My arts and crafts page

This page is for my art and craft works. A few more pics have been added in September 2019

Wall hanging Hessian painted in colours, squares and rectangles hand stitched on. Black edge painted around the outside, mounted on a piece of thick fabric.

Lollipop trees made with layers of felt, on a landscape looking through a window. Stretched over a board. Beads and embroidery.

Small weaving. I made a loom with a small picture frame.

I wanted to use different materials to decorate eight small wooden boards.

 Weaving on a bigger home made loom.

Two boards used for this. The green background is scraps stitched on with free motion machining. The embellishments are scrap plastic with embroidery stitching. The two boards have been screwed together.

There are 252 buttons sewn onto a piece of blue denim and stretched over a board. A second bigger board covered with red fabric gives it a border.



Corded strips of fabric hand sewn onto a backing cloth, detail and paint added. The wood for the frame came from inside an easy chair which I took apart.

 A piece of wire mesh woven with one inch wide strips of felt, covered in felt flowers, giving it the look of a walled garden.

The back of a piece of fabric embellished with embroidery and beads. It's mounted onto the slats of a wooden shoe rack.

Offcuts of wood, painted, and screwed onto a board covered with black window blind fabric.

 A chrome towel rail wrapped with warp, with strips of fabric woven into it. The trees are made out of covered electrical flex. Felt, sequins, and beads embellishments.

Hand and machined applique using scraps of cotton fabric. Repainted old frame with glass.

A wall hanging made with zips.

Wool wrapped curtain rings (Dorset Buttons), and felt foliage, stitched onto this wall hanging.

A piece of hessian sack, first daubed with paint then squares and rectangles stitched on with wool, fabric, and ribbon. Mounted onto a piece of black fabric.

Tree is a piece of snooker table green baize, cotton blobs, (distorted Suffolk Puffs), added by hand. Tree outlined with red cord couched on. Background machine stitched.

Folk art landscape, with a rainbow bridge. Old frame painted white, with glass.

Wet felted picture with added flowers, embroidery and beads. On a hessian wallpaper background which has been stretched over a board. .

Piece of broken car body, painted, with embellishments, including rice, spaghetti, mesh fruit bags, and lace.

Another piece of broken car body from the same car. Painted and embellished with plastic shapes, tin can and vinyl flowers, beads, and plastic.

Needle felted picture, in a repainted frame. Behind glass.

A tennis raquet bought from a car boot sale for £1. Wrapped with strips of red velvet, with the centre covered in green felt, embellished with embroidery, beads, and sequins.

Picture is painted directly onto a piece of fabric. I call it cheats painting. Old frame painted, mount painted, to compliment the picture, with glass.

Make up a small jigsaw puzzle on a board, remove the pieces one at a time, draw round the outline of each one, and fill in with paint. Old frame painted black.

 Applique, hand stitched. Beach huts painted, old frame painted, with glass.

 First attempt at applique using fabric scraps, hand stitched. With glass.

Broken car body panel, painted with acrylics, foliage and flowers design.

This technique is called slashing. Make up a sandwich of two pieces of fabric for the top and bottom, fill with scraps, machine stitch circles, or straight across lines, and cut the top layer open with small scissors between the stitches, exposing the scraps. Old frame, no glass.

A woodland scene, tons of hand stitching. Small patchwork pieces, embellished with embroidery. Picture taken at an angle because of reflections in the glass.

Painted canvas red, add grains of rice, split peas, and cord while painting, then pick out detail with black paint.

Painted canvas black, add circuit boards from inside a video player, blood leaking from the damaged heart, invaded by plastic spiders. This is the future, robot/human.

Needle felting with embroidery. Mounted on a board, framed with driftwood.

Painted fabric.

Chrome coasters wrapped with wool, mounted on a picture frame also wrapped with wool.

Wire heart filled in with covered bottle tops.

Picture painted with bleeding tissue paper, and embroidered.

Felt hearts embellished with embroidery, beads, and sequins. Old frame, behind glass.

Small wrapped circles mounted on a board within larger wrapped circles, (Dorset Buttons).

Photograph of a church at dusk just as the floodlights were turned on. Flash lights up the branches on the tree. This has a new frame.

Broken car body part, front panel.

The following photo's are of all other crafts I have tried over the years. Mostly using recycled and second hand materials. Lots of bags.





Pickled onion jar covered in crochet, makes a nice vase. 
My re covered sun visor.


A piece of my Ford Focus which was smashed up by a taxi driver.


Dog coat made out of an umbrella.


Shopping bags made out of a gazebo roof.

Bedside rug made with cut up teeshirts on a mesh backing.




At the 20 21 Arts Centre with my work.

Greetings cards.
Book covers.






Cushions made out of men's shirts.



Felt decorations.







Beach scene painted on the back of my garage.


Christmas tree decorations.








Wall hanging made in the style of a peg rug.



Tree frame made with wood, a teeshirt stretched over it, and pan scrubbers added.

Everlasting hanging basket. Part of a globe light fitting covered in flowers made with drinks cans.

