Take a break...

I've decided to take a break from posting here on ominnimo. I will continue to add photos to Flickr and update my moira anne dickson blog from time to time. I'll mostly be adding details of upcoming exhibitions etc on that blog.
I'm hoping to have my Facebook page done soon along with regular input to my Etsy shop. This may not happen until after the summer but we'll see.
Thanks to everyone who has dropped by, it's been lovely knowing that there is interest in what I do.

I thought I'd leave you with a few snapshots of the page I worked for a recent book that the members of Dundee branch of the Embroiderers' Guild made. It is a commemorative book marking 100 years of the Barrack Street building which now holds the Dundee Museum Collections Unit. I believe the completed book will be on show in the McManus Galleries, Dundee Museum in the near future.

That's all for now.
Byeee!
Moira
:o)x

W15...

Woo,hoo on time today!

In fact the only thing I've worked on this week are these. I've even worked on some of them today!  

I've been making these for the Pittenweem festival. I really need to have a whole load of work done for it and only have a few more free weeks to work on stuff. Oops, obviously left it to the last minute as usual! 

These are a few of my little textile leaves that I thought would make good necklaces. Well it's really a wire choker but I'll just call them necklaces.

The textile pieces are all about 2 1/2" x 1".

Just my usual style, layers of fabric topped with lots of free machine embroidery on a felt backing. The cottons I've used are my own hand dyed pieces and hand coloured velvet. I've used a selection of bought sheers and silks as well. 

I've tried to make my machining a bit more scribbly this time. 

I'm hoping they will prove to be successful. I like to have something new for the festival. I quite like the idea of a series so I may do some matching brooches.

Think that's it for now.

Byeee!

x 

W 13 & 14...

...not only have I missed a Wednesday but I'm late again!!!!!

I started this out to force me to post regularily and at the time was showing what I was making on a Wednesday. I've realised that sometimes I'm working away on other days and not on the Wednesday. So from now on I think that I will report what I've been making since the last post. Ok that's the plan, now to see if I can carry it out... !

Here's what I did last Sunday. A fab dyeing day with Dorothy again. I love having the whole day to slitter about with dye pots. The bundles above are bit more pastel in colour than I'd intended but the washing machine decided to make up it's own programme for some unknown reason. Some of the fabrics were nearly stonewashed!!  

This one was at the bottom of my space dyeing tray. It was an old linen tray cloth so it had been well laundered and took the dye beautifully. I love how it's dyed in areas of bubbles.

Now these two were one of my hand printed totes. I'd bought a whole load of pre-made totes so that I could decorate them. I thought that I would use acrylic paints to print with but it wasn't a huge success, this is one of the better ones. MAD of course being my initials. I do quite like the idea of the printing then the dyeing so I may try some more maybe with Manutex and Procion next time. I like how the space dyeing turned out.

I came away with a few jars of excess dye so put them to good use the next day. I'd ordered a load of silk cocoons but was pretty disappointed with them as they were a bit grotty and smelled! I rinsed them in Soda solution then put a handful in a plastic bag with each dye colour. Then I took a few out of each and added some more blue to those ones. I 'm impressed at how dense the colour turned out. although I'm kicking myself for not putting in a bundle of threads to dye as well...oh well, next time. 

I took all these photos late at night under the electric light with no flash on so the colours aren't quite right. The bundle of tapes below are a mixture of lovely pastel colours which I can't wait to use, not really showing as well as they look. 

I painted the dye onto the fabric on this one which I'd not done before. Pretty interesting I thought and will definitely have a go at that again. I soaked the fabric in soda solution then painted the dye on whilst it was still wet. 

Lastly here are some of the daisies in my garden... oh I do like daisies!

Sadly they weren't with me for long as the mower man was here.

They are now on there way back I'm pleased to report!

Oops, out of sequence!

I love to have bundles of thread to dye as well as fabric. This is the result of incorrectly preparing the bundles beforehand...oh well I'll know for the next time...or maybe not!

