Mosaics, continued

The mosaic tile theme is going to go on for a while, it looks like, as various people start and finish their projects.  Here are Ellen's two finished pieces (she'll be using them as hot-pots or trivets):

And I've finished 2 projects too, both meant to cover small tables.  Here's one with wonky uneven edges, which I mean to use under a potted plant.  For this, I started with a large 12"x12" tile, and broke off some of the corners, to achieve the asymmetrical look, then covered it with tile shards up to the edges (but not beyond).  Grouting these edges was challenging, but they look smooth and polished enough.

And the small table mosaic I started with a few weeks ago changed somewhat from my original design.  For one, the grouting I used turned out pink!  (what did I expect when I mixed in red and terra-cotta paints with the white sanded grout??  or rather, why did I expect it to turn out a dark brown??).

Mosaic Frenzy Again!

We're reviving our crafting get-togethers (but, we'll have to come up with a more interesting name for them than that!).  It's been years since more than 2 of us have met on a regular basis, and it's about time.  New-comers Jordan and Angela are joining us, to start with.  Ellen is back in town for a few weeks this summer, Cory was able to make time as well, and Katya joined us over Skype from Colorado.

And the theme for the next couple of meetings:  MOSAICS!

First night:  putting together the design, and gluing it to the backing.  I mistakenly assumed that my tile adhesive bought back in 2010 would still be good to work with, but it turns out that 4 years of  storage dries is out and makes it rubbery and unusable.  Luckily, I had some tacky glue on hand, and we used that instead.  It seems to have hardened well enough after a few hours.  We'll find out how well it holds next week when we grout each piece.


Below are the finished and glued (but not grouted) designs:

Jordan's piece is set on an 8x8" tile.  I loved his uneven edges, so decided to copy the idea and used them  in my own piece below (the top of a small table).  The tricky bit will be how to finish these visually interesting edges with the grouting...

Cory is making a mosaic stepping stone for her garden (on an actual slab of stone from her garden - ingenious!)

And Ellen is making an 6x6" trivet or hot-pot:

More Painting Sessions

Yet another painting get-together with Katya and Michelle.

Katya's more subtle-than-usual piece:

Michelle's more-textured-than-usual piece:

Paper Paintings

Another collaboration from the Katya-Michelle duo.

This is the third in a series of abstract paintings.  The second was posted for sale on Etsy:

Abstract Painting

Katya and I got together a few months ago (October 2012) to work on a painting together.  We sat down with our watercolour and acrylic paints (not to mention a few drinks...), and worked on a large piece of canvas (27x35 inches).  We each had our own corners to paint on, but eventually we met in the middle and even ran over each other's work.


This was such a fun exercise!  I recommend it a million times.  We call the piece "Waterfall".  Katya's characteristic painting style is the long strokes, and mine are the dotty splotches.   Our colour preferences are evident too (Katya:  purple, turquoise, blue;  Michelle: red, green, black), but they blend well together overall.  I glued bits of paper (some of it metallic) to the piece as well, to give it more texture.

Christmas R2D2s

My nephew Jaxon, who is 5, is a huge fan of Lego Star Wars these days, and his favourite character is R2D2. 

His baby brother, Cooper, 21-months old, is therefore a big fan too.  So, this Christmas, I made them each R2D2 costumes, and R2D2 stuffed toys.

The project took a lot of time, mostly because I appliqued the "buttons" and "sockets" and other gadgets on the robots by satin stitching around a million different squares and rectangles.  I used flannel, for both the background (a very pale blue) and the embellishments.  I don't know how well they'll wash.  I suspect they'll fray a bit.  But they're soft and cozy, a good thing especially for the stuffed toys. 

I made the "helmets" out of plastic bowls.  I shaped the fabric around each bowl (the strip of fabric in the photo on the left, with the 4 rounded hills, is how I ended up with a shape somewhat resembling a curved bowl).  And I attached straps to the inside of the helmets to be tied below the chin.  The helmets don't stay on perfectly, so I may have to find a different way to attach them to the head.

Bharatanatyam Dance Costume

This December I had a chance to perform (on stage, albeit not a professional one) a Bharatanatyam dance - a type of Classical South Indian dance that I've been taking lessons in this past year.

For a costume for this performance I had the choice of renting, or making my own, and of course I took on the challenge of making it. 

The costume is made up of a number of individual pieces which fit together and kind of  give the overall look of a sari (but much more comfortable to dance in).  Starting from the top, there's a blouse (I converted a western blouse, which buttons in the front, to a sari blouse, by re-shaping the top, and adding bright gold bands around the sleeves).   

The pallu, or shawl, drapes over the chest.  This was very difficult for me to make, mostly because I used the wrong types of fabrics (polyesters and such, which didn't pleat they way they should have).  There's a hip cover too (my teacher calls this a 'basc' - I don't know if that's how it is spelled).

Pyjama pants are made with many pleats in them, to allow for comfortable movement (I made mine out of a satin tablecloth, and embellished them with gold bands from a sari).

A pleated fan (mine has 3 layers of fans) hooks onto the pants and opens out nicely in certain half-sitting and sitting dance postures. I made this out of an actual sari (no western fabric I've tried has even come close to pleating as perfectly as the sari fabric). 

Anklet bells are worn on the decorated feet (in my case, I painted the foot design in red lipstick).  The anklet band was lined with thick fleece on the inside, and closed with Velcro (I'm sure that's not exactly the traditional way of doing it).  The Christmas jingle bells I sewed onto it didn't quite sound like my teacher's authentic ankle bells, but close enough!


 

My hair is short, so I wore a wig, and made an extension for it out of yarn. The hair extension has to reach well below the waist, and tucks under a golden waist belt or band. The costume jewelry includes:  many many bangles, necklaces, earrings and other hair jewelry, and hair ornaments (what looks like a bun at the back of the head, and a white flower wreath).

There's the traditional bindi on the forehead.  And the hands, like the feet, are decorated in paint in a traditional pattern (the fingertips are red up to the first knuckle, and a series of dots are drawn on the back of the hand).  The bright paint (lipstick, again, in my case) draws attention to the fingers, which are supposed to move in characteristic ways during the dance.