Food Patterns

Lots of pics this week. The first were taken in a food souq (street) in Damascus. Followed by the start of my latest piece of work.

For those who may be interested in possible travel to Syria and Egypt here are contact details. Jenny was our Australian guide, and is also a quilter, and Tarek's company was the local contact. Both are highly recommended.
Jenny Bowker: www.jennybowker.com
Tarek Mousa: www.executivetravelegypt.com

Sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and lemons under cover

Meat shop - where do all these bits come from?

Fresh vegetables every day

As an olive fan, this had my eyes popping...

Dyed vegetables. Cauliflower on lower left, carrots on lower right

Spices

And here is the beginning of my new piece..... I will give the design source in a future blog.

My design enlarged by drawing up a larger grid on paper and copying from the smaller working design (taped on to larger paper design)

The fabric was given a base dye, and the paper design was securely pinned to the back side of the fabric. I then manipulated this on my small lightbox which allowed me to trace the design in pencil on to the back of the fabric. And yes, I remembered (just in time) to reverse the design direction. Using the pencil lines as a guide I then painted on discharge paste. Once steamed this removed enough of the dye to give clear lines on the right side of the fabric. I then repeated these lines with another discharge application on the right side to give bolder lines, followed by the usual wash and iron, ready for the next application.

Next Blog: Textile Feasts