The Blue Hare

working wednesday

2012-01-25T16:15:00.000Z

Here is my finished Bunting quilt, which is baby quilt sized, made with a boy in mind, although I know we are not meant to be gender specific these days.

Don't ask me what the fabrics are because I bought them as a sale pack at a LQS.

I couldn't find the correct colour for the background and ended up in Dunelm Mill just after Christmas and got a Dorma 100% cotton sheet on sale in just the colour I was looking for. I know it looks quite grey but it is definitely more of a blue. If I could have convinced myself that it would be okay to use, I could have got myself a poly cotton sheet for a third of the price but I wasn't happy with that choice.

Am I the only one or are there any of you out there who are happy to use poly cotton and save a lot of money?

(I did have a moment's hesitation before cutting into it but now it's done and a King size quilt gives you a lot of fabric for your money).

There is a story behind this quilt and why I made it and I am sorry to be mysterious but all will be revealed over on my Quilt Routes blog where you will be able to download the very simple block if you fancy making something like this.

Now I am working on putting together something with the scraps.

Below you will see the reason why teenage girl is very happy today, (and why teenage boy is being very nice to his sister!)

This was sent all the way from California by an internet friend, so that she could try American chocolate/candy.

We do have Kit Kat, Twix and M&M's here, the rest we have only heard about and we have all enjoyed sampling them :)

She now has to send back some typically British stuff. Marmite has been requested (I love the stuff) but perhaps you dear readers can help. If you are an American reader can you tell me if you have Cadburys Creme Eggs and Terry's Chocolate Oranges and if you are a British or European reader perhaps you can make some suggestions for something they might not have in California.

playing

2012-01-21T16:57:00.001Z

I needed to make something in which to contain things, and so decided to have a play with the embellisher and make a pocket, or wrap of sorts.

I am not 100% sure of what I am doing here but I purchased Embellish,Stitch,Felt by Sheila Smith and that has helped. I layered some scrim onto an off cut of wadding and ran it through the machine, adding some silk rovings, felt,velvet and voiles for texture, and then began to do some hand stitching.

It was never going to get finished that way and it was too floppy without more structure so I added some machine stitched pebbling.

Using the embellisher is a lot of fun. There is a random quality to it and I am enjoying the experimentation. I am also getting to use up lots of bits that I have accumulated. Which can only be a good thing, right?

I hope you are having a good weekend whatever you are doing.

working wednesday

2012-01-18T18:08:00.002Z

Progress has been made on this. It needs to be bound and then hopefully there will be enough light to take some decent photos. Ogmore has been shrouded in a grey sea mist all day....gloomy but atmospheric!

To inspire you......or maybe not.

2012-01-17T18:04:00.000Z

The sun was out yesterday, so I dragged the teenager from her bed and we took the dog for a walk together. This is the estuary that flows out to the sea and it changes with the ebb and flow of the tide.

Unfortunately, turn around to look the other way and this is what you see.

The frustrating thing is that this is not caused by the locals or by the visitors who come. It is all washed down river from the town. From time to time groups get together and have a big clear up but by the next tide the rubbish is back. I don't know what the answer is. I hate to see it and at some point I will probably come back and delete this!

Turn around again!

That's better!

working wednesday

2012-01-11T19:29:00.000Z

There has been SOME work going on around here as you can see.

Even though this is my first post of the 2012, there won't be any reviews of last year, nor any promises for this one.

I am just going to do my best to create as much as I can, and hopefully have lots to share with you.

I do have a some things that I want to finish off, starting off with another couple of Prayer Flags to go with the one I did earlier.

These have again been made by chopping up a quilt that was a bit boring. I have a few more of these dove blocks left. Not sure what I will do with them yet.

I am enjoying making these prayer flags.
They allow me the chance try out techniques and use up fabrics that perhaps don't make the grade for one of my quilts.
They offer a chance to be creative and even though they are quick and easy to make, there is a lot of thought and sentiment to them.
Yesterday I had my Art Quilt group have a go at our first meeting of the year. It was a great way to kick start the creative juices.

You will have to wait for next month for me to show you the results, because despite the fact that they are quick to make I think there was a bit too much coffee drinking and chatting yesterday for them to get finished, so that will have to wait until next month!

If you would like to make one yourself you can send me a photo and I can add it to the blog. You will be amongst fine company.

Okay...What is your secret?

2011-12-23T17:17:00.001Z

I want to know. All you lovely bloggers out there, who day after day, share your photos of handmade gifts and pages and pages of hand baked goodness. How do you manage to get it all done? I am in awe of your talents, each and everyone of you.

I have barely managed to clean and tidy, shop and wrap (of which there is still more to do). And before you view me as the typical woman who has to do everything I have to confess to you that I have a husband who likes to shop for, and cook the Christmas dinner, and just about every other meal we have over the holiday period.

I always have great plans which rarely come to fruition.

But do you know what?

It doesn't matter. We will be warm and well fed and together.

Wishing you all a Happy and Peaceful Christmas.

Maybe while husband is in the kitchen I can sneak off and finish this.

P.S. There is still time to enter my giveaway here.

It's beginning to look......

2011-12-12T09:34:00.001Z

........a lot like Christmas!
Or NOT in my house as I haven't even thought about the decorating yet.
I have, however, always wanted to make a Christmas quilt. Every year I have had that thought. Every year nothing happens.

That just might change this year because of this "Countdown to Christmas" Jelly Roll.
Now I am not one who usually buys much in the way of commercially printed fabric, but when I spotted this on offer I thought it might be just what I needed.

This is what I have so far.

The plan had been to make the light central bit be more random and undulating and I had it all worked out on paper. Trouble is I started cutting just as the family started coming in from work, college and school and before I realised I had cut them all to the exact same measurement. The strips that is, not the family.

Not a mistake, just a design opportunity, as someone I know says.

Whether this gets quilted this Christmas or next remains to be seen. At least I have begun!

There are a number of giveaways going on over at my Quilt Routes blog this week, if you would care to take a look.

Giveaway No 1. A hand painted fabric kit.

Giveaway No 2. Some fabric packs.

Giveaway No 3. More fabric.

Enjoy.

2011-12-08T12:41:00.001Z

Here are the rest of the Rusty Love swaps. First this wonderful book made by Cath.

And some lovely pictures by Grace and Michelle. Sorry, none of them blog so it's down to me to share!

Rusty Love

2011-12-07T13:48:00.001Z

This is what I recieved from my swap partner yesterday. An ingenious rusty chain of love!

With hanging hearts....

and lots of beading. I love it. Thank you Pam. I know you are reading this.

Unexpectedly I was also given this made by Cath whose work I have previously shown here, but given by the group because they know I have had a tough year.
Thank you so much girls. I am overwhelmed by your thoughtfulness.

It reminds me of this heart that I was given earlier in the year by different friends, at a particularly sad time.

It was made by one dear friend and instigated by another one. There is a lot of love going on in this post today. For those friends around me and for you my blogging friends who take the time to read my missives.

More tomorrow.

I seem to have been.......

2011-12-06T13:48:00.001Z

............AWOL from my blogs for a while, for no other reason than life getting in the way as usual.

It is all good though. I have a kitchen again and can now concentrate on getting things ready for Christmas.

Yesterday I spent the days with my Rusty Love Girls. We first met when doing City and Guilds, in embroidery (them) and quilting (me). I enjoyed it so much that I stayed on and did Machine Embroidery after I had finished the Patchwork and Quilting.

