Catching you up

Something on SATURDAY - at last
This week has been a bit up and down with headaches and/or backaches!
But at least now someone wants to do something about the headaches and I am being referred somewhere. But I had a headache and can't quite remember who I am going to see! so, I will remember when I get the letter with the appointment...or something.

Anyway, I did a few other things like collecting the Lilac and Lace gown from Henley. Consolidated a cupboard or two to get boxes on the floor into hiding. (I am storing the Worn Threads things, so I needed to make a bit of room to get at my cupboards.)

I have been working on the Ramshackle that I am not showing. It will be wide, which is a bit different. It is longer than my table, so I had to move the sewing machine to elongate the design area. I nearly have the houses cut out. Thanking a friend who gave me a little pack of tiny appliqué pins several years ago! I need to work out how to get it fused.

In sorting the cupboard, I found the perfect lace and fabric to go with the lovely silk I want to use for my gown for Festival of Quilts. So, now it is all propped in sight while I consider the shaping of the gown.

And so you have something to look at...

The cherry at the back of the house when it was blossoming and the sky gave a wonderful backdrop to the pale pink.

Quite a few leaves had already come out. They are all out now and no blossoms.

The weather is suddenly summer. Last weekend there was snow in some places! And here we had hail and sleet that piled up. If you can believe it, I am now wearing a short sleeve blouse...without a vest under it!

And during the week there have been some new possibilities open up. I am doing a solo show of gowns and work at Lady Sew and Sew next March. And also doing a couple of workshops in conjunction.
Also doing one or two workshops in conjunction with the Contemporary Quilt exhibitions at the National Needlework Archive this Autumn. The pieces made from the challenge fabrics from Kazakhstan will be on display there, so I am going to do a workshop about building a fabric like I used for the Collared Dragon.

So, here is hoping the head isn't so muddled next week and there will be something to post!

And the bead keeps going on and on... 24-30 April

Week 17 - April 2016

no.115

no.116

no.117

no.118

no.119

no.120

no.121


And all of the beaded fabric squares for April

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