Linda Kemshall

We're fast approaching the busiest time of the year as we do our best to be prepared for our stand at Festival of Quilts in August. Of course there's nothing like a deadline to focus the mind and I get great satisfaction from finishing off pieces that have been lying around the studio for what seems an age. Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes trimming and adding a binding - makes you wonder why you put these things off.

I do know this piece is a bit weird. I've made a number of small panels based on the idea of moths as a symbol of fleeting and transitory thoughts. Nothing to do with my approaching big birthday which has an '0' at the end and a '6' at the beginning and might be seen as the start of impending old age and unreliable memory! At best I think of myself as middle aged but my children then ask how many 120 year olds I know!

The moths represent the thoughts we all have in the middle of a sleepless night - great ideas for quilt designs for instance. At 3am you just know it is destined to be a show stopper but in the cold light of day the thought has gone and you just can't bring it back. This silver moth is one of those creative ideas just about to go who knows where?

I've used digitally embroidered moths but painted in some of the blank shapes with fabric paint. I like how the metallic paint colour contrasts with the texture of the stitch.

The bubbly textured moth shapes have been discharged and recoloured in a single process from the original hand dyed fabric using DeColorant discharge paste stamped on with my favourite print material - compressed sponge. Don't you just love those bubbly marks?

I always have several different things on the go at the same time - for the last few weeks I've been making a series of botanical drawings on paper and fabric and featuring some of them as step by step demonstrations in our DMTV videos. The final video of this mini series has gone onto the website today. I have loved making these little panels combining a number of different techniques and I know I shall carry on making more!

This close up shows the hand stitch detail on the peapod and the angular free motion quilting that surrounds it. I don't mind investing time in my work and I just spend as long as it takes to get something I am content with. I'm often asked for advice about pricing work. It's a difficult subject as so much of what we all do does involve a lot of time. I've decided to price these panels to sell! They'll cost £100 each and while that may seem quite a sum to many, because after all they are only 12inches square, it's no reflection on the hours invested. We'll see if I've pitched it right if they sell or not!

One final thing - if you've been thinking about joining us for our Creative Quiltmaking course there are only a few places left and registration will close on July 29th. You have been warned!!

Hope you're all being creative and feeling good about what you make! Bye for now - Linda