printmaking

Here are the results from printing class number two.

I carved this jigsaw print in vinyl. As you can see I forgot to think about the fact that the print is the reverse of what is carved, so I have a back-to-front place setting. Maybe one for the left-handed folks out there?

I'm really happy with how this print turned out - I got to try a few different colour combinations and tried separating out the pieces of the jigsaw as well as printing them together.

This week I did a reduction print, which was semi-successful. I got a bit carried away with my first layer of carving so there wasn't much to work with in the end. A good learning curve though.

I've only got one lesson left as I'm skipping a week to hop over to Ireland, but I'm planning to play more with chine-collé in lesson number four as I really like both the simplicity and the outcome of adding paper shapes of colour. Très bon.

charity shop challenge

Lucy invited me to take part in the Charity shop challenge so here is my first attempt at showcasing some of my finds.

Half charity shop challenge, half knitting project this month.

I got this purple skirt for £3 in a charity shop in Portslade a year or two ago. I'm not sure this photo does it justice though. Bad self-portraiture.

The knitted waistcoat was a skills test to practice my cable and fair isle knitting. Good practice, although I'm not so sure about the finished result.

And I'm wearing a trusty M&S thermal vest underneath. Cheating? Maybe. Warm? Yes.

let the sun never set

On Saturday we spent some time in the Citadella in Victoria.
I had this song in my head all day.

let's all go to gozo

A very lovely time was had in Malta.

Highlights:
• A very rocky ferry ride.
• Feasting on Maltese bread, seafood & rabbit.
• Spinning on the sand.
• Walks along cliffs and past prickly pears and orange trees.
• Group naps.
• Our very helpful tour guide and holiday planner, Daniel.
• Our knight in shining armour, David.
• Dancing around the swimming pool and dipping our feet in the sea.
• Beat the best & the aeroplane game.

Lowlight:
• Dining at (possibly) the worst restaurant in the world. Oh well. I suppose you can't win all the time.

A super break - Żminijiet tajba!
And, only 3 more days at work and it's another holiday for me. Jolly good.

here comes the sun

I'm going on holiday tomorrow. Perfect!

night school

Last week I began a short evening course in soft woodcut and vinyl printing and I'm really enjoying it. It's lovely to be able to do some hands-on making after a day of working in front of a computer.

The prints shown above are the mini test pieces I created last week - one in wood and one in vinyl. I feel like I should really embrace the natural feel and texture of the wood, but I found the vinyl so much easier to carve.

Tonight I ate shortbread and worked on a jigsaw print which I'm really pleased with - I especially enjoyed playing around with different colours and chine-collé effects. And next week I might try a reduction print - although I fear this may be a hard method to grasp.

Fingers crossed!

ps. Some of my daffodils are now saying hello.

petit bouquet de fleurs

I bought myself a small bunch of daffodils.
I hope they show their faces soon.

so-so sewing

For Yumi's birthday I made her a knitting needle roll to carry her needles and accessories on her travels around the world.

I found the floral fabric in a charity shop (an old ironing board cover) and used this tutorial as a guide. It turned out much better than expected! Maybe my sewing skills are improving.

piñata

It was Yumi's birthday this weekend, so we took to the park in the (almost) spring sunshine to bash the piñata we have been making over the last few weeks.

We had grown quite attached to him so it was quite traumatic to see Derek decapitate him in one bash. Poor Johnson! It was lovely to see the glitter and streamers blowing in the wind though.

Lots of fun to make, and lots of fun to break. And a long-term new years resolution ticked off too.