Patchwork curtains using scraps. I have two of these in my house. 



I painted my fire surround. Much better than scruffy brown.
Painted blocks and tree branches make a nice garden decoration.




Bag made out of judo belts.




Rock garden. Tin lid covered in crochet, stones covered in crochet, with embellishments. 


36 comments:

  1. Fantastic Ilona, especially seeing all together. Good luck with your exhibition.

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  2. What can I say!!
    You have produced an amazing collection of varied crafts and have been brave enough not to follow convention but to do your own thing.
    It a really exciting collection.
    I know you say you don't need praise but you certainly deserve it. The work you are putting into the exhibition is truly stunning.
    I do hope that local students go to see it because if they are creative they will come away with their brains buzzing and fingers twitching.
    Have a lovely time with your family. I suspect they will be astounded by your ability.
    Sue

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  3. What about the wind chimes made from bottle tops ? and the bags made from cat food pouches - are they going in the exhibition ?

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    1. No, because they come under the title of 'crafts'. My pictures are going in an 'art' gallery.

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  4. The bag with the clown is still in use everyday and has been since 2013. It stores all my dry recycling in the kitchen and then I transfer its contents to my bin when it's full! Great to see what a variety you've made over the years and look forward to seeing what you will get up to next.
    Arilx

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  5. Fantastic!
    As I went through, I wondered about the garden ornaments made of silverware - so clever and whimsical.

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    Replies
    1. I will update the pictures here, when I have time.

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  6. love them all, great ideas.

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  7. Your art work is fabulous, I hope the exhibition goes well, good luck

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  8. Amazing work Ilona. Good luck in the exhibition. I am sure everyone will love your works of art. You are very talented. Ann x

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  9. Amazing art work - arts, crafts, sewing, so much! Love having it all here in one spot for enjoyment and inspiration!

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  10. your art work for the exhibition is beautiful the colours are gorgeous love your ragrug patchwork and all the rest. best wishes for the exhibition. love liz amy and benny xxxx

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  11. What wonderful, colorful TREASURE! Bravo!

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  12. How exciting to see all of your work together like this. Wow! Wow! Wow! Thanks for sharing. Have fun with your exhibition.

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  13. Hilde in Germany31 July 2018 at 04:58

    I would so love to see your exhibition! Your works must be stunning, when even the photos are so amazing. You make so many different things, most artists work in the same style over and over.

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    1. I like variety, it taxes the brain. I would be bored making the same style over and over again.

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  14. Fantastic, exceptional talent.

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  15. Beautiful, you have so much talent. Hope you have a love time.
    Hazel c uk

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  16. Been reading your blog for years and this is a great walk down memory lane. Thanks!

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  17. You have extraordinary natural talent! The variety in the different works is incredible and your skill and detail just amazing. Would you ever consider photographing some of them and printing cards so we could buy them... I'd love to own some Ilona art. Jenny in Canberra x

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    1. That's a good idea, I will consider that.

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  18. Love all your art work Ilona but the lovely picture of dear boy Rocky in his red coat has got to be my favourite. Looking forward to hearing how your exhibition goes.

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  19. Not looked at your blog for a while Ilona, I see your creativity is just as wonderful as ever!

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    1. Hey Kate. I was thinking about you the other day, wondered if you were still doing the campervan business, and if you are still at the charity shop. Good to hear from you.

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  20. Totally amazing, I especially love the everlasting hanging basket!

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  21. Wow ... absolutely brilliant. But you forgot your biggest piece of art, the summerhouse!!

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  22. Well I love these. The top picture is my very favourite one.

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  23. These photos tell me you are really talented and so wonderfully able to vary your pieces. I agree with you, doing the same thing over and again would be boring. I have always taken that approach, and learned lots of different fiber arts; however, I am more of what a person called a “technical” stitcher, in that I love to learn lots of different techniques and “stitches.” Hopefully, your exhibition went very well. Have fun and stay well. Cecille Herrell Benson, Manhattan, Kansas, USA

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  24. Your work is very inspiring, colorful and joyful. Thank you for sharing

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  25. Your work is vibrant, full of life and imagination. I wish I could visit your studio for a fiber and recycled materials workshop. Thank you, Lorraine Washington State, USA

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  26. Hello
    Fantastic artwork! Do you sell it? I’d like to buy a piece, my brother would love something like this.

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    1. Hello Jenna. Thank you for your comment. I only sell locally. There are too many rules and problems with distance selling. It's time consuming to parcel things up and take them to the post office. I only take cash. If someone is not happy and wants a refund, more hassle. They have to send it back to me and I have to send the money back. Easier if I sell locally. Sorry. Basically what you see is what you get.

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  27. Hi Ilona
    For some reason I am not received your e mail blog any more. No idea why and I cannot find out where to re sign up. Please can you add me back. Orangetrees@hotmail.com
    Thanks missing my mails from you.
    Fran

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    Replies
    1. Hello. I don't know what you mean. I don't send emails out. Don't know anything about signing up. Can't help you there.

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