Happy accidents

Happy Accidents. These are happening to me a lot recently. First the blood on my work. It did improve my work. It was while I was perusing a friend's blog I was reminded of my love of scraps. I started listing the scraps I have.

1) there's the TUSAL jar, all the threads and tiny fabrics that most people throw in the bin. Totally Useless. NO not to me as I create fabrics with them, either with dissolvable fabric and sheers. Or they are embellished into felt or other fabrics.

My TUSAL jar                                

2) there are the papers I have painted and played with over the years, especially tissue. They are used in ATCs and postcards. Any tiny scraps are kept for completing pieces.

3) there are the pile of dyed and painted fabrics used for many projects. Any left overs are kept, divided into strips and smaller scraps. This is a small piece, no completed yet.

4) there are the things that didn't quite work or were experimented on - my mop up cloths for example. Recently quite a few of these have come into their own.

Some of you know that I am working towards an exhibition in the summer. My topic is Clocks, one piece is completed bar it's label and I have ideas for them. (see later on in this post.) So number two was started a few weekends ago on my course with Yvonne Brown. The piece I produced still isn't quite finished but the old kitchen clock fabric I created with TUSAL scraps quite a few years ago was cut up to create one of the backings for my tiles. 

I then found the photograph I had taken of the clock tower at Wallington Hall, Northumberland. DH, bless him, played with the image and printed out several clocks, all the same but different sizes.

I set to work choosing, at random - almost - fabrics that would melt and would cut with a soldering iron. Those of you who have seen Margaret Beal at some of the shows will have seen some of the intricate work she does. Yvonne works in a similar way with Kunin felt. Google the word and find out what it is.  A lot of traders don't know what it is. Three clocks were made and I sat and  looked at them for a while on the lovely orangey brown fabric that I had painted and printed on with my Colouricious blocks and had been going to be the grouting for my tiles. It was too small for that project so put aside, but not forgotten.

Two nights ago I was sitting looking at the work so far. In my bag I just happened to have some blue painted Bondaweb that was for another job and never used. The pieces had been folded and looked a bit disheveled so I tore them into smaller pieces and placed them on top of the orange fabric and under the clocks. Voila, simple but looking good. Even DH said yes that's looking good! Maybe he's more interested because he's been involved from the start! The end of clock 2 is in sight. Just one more piece and I know what I want to do for that.
This is the WIP.

My new labels made from scraps of dyed paper napkins

Scraps of yarn used in this felted hanging

Thank-you for looking. Night for now.