

Electric Picnic...what else...

The official Greencrafts schedule is up on the Electric Picnic website...and I come across as a superwoman; a super-multi-tasking-fibre-woman.

Well, yea, if you look at the list, I am a super-multi-tasking-fibre-woman but I think the words these days are Polycraftual or Bi-stitchual, or ....anyone any other words?? (Don't say mad...please...I get enough of that already...). It's just a pity I can't make anything useful, or sell-able...

Anyway, here's the real blurb for workshops and demonstrations at the Electric Picnic...

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The Triple R Fibre Feis
Recession-busting, Re-cycled, Re-usable Textile Workshops

This year we’re all things green at the Electric Picnic. We propose to have three sections within our stand; workshops, education, and demonstration. On all things textile, and all things green.

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WE LOVE TO MAKE
workshops sessions

We will run a variety of recession-busting, re-usable, re-cycling textile workshops. We supply the materials and the technique: you supply the imagination.

Guerrilla Embroidery: Release Your Inner Hoarder:
You can use any materials you like from our Big Box of Bits. A hoard of beads, bits and bling the Vikings would be proud of…

Alternative yarn:
Have you got lots of old clothes, plastic bags, and newspapers around the house? Learn how to cut fabric into usable yarn, make newspaper yarn, and plarn (yarn from plastic bags).

Spindle/Spin: DIY Madness:
Learn to make your own spindle with sticks, of CDs, and anything else we can find. Then learn to spin on it!!

Time: 1am- 3pm
Booking: Workshops are run on a drop-in basis, a max of 5 participants at any one time.
Price: €2 per item made

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WE LOVE THE ELECTRIC PICNIC
workshop session

Deep down we know the Electric Picnic love textiles as much as us. Why else would they use a patchwork blanket for the 2009 logo! We are going to be crocheting triangles, and sewing them together to be our Electric Picnic Blanket

Time: 3pm-6pm
Price: Free!

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WE LOVE TO TALK
demonstrations

Release Your Inner Granny
We will have a Sit and Stitch area, where you can chill and chat about all things fibre. A box of knitting needles, crochet hooks, yarn will be on hand for anyone that gets the urge.

UN International Year of Natural Fibres 2009
To help promote this worthy cause, we will have fact sheets to read, on various natural fibres, with samples to feel and touch. From the ones commonly know, such as linen and hemp, to maybe the ones you mightn't know of, e.g. coir, angora, abaca, etc. We will also have reading sheets on textile eco-labeling, e.g. organic, fair-trade.

Time: Open all day!
Price: Free!


It's just over 3 weeks and counting, and I still have a lot to prepare...