Distracted by a scarf!

Been distracted by more crochet!   This time it was a scarf for myself which I saw in Inside Crochet   and thought would be ideal for cooler days in spring/summer/autumn.    With this in mind I made it using Hayfield Fiesta which is a bamboo yarn which is very soft and quite light.

Really pleased with the result although the warmer weather means I haven't worn in yet.

Another Month - Another Journal Quilt

This months Journal Quilt was inspired by Strelitzia Regina - the Bird of Paradise plant which grew around the grounds of the hotel we stayed in.  By the time we visited this year, the flowers were on the way out but there were one of two still hanging on the their bright orange and purple colours.

For the quilt I randomly pieced the petal shapes with a green background. I found it was quite difficult to keep it all in a straight line and to size and on reflection, it would have been better to have foundation pieced.  I have another one planned which I planned to use a similar method so will definitely foundation piece, although it is not one of my preferred methods of construction.

Borders were added to three sides and then the quilt was machine quilted, extending each of the petals on to the border.  The quilt was then bound with the fabric I am using for all the quilts this year.

Quilt top

I've got several creative projects on the go at the moment, one of which is a quilt top using Makower Fantasy.  It has unicorns and rainbows so I'm sure the little girl I have in mind for it will love it.

So far it is just a quilt top but hopefully soon it will be he finished quilt.

Hand Stitching

This little piece of hand stitching was based on Ruth Norbury's seahorse that was published in a recent copy of Stitch magazine.

The embroidery is done on what I think is a woollen blanket. I bought some pieces at the recent Brockenhurst Needlwork Fiesta and as it doesn't appear to be felted, I assume it was a piece of an old woollen blanket. I'd love to know where people find them as I've looked and never had any luck!

I used the shape from the original, included the face and chest pieces from my own dyed fabric but then filled the shape with different stitches.  I included a variety of stitches including chain, crouching, stem, herringbone, split and feather.  The fin was made using an odd piece of fabric I had - I'm not convinced I like it but decided to leave it and will decide when I come to mount it if it stays. 

Temperature blanket update

Another month of my temperature blanket has been completed!

I have found myself being a bit obsessive about the temperatures, particularly when I've had a run of one colour.  As you can see, this month has been a 'green' month with the odd blue (lower temperature) and yellow (higher temperature).  Fingers crossed that with May just starting there will be more yellow for next month!