Damian Mcginty - Bird without wings

New Work

This is the latest work I've done.

I've included a picture of it in progress to show how it was done.

Last of all added a wire, which made all the difference!

Tatting and Chatting

This work done in the past... I am preparing for a forthcoming exhibition... very small and local. But have found it difficult getting an original pattern out. Well keeping at it. Will post pictures very soon.

Tatting Tryout

Those are the bells I made from the pattern gift Marilee gave us. Working out something new and hoping for the best.

Sisal

The Stalk of the Sisal that grows the seedlings is what I use as my Christmas tree! Got these lovely photos from The Lawns Hotel http://www.lawnshotel.com
Tanzania has sisal plantations. The story goes that 62 seedlings were brought and were used to start the plantations.

My stalk had seedlings in every little bracket. They started falling off as the stalk dried, they had little roots too!




This is what the plantations look like. More often the sisal plants along the borders are allowed to mature and the stalks grow nice and tall with the seedling sprouting out.





Young plants.





Harvesting.





Drying the fiber.

The stalk is fibrous too and very light. My mother carried is about a 50 meters and it was 6ft or more tall to her 4:11''. She brought it for me after making arrangements with the gardener of Mt. Carmel Convent to cut it for her. Several sisal or jute as it is called in India are growing wild on the hillside.

Each year during the monsoons, I fret over it, as am afraid it may develop mould but it comes through. Just need to dust it often. This year I shortened it by about 18 inches. I think its a manageable height now.

May you have Peace in 2009

May you have PEACE, GOOD HEALTH AND PROSPERITY in 2009.

May we understand the strength and power of GOD, in a thunder storm and winter, in the quiet beauty of creation and in the calm of a summer sunset and ...
May we come to realise that insignificant as we may seem in this great universe, we are an important part of God's Plan
May He watch over us and keep us safe from Harm.
An excerpt from An Irish Blessing by Phil Coulter.

I pray that all of us will have a good 2009, that we will take the time to pray for our countries, our neighbours, our friends and family. But most of all we will pray for forgiveness and grace, that as we freely receive it from our God we will freely give it to one and all.



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Merry Christmas

Its getting chilly in Pune, just the right weather to having us feeling warm and Christmassy.

I Wish all of you a Merry Christmas.....remember as we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus birth, He came for you and me.
He came with Grace to give us Peace and Hope of a brighter future.

I am looking forward to a week of working on my tatting. For those of you interested in the Metallic threads, I can send some to you to try out. I shall work out cost of threads and postage and make that available. The thread is made of some non natural fiber, when stretched I can see strands of an acrylic kind of fiber. And it does not need to be twined with any other thread, unless that is the effect you want.

My tree is up, Photos to follow in couple of days..............Merry Christmas :)