Watercolours...

I spent a very enjoyable time this afternoon having a 'serious play' with beautiful watercolour paints (thank you Kasia!).

Like sketching, painting is something I have certainly felt a bit scared of.  Today however I had a lovely time mixing and painting and spattering!

I love colour!

These were experiments in preparation for using watercolours as part of a secret project... .

17th July 2011...

Since coming back from Japan I haven't had much time for crafting.  I've temporarily changed to working almost full-time, and also have been experiencing a rich patch of inspiration for my current music project, which means that other things aren't getting much of a look-in.

What I have managed to do though is to finish another felted, beaded and embroidered pencil case:

Made from black linen, vintage Japanese kimono fabric for the lining, and an 8-tama kumihimo braid for tying.

 The felt piece is made from merino roving, cotton nepps, organza, scrim, bamboo fibre, silk hankie fibre and silk fabric, with metal and glass beads, tiny sequins, and seed, detached chain, colonial knot, bullion knot, running and detached fly hand embroidery stitches.

Morningside Makers Market...

This Saturday I will have a stall at the Morningside Makers Market, being held at the Columcille Centre, Newbattle Terrace, here in Edinburgh, from 11am - 4pm.

If you're in the area it would be great to see you there!

Japanese fabric...

Japanese fabric has got to be my absolute favourite. Whilst in Tokyo I had a lovely time in an area called Nippori, famous for its fabric shops.  I found a wonderful kimono shop that also sold smaller pieces of antique and vintage kimono fabric.  

I couldn't resist!

Almost too beautiful to cut up and use... .

Japan sketches...

Well, we're home and adjusting to being back in the UK after a wonderful time in Japan.  I've come back laden with many wonderful craft books and supplies, and while I was there I managed to get a little sketching in:

5 Buddhas at Osorezan on the Shimokita Hantō

A lady having a snooze on the Aoimori train betwen Aomori and Noheji

Looking forward to making something with my new supplies!

私は日本に行くよ...

私は日本に行くよ = I'm going to Japan~!

Getting myself into an appropriate frame of mind in preparation for the trip I had been working on a complex dodecahedral modular origami assembly of 90 units. 

 (these took a long time to fold!!)

But...

...fail!!

Hmmmm.  Hopefully whilst I'm there I will be able to absorb some improved origami skills from the Japanese ether and then will be able to have another more successful attempt on my return!

Also, my Etsy shop is now closed for the duration of the trip.  As I mentioned in this post, I planned to donate the equivalent of 50% of the value of anything I sold in my Etsy shop between the date of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and now, to the Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal. I'm so grateful to my lovely customers, who between them bought Tangelo, Berenjena, some custom kumihimo bracelets, Verbena, Ianthine, Carduus and Astral, and have enabled me to donate a total of £50.  Thank you so much!

Origami...

When I am not embroidering, felting, beading or sewing, my other favourite craft is origami.  I find it mind-bending and fascinating, and very satisfying (when it finally works after many practice runs!).  It was my birthday on Sunday...

(We went up Arthur's seat for a picnic... here is my friend's dog, Jackson, looking longingly at my cake!)

...and I was very lucky to recieve some lovely non-traditional origami papers, as well as a fantastic rare book called 'Origami for the connoisseur' by Kasahara & Takahara. I heard about this book through Flickr, where there are so many photos of people's amazing origami projects which are very inspiring.  Most of the projects in this book will take some building up to... but I'm looking forward to the challenge!

In preparation I've been practising some 'modular' origami - where you make a compound shape using multiples of a base 'unit' made of one folded sheet.  I've been working with 'Sonobe' units with a lot of help from a wonderful book called 'Marvelous modular origami' by Meenakshi Mukerji.

30 Sonobe units folded and ready to be assembled:

I am fascinated by all the permutations that are possible using the same basic units.  

These are all built from the same base unit, but in different multiples or sizes of paper sheet:

(6 pieces for the cubes, 12 for the octahedral assembly and 30 for the icosahedral assembly)

These are the smallest ones I have managed!