Rust Panel

My first piece of "new work" is finished and mounted and I have to admit I am very pleased with it.

You may recall from a post last month that I have decided to work on a series of square panels inspired by a variety of sources.   This is the first one which started from the piece created as an experiment using rusting powder. 

I used a variety of different fabrics including some I dyed myself as well as commercial batiks.  Once pieced, I free machine quilted in lines inspired by the original rusted metal that was the starting point for my rust series completed a few years ago.   I deliberately left some areas so that I could fill them with stitches and beads in a similar way to the RUST panel.  I also straight stitched some of the lines created by the quilting.

The finished panel was then stretched and mounted on an artist board.

  

  

  

Beaches and Rugged Coastline

We had a lovely day out yesterday, starting at Portland Bill and then going on to Weymouth.   Found myself wondering which I loved most - sandy beaches or rugged coastline.   

Concluded that the difference between the two means I can love them both equally.   They both inspire me in different ways and if you can have both on the same day, so much the better.

At Portland the weather was perfect - clear and sunny with a slight breeze that kept you cool.  We wandered along the cliff top debating whether some of the rock formations were natural or man-made. 

There were some more adventurous people who climbed down to the more harder to reach places and there was also a group of students jumping into the sea (it all looked organised and they were appropriately dressed!) but needless to say, we kept up on the top and just admired their courage.

The wild flowers were amazing and grew in amongst the rocks as well as along the top.

  

     

 

 

  

On to Weymouth for a walk along the beach...

July Journal Quilt

Finally had a chance to post my July Journal Quilt on the Contemporary Quilters Yahoo Group so I can now share it with the world.

Once again I have been inspired by Phoenix Canariensis, a common tree in Gran Canaria and one that we saw everyday on our walk to the beach.   Looking up into the tree you could see the newly forming leaf spikes silhouetted against the blue sky and it was this image which inspired me.

My original plan was to foundation piece but after having a go I gave up!  Never been a fan of that particular method and when I have done it, the results have been somewhat hit and miss so I think that is it now - never again!

Instead, I drew the image on to the background fabric and used Inktense Pencils to colour in before 'painting' it with water.  I haven't used this method before so I'm pleased with the results, apart from a little bit of bleeding.  

I free machine quilted in some areas with a variegated thread to give some texture and then quilted around the leaf shapes to finish.

I wish the background fabric had had a bit more colour bit apart from that, I'm pleased with the finished quilt.

Crochet update

I continue with my Temperature Blanket, finishing the month of June so it's half done and I can get an idea of the finished size.

June in the south of England has seen extremes of temperature with some places seeing a drop of 20 deg C in just a week.  It hasn't been that bad in Ferndown with a range of just 16 deg to 30 deg C.  This means a nice range of colours - the single green row is the 16 deg (Thursday just gone) and the two dark red rows are 29/30 deg from Monday/Tuesday the week before.

I have also started a new crochet blanket!   This one was a Crochet Along (CAL) issued last year (done by my daughter Karen at the time) called  Last Dance on the Beach .  Do have a look at the website as it has a story behind it.

I am doing the Dance in the Sea colourway (obviously, because I love the sea!)  It is made of 48 squares - 4 each of 12 designs - each of which are introducing me to patterns and techniques I have never used before.  That was my main reason for doing it as I felt I needed to challenge my Crochet abilities beyond rows of doubles and trebles.  There have been moments when I could easily have changed my mind but fortunately there are wonderful videos that have got me out of trouble.

I have completed four patterns - the first two have been washed and blocked and the second two still need to be done.

    

   

To give you idea of the complete colour palette here is a photo of all the wool I will be using.

My last project for the coming month is my first subscription to Amanda Bloom's Little Box of Crochet.

Each month I will receive a little box of crochet loveliness that will hopefully delight and challenge me.  This first month certainly has and I have to be disciplined before I dive in.

I will report back!