To Tear or Not to Tear

Is it right or wrong to tear up or make over old books. I know, I know, A lot of people are doing just that and making incredible art - Some incredibly awful, some incredibly wonderful - I don't know if I can do it.
My wonderful friend Emanda is going to bring me a couple of dead books from her second hand emporium. They might be possibilities, still I do believe I will struggle.
We are off to Fiber Forum in April, I am not using the Royal "We" here as The Husband is coming with me to partake of a class making a reliquary with Christine Atkins similar to the photo above from Chris's site.
This year I am making a book with Jenny Crossley of A Mark In Time.

I have to tear up and/or remake books too.
Part of our requirements lists are old books to tear up. We agreed that the thought of that, let alone the actual act, is just wrong and we don't think we can.
So I have spent some time today downloading a few old books that appealed to him as possibilities for his class and I am looking for some for ancient needlework texts for mine.
Here's a site I've been too courtesy of Feeling Stitchy's list of downloads.
Web. Archive Org   to have a look at "A booke of curious and strange inventions" which is actually a book of needle work patterns.
The wonderful book selections from Pin Tangle.
Patterns from the 1886 pattern book from J. F. Ingalls
Therese Dillmont's Encyclopedia of Needlework
The Digital Scriptorium
and some beautiful plates from BibliOdyssey

Yes, I do believe I would rather download and print reproductions of individual pages than tear up a book. For me it is definitely "Not to Tear".

The Muse and Steampunk

I am still working on my Muse. I have finished the painting and the first coat of sealer. I decided to use a satin sealer and I am happy with the result. she looks a lot lighter in this photo than she actually is.

She is starting to speak to me at last and let me know who she is. I am a little fascinated with Steampunk so I think she will be steampunkish before we are done.
I have read some of MelJean Brook's Iron Seas series and if you would like a free sample of that go to Wild and Steamy.

Beond Victoriana is a blog of many things Steampunk influenced not by European but by other areas of the globe.
Wikipedia, of ocurse, has a page on steampunk and lots of links.

I won't be taking my Muse as far as this.
She is more influenced by the Macy Christmas windows.

So now I just have to find a whole lot of old clock bits to use. I knew I should have kept that old alarm clock.

Beautiful Blogs

I have an ever growing list of blogs I love. I have added Su Blackwell's to my list of blogs I follow. I love book arts and while my blood does run a bit cold at the thought of cutting into a book I have to admire her work and wish I had one of her books in my display cupboard. Oh well maybe one day.

Susie McMahon Workshops 3

Can you guess what these are?

If you guessed hand carved feet for my Zozie doll you were right.

Despite making two different sets of feet for her I couldn't get her to stand up. My wonderful husband carved these from a piece of Wild plum from his wood stash. He's a great husband.

My Muse, who still hasn't told me her name, is progressing well I have glued a layer of muslin over her body and arms and painted her. She is progressing well.

Yes she is hanging upside down from a piece of string on the back-verandah.

Susie McMahon Workshops 2

Today was the last day of a wonderful 3 days with Susie McMahon

Day 1 we sculpted a head for a Muse. Here's the one I did.

On the second day we made a Zozie doll. Mine is a bird girl.

Today was the third day and we finished putting the Muse body together and I painted the head of my Muse.

I'll show you a photo of the finished product very soon.
Susie is a wonderful teacher and we had a wonderful 3 days with her. She is my favorite cloth doll teacher. She teaches overseas on occasion as well and if you go to her blog you can contact her and find out where she is teaching next year.
She is coming to South Australia again mid next year if you are interested.
i am putting the recipes of the slice and the quiche I made for the workshops on my other blog - Peta Eats

Susie McMahon Workshops

There is great excitement amongst the South Australian Cloth Doll Ladies. Susie McMahon is coming for a visit and to teach classes. Her last visit was 2008.
This is the doll I sculpted in the class.

My plan is too dress her as a Victorian era child. I got too the underwear and blouse stage and ran out of oomph. I have the material and the patterns for the rest of her clothing and I will finish her just don't ask me when.

This time we are making The Muse and Zozie. I don't have to buy anything but a half a meter of stretch fabric. I probably don't even need to buy that but I can't be bothered hunting through the Stash for it so I am off to the fancy fabric shop to hunt up a flash stretch fabric. Ideally I'd like something in black and gold but I'll have to wait and see what is available.

From the Stash

AS you know, if you are following what I am up too, I am trying to use mostly things from my stash. I have lots of choices and that is part of the problem. I do have an ongoing project and I am doing the boring bit.
Once I have a project to the stage that I can see how it will end up I lose interest. It's a big problem for me and even though I am aware of this I still struggle with it. That's one of the reasons I am veering towards small projects. I have lots of big unfinished projects too.
Last month in my bid to create order from chaos Greg helped me clear everything out of the studio and I mostly put it back. I avoided the yearly craft show because I am an impulse shopper and I have enough impulsively bought items as it is without adding to them.
I don't have a current knitting project, well one I can lay my hands on that it is. I started a baby jacket for my cousins baby girl and I will finish it one day. When I find it. Said baby turned 21 recently, need I say anymore. I also have a cable jumper for myself started but there are more cables on the back than the front so I have to fix it and that is more work than I want at the moment.
I found, in the great tidy up, the alpaca wool I bought last November and the hand spun/dyed I bought in Tasmania in 2009. I also located the wool winder thingeys I bought in Ballarat in April. So at least I used the wool winders and I have the wool dehanked.

There are lots of patterns on Ravelry I love. A beret called Phannie which this wool would be perfect for. Plus another for a bandana cowl on the blog Purl Bee, this blog has an array of crochet and knitting projects. There's a crocheted hat with ear flaps that would work with this wool too.
Summer is on us so I am not sure where this desire to knit has come from but oh well.

On another topic if you are an embroidery fan Sharon of Pin Tangle is starting Take a Stitch Tuesday again. Go for a look if you are interested. I start well then run out of oomph but I am going to give it another go.