We have always kept in touch, meeting up every now and then to stitch, chat and eat! It was only recently that I decided we needed to set a challenge for each other, each time making something to give to one of the other members of the group.

The title of the first challenge was Rusty Love and somehow that name has attached itself to the group permanently.

Above is the piece that I made for my interpretation of the theme. It might not seem immediately apparent how it fits into the title, but it is a place that the recipient knows and it is of a place that we both love. I have spent lots of holidays there as we used to have our little boat moored on that inlet, and her and her husband are now fortunate to have a holiday home there.

I also did a"Rusty Heart" for everyone.

More form the Rusty Love Girls next time when I show you what I received, but before I go I thought I would share a couple of photos I took in Bath on Sunday. We went to visit the Christmas Market but couldn't resist stopping off to look at what is probably one of the most famous streets in Great Britain. It looks like it should be a stately home or museum but it is a real street with ordinary people living there.

It was getting dark and the moon was out.

Afrernoon Delight!

2011-11-08T15:21:00.000Z

Ann

I finally had a chance this morning to catch up with my Art Quilt group Serge Ahead this morning. I was able to get some shots of their Turkish Delight pieces, and I wanted to share them here.

Anne

We were all given a piece of fabric to include in the work, the batik, that is used in the flowers in the piece below.

Sonia

I think it is interesting to see the connection in the designs, and the use of that piece of fabric has meant that they all link in the choice of colour, which will be nice if they are ever exhibited.

Claire

The ladies in this group have had a few successful exhibitions before they asked me to join them, and there are plans for another in the future.

mine

Sorry for the bad quality of the photos, but I was in a rush to get back home for the delivery of kitchen tiles. (We are on the home stretch!)

Thanks for visiting

And then there were three..

2011-11-04T12:07:00.002Z

front

I don't know why I feel compelled to do these insets of three, but there we are, another set of flags for the Prayer Flag Project.

back

These are to hope that everyone gets the Sanctuary they need in life.

Done on hand painted fabric, embellished with bits of cut up quilt. More pictures here.

Also, I am the featured seller on the Etsians on facebook thread today. If there are any fellow Etsians out there reading this I would be ever so grateful if you had a visit and left a comment.

Final Day!! Blogtoberfest Day 31!

2011-10-31T15:19:00.003Z

I did it! I posted every day in October! It is arguable that there was quantity rather than quality but it has certainly helped to kickstart my creativity after what has been a difficult summer.

Hell, it has been a difficult year, all things told. Not that I am complaining . I count my blessings. But anyone creative out there will know how it doesn't take much to get in the way of the Muse and the motivation.

So a big THANK YOU to tinnie girl for putting this on.

I didn't get everything that I planned finished but I can live with that if you can.

So carrying on from yesterday, here is a prayer flag made from that cut up quilt.

front

back

This flag is for Sanctuary. My home is slowly getting back to being my sanctuary.
I pray for Sanctuary to everyone out there that needs it.

This will be going up on the Prayer Flag blog as soon as I get a couple more done.

See you Soon!

Last but one, Blogtoberfest Day 30.

2011-10-30T16:32:00.000Z

Back in May 2009 I started sone 'New Work', using up some red pieces. I didn't show it because I really wasn't happy with it. This is what it looks like now.

I have overpainted it with black and chopped it up.

I have a couple of ideas for these pieces, including some prayer flags.

This post explains how I did the faces. They were ispired by some statues of Rama and Sita that I bought in Bali.

You're my favourite.

2011-10-29T14:46:00.003+01:00

There are only three days left of Blogtoberfest, so I am not going to stop now, but what to blog about when instead of sewing I have been oggling all the quilts over at BQF.
UK readers who are fans of Strictly Come Dancing will be familiar with the host Bruce Forsyth, telling many of the couples "You are my favourite"

While I don't have a favourite in Strictly this year I thought I would share a few of my favourites from the Quilt Festival.

The first one that caught my eye was this one by completely cauchy.

-for the bold scale of the design
-for the subtle shading of brown and blue, one of my favourite colour combinations
-for the ethos behind it's construction .. go and have a look if you want to know what that is and it is worth it because there are also instructions on how it was made.

Another of my favs is this one by Sabine

- for the yummy colour and texture.

And finally this one because it sums up this time of year so perfectly.

BTW I am a huge fan of Strictly as I used to do a bit of Latin and Ballroom in my youth. I have the medals to prove it!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival.

2011-10-28T17:52:00.002+01:00

All week I had been planning to show a completely different quilt here today for the Bloggers Quilt Festival but as I began to post I realised that I have spent a large part of the past year physically and emotionally on the quilt you see here. So with an apology to regular visitors to this blog I figured it could have another outing.

I was asked to represent my region of The Quilters Guild of the British Isles in this years 'In the Spotlight' exhibition at the Festival of Quilts. The theme was The Romance of Words, and I included a poem in the piece. The poem and the emotional aspect of this it all be found here in my Whys and Wherefores post. I hope you can take the time to have a look.

In the construction of this quilt there was a lot of painting....

...and pebbling.....

.......painting......

.....and pebbling.....

But I got there in the end.....Phew!

I learnt so much doing this quilt!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you like what you see and will call again.

I blog here, where I share my personal artistic stitching journey and over at Quilt Routes where I share tutorials on fabric painting, landscape quilting and anything else that takes me along the quilting path.

Thanks Amy!

A finish.

2011-10-27T13:33:00.000+01:00

Here are some moody shots of the little fabric book that I have put together from this.

The shots are "moody" because the photos are not really mine to share, but also because I am not convinced that I can really do shabby chic that well, which is what I was going for. It just goes to show that something that looks thrown together has actually had a lot of thought put into it, and that I should have given myself more time to do this. Never mind, the recipient is not a stitcher, and hopefully won't pass too critical an eye over it.

Another of my friends Grace, is a stitcher, and after seeing my Prayer Flag post look what I got in the mail this morning. In her words, "to add to my collection to to keep us all extra safe."
Thank you Grace. I am touched by your thoughtfulness.

Things I want to get finished........ Number Three,Four and Five

2011-10-26T12:52:00.000+01:00

Progress has been made on Number One and Two, and I hope to show that tomorrow, but by the end of October I also want to finish these and this, and do some more of these.

Another shot from yesterdays walk.

What are you hoping to get finished?

Things I want to get finished..... Number Two.

2011-10-25T11:15:00.003+01:00

A very dear friend of mine has a big birthday this coming Thursday. About a year and a half ago she got married, second time for both of them and I have to say that it was one of the most moving weddings I have ever been to. On the day I collected lots of little pieces knowing that somewhere down the line I would put a little something together as a souvenir. I am going to make her a quilt, but I want her to help me plan it, so I am hoping to have this ready to give her on the day.

I plan to make a small fabric book like the one demonstrated in this DVD that I downloaded from Quilting Arts. I had better go and get on with it!

Before I go I wanted to show you the monster that was on the beach this morning!

Things I want to get finished before the end of Blogtoberfest! Number One.

2011-10-24T11:55:00.000+01:00

Number One is this quilt, in time for the Bloggers' Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side.

I first bought the fabric to do this back in June but it seems to have taken an age to get it done. That was because I couldn't figure out the best way to quilt it, but now that I have got it sorted I hope to have it finished by next week.

Day 23.

