Where as the time gone...

My excuse is that we've been decorating and I had to put my sewing away for a while.  It's Sy and Julies wedding in two weeks time and we needed to spruce up the house a bit.  It's tidy for once, and clean just hope it lasts until after the wedding.   We're off for a short break tomorrow.  We're going on a mystery tour for our birthday.  Keith and I share a birthday and we had absolutely no idea what to buy each other so thought we'd go away for a couple of days instead.  We couldn't agree where to go hence the 'mystery tour'.

In the meantime I've received two lovely chunky book pages, both from Sonya Anderson.

The first is 'trees' - when I first picked this up off the mat I thought of Jack and the Beanstalk, which is how I've photographed it.  But Sonya tells me its a branch.  Either way I think it works, what do you think.

Her next page is 'water' and she's depicted a scene from her coastline.

Sonya tells me its of coastal Maine, of salty marsh grasses that grow in and near the sand dunes.

I love it as its not unlike parts of our NE coastline.

Off to pack for the bank holiday weekend mystery tour, will tell you where we ended up when we get back.

July and August Journal Pages

I've finally finished my August JP for the 2012 Contemporary Quilt Challenge and because its one of a pair haven't shown you the July one before now.  But here they are.  I used recycled jelly roll pieces for the background, part of a quilt I'd started and didn't like.  The flowers are from recycled lager cans.  The colours in the photo are slightly lighter than in the flesh.

July has added background stitching and some tiny butterflies made from shrink plastic.  I've used more of the transfer dyed sateen pieces to make the prairie points.   I had to join two pieces of metal to make the long stork as they just don't make lager cans long enough!!

I've used a Sizzix die on this one to add the weed at the bottom.  The center of the flower was rolled through a crimpler in both directions as I wanted it to have a seedhead feel to it.   My leaves aren't quite sunflower shaped but then neither is the one in our garden which is what I used for a model.  Our sunflower is also only 18" high, not sure what we did but the poor thing just isn't growing.  I blame the weather.

Both JP's are hand quilted in running stitch.

And now for my August Chunky Book Page a Surface Design group challenge.  This month it was "water" I thought I'd use one of the photos I'd taken of wash from our ferry crossing the Bospherus as I loved the colours. 

However it proved illusive and in the end my piece didn't look anything like I'd planned.   In fact it looked more like Monet's 'Water Lily' painting so this is what it ended up being.



I printed the photo onto fabric and layered it with sheer fabrics and iris film.  By this time of course I couldn't actually see the photo so I stitched 'water flow' marks and finally burned back the sheers.   As I said it looked more like Monet that ferry wake so I added a few lily pads, flower and beads.  All in all though I think I prefer this version.

We're just about to start redecorating the living room and staircase so guess it could be a few days before I post again.  I hate decorating and can only do a bit before I feel the need to put my feet up.  Keith has started clearing out books and magazines so I guess I had better do my bit too.

Swapping again

It seems ages since I swapped anything but this is the latest arrivals.

First Inchies swapped with members of the Surface Design Group:

The last three rows of inchies are purple backgrounds Pauline, yellow/green background Norma and finally the last row are from Kim for whom this is her first swap.

Next swap has been going on for around six months but I came in half way through, so here goes:

 The last theme for the book pages was Butterflies.  The pink silk one is from Deb Johnson and its beautiful I think I am going to keep this for something special.

 Deb also send me a silk flower as an extra present.  It has a buttonhole loop on the back so you can pin it to your clothing or accessories.

Finally this beautiful page from Norma Rheim.  At first I thought she had sewn cross stitches in gold thread but it is gold mesh held down with lines of machine stitching which gives it that affect.

I've now finished my August Journal Page.  I deliberately have not shown my July one becaue July and August form a set.  I'll post them tomorrow, got to go now and watch Midsommer Murders.  Glad I don't live in Midsommer.

Been having a lazy time

Haven't done a great deal over the past week, lots of Kindle reading, catching up with friends etc but as for sewing this is all I've done:

My owl family.   I found the pattern in this months Popular Patchwork and made one (the large one).  Then I decided to reduce the pattern by an inch and baby was born.  There was such a disparity between the two sizes that I reduced the original by half an inch and mummy owl appeared.   I now have my own little owl famil of bean bags.  

Flynn update and Metal and Stitch Day

First an update on Flynn's progress, he's now five weeks old and beginning to 'talk' to you.

He's saying don't blame me for the silly suit, grandpa Sy bought it  and daddy made me wear it.....

Thank goodness the Metal and Stitch workshop went well and most people made at least one chunky book page.

We had a full house for the workshop and I believe everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves, which was a great relief to me.   I took along my Big Shot and alcohol inks and we all played well together.  There were one or two dyed fingers by the end of the day but as you can see from the photos lots of stitching too. Some great pieces of work were produced and I was asked if I was going to take this metal and stitch theme a bit further.  I agreed to do so but need to think and play a bit more and will come up with an advanced workshop later.  Watch this space.

Workshop with Gillian Travis

Last Saturday I spent the day with the ladies of Richmond and Leyburn EG group doing a 'Applique Houses' workshop led by Gillian Travis.  I arrived there with everything I needed except the one essential - my source photos!!  Luckily I had taken my camera and having been in Whitby the day before used one of the photos on my camera.  Has anyone tried drawing from a photo on their camera that repeatedly goes into standby mode due to inactivity?  Well its not easy but it can be done.

