A new way forward

It's been a busy month with lots of projects on the go at once, all at different stages and none finished!

Added to that, we still spend half our time away from home and the wifi is a bit patchy and as I work from an IPad while we're there, I find posting with blogger more difficult than it is using a laptop.

There has been  much deliberation this month over which direction I wanted to go. I have for some years just dabbled with whatever takes my fancy, often trying out new ideas and techniques that I have seen other people do.  I'll still continue to do this as it is my way of learning what I like and what I don't like.  This was the main reason I signed up for Workshop on the Web and have found it very interesting and useful.  Alongside this I will continue with the Journal Quilts with Contemporary Quilts, using a variety of techniques. The main change is I am also going to develop pieces in what I hope will become my 'style'.

Over the past few years, when I was exhibiting with Thread and Shutter, I always include a patchwork piece made from small squares using dyed fabric and including photos.  The works included pieces based on rust, tulips and icebergs.

   

    

I'm going to start by keeping them smaller and hopefully will develop them as I go, incorporating different elements and techniques.

To start, I am using the "RUST" piece I shared in my previous post and will incorporate it in a small quilt that I will mount on a canvas frame.   At the moment I have cut all the squares from a variety of fabrics including my own dyed, commercial batik and some fabric that I used the same rusting powder on.  They are all ready pinned together waiting to be sewn together.

I will report back once the piece is all together and I get a chance to see how I am going to quilt and embellish it.

Distracted by rust again!

Things seem to be conspiring to send me down the rust route again!

The first was a workshop on WOW (Workshop on the Web) which used rusting powder, something I have never used before having gone down the rusting pieces of metal route instead.   Having tried the powder I will never use rusting pieces of metal again!

I tried out an idea I have of using words with rust, playing with the juxtaposition of words like "FOREVER" AND "ALWAYS" together with rust.  Bit mad but it is still in the development stage.

To try out the method, I cut the words RUST from freezer paper and ironed them to the fabric.  After a douse of water/white vinegar mix, a quick sprinkle with the powder and, hey presto, a couple of hours later the rusting was complete.   The fabric then needed to be washed and soaked in sodium bicarbonate to neutralise the rusting process. 

I was delighted with the result!

I did that a few weeks ago and since then I've been back to the rusty wall which inspired a series of work a few years ago and once again I found myself thinking about a new piece of rusty work. 

I've now added some seed stitching in rusty coloured thread, some cream French knots and some beads.

I'm going to use the panel in a quilted hanging using squares of different rusty coloured fabrics, including some coloured with the rusting powder.   I have worked in this way before and feel drawn to it once again.

Journal Quilt for June

I have once again used Strelizia Nicolai as inspiration for this month's Journal Quilt.

The plant has large flat leaves which grow upwards and wave in the breeze and split towards the stem so I've used this image of the leaves.   The background was inspired by another tree which grew nearby but remains unidentified.  For the background I used some white lutradur which I printed with lines and dots together with some black lutradur and newsprint.   The edges were machine quilted with patterned stitches before the leaf shapes were added and machine quilted.

  

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.