2011-10-23T08:48:00.000+01:00

Yesterday Kit put up a post titled "Through the Subway Window", showing a snapshot of her journey to work. She asked for others to do the same, whether they work at home or out in the big wide world.

I have to be honest and say that while trawling through blog land I am sometimes envious of the shots I see of other people leading exciting lives in other more interesting places than me. However I am old enough to also realise that you cannot see the whole picture from just one shot.
I have lived in busy places, including London, and while I wouldn't change that experience I think I am better suited to the quiet life at the moment.

So with that in mind this is my view on my way to "work" yesterday. The last of our home grown produce before winter sets in. We are not great gardeners but in our defense it is not easy maintaining a vegetable patch living by the sea. One day of strong winds can come in and destroy everything.

But last night we feasted on a Caesar Salad made from these leaves.

I would like to think, howver, that one day soon I will be able to take a subway ride in Toronto!

Blogtoberfest Day 22

2011-10-22T15:51:00.002+01:00

On Day 11 of the Blogtoberfest I showed you this.

Today I show you this, which is a sort of companion piece.

I do apologise for more old stuff, but I have been busy shopping for kitchen tiles.

Blogtoberfest Day 21.

2011-10-21T11:00:00.000+01:00

Took my camera with me on my walk this morning. Winter is in the air!

And Finally...

2011-10-20T11:00:00.000+01:00

....some close ups of the stitching.

Free machine stitching, some automatic stitches, and voiles on dissolvable film.

To finish, the photos of my then 11 year old daughter modelling it for me. ( She is going to go mad when she know I have included this!)

....And More..Day 19

2011-10-19T11:00:00.000+01:00

I don't usually go into so much detail, but there might be some of you out there who are interested to see the extent of the work that goes into City and Guilds. ( And I am suffering from a bit of Blogtoberfest fatigue, but I am determined to see it through and post everyday this month!)

Yesterday I displayed some of the pages in my sketchbook, and here today is the accompanying "paperwork" that I had to present with the Prayer Flag Shawl.

References to my design source, and inspiration for the design.

A description of materials used.

Exploration of available stitches.

Descriptions of the methods employed.

.....and a bit more of the same....

Inside my Sketchbook. Blogtoberfest Day 18.

2011-10-18T00:00:00.000+01:00

Following on from yesterday's post on The Prayer Flag Project, here is a look few pages from my sketchbook.

See you tomorrow!

The Prayer Flag Project.

2011-10-17T10:09:00.000+01:00

I am thrilled to I have been asked by Vivika Denegre to become a contributer to The Prayer Flag Project.
I followed Vivika, as she made a flag a day through the month of June, culminating in her setting up of this project, with it's own blog and flickr group, inviting others to join in and make some flags.
Today is my first post over on the blog and I hope you will take a look.
Here, I would like to show the inspiration for my first flags.

I took this photo at the Eden Project while on holiday in Cornwall a few years ago, and it gave me the idea to go home and do this.

Using some hand dyed fabric, I made my own flags and left them out in the garden to weather.
There was a reason for doing this. At the time I was taking a City and Guilds course in Machine Embroidery and I was working on a Tibetan inspired sketchbook.

I had to produce an assessory for this part of the course and this is my Prayer Flag shawl.

Looking a bit like a flag I think.

Here is a close up of the tassles, that have the yellow flag fabric in them.

Over the next days I will share some pics from the sketchbook and take a further look at the design process for the shawl and the prayer flags. I hope you will join me.

Blogtoberfest Day16

2011-10-16T16:13:00.000+01:00

First can I say a big Thank You to everyone for your lovely comments yesterday. I really appreciate them.

But look, this is what passes for excitement around here today!

A Vintage Tractor Rally!

I think this one was one of the oldest.

And this one was my favourite.

No, I think it's this one.

Hope you are having a good weekend where ever you are.

Excitement on Day 15!!!

2011-10-15T11:38:00.000+01:00

Look at what came in the post this morning!

Here is a peek inside.

Let's take a closer look!

It seems like an age since Laurie Wisbrun, she of Tufted Tweets and Urban Circus fame, contacted me to ask if I would like to contribute a piece of my fabric for inclusion in a book that she was writing. After thinking about it for about 2 seconds I of course said YES!! and I am thrilled to finally have a copy of the book in my hands.

What I hadn't anticipated was the thrill of being included in a book that also has the likes of Malka Dubrawksy and Lotta Helleburg in it, women whose work I have long been an admirer of.

And look, that's my name on the contributors page.

I have only had a quick thumb through but I can already see that this is a comprehensive and well written book. I am sure it will be come a must for anyone interested in fabric design.

I will have a more in depth look on my Quilt Routes blog shortly.

Today I am feeling grateful and humbled. Thank you Laurie for including me in your book.

Blogtoberfest Day 14

2011-10-14T10:59:00.000+01:00

The trouble with having two blogs is that you can sometimes forget where you have put things.
I have just spent the last half an hour looking for this post which I thought was here but is actually on my other blog.
If you would care to take a look at that post you can see that I think the artist Fredrich Hundertwasser is an art quilters/textile artists dream when it come to looking for inspiration, and with that in mind today I wanted to show you this piece, completed about 5 years ago in a workshop given by Angie Hughes.

Done on black velvet with foils, voiles and old sweet wrappers, it is based one one of Hundertwassers landscapes, and was really fun to do.

If you would like to see more of this kind of thing and some other great work I suggest you give Angie's website a visit.
I leave you with a question.
Why is it that with all the piles and piles of paint, fabric, thread and any other number of supplies that I have here, do I not have the one thing I need today?
I'm off to the shops!

Shed Shot...

2011-10-13T12:32:00.001+01:00

...or should I say shot from my shed. Sorry Kit, it's never going to be a studio as hard as it might try!
The above are all things that I am working, or clues pointing to things I am working on at the moment.
Hopefully Blogtoberfest will give me the push I need to get all of these things completed by the end of the month.

Blogtoberfest Day 12

2011-10-12T10:38:00.001+01:00

There is a giveaway over at Lily's Quilts today.
There has been a lot of noise about Aurifil threads in the blogosphere of late, so when I was at the Festival of Quilts I bought myself some 50 wt to see what all the fuss was about. I have to say I am very impressed.
I used it to piece the last few of my Farmer's Wife bocks and it did make a big difference.
I have also used some in by Blue Shore pieces.

So if you would like the chance to win some of these

or these

Hop on over to Lily's Quilts
Although I am hoping that I win and you don't. LOL!

Blogtoberfest Day 11.

2011-10-11T18:07:00.001+01:00

old stuff 011, originally uploaded by Quilt Routes.

No internet connection today made me think I was not going to make todays post.
But I made it!
Another old piece.

A look back.

2011-10-10T15:28:00.000+01:00

Not much progress so a look back at some old stuff.

Whist doing City and Guilds I did this based on the work of Welsh artist Iwan Bala.

It is based on Ogmore Castle which is 5 minutes down the road from my house.

Seeing this now, I realise how much I have learnt since then and if it was still in my possession I would have to put some stitching on the top!

I think it is a subject that I would like to return to in the future.

I did have more pictures to show you but the internet is not co-operating today and I am beginning to lose the will to live!

Stitching Sunday

2011-10-09T13:15:00.004+01:00

Remember this?

Well, after much deliberation instead of going for the Lone Star option I have decided to finish things off as one big hexagon. Partly because of the fabric I have left, and partly to move things along.

