Sunday 29 April 2012

Days in the life.....

I don't know where the week went - it's even more of a blur than normal. I was expecting to finish this quilt days ago but here it is with the paint on the thorns still wet from today's session. My day didn't start well. I had a long list of things to do but awoke to a powercut. Few of the things I was planning could be done without electricity but painting was one of them!


It's quite a low key colour palette but easy to live with. I probably shouldn't say it but I do quite like the way it's turned out!


7 of the 9 members of Six and Friends got together for our very first meeting on Thursday. Laura put a few photos on the group blog but here are a couple more. Edwina is the one going for brownie points - that's her stitching away on the right. The rest of us are all admiring some of Hilary's gorgeous kimono silks and wondering what she's going to do with them.


It was the first chance to see some of the work being made for our 'Orientation' exhibition in the flesh. It's scary showing your work to the others but everyone seemed genuinely impressed with the quilts! Annabel's are getting the close scrutiny here.


Once the power was eventually restored I escaped to my workroom again today and went a little bit crazy this afternoon! These are mostly hand dyed silks and some are embroidered sari fabrics which I've overdyed in sunset colours. They are sitting on a layer of batting and backing and just waiting for the stitching now.


I'm planning to make two very similar versions of the Crazy block. One will be hand embroidered so that every seam is embellished with traditional stitches like herringbone and fly stitch. I may get totally carried away and use lots of beads too. The other will feature all the decorative machine stitches my clever machine can do but hardly ever get used. I'm so excited to be making something lovely out of scraps that have been sitting in a plastic crate for a long time. Is it pathetic to enjoy such small pleasures?

It's been a week of visits - my youngest daughter called by for a few hours and was immediately roped in to model some of Laura's scarves. This is one of my favourites. The vintage keys look so good on the paint splattered background.


As long as the picture is sharp the realism of printed photographic images is fantastic. This is a lovely shrub from our garden - I'm thinking it would make a gorgeous fabric. If you're reading this Laura can I have half a metre please?


Hope you're enjoying your own small creative pleasures this wet and windy Sunday! Bye for now - Linda

7 comments:

  1. Just LOVE your work. Love the scarf and the first piece you showed usxxlynda

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  2. That's just the kind of thing I like to hear first thing on a Monday morning - thank you!

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  3. Gorgeous trees and moon. Love the stitching. The scarf is brilliant. I have saved some vintage keys from clearing family houses recently. I was asked, 'Why do you want to keep those?' to which I replied, 'They will come into their own on a patchwork project!' I agree, the shrub would make a lovely fabric.

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  4. I must admit I have 'gadget envy' - I would love to have that printing machine in my back room and be able to create wonderful fabric by the yard! Monday morning dreaming.

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  5. You sound just like me Irene! I love old keys. On Saturday I viewed the lots that are going to be auctioned at a local sale on Tuesday and discovered a tin full of rusty ancient keys - trouble is they are always popular and will probably sell for lots of money. I'd love to know what people do with them!

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  6. LTWWTL - Know just what you mean! I have the next best thing - a daughter who prints for me!

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  7. I love the first quilt...your free motion quilting is exquisite,,,and I am envious. However...I am aware that you have obviously put in the hours...nothing that gorgeous happens by chance! Keep the eye candy going! BTW I recently went to a second hand shop here in NZ and asked for keys only to be told they won't sell them because some people use them for dishonest purposes. I had even covered my gang tattoos and removed my balaclava too....

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