Printing on Fabric

WARNING
IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN SURFACE DESIGN, LOOK AWAY NOW.

HEY, I DIDN'T MEAN EVERYONE!

In an exchange of emails, my arty friend Shirl and I discussed printing on fabric and the possibility of using greaseproof paper to support your fabric before putting it through the printer.

Of Menopause and Quilts

At the risk of raising this old nugget again, we know that God is not a woman, right?  How?  Well we only need look at the menopause.  The male menopause is really quite laughable.  They get sports cars, younger women and okay, maybe a bit of testicular droop, but wouldn't you swap that for the raging hot flushes, night sweats, mood swings, dry skin, sagging bits and facial hair that we have ended up with?  Where is my Porsche and where oh where is my young hottie???

Well this was all on my mind over the last week as I neared my 6-monthly gynaecologist appointment.  I am in what is called the peri-menopause.  Well, that is a lot better than what I was in, according to Singaporeans.  When I went, in my mid(ish) forties as the symptoms started to appear, I was given a book by my gynaecologist called 'Your Golden Years'.  Sorry but NO WAY am I going to tell people that I am suffering from my Golden Years.  

Well, whatever you call it, for me it has not been an easy road.  Like most of the women I know on this well trodden path, we are kept sane by a mixture of HRT and laughter.  I thank the good Lord for sending me a supportive bunch of friends, a great gynaecologist and the most fantastic husband, who has been nothing if not supportive and caring about this time, stage or whatever you want to call it.  Only once did he falter and shout after me as I ripped into him, 'did you forget to take your hormones, dear?', and given the provocation, it was justified!  Well, as it happens I have been taking my hormones, and feel a lot better than I did this time last year.

Okay, where is this going you are now asking yourselves, or maybe that's you I can hear snoring in the background.  Stay with me now, I'm getting to the point.

My friend Shirl and I have been discussing different art techniques.  She posted on her blog a scan of her face, yes as in stuck her head under the scanner lid (her head is small, I mean really really tiny, almost the size of a large pinhead really).   This led me to trying that out too.  Suddenly an idea was born.  I merged this subject with my menopause musings, and made a small quilt, which explored my thoughts about the menopause.  Yeah!  I got to the point in the end!!!