I know my hand stitching is appalling, but my plans for the eventual quilting will hopefully cover up the blue hand stitching.
Why use blue? Well I started this project with a reel of blue over 20 years ago and I didn't see the need to change that now. It has hung around patiently waiting all this time.
Appalling weather here today, grey and drizzly. Just the sort of afternoon to snuggle in front of a movie with some hand stitching.

Today......

2011-10-08T15:49:00.000+01:00

.....I am in a bit of a sulk. I thought I would be spending the day at a Quilter's Guild meeting, listening to a talk given by Mary Jenkins and seeing all the lovely things that she gave a sneak peak at in this post.

However 13 year old son had to be somewhere in the other direction to where I wanted to go, at one o'clock, which as I am sure you will know is slap bang in the middle of the day, leaving little room for manouvering, and as as I was the only one available today.......

The up side is that I have managed to finish one of the Blue Shore pieces, and on a stop off at the historic town of Llantwitt Major on the way home, I treated myself to one of my favourite magazines, and also found, in a dusty corner, three pots of embossing powder on sale.

Got a black, silver and gold.

I am not 100% sure how to use them, but I do know you need a heat gun which I have, so I am looking forward to a play with these.

(I also share a mutual friend with Mary Jenkins, and I will be seeing her next week. Maybe I can get her to arrange my own private viewing if I ask nicely.)

Adding details.

2011-10-07T13:12:00.000+01:00

Isn't it strange how you don't notice some things until you have photographed them. I don't mean the line of holes in the sky. Those will be taken care of soon. There is a little something else that needs correcting that I have only just seen!

See you tomorrow.

There is a bit in the middle edge that hasn't been stitched

Blogtoberfest Octoberfest!

2011-10-06T11:56:00.000+01:00

The beginning of the week we had a mini heatwave. Today the howling wind has blown these from the trees.

Summer is definitely over.

More of the same.

2011-10-05T13:55:00.000+01:00

The up side of posting everyday is that it is focusing my efforts to keep stitching.

The down side is that it is more of the same for you, just with a bit more of that stitching!

If you fancy popping over to my Quilt Routes blog there is something other than blue to look at there.

Blue Shore Mini Art Quilts

2011-10-04T11:41:00.001+01:00

Yesterday I started working on these. One fat quarter, painted and split into four. I think I am going to name them Blue Shore but that might change.

I began with some outlining stitches.

Then began to fill in the spaces.

Can you hear that?

It is the sound of the builders banging away at what used to be my kitchen. The dog is very confused.

Time to escape to my shed I think!

This Blogtoberfest thing works........

2011-10-03T13:01:00.000+01:00

.....because I probably wouldn't have bothered to show you this, as it is very similar to this, just a bigger version.

Still using up the leftover scraps from this, which I haven't got around to quilting yet, even though I have everything including the binding ready to go.

As you can see this is a cover, that I have finally got around to making for the Kindle that I was given for my birthday back in March! I get things done eventually.

P.S. Photos taken in bright, bright sunshine as our mini October heatwave continues!

A Trip Out.

2011-10-02T12:37:00.003+01:00

The ICHF Hobby craft show came to Cardiff this weekend and here is Jackie who is our region 12 Chairwoman doing a wonderful job drumming up interest for the Quilters Guild and all things quilt related.

There was a display of some of the Welsh Babes from the challenge I set last year.

With a few more entries such as this from Gwen who used the National Emblem of Wales as her Welsh Babe.

I managed to drag my husband along as the In the Spotlight exhibition is travelling with the show.

Yes, I have a piece that is travelling the country, get me!

Although my bubble was burst a bit when I discovered that it had been hung outside the exhibit at the far end of the hall facing the back wall!

However, the girls on the QG stand were making sure to direct people to it and I consoled myself with the thought that when people sat, with their packed lunches, on the chairs that had been placed around the perimeter it was my quilt they would be seeing!

Next stop Glasgow!

Blogtoberfest 2011

2011-10-01T12:35:00.002+01:00

This is new to me and I only found out about it 10 minutes ago when reading Quilthexles post.

It seems like a big commitment but I feel that I need a bit of a push at the moment and as the builders are finally arriving this week to begin work on the kitchen, I figure I will be spending a lot of time in my shed keeping out of the way. At least that is the plan.

A post everyday for the whole of October!!??!!

Follow the link in my side bar if you fancy joining in.

Farmer's Wife block with a difference.

2011-09-24T11:40:00.000+01:00

The combination of these blocks was just not working for me, so with seam ripper put to good use I have come up with this. Not sure what the Farmer's Wife would make of it but I was never going to produce the full quilt anyway.

Whether or not I get around to to doing something like this with every block I make only time will tell, and I do plan on completing more blocks in other colours. This is reminiscent of of this and this and it is a style that is more me.

Question now is, am I brave enough to put this up on the Farmer's Wife flickr group?

And because it is very hard to see a mainly white quilt on a white wall, here is another shot of it taken on a rare moment when I could get outside.
Have a good weekend.

Happy Scrappy Girly

2011-09-14T12:10:00.001+01:00

Couldn't really think of a better name for this quilt but it does what it says on the tin.
It is Scrappy, using up some old fabrics that have been hanging around a while along with some pieces left over from my dyeing days, when it was all still very new to me, and some odd squares from other projects. There is even some re-cycled denim in it.

It is Happy because the colour scheme dictates that it is, and it grew fast so I was happy making it.

And it is Girly because that's what I had in mind when putting it together.

How did she get such straight quilting lines? I hear you ask.

Here's how; from following the lines on the backing fabric.
The whole quilt actually came about because of this piece of fabric. It was originally purchased to make a dress for my then toddler daughter, but never used because it was too heavy to be worn in the hot climate we were in at the time. I have looked at it time and time again over the years but could never bring myself to cut into it. I finally realised that it was perfect for backing. I quilted down every other blue line using my walking foot. I am sure I am not the first person to have thought of this but I feel quite pleased with myself for having figured it out. I will be on the look out for more stripy backing fabrics.
Apologies for the over exposed quality of these photos but we have had some unexpected sunshine here this morning.There are more shots here.

Contrary Wife

2011-09-12T12:58:00.000+01:00

No 21 Contrary Wife No 84 Spool No 16 Calico Puzzle

Here are another three F.W. blocks that I don't think I have shared with you. That brings the grand total to nine.

Oh Dear!

I am not really a Contrary Wife, although I don't know if my husband would agree. I didn't want to write Farmer's Wife in the title again and I liked the sound of it.

I have stitched them together to make a small wallhanging but I am not sure about it. It either needs another three to add another row, or I need to unpick the sashing and have another think.

What are your thoughts?

Love those Lone Stars.

2011-09-07T13:18:00.001+01:00

Love those Lone Stars., a gallery on Flickr.
I am still looking for inspiration on what to do with this, so I have been trawling flickr for ideas.

To inspire you..

2011-08-25T03:00:00.000+01:00

I took these a few days ago at Merthyr Mawr Sand Dunes.

The whole place has exploded into colour.

more pics here

Today is my baby boy's 13th birthday. He has waited a long time for this day.

Getting back into the swing of things on this working wednesday

2011-08-24T19:35:00.003+01:00

No 82 Snowball No 2 Homeward Bound No 41 Friendship Star

No 21 Contrary Wife No 84 Spool No Calico Puzzle

Six more Farmer's Wife blocks have helped me to get back into things. I feel as if I haven't been near my shed for weeks. I wanted to tell you that all the hype about Auriful thread that seems to be everywhere at the moment is true. I treated myself to some while at the Festival of Quilts and it has improved both the ease and outcome of making these blocks. I think I am done with the black/grey/white combo now and I will move on to some red and white, a bit like this. Stay posted to see what I do with these.

