Yesterday I bought an old leather coat, 4 euros here from the charity shop. I cut it up through seams and  tried to go for large pieces. I then covered my newly made sketchbook. I am thinking to sew along strip to the cover for tying around the book rather than use a press stud. The book has 8 signatures each with 6 pieces of paper bent double. made of cartridge paper so it's quite thick. I saved some instructions from the internet and then adapted them to suit my needs. I didn't have any cheese cloth to bind the book so I used net curtains. I have been meaning to do this for ages. I am now looking at handmade paper, maybe using some recycled and something for watercolours. I have a bowl of paper I am tearing up to make some paper. I pick up paper from the supermarket, they have sheets between milk here that is recycled and speckled. The last photo is a little book made from old envelopes.

Block printing

Cross stitch pattern 

It's been snowing a lot. We had a trip to the shops yesterday to stock up with essentials. It already feels like a long time ago... Now we are holed up I am looking for things to cover in print. I am still cutting out shapes from old styrofoam trays that I have already used once for raising seedlings. I paint the shape with a brush and press onto old sheets. I am using Water Soluble Silk Screen Ink. I'm finding simple shapes most successful and just seeing what develops as I go along.

Styrofoam Printing

Styrofoam

I like repeat patterns and particularly in combination with the slightly uneven, graininess of block prints.  I had in mind Christmas but somehow I arrived at Christmas Roses. Not really recognisably Christmas. I was trying to achieve the snowflake feel. Styrofoam is used a lot in packaging. The ink I use HERE is linseed based and I clean up afterwards using vegetable oil. No solvents. The ink is really good, great colour and stays tacky. I use it a lot to do mono printing.

I took this earlier today. I notice the little shoots have been slightly burnt by a drop in temperature over the past couple of days. The Magpies and Jays seem to be jostling for space and  are screeching around the valley. 

While the temperatures dropped last month to -12° I moved to sock making, I had no idea I could manage this but with a pattern from Ravelry I mananged to learn. I now have a task to fulfil, a pattern for the neighbour translated to French. 

Yesterday I began to plant seeds in my verandah. I bought lots of seeds from LIDL this year 29cents a packet here.

New paintings looking at field boundaries.

More socks from Charity shop wool. French Blue is my current obssession.

I love the reverse of these rag rugs. This is a rug made from a sheet dyed with walnut hulls 

gathered from my tree. It's quite fun ripping sheets, takes a fair few for a sack.

Sewing purses from scrap denim.