Wednesday 28 January 2009

Silly Windings

Well, this is a bit better - I'm aiming for a twice a week blog. It's really an excuse for a bit of a sit down as the most awful cold has struck - one of those where you get a sore throat and a cough for no extra charge. I can't complain as it has been ages since I had one


Shall we start with a little video. One of my students, on a course in Devon, invented this way of wrapping pipe cleaners. I think I need more practice - it's much easier to do when driving the bobbin winding speed with the foot control, rather than the auto wind. I was too lazy to go and find mine. I thought you might have a laugh at this.

I shall catch up with comments (many thanks everyone) next time because I want to experiment with this really silly movie.
I have been playing a lot with pipe cleaners. I love wrapping them. This is a piece that I made for the Catalogue Killers Challenge, which I'm posting up tomorrow. It is a way to use up all the pieces I made doing gesso, stamped tyvek and cast paper demos at the K&S show. All in the TT book.




Here is a detail.




And another.





There is terrible trouble with Smudge whenever pipe cleaners are around and he much prefers wrapped ones. He was discovered dragging this piece into his lair.





Having said to my friend Anita that I was tempted to put this under the heading 'I bet Jan Beaney doesn't have this trouble', I remembered that she has a cat, too. You can see his vampire teeth in this pic - no wonder Stevens got so thin - he was probably going for her neck.

16 comments:

Vicki W said...

That's a neat trick! Thanks for the video. I love the catalogue killers piece too - as does someone else.

Gina said...

That's a clever way to wrap pipe cleaners although I'm sure I'd get in a terrible muddle. I did have to smile at Smudge wrestling with your work... hope it survived unscathed!

Sandra Wyman said...

Sympathies with the cold - I have one too - plus three felines, two of whome like to be involved (the thrid one is too fat to jump onto the sewing table) so I will wait to play with the pipe cleaners (I have some gold ones, which could be fun with thin organza) until I recover a bit!

Maggie Grey said...

If you wonder where the teeth are - I got the wrong pic!

Sniff, Sniff, Suffer, Suffer

Maggie

magsramsay said...

I've got one of those battery operated bobbin winders - I wonder whether that would do the job?

Unknown said...

I love the video, it is really tempting to try. See if you can keep up with:-) Smudge is still adorable!
regards
Jacqueline

Sharne Gregory said...

Thank you for sending out my paper and beyond so quickly. I can't wait to sit down and watch it.

Doreen G said...

That's a neat trick with the bobbin winder Maggie must give it a go.

Heather said...

So sorry you have the cold - it seems to be sweeping the country. My husband is croaking and coughing but I seem to have got off lightly. Smudge looks so adorable - perhaps you should enrol him as a student, he looks very keen. Keep warm and look after yourself.

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Your cat is adorable also :>)

Maggi said...

Thanks for the video, a great way of wrapping but definitely one to be done behind closed doors in this house. Hope you are feeling better soon - when it gets you it certainly lets you know.

india flint said...

Smudge is absolutely gorgeous!

Penny said...

thanks for the video Maggie, I must try it, Smudge does look wicked but adorable. We are having days over 40 degrees here so am wilting and not getting much done, it is a case of survival.

jude said...

Perhaps Smudge has taken up pipe smoking. If you find him rolling around on a length of habotai, he'll be measuring himself up for a smoking jacket.

Kay Koeper Sorensen said...

That is brilliant.
Have to see if my bobbin wnder will handle this.
K

Heather said...

I just have to keep taking a look at Smudge with your piece of work with the wrapped pipecleaners - the look on his face is priceless. You'll have to stop posting pics of him - we pay him more attention than the lovely pieces of work you show us! You always integrate all the elements so well - something I find quite difficult. Hope you are not feeling too awful.