Monday 31 July 2017

I am here

Having Pain Specialist Appointments, waiting for courier appointments, my Birthday, waiting for couriers who didn't come, Physio appointments, and in-between trying to stitch in short bursts so I won't have too much pain.

I have photographed the rest of July bead packets and will add them when I am not out on the town tomorrow for our 30th Wedding Anniversary!

Saturday 29 July 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow 29


coaster

For our 25th wedding anniversary we went to Guernsey. So, of course I had to have a Guernsey cow.

Sunday 23 July 2017

The beads are still going on...16-22 July

Week 29 - 2017

no.197

no.198

no.199

no.200

no.201

no.202

no.203


Saturday 22 July 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow 28
I just love the elongated torso! and the stares.

This is a place mat. I have never taken the plastic off. I just tied twine around at the line between the painting and the border and tied it up at the back to make a way to hang it.
So, consider it a little darker because the light is reflecting off the plastic. You can't tell the plastic is there in real life...or is more like the glass in a frame.

Friday 21 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - Middling 1 complete!

These titles are what I am giving them so I can keep track of what I am doing. Each quilt is given a number by Jeanne, who organises the project....so she can keep track!

This quilt commemorates 400 of the men, women and children who were killed by the Nazis because they weren't considered of value to society or were too much of a burden.

As I said before, I overlapped scrap pieces from having made blocks when I started taking part in the project. Then I stitched the scraps together with the raw edges exposed. For me this says something about pieces/people that would normally be considered of no use, by my taking 'useless' pieces and making them useful.
Anyway, I counted the pairs of x's and there was 392, so I stitched 8 more to make 400. (There were probably that many before, but I had to take some out because they were to near the edge for putting the binding on.)

You might like to get an idea of what the families of these people were told about their loved ones 'death'. Read some of the letters to family from officials.

Thursday 20 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - Long Skinny 1 finished!

and done - I must say it is Very Hard to photograph something nearly 2 metres long.
Commemorating 630 of those who were killed in the Akton T4 Programme.
It was a very terrible thing. The very least thing I can do is help to remember them.

And I have entered this piece into the Festival of Quilts so that more people can learn about what happened.

Wednesday 19 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - Middling 2

In the meanwhile - watching TV project.
Whilst quilting and etc for the other pieces, I have been working on the stitching for another middling.
again, apologies for the blur. This is about holding your arm up over the piece
 and taking photos til you get one where the whole piece is in the frame!

This is a fabric which has a sort of ticking effect, so I have been using the  lines created to form the spacing for the x's.
I am thinking about quilting affirming words in the blank lines.

Tuesday 18 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - Long skinny 1

Stitching down the binding on this:
38cm x 2 metres  click to enlarge
Details of the stitching and quilting
   
And the Middling 1 is ready for binding stitching, too.

Monday 17 July 2017

70,273 Middling 1 - nearly done

Last week I showed you that I had to extend the middling because I had mixed the measurements up.
So, I have been working on it this week. It is extended, more X's added and all the quilting finished.
Next is to bind it.

oh, and still to count the pairs of x's. I want to check what it looks like when the binding is on first. I may have to remove a few x's at the edges and maybe add some in certain places.

Sunday 16 July 2017

The beads are still going on...9-15 July

Week 28 -  2017

no.190

no.191

no.192

no.193

no.194

no.195

no.196


Saturday 15 July 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow 27
Meant to be a cutting board, but I have it hanging in the kitchen instead.

I love the little robin on the back of the cow.

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Middling - oops

Oh dear.

When I put the extra strip along the side of these overlapping patches, I then trimmed it to near the size. Only ... I trimmed it to 15 in., which is the width for the long skinnies. Not the middling, which is 18in.
So, having got the machine quilting almost to the edge, I thought I would check the size... and found the problem.

Now, I have been making additions front, middle and back to get it up to size. And then adding more x's while watching tennis.
It sort of reminds me even more of the ones these red x's commemorate. They weren't considered 'normal', either. But still they didn't deserve to be done away with. 😢

So, my mis-measurements have given opportunity to remember even more of these precious people.

Monday 10 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - middling quilting

Over the weekend I got the long skinny and the middling both sandwiched (top batting and backing).
I wasn't sure where to get started with the quilting on the long skinny, so I have started with the middling.

For this one, I knew I had to separate the close x's along the overlapping seams. So, I decided to circle them. And then from that idea, it seemed natural to go on and do 'pebble' quilting for the rest.
Middling 1 quilting

In the meanwhile, I am thinking about the long skinny quilting. I don't think I want pebble for that one. For a start, though 15in wide, it is 2 metres long! But also, I think something else will work better.
Still thinking about what, though.

Sunday 9 July 2017

The beads are still going on... 1-8 July

week 27 - 2017

green with the grey this month. I am liking that combo.

no.182

no.183

no.184

no.185

no.186

no.187

no.188

no.189


Saturday 8 July 2017

Something on Saturday

Cow 26

An enamel coffee pot we bought at a market in Holland. It says 'Happy Holland Design'.

I have left a coaster in the photo when I cropped it, so you can get an idea of size.

Thursday 6 July 2017

2nd Degree

Actually a real second degree.

A Certain Young Man got his Second degree today.


Graduation from Reading University...Maths with Finance.


Well Done that man!

Wednesday 5 July 2017

Ramshackle Castles

Today I am parcelling up a new piece to send off.

I showed some detail photos of bits of castles while I was making it. (and also a glimpse of a shortness of brown fabric for the binding...now you see how I have sorted it.)

And now Ramshackle Castles has been accepted into SAQA: Made in Europe II. It will be part of the SAQA exhibition at the Festival of Quilts this summer.
This is exciting for me because since SAQA started having exhibitions at FOQ, I have wanted to have my work included. I did have work included in some of the other European venues, but this is the show I take part in!

And the Blurb...
Ramshackle Castles:
Another in my series of Ramshackle Houses exploring community and neighbourhood. The challenge to develop the “Ramshackle look” to depict castles was a great way to take this series further. Each castle was given their own character; using additions and accessories like I do with the houses.



Living in England, I enjoy visiting castle ruins. I love to imagine the lives of those who lived in them.  Quite a different sort of neighbourhood, busy with all the people needed to run a castle.  In Europe, castles seem to be located on every hilltop...Or near enough. Sometimes the inhabitants were neighbourly. But more often, those in the nearest castle were definitely enemies!


I really enjoyed making this one. Castles are really something I enjoy learning about.  I did get a comment from one of the men in this house (guess who?) about there being no way you could walk on the ramparts at the angle of some sections. I said 'That is the point! It is Ramshackle.' And indeed most of the castles you find are some sort of ruin...although it will be said most of their walls are still straight. 

Tuesday 4 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - long skinny stitching finished

I've been stitching pretty steadily on this* and now I am happy with it.
(Click to see the photo larger.)
I need to count the pairs. I am trying to work out a plan for how to do this!

And a better way to photograph a piece 2 metres long.

Next up - pressing, layering and quilting.

*Good thing for Women's Cricket World Cup on the Radio! And now Wimbledon has started. Working on finishing off the Pleather Dragon gown.

Monday 3 July 2017

The 70,273 Project - long skinny cont.

Red x's next size down

and then starting smaller ones for filling in.

Sunday 2 July 2017

The beads are still going on... 25-30 June

Week 25

no.176

no.177

no.178

no.179

no.180

no.181


Beaded fabric packets for June


I will add 1 July to next week's set.

The beads are still going on... 18-24 June

Week 25 - delayed posting from last week

no.169

no.170

no.171

no.172

no.173

no.174

no.175