Peninsula Craft Group - SHOTLEY CRAFT SHOW

First day gone well - Sunday n Monday to go

Had a steady trickle of people and most bought something even if wat only a card - BUT I sold a jacket (that was to be my Exhibition pice next Aumtumn!) and the cream slub waistcoat PLUS 2 of my Button-on-Flowers - of which one is going to New Zealand - yippeee

Needless to say I have been buying - a lazed pot and bowl (by EMBAR Pottery) plus some of Marianne Brame's stunning earrings .................. an some cards .................... and two more days of temptation to go!!

Damn left camera behind so pics will ahve to wait ......grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Slubbed Silk and Organza Cushions ...................

Silk and organza cushions

Yesterday I mananged to make a pair of cushions - again for a friends birthday (different friend to the dogs one - lol) - again this one will be after the B'Day! Needless to say did not get to bed very early - but then Les had an upload deadline and bed was not until small hours of the morn ....................

These are very sophisticated - the base fabric is slubbed silk with layers of organza pleated and sewn to give a layered effect.
The organza was a nightmare as such a slippery cantankerous fabric to deal with but eventually got it as I wanted
Tried two styles - all very experimental and just made it up as I went along ..................... as usual!!!!!

Hope she will like them!!
Let yah know ....................

My FIRST Landscape Quilt - Stage I

Fine Wind, Clear Morning

Edo Period ( 1600-1868) Japanese woodblock print by

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Part of the Thirty-SIx Views of Mt Fuji Series

I saw this illustration and loved it - shame I did not see it myself but Les saw it when he was in Indianapolis last week 

Thought it would be ideal as a trial piece for a landscape quilt - so here is progress so far

The Fields of Mt Fuji - Satge I

So far I ahve pieced on a  foundation scrap - the sky, mountian and fields - in silks and cottons

• The Sky is pinwhale corduroy with cream ribbed silk clouds - cut away and left with ragged edges to give the effect of puffy clouds
• The mountain is in terracotta cotton with a crunkle silk dipdyed top
• The fields are in various tie silks - to give an effect of fields but still echoing the originals shades of blue forests in the foreground

Then added padding and a backing fabric and machine quilted the major sections and clouds

Now shall add embroidery for the snow and detail on the fields and perhaps some beading as well - esp on the snow capped top

I might save machine embroidery for another project

So shall .............see what people think of it ...........

PS It never  ceases to amaze me how differnt things look when photographed!



Jumping for Joy - Stage II

Jumping for Joy - started to embroider

Started to embroider it - but it has been hard going as the fabric is so heavy and thick - and now thicker with the appliques
But some progress ... but have had to stop as my fingers are too sore and my wrist has packed in and right arm aches - so a very unnhappy bunny :-(
Then went and leant on my wrist the wrong way and it crunched n twinged and now even more painfull and more twinges ..................... and the M.E. playing merry hell - ah well if it's not raining its shining and the combination means RAINBOWS! Now that can not be bad - can it?

Other day driving home and saw a field being irrgated and the sprayer became  a rainbow ............ and no camera with me - typical!

However was crawling around a little lane behind the house and saw this scene - and DID have the camera with me!

All Spring - flowering hedgrows and verges

Too many Balls and Frisbees

Too many Balls and Frisbees

A cushion cover - patchwork in vintage fabric and embroidery with vintage buttons

The border is self fringed Prince of Wales check

This is a present for a friends Birthday - here's hoping it is liked!

Called it 'Too many Balls and Frisbees' as the dogs love to chase balls etc and thought all the buttons looked like lots of balls and poor dogs now have to decide which to chase after!

So all fun and games!!

Dancing for Joy - Step 1

Did a paper template
Then traced onto fusible web then cut out fabric silhouettes
Ironed it all on and just done a zig-zag around to secure the fabric pieces

Used a fine cotton for the pieces and the background fabric is heavy duty upholstery fabric - a chenille tapestry fabric

Now to decide how to embroider the figures so they still stand out against the background fabric ....................... big thinks required

I had tried it on a plain fabric - and marked up the fabric - that will require more thought but thought would try the above first as the plain upholstery fabric will require more work

Figures on plain fabric .................lots of embroidery required there to make them pop!

Well stage one done - will start embroidering and embellishing this evening and think on the plain one .................. be different!

At the moment need a rest - as very tired after all that!
Better check iron switched off!!!

Dancing for Joy ...................... work in progress

Dancing Figures

This was a piece of art I did way back in my school days in prep for my A Level Art submission
As my Mother is hanging onto all my art for dear life - God knows why, she has had them over 40yrs - but told can't have it all till she's dead - well she will probably outlive me so that means I and Les shall never have the joy of my own work in our own home .................... pooh bah

So seeing as cant have the original I took a photograph of my Dancing Figures as thought it was ideal to make it into a wall hanging or somesuch in piecework and embroidery - so watch this space as work progresses
It will be fun to reinvent something I did over 40years ago!

On the ME front I have been up/down and now contending with new pains in my hands which is very disconcerting and very worrying - because if I lose the use of my hands I shall be really miserable!!!!!!!!!!!

& thank you Jeremy for pointing out my typos! So very much appreciated - at least someone reading this drivel¬!