primavera

Here are some shots from a first layout of the spring wallhanging.

it needs some more leaves, they are already in the making

clematis paniculata

including buds

and of course lilies

I have lots more of the clematis and the idea is, once I have established a 'bush' background have them  - attached to  vines - climbing up. The base is build by monstera leaves and the arum lilies, which flower so rich in spring, well more in winter, but they are still there. On the way down to the water near the Rewa Village grow lots of monsteras, they have flowers too at the moment.

Finally home

Every time we come home from a long trip overseas I say, I will not do that anymore. Not that I don't like to travel. But it is always so annoying to come home and find the house so changed. This time it is my room, which the housesitters turned over, where all my things are stored. It is quite a messy room, because I never have enough space, but I have some kind of strange order there and I know where my things are. I always prefer nobody touching this room and so I feel very upset. Things have obviously been removed and possibly stored outside under the carport, I found on top of the boxes leftovers of the plants which hang in the carport. Everything is just banged in very careless on top of each other. A nice example: my dyes which are partly dissolved stored are now under heaps of other things, well very easy that it falls over which might give an interesting colour result. I feel lost and don't know where to start and have no motivation to do so. I am sitting here surrounded by mould, very pleasant. How on earth can I finish the wallhangings?
Is it just me? I wouldn't dream to change peoples things around if I would housesit somewhere. My son-in-law said, well they probably needed the space for guests or so. So is this normal behaviour not to ask the owner first at least? It must be me, I am an dinosaur, an old grumpy women, who doesn't like to find her pillows mouldy and her art things touched.

and another rose

tried to make a 'nuno flower', I think organza would work better

dyed the silk in very pale pink and apricot
added some white and pink wool and a bit of magical work

working on roses

I made rose petals a long time ago. Now that I bought some pink dye at Wollknoll on Wednesday I finally dyed the petals today and started working on the roses.

pink dye powder dissolved in hot water with some vinegar
in the little bucket are the wet withe petals

I dipped only the outside into the dye

then placed it on cling film in several layers, all with
more plastic between and fixed it in the microwave

a second batch with slightly darker pink

also wrapped in cling film and fixed in the micro wave

then assembled in 3 or 4 layers stitched together with some golden seed beads

dark and light mixed

in every layer a cut and twisted

added some leaves

Almost finished, still needs some more shaping and fulling

the best thing in the world

creating something, working with my hands, just concentrating on this one thing, this piece which slowly develops, never ever thinking how much money it could bring but how much joy to have it finished, to look at it, so much happiness to give it to somebody who likes it, directing my thoughts into work to leave something behind when I am gone

clematis paniculata

beads in the middle

the top of the green is just painted

I think that comes close enough to our native clematis

I have already done all the white and green bits, now I have to finish the centre and finally do the painting. After that its time for doing leaves and vines.

Rose

Finished a rose yesterday evening which looks more like a rose, made me pretty happy :)