Learning new things

Since January I've been taking a Master Gardeners class,  there are just two weeks left and I'm amazed at how much I've learned. Now I have to get outside and start putting what I've learned into action, if only the weather would cooperate. I think I'm a fair weather gardener. I will have to put in thirty hours of volunteer time so that should get me moving.

This past week I started an online Monotype class with Linda Germain. We started the week by making a 9" x 13" gel plate, gathering tools, making stencils and learning how to work with the inks and brayer. I made regular gel plates many years ago and have most recently been playing with a Gelliarts plate, but this is the first time I've made a plate with glycerin as one of the ingredients. My big learning curve is going to be the inks and brayer. I've always considered myself brayer challenged but have been doing better with textile paints and the gelliarts plate. In this class we are using speedball block printing inks and I'm feeling brayer challenged again, I'm sure with enough practice and re-watching the class videos I'll get the hang of it. We are working on paper, but already I can see some wonderful possibilities for prints on fabric. Here are some of my first prints.

So far this one is my favorite.

On Friday I did my final guest blogging post over at ...And then we set it on fire. This time I wrote about my weekly stitching.

The Weekly Leaf
        This week I did not print a leaf, instead I took a piece of hand dyed fabric and stitched a leaf shape with french knots and then added the veins with stem stitch. I used one my favorite leaf resource books.

Drew a leaf the correct size to use for guidance.

 Then added stitches.
Week #13

Daily stitching updates.
Line Dance #84 - #89

The Daily Paper #12 - #17

Some close ups.

linked to "Off the Wall Friday"