Baskets

I've been learning how to make baskets. Here is my latest effort, which started out as half a gourd, with small holes evenly pierced around the top (cut) edge, then twisting bundles of rushes and securing with raffia threaded through a large needle, I ended up with this:

The shape more or less created itself. It reminds me of making coil pots from clay, and also of some of the pots we'd seen in Australia, created by the Aborigines. I'm sure it's a technique that stretches back into the mists of time. It's so flexible, and self supporting, I wanted to continue coiling and coiling, but ran out of rushes!

Christmas trees

I've been very slow at updating my blog.... not helped by a new PC to replace the old one which has all my photos on it, and then behaves in strange new ways which leave me baffled. So here are some attempts to get back up to date!


For Christmas cards, I'd been thinking about a simplified Christmas tree motif for a while, and couldn't find anything that satisfied me....until I cut off the corner of an old lino block I found on the shelf and voila! It's perfect!
(sorry - having real problems with new PC Windows 8 - can't find where to rotate photos!)

 

I've set up a mini production line on different shades of tissue paper. I like the quality of print I get on tissue paper, and the imperfections and wrinkles that naturally occur from using such fine paper.  And I knew I wanted to vary the ink across the surface, so no two prints are identical. I like that!

And then when I mount them on card, they look quite jolly!

 

Then I used the offcuts to make more trees (same non- rotational issue!)

 

 

So that was my bit of pre-Christmas creativity......