Macau: A bird’s eye view

These photos were taken at around 1000 feet up, through the (green) glass floor of the observation deck of Macau’s TV Tower. The surrounding city is full of clean curves and geometric shapes that you never get to see at ground level, and I love that there are patterns that repeat – the zig-zagging paving below, the zig-zagging footbridge in the third shot, and the circular eye-shapes everywhere.

Brooch Experiments

This brooch is one of my favourites. The photos below show my experiments with different ways of folding and shaping the fabric – sometimes the same cut-out shape can be moulded into completely different forms. After finding a shape that I like, I embroider the surface, finish the edges and stitch the final form together. Then I add the beads and the brooch pin.

Monsieur Butterfly

A butterfly I found in the garden this morning (we think it’s a male Orange Tip).

India: Portraits

Here are some shots of the people I met on my travels. The photo below is one of my favourites, the little girl was really eager to have her photo taken and her smile lit up my day.

Under The Sea

Here are some shots of another brooch that I recently finished. I drew inspiration from sea creatures, combining orange velvet with a bright blue frill and iridescent beads.
Hope you like it!

Silk Paintings

Silk painting is another technique that I love to experiment with, and a few years ago I created these hanging panels. I collected leaves to use as templates for resist techniques, used salt to add texture to the water of the pool and the river, and the rest was painted freehand.

Hope you like them!

Fried Dumplings

This post is especially for birdcagedesign, who gave this blog a lovely mention – I hope you enjoy!
These dumplings take a little time, but are absolutely delicious. If you want to make your own dough there are quite a few recipes on the internet, but I usually buy the wrappers at Chinese supermarkets (it freezes well so you can stock up in advance). If you have any left-over stuffing it’s great to use in fried rice.
Serve with some stir-fried vegetables or, alternatively, boil up with Chinese soup noodles.
Let me know if you have any questions!

Ingredients (makes around 25 dumplings):

• 1 pack of Jiaozi wrappers (they should be white and round, don’t use square yellow wonton wrappers!)
• 4-6 finely chopped dried Chinese mushrooms (soak overnight before using.)
• A few sprigs of finely chopped coriander.
• A handful of finely chopped bamboo shoots (if you use the tinned variety, make sure to squeeze them dry. Alternatively, replace with water chestnuts.)
• 2 chopped spring onions, only the white part.
• 1 finely chopped red chilli.
• 1 chicken breast or equivalent of pork, finely chopped.
• 1½ tablespoons of soy sauce.
• 2 level teaspoons of cornflour.
• ½ teaspoon of sesame oil.
• A dash of white pepper.

• 1 egg white, to seal edges of wrappers.
• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon water, to serve.

1) Finely chop all the ingredients and mix everything together except the egg white and vinegar. Leave to marinade for 20 minutes.

2) Use a teaspoon to place a small amount of mixture into the centre of a wrapper, don’t fill it too full or it might burst. Brush egg white around one half of the circumference, then fold over and seal into a semi-circle. Repeat until you run out of wrappers or stuffing.

3) Add a tablespoon of oil to a flat-bottomed pan and fry the dumplings on a medium heat until golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side).

4) Add enough water to reach halfway up the dumplings, and cover with the pan lid. Simmer until all the liquid has evaporated (around about 3 minutes).

5) To serve, dip in the mixture of rice vinegar and water – enjoy!

Driftwood and Bark

These photos were all taken in different parts of Asia. I like to capture the way that wood is weathered by the elements, deteriorated by insects, or decayed by time. The gradual changes produce some of the most beautiful textures, forms and colours.

A Clockwork Orange

A little while ago I was given a collection of clockwork pieces and was immediately inspired to incorporate them into my jewellery. When I am crafting I am often struck by how my work evokes old memories, and, to me, the clockwork has come to symbolise the interplay between past and present.

Here are some photos of my latest creations:

Textile Sculpture Commission: 4D Sphere

Last year, I was commissioned by Samvado, a Cornish sculptor and a fellow member of the Cornish Crafts Association, to make a textile sculpture.

He asked me to create one of his sculptures, the 4D Sphere, using my fabric.
Here are a few photos of the work in progress, and some images of the finished piece.

You can visit Samvado’s website at: http://www.samvado.com/

Making the Shape

The Plywood Armature

Another Angle

The Finished Form

Another View

One Final Shot