Something quite nice about mindlessly sorting out thread..until W15, byee!

x

PS. W13 was spent shopping and lunching with a friend in Edinburgh...a great day out!

w 12 ... late!

Ok so it's now Friday!! I've been busy clearing out the garage to take the stuff from my studio! I posted the photos of the view from my studio a few weeks ago. Incredibly the next day I received an email saying that everyone was on a months notice to leave. Boo Hoo...I couldn't believe it. Making it public was like the kiss of death! Ok so that's a bit over dramatic but I was really dissappointed. I suppose all there is to say about is...next!

Back to reality and I'm still fiddling about with the little stitched landscapes for my class.

My usual jumble of stuff in the making. My new one is to the right of the picture before I added the flowers. 

Here it is finished, well at least the front is. I still have to put on a fabric backing and the brooch pin.

A bit of duplication on the next few pictures. I'm always amazed how the work looks in close-up. These flowers are really quite small and now I see them blown up some are not all that well stitched! They're a teaching aid, I want people to think that they can stitch them as well. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!! 

Until next week, byee!

x

w 11...

Not a working Wednesday yesterday, oops, one day late!

Inspirational all the same.

Went to see the Degree Show at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, Dundee. It is on until this weekend. Plenty of fantastic things to see and inspire me.  

Saw these guys out of the window when I was going up some stairs. You can see the Tay Bridge in the background. Pretty hazy as it was really hot yesterday, eventually 25*C. Ok not that hot compared with some countries but hot for us!

 

Church steeple, one photo from the stairs through the window and one down on street level. I loved the geometric construction round the top from the scaffolding.

Maybe not that clear but these sets of stairs facinated me (not the ones at the top of the picture). It looked as if they had an underground area as well. You can see what looks like a vent in the middle of the grass, it looked pretty old. Another image from the stair window!

These two beauties came from the building site outside the college. I loved both the green hats and the shadows they cast.

The pictures above are a from the work I did following my last Wednesday post. These are definitely for brooches. I still have a few teething problems to work out about construction but otherwise I'm pretty pleased with them. So for now they are still WIP.

So that's all for now. I'm sorry that I haven't got any pictures of the Degree show but I try to only show work that is my own then there are no copyright issues.

Bye for now, until next Wednesday!

x

W 10...

Can't believe that this is my 10th Wednesday post.

I've been doing a bit of hand stitching for a change and quite enjoying it which is nice.

I've been watching a selection of YouTube videos lately and one of them was Teesha Moore. She makes these great little pillows to make a fabric journals. I've been wanting to make one for a while as well as making smaller seashores/landscape pieces.

I thought that I would combine both ideas which I could then take to my embroidery class. They are working on landscapes at the moment so this would fit in nicely.

This is what I've come up with so far. I'm not very sure if the border goes with this type of stitching but it'll have to do for now.

 

I still have a few stitches to do at the front and then I may have a look at the borders again...

later.

Bit of a dark shadow on this one, sorry.

That's it for now, byeee!

x

Wednesday...

 Here we are Wednesday again. I've only taken a few photos this time. I was working on a project this morning which I hope I can reveal later but for now it'll have to be what I did this evening.

 I've had a few bits and pieces lurking around for a while so I decided to try and revamp them. I added a little more machining in another colour on the flowers. I had a few pieces that basically haunted me, I could never get rid of them! So I decided to add a few snips of fabric on top then a quick whirl of contrasting stitching.  

Sorry the photos are a bit dark. That's what happens when you take them under an electric light with no flash. Basically too late at night doesn't help.

Another blast from the past, this one definitely has been around for a very long time. I was determined to do something to enhance it so I did some free (motion) machine embroidery in a dark blue thread. I think I can use it now.

This one I like but am a bit concerned that it looks like an eye! That'll probably annoy me.

Also I see that it looks like I've added beads but it's just the lurex thread catching the light.

Got to go, I think I'm into Thursday now and that'll never do for my working Wednesday!

Byee...x

PS> I'll probably use these on cards...surprise, surprise!