Make and Do with Nanny

Had a lovely time this morning making felt with my grandchildren, Eloise and Samuel.  As you can see from the photos, it's very serious business!

Eloise did something quite plain with the intention of adding some stitches to it once it is dry.

Samuel's had to have a dinosaur on it - everything revovles around dinosaurs with him!

   

 

  

 

 

 

    

    

 

 

 

 

 

South Downs National Park challenge - an update!

Following my last posting about "the boot" you may be surprised to hear that I did finish the boot and together with the quilt I came first in the Challenge.   There were only four entries but I felt rewarded for the time and effort that the two pieces took.

Thanks must go to my Thread and Shutter friends who were very positive about what I had done which spurred me on to get the boot finished and to add finishing touches to the quilt.

Around the front of the boot are the wild flowers that can be seen on the Downs but around the back is a reminder of the rubbish that can also be seen in some places along the many footpaths that cross the Downs.

On the quilt I added some stitches and buttons, again to represent the wild flowers often seen at the edges of fields.   I also used gesso to create a chalk path across part of the quilt, complete with foot prints.

The design for the quilted part of both pieces are based on the field patterns that can be seen all over the South Downs National Park and for these I used my own dyed fabric.

 

 

Front

Back



Journal Quilts 2014

After much deliberation I decided to once again take part in the Contemporary Quilt Group Journal Quilt Challenge.

This year the quilts have to be 8" x 8" and must have a line going from one edge to another.   I didn't want to just have a random line in each quilt, instead I wanted the line to show a journey over the twelve quilts.  With this in mind a explored a couple of ideas and in the end decided to show the course of the River Arun from source to sea.  The Arun is a river we often cross in the course of our travels and as frequent visitors to Littlehampton, we often sit beside the river, usually with ice cream in hand!

Armed with OS maps I plotted the course and then divided in into twelve sections hoping that there would be something in each section that would inspire the design.   This I will only find out as I go.

In the first section the river is crossed by the Downs Link footpath which, according to the county website, is bordered by wild flowers and butterflies.   This inspired a design of flower-shaped quilt blocks with butterfly quilting finished off with a 3D butterfly made using water soluble fabric and machine embroidery.   The river crosses the top of the quilt and this was appplied and quilted.  I used a combination of my own dyed fabric and commercial fabrics.

So far I have only completed this first one so have a bit of catching up to do.

So long - so busy

Where has the last month gone?    As I spent most of it beside the sea in our caravan, I guess I know where!

Although I have been away, my trusty sewing machine came with me and I managed to quilt and finish two quilts as well as making a quilt top which I will get finished now I am home.

These are all destined to Green Tree Gallery, together with two others I have already got finished so hopefully I will get them down there in the next week.  Then the waiting begins to see if anyone likes them enough to buy!

These are the two latest ones to be finished:

 

 

I also have to decide which of the Rust series I will be taking down to Green Tree too.   Big decisions to make as I have to decide which I am willing to part with for ever!   My head keeps telling me that what is the point of having them if they are just in a drawer and are never looked at but the heart is saying "but you put so much love into every single stitch".    The head is winning at the moment but we shall see.