Thank you everyone for all your lovely comments about my Festival of Quilts piece. They were were much appreciated.

I made it.

2011-08-16T19:28:00.002+01:00

Well, I did make it to the Festival of Quilts. That is my quilt there looking suprisingly small. I thought it was huge when it was here with me. I got to the show for a few hours on Sunday and have to confess to being in a bit of a daze after last weeks events. Browsing through the blogs I now see how much I missed, but never mind.

Well here it is in all it's glory.
I got home yesterday to find some really lovely emails and comments and I have been so touched by what has been said. You know who you are, and I thank you so much.

working wednesday

2011-08-10T18:58:00.001+01:00

A colourful post today to take my mind off the black hole that is my kitchen!
I can hardly believe it but we have had our second fire in 8 months. The kitchen went up in flames on Monday evening. Thankfully the fire engines got here very quickly and it did not spread to any other rooms. An electrical fault in a bread maker (it was quite old) has been blamed. It is very embarrassing when the firemen say "We saw the address and thought 'We know where that is'".

No one got hurt though and for that I am thankful.
So there is going to be a lot of cleaning rather than stitching going on around here for the time being, and although I have had to put off my trip to the Festival of Quilts tomorrow I do hope to get there before the weekend is over.

The quilt top was put together a few days ago in the start of my bid to declutter all the fabric that has been gathering dust in the loft for too many years. This is designed randomly/Gee's Bend style with a little girl in mind. I plan to knock back the "sugariness" with some charcoal/grey threads, but perhaps I should be staying away from such colours at the moment!

I hope you are all safe and well and thanks for listening to my woes.

Farmer's Wife Start

2011-08-07T13:35:00.004+01:00

I have begun with some of the easier blocks, but already I know why I don't usually do traitional.
The practice will be good for me though.
This is not a black and white photo, just usuing up some black and greys for the first few.

Now for some technicolour...

I have finished the Turkish Delight. Hurray!

I am glad this is finished. I did enjoy the process, the hand stitching but I don't think I will be doing anything similar.

The idea is based on a Turkish rug where the edges have been worn and flattened by wear and tear. I should have spent more time on it but it needed to be finished and now it's done.
I was influenced by the "Slow Cloth" stitchers, whose work I love, but now I have got it out of my system.

Taking the Plunge

2011-08-04T17:44:00.001+01:00

This is everywhere and I have decided to join in.

I got off to a false start when the EQ companion CD didn't materialise because the EBay seller who "sold" it too me obviously did not have one to sell in the first place....humph!!!

So I ordered the book. I will not be using the templates but printing out a foundation pieced pattern from EQ7 as that is the only way I will be getting any accuracy.

I had a few blocks hanging around from a class I used to teach, that fit the bill, but I won't be using these.

I won't be making the whole quilt either.

My reason for doing this is to exercise my "traditional" muscle as that can only be a good thing, but I have a few smaller Art quilts in mind using hand painted fabrics.

I also have something more arty in mind for these blocks, but we shall have to see.

stitching sunday

2011-07-31T16:53:00.001+01:00

Seeing all the paper piecing that seems to be going on in blogland at the moment had me searching into the dark corners of the loft this morning to pull out this.

This was begun soooooo many years ago, even before I had any idea that I wanted to be a quilter.

It came about because Laurel Ashley opened a shop in Cardiff. It was least 20 years ago now probably more and I remember there was much excitement at the time. When I visited it with my mum I found that the gorgeous flowing floral dresses were way out of my price range and instead I came away with a packet of pre cut squares. I did make myself some cushion covers with some of it (long gone) but I honestly can't remember when or why I decided to start this.

The back tells me that I must have started my teaching career by then because the paper I recognise as the sugar paper that was ready available in any primary school. (one of the perks of the job!!!)

I still have these bits cut out. The fabric experts will probably recognise the Laura Ashley fabrics.

Some bits have already been tacked over the papers, and here is the template that I used.

I know that I took it to Brunei with me because I thought I might need something to do to keep myself occupied and some of the fabrics that are now in it I recognise from dresses I had made for my daughter.

It was while I was in Brunei that an Australian friend introduced me to a rotary cutter etc and I think this is probably why it was abandoned.

I do like the idea of finally finishing this. The problem is that it is growing into one big star which I think is called a Lone Star design, and I am not very keen on it. These old drawings show that I was trying to work out how to turn it into a big hexagon before adding pieces to make a quilt top.

After looking at these I have considered unpicking and reassembling.

Any ideas?

Deborah

working wednesday (not)

2011-07-27T07:44:00.002+01:00

Not much to show here this working wednesday as the only thing I am doing at the moment is painting the bathroom (yawn!!). I did take some time out yesterday to go down to the beach with my daughter, who has been given a project to complete over the holidays in preparation for the Art course she begins in September.
Here is some views of what she got up to.

Hope the sun is shining where you are today.

Deborah

working wednesday

2011-07-20T15:44:00.003+01:00

Continuing with the hand stitching on the Turkish Delight piece.
It is giving me something to do while I upload photos for a tutorial I am creating on my Quilt Routes blog.
It is sooo slow and it is only going to get worse when school breaks up for the summer tomorrow.

Deborah

Sunday afternoon........

2011-07-17T17:01:00.001+01:00

.....stitching

Back home after seeing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Teenage daughter distraught that it has finally all come to an end, but then it has been such a huge part of her childhood and I guess that is at an end now also (sob!)
Anyway wind and rain outside (again) but I have my stitching and Midsomer Murders (again...does ITV make anything else?)

This is the Turkish Delight piece which has been set as a challenge from a North Wales Art Quilt group.
I had planned it as a completely hand stitched piece but time is running out and I know I am going to be hitting the machine with this very soon.

Deborah

Bits and Pieces

2011-07-16T08:59:00.003+01:00

Enjoying being able to scale things right down after working big for so long.

Same themes though!

More beach......more seagulls.....

.......but then this is what I see everyday so no suprise there.

Today I also see buckets of rain and as we have booked a birthday paintball party for my son this afternoon, I am hoping it is going to pass over soon. BBC weather I hope you are right today!

Have a lovely weekend

The Whys and Wherefores

2011-07-13T14:21:00.000+01:00

The theme for this exhibition was "The Romance of Words" because 2011 is the 200 year anniversary of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility". We were told that we could take a literal or a lateral interpretation of the theme and as the exhibition is "In the Spotlight" I decided I had best try to do something using my usual style even though it didn't immediately lend itself to 'Romance'.

My initial plan had been to call the piece 'Inland Coastal Waters' and to put the words of the Shipping Forecast along the pebbles. Not very romantic I know but I have spent many a sleepless night listening to said forecast and visualising the romance of sailing around these shores. Not such a strange idea as it might seem, as I did quite a bit of sailing in a previous life.

Sadly, back in March, while the quilt was in the beginning stages of construction, a very good friend of mine passed away. It was at this time that I first heard this poem. It summed up perfectly the way that Kath, my friend, lived her life. She was a wife and mother, a singer and a painter, and she also cared passionately about the environment. She lived her life just as the poem suggests.