This was the photo I used, or rather the 8 houses on the cliff path before you head out to sea.  And this is what I ended up with after the weekend, still lot

Sorry but Blogger has turned the photo and I've tried several times to put it the right way up.   If you are wondering where the Abby is - I left it out.  The colours, well Gillian's requirement list said 'fabrics of similar colours'  Mine were yellows.   I still have a lot of stitching to do on it.  

This is what the others did, all have work to finish on them, you never get a project finished do you.

This house is taken from a drawing done by Judy's granddaughter.

Blogger has, once again,  turned several of the above the boat photo was taken portrait orientation.  You can see that there is a lot of variety in the houses.   I have several more photos of the day but I'm going to give up for the day, maybe tomorrow Blogger will behave better.

Some metal and stitch samples

I've been spending quite a lot of time recently trying to prepare for the Metal and Stitch workshop I'd doing for our local EG group.   I've decided to use only recycled metal, old lager and soft drink cans to me and you.  Here are a couple of the latest batch.




Backgrounds are hand dyed or transfer painted paper ironed onto fabric.  Recycled metal has been both hand and die cut and embellished with machine stitches, embroidery stitches and beads.

I've become quite addicted to these little pieces.  I love Angie Lewins work and have used her  idea of simplified shapes in my work.

Rain Rain go away

Wow and didn't it rain...... We were lucky and caught only the tail end of the storm but it was bad enough.  Our street flooded in minutes, the water came right up to both front and back doors and the garden looked more like a swimming pool.  I thought I'd better get Keith to build an Ark.  However it lasted less than further up the county and once the rain stopped it receeded very quickly.  There are still puddles but nothing as devastating as a few miles further North.   We didn't take any photos of the storm, it came quickly and despite the warnings surprised up by its ferocity.   We were so concerned with working out what we needed to move to a higher room we forgot about photos.  Still the tv has lots of them.

Our postman still managed to get through and I have three more swaps to show you.

Fabric manipulation from (top) Chris and (bottom) Sue.

Baa Baa Blacksheep from Lesley, love the bag of wool...

I've been busy making more samples for my workshop on metal stitch and will show them soon.

More swaps

Chunky Book Page - June - Birds front

Chunky Book Page - June - Birds back

I love this Surface Design book page from Cathy Vigor the feathers and bird are shaded with paint which hasn't shown up well on the photo.  I just love both sides.

Last of the BQLPC 'Fabric Manipulation' swap postcards.



Top card is from Jan who has sewn a seam along striped fabric and then sewn across the fabric pushing the seam in opposite directions.

The bottom card is from Irene who has enclosed two prairy points into a fold and added a fabric origami motif.  My first thoughts on seeing this card was "Red Sails in the Sunset" and I couldn't get rid of the tune all day.

I've not been too well over the past week so haven't seen anything of our new great grandson but as soon as we do I'll post a picture of him not yelling.



More swaps received

I should have posted these earlier but have spent most of the past couple of days sleeping.

Fabric manipulation from Alice and Janet

Mine -  I forgot to take photos of the finished pieces but did take one before I added the borders.

Nursery rhyme swap from Heather and Janet

Mine, at least one of them, the other two were "rain, rain go away" and "Old Mother Hubbard".

Introducing Flynn

Well here he is at two days old, doing what all babies do - yelling.  I only have this photo, which was sent to me.  I've been not feeling too well over the last couple of days so told them not to come near me.  However I'm almost back to normal so should have some lovely new ones soon.

He does not like his car seat at all.

Newsflash

New great grandson Flynn arrived at 7:22am this morning weighing 8lbs 4ozs.  Mother, baby and Father all tired but well.  Photos later.

Chunky Page Swap

A while ago I decided to start swapping again with the Surface Design group and joined in with their Chunky Book page swap.   My first page was May's and the theme was flowers, this went to Inge in Germany.  The background is handmade fabric paper with ribbon, lace and rickrack and flower sequines.  I stamped the background also with leave stamps I'd made mayself, they aren't very good but were an addition I wanted.  My funky flower was a double layer of fabric (different on each side) bonded together and with a smaller version in the centre.

My second swap is with Cathy in the States and the theme for June was Birds.   This again was on handmade paper fabric.  I cut out a swallow shape out of painted transfer paper and ironed it onto the background.  I then stitched the outlines in a blending tone of thread. I then couched threads onto the background to represent reeds.   My tree, bird and flower head are all made from recycled metal (drink cans).  This was also one of my experimental metal and stitch samples.  The eye of the bird appeared when I heated the aluminium.

I've been making several samples of metal with stitch for a workshop I'm taking next month.  I've rather got carried away with collecting the empty drink cans.  My dh, sons, his friends are all struggling valliantly drinking the contents so I can have the empties.

I've only just managed to photograph some of the samples so will upload them tomorrow.

June Journal Page



June's JP was the result of testing metal and stitch.  I've been asked to take a workshop booked for July based on Metal and Stitch as the tutor is ill.  So I've been playing and will show you some of the things I've tested tomorrow.

I've used two different grades of metal in my June journal page.  The heavier one I hand embossed and coloured with alcohol inks.  The second lighter weight metal pieces I embossed using the Big Shot, much easier but I like both affects. 

Ask me how I know not to use a twisted metal thread to sew through metal.  If you look at the top right hand side you will see I used a Maderia F2/2 thread,normally a well behaved thread, but it shreaded badly when going through metal.  I then changed to a rather expensive Japanese metal thread, which sewed beautifully.  Later testing showed I could have got the same result with a matching cotton thread with less trouble.  Ah well we learn something new every day.

I used a very cheap Indian twisted metal thread, called appropriately enough "Coronation", to make machine cords and added this as an inner border.  I managed to use the same thread to fme stonework.
More bits and pieces to show tomorrow.