new work

As I said, I am starting a new Ramshackle.
So just to show you the start, then I will keep quiet about it in case I can give it an airing somewhere special.
Sketching ideas

Planning the layout

I haven't done a wide one like this, so I used the measuring tapes to get a sense of placement in regards to perspective.

Busy week

Monday I worked on the wedding gown hem. It needs taking up at least in front. So, removing the galloon lace to re-site it further up meant taking off some embellishments and then unstitching minute invisible thread stitching in some places and normal stitching in others.

Yesterday I delivered Lilac and Lace to Lady Sew and Sew for display during Henley Arts Trail this coming weekend.

Today I have been fusing fabric to begin another Ramshackle. I want to go bigger. I have 2 yards of the top fabric. I did buy an even bigger piece yesterday, but this piece comes first. If I manage it, then I might attempt the bigger one. If not, I might do something like a triptych with it.

Tomorrow I am going to the National Needlework Archive with a few others to take down the Worn Threads Exhibition.

Friday? Probably begin cutting the Ramshackle. I may not show much about it though, because I am toying with the idea of entering a few shows later in the year that would prefer that images are fresh when the show opens. We will see.

And the bead keeps going on and on... 17-23 April

Week 16 - April 2016

no.108

no.109

no.110

no.111

no.112

no.113

no.114

And the bead keeps going on and on... 10-16 April

Week 15 - April 2016 - delayed

no.101

no.102

no.103

no.104

no.105

no.106

no.107

Mere Edges

And to finish it off - besides giving it a press - doing something about the edges!

I was going to make a paper pattern, but then decided I would just over think it. So, just started cutting...like usual.

Mere Edges - 100cm x 60cm

It worked.
You should be able to see it better if you click the photo.


And the handling sample is meant to demonstrate the look and feel of the quilt.
So, curvy...

And the story...

Mere Edges – Sandy Snowden

I read a discourse by Job the Patriarch in which he spoke about many wonderful things to be seen which God has done. His summing up, though, caught my imagination; for Job states that all of these things are ‘mere edges of His ways’. So, I chose to depict clouds, one of Job’s word pictures. I intentionally chose mist for the way it causes edges to lose their definition.

He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it...Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways. -Job the Patriarch


Materials: silk organza, cotton, rayon and cotton threads.
Technique: silk dyed using tarragon, tea, coffee and egg dyes, raw edged layers of colours quilted with free machine stitched contours and letters.


So, it has been submitted and it remains to be seen if they think it will work for the exhibition. In the end, though it wasn't what I expected, it works for what it is.

Finished words

Here are the words finished.

He binds up the water in His thick clouds, yet the clouds are not broken under it
...Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways. -Job the Patriarch

The theme of the Contemporary Quilt Challenge is On the Edge. So the 'mere edges' part of this quote from Job really caught my eye.

It is nearly there, but something more I think.

Word placement

Some contours stitched.

So, now to work out where the words will go. Not fuzzy intentionally! But I will tell you the words when I post the finished stitching.

Bits of paper. (only I realised partway through stitching them that I left out some of the words!)

Stitching a few more words on the sample because the colours I selected don't show up much at all on the large one.

developing ideas

Not colours I usually work with, I have had to give this a lot of thought.

Does it want hand stitch?

No, I think I will go with machine stitch.

words

more of the silk organza

Sorry, I wasn't making straps all week. I was puzzling out how to make what was in my head when I had pieces which were more acid green than golden.

So, trying out positions.

hanging works better to see all of it at once w/out looking over the sewing machine

a few subtle changes here and there.

Oh! I need enough to make a 20cm handling sample as well! So I tried to dye a few more scraps - of course, you never get just what you want twice.

And for some bits, I trimmed out layers of silk from underneath!

Straps

The wedding gown I am altering had wide lace straps which really did nothing for the gown and swamped the small young lady who will wear it.
So, she wanted spaghetti straps. I thought about cord, because it looks elegant and I wasn't sure I could find fabric to match. However, just one strand would look a little like someone added straps to a strapless. We liked the look of two strands twisted, more than 3 braided, which was a bit too heavy looking.

BUT, getting two strands twisted to stay twisted nicely was another thing.

I tried stitching the 2 together with a rayon thread that blended in. But the result was very stiff and not really twisted.

So, I tried a sort of plait but using that rayon thread that blends. It works quite well.

I had to make 3 to get it to the point where 2 of them 'matched'. So, the whole procedure took quite a bit of time, but I have the end result of the journey to remember for any future time I want a similar look.

Of course they will look better altogether when on the gown on the person!

Experiments

Golds, greens and browns required.

Trying to get gold with an old pack of turmeric. I read about it somewhere.
Not exactly what I had in mind. It becomes more daffodil yellow. But perhaps I can develop it.


A little more experimenting.


Lovely patterns developing on the drop cloth.

If I can get these ideas to play together, they will be for the current CQ challenge.

And the bead keeps going on and on... 3-9 April

Week 14 - April 2016

no.94

no.95

no.96

no.97

no.98

no.99

no.100

on the train journey today

Attention to detail

Positive and negative

a little matter of fences

or 'Woodin fence'?

Glad they left it! The bit on the right looks like a poodle head.

working on a waist stay

Helps to take the weight of the skirt so there is not so much worry about wardrobe malfunction

...keeps the bodice where it belongs.

Also this week

Working on gown alterations.

First up getting rid of 'eyelashes'.

Spot the difference.

(the coloured cloth underneath is to protect the gown from dog hairs and random bits of string and fluff that seem to spontaneously grow on my studio carpet!)

Next up sample

So the next sample trim I am trying is the Spiral Staircase.

Taking a hint about colour, I am choosing beads in colours I like.

Blue and white.

This should be fun to pick up now and again or watching telly. Looks impressive, but doesn't need so much concentration.

St Petersburg chain

St Petersburg chain...Finished!

Well at least it is over a metre. I may do the double version. Which means the same again, but joined up along the length. If I do, I will reverse the colours - light purple core colour and greenish blue as accent - to make it more interesting as a trim. But it wasn't the funnest thing to do, so I will go back to it later in the year.

The not fun part may have something to do with the colour choice. I sort of picked out packets of beads I had a lot of. Perhaps why I have a lot is because I am not naturally drawn to use them? Anyway, the packets don't seem any smaller!

And the bead keeps going on and on... 27-31 March and 1-2 April

Week 13 - March and April 2016

no.87

no.88

no.89


At the beginning of the month I said I wasn't sure if I would run out of the green or yellow crystals. Well, I had one less green, but one more yellow to be just enough!
no.90


and the one I made to trial the construction sequence serves as the last day of March.
no.91

All of March beaded tassels


Back to the little beaded squares. Green this month. Sticking with the Spring feel.
no.92

no.93