It seemed fitting to use these words here and I have dedicated this quilt to Kath's memory.

I have called it "Cherish" taken from the line "friends to cherish".

The poem "Dust if you Must" is by Rose Milligan.

Ironically, I have spent so much time on this quilt my house is dire need of some dusting and cleaning!

P.S. There are more pictures in my previous post.

In the Spotlight

2011-07-11T19:42:00.000+01:00

This is a wonderful sight! My quilt all packed up and ready to go.......finally!

Forgive me if I don't show you the whole thing. I don't mean to be secretive but the photos I took head on are blurry and I just haven't got it in me to get it out of it's neat little parcel. Besides I think I wouldn't get a better picture at this time. It is quite hard getting a good shot of something so large in my space, and hopefully when it is hanging in the show I will get a good one.

Here are some close ups, and next time I will expand on what I have done and why.

Now I am off to get myself a very big glass of wine!

working wednesday -almost there!

2011-06-29T10:15:00.000+01:00

Every summer these poppies spring up all over the place in the garden, even between paving cracks. That's my kind of gardening! This one is nesteled outside my shed door and I just love the colour of the red against the "Sea Grass" green of the shed.

I am almost there. I have changed the pebbles from the one in my earlier post to these

...and here is a little sneek of the almost finished piece.

Maybe it is the way I work, or the way I structure my day, but I can't believe how long this is taking me and just makes me wonder how those others out there, who turn out one big beautiful piece after another, do it.

Any ideas?

Pebble Progress

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000+01:00

Those of you who have been following my "pebble progress" will know that I have done a lot of this.

Over the last week or so I have been doing alot of this.

And a bit more.....

...then I stitched a whole poem onto them.......

...and when I had finished.........

I realised that it just wasn't right!!!!!!

Don't panic, like I did. I think I have got it sorted and apart from being really cheesed off about all the time I have wasted, I am happier with the alternative (which I will show when done!)

Can you see....?

2011-06-12T10:23:00.000+01:00

I am doing a little dance.........

I have finished the pebbling.
In fact I finished on Friday, but yesterday I was doing this.

Bear with.......

2011-06-07T17:40:00.000+01:00

Any fans of Miranda out there will understand the title of this post.
I know things have been a bit quiet here but my focus at the moment is on the following;
Helping my daughter get through the last couple of weeks of her G.C.S.E. exams,
Finishing my "In the Spotlight" piece for the Festival of Quilts,
Doing some much needed work in the garden and on the house!

I have got until the end of July to get the FoQ piece finished, but if I just crack on I should be done before then, but in the meantime here are a couple of shots of the inside of my shed.

working wednesday

2011-06-01T20:15:00.000+01:00

It was my Mum's birthday this week. She told me she didn't want a present. She wanted me to make her a cover for a small table of hers. She told me this three days before her birthday. No hurry she said.

I had this ready made cover that she might very well have passed onto me herself at some point.
So I did a bit of this...

..and a bit of that...

...and made this.

The patches and binding are from the "silk" that my husband brought me back from a trip to Thailand. He brought me back metres and metres of it in three different colours. I think they saw him coming as it looks very silky but I haven't heart heart to tell him that is as far as it goes.

Anyway, Mum was happy which is good. I am happy because this arrived in the post today.

I actually BOUGHT myself some fabric.

working wednesday

2011-05-25T20:07:00.000+01:00

This is what I am working on at the moment.

This is almost done. Just need to put the backing on as I quilted it without one.

When I am taking photographs I am never sure if I need flash on or off so I usually take one without and one with. The difference today was quite interesting.... maybe..... or perhaps I need to get out more?

Without flash...

With flash........

I like what it has done to the grey feathers.

I could show you more pebbling from my Festival of Quilts piece but I need a break from that and the fact that I have run out of thread has allowed me to take one.

Instead I will show you how far I have got with the Turkish Delight piece.

Can you see where I am going with this? Does the colour remind you of a certain chocolate bar? Maybe only U.K. readers will know what I am referring to. I used to love them as a kid although these days I find them just a tad too sickly for my taste.
I know this is a bit obvious but hopefully by the time it is complete the pink won't be so in your face.
I am trying to do it all my hand, taking my time. Now that my machine is in the shed it is nice to have some hand sewing to do in the house. No close ups of this though, not until I have covered up my hand applique stitches!!

News Flash- Starch Works

2011-05-20T19:30:00.000+01:00

I had to bite the bullet and get on with the pebbling on the last background piece but as I started to stitch, it just didn't feel right. I know it is a much bigger piece but it wasn't moving around very smoothly.

Then I realised that I had neglected to starch the backing fabric as I had done previously. Out with the spray starch and job done....well some of it done anyway.

So starch your backings so that they glide with ease around your sewing plate. It really does make a difference.

Here is a progress photo of "Floating" or "In the Air" or "On the Wind" or whatever I decide to call this.

working wednesday

2011-05-18T17:57:00.000+01:00

A bit of this......

.....and a bit of that.

Colour Wheel Quilt (or Mr Chocolate's Companion)

2011-05-16T18:05:00.000+01:00

I have finished the quilting on this quilt.

Why Mr Chocolate's Companion you ask?

Well, a few years ago whilst staying with my friend Jennie in London, my daughter was very taken with a chocolate brown faux fur throw that she had bought from John Lewis (named Mr Chocolate!)
Being the wonderfully generous godmother that she is, next birthday my daughter was given a Mr Chocolate of her own. She loves it so much she would probably wear it outdoors if she could get away with it, which is all very well, but is a bit disheartening for a mother who has made her the odd quilt!

I don't think I was aware of it at the time but I think that subconsciously I had some plan to try and usurp Mr Chocolate from my daughters affections when I chose the main colour for this quilt.

I deliberately haven't shown you a full shot of it. To see it you will have to go here.

Working Wednesday

2011-05-11T11:48:00.000+01:00

Remember this......?

I thought it was about time that I quilted it.

I have finished pebble quilting this panel for my FOQ piece.
Now and I am at the " WHAT WAS I THINKING ????" phase, as next I have to do exactly the same to another piece, which is about three times as big as this!

I have been looking at this. It is for a challenge that has been set for my Art Quilt group Serge Ahead.

The challenge title is Turkish Delight and the piece has to include this fabric.

That is what I have been doing on this Working Wednesday.
Hope you are having a good Wednesday

First(ish) Quilt

2011-05-09T11:11:00.000+01:00

Whilst staying at my Mum and Dad's place during the Easter hols, I snapped some shots of this quilt I made for Mum quite a few years ago now.

I can't remember if it is the exact first that I made; but it is definitely one of the first.

My Mum came with me to Malvern Spring quilt show and chose all the fabrics herself.

Her garden always looks wonderful at this time of year, something I will never be able to achieve because even though I attempt to grow some of the same things as her, the sea breezes (okay, strong ocean winds on some days) and salt air usually ruin things.
I am not complaining, but over the years I have learnt the hard way what will and won't grow near the coast.

I hand quilted this in the ditch!

working wednesday

2011-05-04T12:41:00.000+01:00

Now that everyone, (husband included) is back at school, it is time to crack on with the Festival of Quilts piece, especially as I had a phone call from our Regional Co-Ordinater at the weekend to see how I was doing (Hi Jackie!).

So I have started on this section....

......And I have completed this section.

Remember this post.....well I have finally finished with this quilt.

