Work in Progress

I've been quite busy over the past few  working on my sketchbooks.  I'm not very good as I really can't draw but I hoping that if I keep trying maybe.......  One thing I forgot to mention in my last posting was that the Sketchbook Challenge has a monthly theme and January's was "Highly Prized".  I realised that I hadn't said in my sketchbook what it was that I prize highly - its freedom to move.  Over the past couple of years as you will no doubt be aware Keith has had real problems walking.  The op on his back has worked really well and now he can walk almost as far as I can   It's not ntil you loose the ability to get about without pain that you  appreciate the freedom to move.   Walk in the woods is a symbole of mobility.

Now for some scribbles:

Just playing, the sun was out and I had been out tidying the rubbish in the garden.

Our guild has drawn Uganda as its country for the Olympic Postcard Project and I've been tasked with co-ordinating the project.   I found out that Uganda has lions that can climb trees.

I came into the room to find Buster asleep, yet again and thought what a life he has, eating, sleeping, playing, walking and guarding his people and terrorising the local cats.  No wonder my Mum always maintained that she wanted to be reincarnated as a lap dog.

Since I saw the Sarah Vedeler quilt at the FOQ on the Quilt Direct stand I've lusted after her designs but unfortunately they are way out of my pocket money league.  Then I had a 'what if' moment.  Could I do something similar,  obviously not copy her designs but digitize embroidery to match some of the dies I have with my Accuquilt GO cutter.    So after many hours of making mistakes I finally managed to produce a design that will fit on the middle sized GO heart.   On the right you can see the design sewn out onto fabric and on the left (blue) you can see it  embroidered on an applique heart using the die cutter.  I used the wrong thread weight on the appliqued shape but now I've got the hang of things I'm going to have another go at digitizing other GO shapes.

Two beautiful cards arrived over the last few days from the Surface Design Group.  First  one (above) is from Normal Riehm called Winter Storm.   The second one (below) is a mixed media piece from Deb Cragan and has just about every technique you can think of.

Finally this is for Keith's friend Dave who I know reads my blog.  Thank you Dave for helping Keith with the electrics in his 'shed' and sorry the roof kept banging your head, next time we'll lower the floor.