Inca Woman

This week I have been working on my lino print and I am very pleased with the resulting outcome. There is something therapeutic about quietly sculpting the lino and watching the design slowly reveal itself. It didn't take too long either. The next exciting thing was to do some test prints. I did several of these on paper to fine tune the results, then worked on fabric. I used black textile pigment for this printing. Printing on the fabric leaves a slightly different texture than on the paper, but I decided I liked this. Then it was the nerve wracking process of doing it on the latest piece. Whew, fortunately it worked!

I often feel I am too tight with some of my drawings and a lino print, by its very nature, seems to loosen things up a bit.

The actual lino cut on the left, and one each of the paper and fabric test pieces.

And here she is, quietly making her away across my new piece!

By now you should have gathered that this piece features Peru.....

Busy Day

Eldest grand-daughter (almost 16) is to attend her first school ball in a few weeks. Needless to say this requires a new dress! Last weekend I helped her buy a pattern and the fabric, and yesterday we cut out most of the pieces and now have the bodice almost completed. She is doing the work and Nana, of course, is guiding and watching closely; she is a willing student so all is well.

I have sewn my own clothes since about her age (a very long time ago) and am able to sew a garment without following instructions, relying on experience and intuition. However, when I was preparing for her visit I started to read the pattern instructions only to find myself somewhat challenged! What a lot of decisions to make, and all seemed complicated to interpret. Enough to put any newbie off making clothes!

In the meantime I have made good progress on the latest piece.

Another small detail.

I want to put a lino print on this piece and here I am beginning to sculpt the lino.