It was a lovely weekend wasn't it? 

A lot of it was spent outside cleaning up winter's debris. Then sitting on the bench with Art and a glass of wine 

in the late afternoon sun.

For the last few days I've been working on canvas bags. I really like working in this material. It reminds me of the old army bag that I used when I was going to school. 
I was hoping I could adapt the pattern that I had shown a few posts back for this material and as you can see in the picture, it started off o.k. but the zipper closure just didn't quite work. So I'll have to take that apart and try again.

Ideas

Alice

It's all very well and fine to have ideas but sometimes you might wonder  where they originated. There's always a way of tracing back to something that started the whole thought process. So, in continuation to yesterday's "idea" of doing grass for a screen print I thought I'd show you where that idea came from. This picture was taken some time ago and I just love  the view point, let alone the play of grass.

While I've been working on the drawings I decided to attempt another pillow. Although you can't see it, this pillow has a zipper closure: my first one! 
There are lots of tutorials on the web and I found a very good one here for putting in zippers.

Hope the weekend was a nice long one for everyone.
I finished work on the last of my tea towels. I really like the grass and decided to explore that for a new screen and I found the time to work on some drawings.

I found Art working on one of his newer pieces. The process is quite fascinating. You can read about it on his site. In the back ground you can see one of number of life casts that he has in his collection.

There are some things within a process that are just not enjoyable. Cutting is one of them for me, perhaps because I once sliced a finger when the knife slipped the straight edge.
But once all the cards are cut and it's time to print...that's a better stage.

Stamping the backs puts a nice "polish" to the cards and that too is a better part of the process.

 And when they're all piled up and ready to go, that's a pretty good feeling too.

But all in all, it's the process, the being in the midst of it that I enjoy the most: the doing of it. 

Because when it's finished, it's finished and something new must be found. Well, there's always something new to do, but like I said, it's the doing that is the reward.

A long weekend is about to be: 

hope everyone has an enjoyable one with friends and family, 

food and drink and lots of talk and laughs.

"I had it in my mind..." was something my grandmother used to say when she wanted to learn something new. Yesterday was like that for me: I had it in my mind to make a new bag with pleats as I thought it might be a way of avoiding gussets.
With scraps of paper and a broken pencil (because there's never a decent pencil around when you need one)  I made a pattern and began sewing with some fabric scraps.By the time I finished with the white I realized that I should use it for a lining and find a better scrap for the exterior.

  This piece has been in my stash for years and I've never been able to bring myself to cut it.It certainly would make an interesting bag but when I read the printing on the side I had to fold it up and find something else.

For a prototype you don't want to use anything too precious. I never liked this scrap: way too fussy in its silkiness and the colour just doesn't appeal to me. "I had it in my mind" to attach the straps at the front seams as well as to do a zipper closure. Well, "the best laid plans..." Yesterday was a series of interruptions and I didn't quite finish but you get the idea, I'm sure.

Well, that was a crazy weekend of weather! Who ordered that? So I buried myself  in the studio and tried to clean up but ended up printing more close-ups instead...

...which of course bores the poor dears to no end

Here are my new pouches: some with natural dye borders and some with black. I kind of prefer the black, it seems a bit more "together". What do you think?

 I wanted to show you the larger and smaller bear versions. It's hard to say which is better. Then again, there doesn't have to be a comparison...But I really do like that large whale at the top.

I've been thinking of doing more images for silk screen. Yesterday I was working on a drawing of the lilac coming into bloom. And there's a Song Sparrow I see and hear every morning at dawn; I'd like to do him singing away...we'll see.

It's Toronto's clean-up day today. (Honestly, I don't know why it has to be a group thing; I'm cleaning and picking up regardless)

  And the weekend is practically upon us so I hope you have a warm and productive one.