I don't know why I felt compelled to keep adding to this, and now it is a bit O.T.T. but it is finally FINISHED in my mind and because it is bright and cheerful it is going to hang in here.

This is now officially my work space!!!
It is so exciting. For those of you that don't know, before Christmas the sheds that stood here burnt to the ground. We were so lucky that the quick actions of our lovely neighbours stopped our whole house going up in flames. The back of the house did sustain some damage but has now been rectified.
I do have a shot of the burnt out wreck but it is so depressing I just don't want to add it to my nice clean blog, so the before and after shots can be of the inside.

I am already in and using the space, but until I have finished putting up shelving etc I am going to keep things under wraps and you will have to come back later to see it in all it's glory.

I still have my view of the sea which you can just make out past the washing line, and looking at this I realise that I must drag myself away from stitching and blogging to prune the fire damage from that bush. To be honest I have only just realised that it has damage now that the green shoots are poking out from underneath.
After trying to work in practically every room in the house I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have this space. I'll end on a big THANK YOU to my husband who has downsized to a smaller shed so that I could have this (although I think I heard cheering as I carried the last of my stuff out!!)

Finished!!

2011-04-26T15:50:00.002+01:00

Stash Busting Country Charm Quilt, originally uploaded by Quilt Routes.

I DID IT!
More pics over at flickr if you would like to see them (just click on the photo)

And if anyone can tell me how you can add more than one photo to a blog at a time from flickr I will be eternally grateful.

Progress

2011-04-24T09:43:00.000+01:00

Top done.

Now on to the basting and quilting. I know it's not trendy at the moment, but I still appreciate a bit of country charm.

Warning. Easter cuteness overload!

2011-04-23T10:38:00.000+01:00

I suppose I think of myself as primarily an Art Quilter, but that is not to say that I don't love a quilt that you can use. Lately I have been feeling that I haven't made enough of these sort of quilts and have had the urge to get a few made. Plus, in an effort to de stash before I move everything into my new working space, (more of that to come) I have set myself an Easter weekend challenge.
Above is a pile of fabrics some of which I have had for so long I think they can be descrcribed as vintage!
I pledge to have a complete quilt (only a lap size quilt) done by the end of the long weekend,( Monday is a Bank Holiday).

It isn't going to be all work, as yesterday we took a nice walk in the easter sunshine.

You can get a bit blaze about sheep around here. They are quite often found walking down the main road and you have to beware of them getting into your garden and eating everything in sight.
But we all love this time of year when we get to see so much cuteness everywhere.

By end of play yesterday I had got to this stage..

There is no measuring going on here, just random chopping and stitching.
Now I need to get on, but if you would like to go here you can see the eggs I have made for you.

working wednesday

2011-04-20T16:40:00.000+01:00

Still stitching away on the Festival of Quilts pieces.

PLUS...Playing......Painting not Piecing.

I am also busy putting together some kits which you can see here.

Nearly forgot, Brirish quilters are invited to join the Brit Quilt flickr group. Follow the button in the side bar to see what that is all about.

Stitching Sunday

2011-04-17T13:21:00.000+01:00

Instead of being down on the beach enjoying the spring sunshine.....

........ I am here stitching sand......

(note the gaffer tape holding my quilting table together)

Finished!

2011-04-07T14:03:00.001+01:00

Check yesterdays post for details.

working wednesday

2011-04-06T16:54:00.000+01:00

Just for fun, playing around with bits and pieces.
I think I have been influenced by all the blog posts about the Red and White exhibition in New York.
If you don't know what I am refering to have a look here. This post really made me wish that I could have gone.

Makes me think of the St George's Cross.

The sun is out today so I have also been doing some painting.

Pot Holders and Coasters.

2011-04-05T17:12:00.002+01:00

Pot Holders, originally uploaded by Quilt Routes.

I made these as gifts for my stitching friends. Random Log Cabin with spiral quilting.
Look at what I got in return, from my friend Grace.

Random Log Cabin with spiral quilting! Neither of us knew what the other was doing.

There is a direct line from her house to my house across the water and if there was a bridge I could probably get there in 10 minutes! It is actually a 40 minute drive by road.

However, I think our creative vibes were on a direct link with these makes!

LOOK.....

2011-04-04T19:24:00.000+01:00

...what I got in the mail today.

A postcard from Cynthia St Charles.
I have admired her work for years and now I am lucky enough to have a piece of it.

I just had to....

2011-04-01T15:47:00.000+01:00

...share with you the backing fabric now that it is dry, pressed and all ready to go.

I still get a thrill when I open up a new piece of painted fabric and see what the paint has done.

working wednesday

2011-03-30T13:26:00.000+01:00

Is it really Wednesday again already?

Just about finished the first panel of my Festival of Quilts piece.

I can go no further while I wait for the rest of the backing fabric to dry. It is taking a while because the lovely spring sunshine we have been enjoying has hidden away behind the rain clouds.

Working Wednesday

2011-03-23T16:19:00.000Z

I made this a few years ago using up lots of scraps.

The flowers were added for interest but I was not happy with them and thought they could be improved by adding some sparkly paint.

I was wrong.

I show this when I give a fabric painting workshop, and I always say that I am going to add some stitching to try and improve the flowers.

I have been looking for some hand stitching to do in the evenings and so this is it.

One flower down, eleven to go. That means I put twelve flowers on this quilt which is a big design No No.

I am usually aware of putting odd not even numbers on things.

Looking at the first photo now I am not sure why I didn't just leave well alone! I do remember that the flowers had a 'bumpiness' that does not show up here. I do seem to make work for myself though. Is anyone else like this?

More Babes.

2011-03-07T20:14:00.000Z

Thanks to Claire,Wendy, Linda, Ann, Pat,Carol and Liz.

(Sorry if your pic is out of focus. If you send me another one I will replace it.)

Smile. It's the Weekend.

2011-03-04T10:37:00.000Z

My friend Joy sent a picture of her Welsh Babe cushion, as she won't be able to make the meeting tomorrow. The picture is of her daughter and twin nieces taken about 30 years ago. Just looking at it puts a smile on my face.

Hope you all have a smiley weekend.

Welsh Babe!

2011-03-01T11:16:00.000Z

This time last year, while giving a talk to Region 12 ( South and West Wales ) of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles to give it it's full title, I set a challenge entitled "Welsh Babe". This is my contribution.

Basically the "Babe" in the title could refer to the quilt being a small homage to the traditional style of Welsh Quilts, or to the depiction or interpretation of oneself or someone else as a young Welsh girl, or both.(Apologies to anyone who finds the use of the term 'Babe' in anyway demeaning or offensive, but let me tell you if anyone referred to me as Babe these days I wouldn't look on them too shabbily!)

This grainy black and white photo was my inspiration. It shows me dressed up in my Welsh hat ready for the St Davids Day celebrations that always take place here in Wales on March 1st.
I remember these days fondly. A morning in school of singing and competition results, ending with the Chairing of the Bard for the best poem and followed by the afternoon off. I can always remember walking home in the sunshine!

As I was stitching this piece I began to realise the significance of this photo. The big old pram behind would have contained my baby brother barely 4 months old, and the shadow on my dress, which you can see better in the before stitching pic, is that of my mothers head as she took the photo.
By the end of this year I was in hospital with a suspected brain tumour, which in pre MRS scan days, meant that I had to have exploratory head surgery. Hats became very significant for me as my hair was shaved off, (although they did leave my fringe, can you imagine!) There was no tumour thankfully, but I still remember my mother crying at my bedside, as if it was yesterday, and now being a mother myself I have a greater feeling for what she and my father must have gone through.

Soppy, personal stuff over, this is how I did it.
Image printed on fabric using Bubble Jet.
Hand painted fabrics... yes it all started off as white cotton.
Random, 'liberated' piecing.
Lots and lots of stitching.
Voile Marche embellishment.

Hopefully I will have pics to show of other interpretations after the weekend. I can't wait to see what people have done.

Not much........

2011-02-27T14:22:00.000Z

.......going on here this week as it has been Half Term, so all the family were at home.

I did manage to get a little bit of stitching done on my FofQ Quilt.

Today I have been working on this above, but you will have to come back on St David's Day ( March 1st)for all to be revealed.

In the meantime, if you want to look at something gorgeous go here and see the quilt that Marjorie has made.

working wednesday

2011-02-16T13:18:00.000Z

Making progress........

Happy ( Hare ) Valentine

2011-02-14T13:14:00.000Z

Sweet Sixteen

2011-02-08T07:47:00.000Z

My baby is 16 today! I am so proud of her. She is the nicest person I know. Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen.

Instead...

2011-01-31T11:03:00.000Z

...of working on my Festival of Quilts piece, or painting fabrics, or working on kits, this is what I did yesterday.

The purchase of a new phone, meant I needed a cover. The phone is nothing so posh that it has the letter "i" in it, but it still needs protection. I started by following this tutorial by Susan Brubaker Knapp, using up some scraps.

I added my own "whatsit" to use to pull the phone in out. Some little bits of Velcro stop on the inside stop the phone from falling out. Now I need to get on with some serious stitching.

Working Wednesday

2011-01-19T15:11:00.002Z

Still painting, and musing about what to do on this quilt.

Here are some fabrics for pebbles. (Unexpectedly sunny here today as you can see.)

This is a piece for the backing fabric.

I have been doing some stiyching as you can see here.

Wet Working Wednesday

2011-01-12T12:09:00.000Z

It really is a very Wet Wednesday here. The truck you see in the picture belongs to the poor guys who are clearing up the burnt out sheds from the fire. I am very impressed that they even turned up today because it is foul out there.

I have this recent acquisition to brighten my day. It has been out for a while, this being the paperback version. I discovered this ladies work when a friend lent me her copy of the book. I was so impressed I had to get my own.
Here are some colourful images from it to brighten your/my day.

What particularly interested me was the authors "engineered" quilts, one of which you can see below.

Pieces are worked on separately and then "engineered" together to make a bigger quilt. I suppose it is a bit like Quilt As You Go but taken a step further.

I have taken this idea on board in the construction of my Festival of Quilts piece. The thought of working on one big Art Quilt made me very apprehensive so I am adopting the engineered approach so that I can work on each bit individually. I plan to put a lot of stitching into it and it will be easier to work section by section. I hope it works out.

As you can see I have been making some progress and have got most of the pieces I need painted.

If you would like to learn a bit more about Yoshiko Jinzenji, follow the link.

FORWARD

2011-01-07T14:31:00.000Z

There have been a lot of F's in my life lately, and they have prevented me from being creative, and the reason why things have been very quiet here.

First there was the FIRE.
Thankfully only the outside of the house was damaged, but the shock of what could have happened if it hadn't been for the quick actions of friends and neighbours took it's tole. I shall be for ever grateful to them.

Then there was the snow FALL...
which was so great that it prevented us from reaching our destination, the German Christmas Markets. After a whole day of battling the biggest snow dump Northern Europe has seen in decades, we only got as far as Belgium and then had to turn back, which was all rather exhausting just before Christmas which is when we were hit by...yes, you have guessed it...

the FLU..
that has clung to me, and I am only just starting to shake it off.

When one is feeling under the weather there is always blog land to entertain and while browsing around the other day I came across this entry on Jane La Fazio's blog. In it she talks about her word for the year and asked us to think of our own.
Without even thinking about it the word FORWARD sprang into my mind and it seems like a good word for me this year, as it sums up what I need to do.

So in an effort to get those creative juices flowing again I have done the above sketchbook page. It is nothing more than a big doodle really but I present it here as a way of giving myself a kick up the you know what and to start working again.

Pebble Pages

2010-12-03T13:12:00.000Z

These images are taken from the pages of a sketchbook I did a few years ago. I have always wanted to incorporate them into fabric, and now is my opportunity.

Wax crayon, ink and biro were used, quick and frantic but effective.

This is my test sample below. Just textile paint on fabric. I'm happy so far.

More samples

2010-11-26T11:38:00.000Z

Here is another sample for you.

Stitching and slashing.

Great fun.

Don't think it is a technique I will be using in my quilt though (see previous post).

working wednesday

2010-11-24T11:36:00.001Z

I can put it off no longer. I have been given the honour of representing my area of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles, for the "In the Spotlight" exhibition which is run every other year at the Festival of Quilts.

I have had lots and lots of ideas running through my head and I have made a few sketches, but I realise that I can put it off no longer and need to get down to some serious work.

I am playing it safe, as this will be the first time I have put something into a major show and feel a bit apprehensive. I won't be experimenting with a new style and on this occasion will stick with what I know.

With that in mind I have been going through some of the samples that I produced for City and Guilds about 5 years ago, and thought I would share some of them with you.

My inspiration was obviously the Heritage Coast where I live. I spent a lot of time looking at pebbles, rocks and strata, eventually producing this piece here.

These three samples are different types of applique, and looking at them I see that it was here that my love of hand painted fabrics began. They seem pretty basic and I'd like to think that I have improved since then but it is also good to find some things that had been forgotten about and to see how they can inspire now.

These pieces are pretty much stuck to the info card that I attached them to with double sided sticky tape so I have left them be.

Now the theme/title of the exhibition is "The Romance of Words" chosen because 2011 will be the 200 year anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility.

So what does that have to do with rocks and strata and pebbles. All will be revealed over time, and there will be lots more to share on this topic.

working wednesday (window)

2010-11-17T10:56:00.001Z

I might rename the "working wednesday" posts as you can see I have moved my working space to a different part of the house.

For a while I took over the sun room at the front of the house so called because being South facing it gets very hot and bright, to such an extent that it curtailed the amount of time I could spend in there.
So I moved into the kitchen/diner at the back of the house, but that was too dull (there's no pleasing some people I know) and more importantly I didn't want to be responsible for my family not staying together by taking over the dining table permanently! You all know the saying
"The family that eats together, stays together".

However I think I am now happy, as I have moved to the side of the house, into what is simply a small add on built by the previous owners to take advantage of the view from the side, - not looking that great on this Wet Welsh Wednesday, it has to be said.

Even though my husband had built a lovely window seat in there, it was probably the most under used part of the house, only ever frequented by the dog, as seen in this post, and although I feel a bit guilty about denying her one of her favourite places, I have left a place for her to gaze out of should she feel the need, and I feel I am making more productive use of the space, which in turn will make me more productive. That's the plan!

I will share pics it when it is more organised, but in the mean time the above shows what I am working on today, making use of the fabric I mentioned here, more of which to come.

working wednesday

2010-11-10T14:15:00.001Z

There is lots of work going on around here at the moment, just nothing that I can show you as I am in the process of relocating my workspace.

So instead here are some pics of the lovely bright day we have at the moment, that I took while walking Rosie this morning. That is England that you can see across the water.