BLOG 56

I have had a sad and unsettling week. My 95-year-old mother fell and ended up in hospital with a broken nose and dislocated shoulder. Though reluctant to leave the confines of her cosy home, she was eventually persuaded to go into hospital for a couple of days monitoring. That was 12 days ago. I was on stand-by to go and settle her back into her home when the need arose but unfortunately had to travel to visit her in hospital as she struggles to cope with pneumonia and associated complications.

Perversely, the process of worrying about the oldest member of the family helped to concentrate my mind on the quilt for the newest member of the family, Ben Luke Osmotherley. It has worked out well and will be gratefully received. Another family baby is due to arrive in August so another baby quilt will be underway soon.

Ben Luke’s quilt

Named

I used variegated thread and free-motion machining to add detail around the edge. As this is intended as a floor quilt, one assumes that it will be in and out of the washing machine so machine quilting is best in the circumstances.

Signed

Periodically I go into cleansing mode in my studio, usually when I have finished a time of concentrated sewing (as in the case of the Gresford ‘Festival of Crafts’) or when I can’t see the floor any more!! But on this occasion I was asked for a picture of me in my studio by an American magazine so I had to tidy it up first!! And here’s the proof.

Me in my playroom

In sorting through the many and varied part-finished projects this time round, I have made the decision to finish the ones that I am enjoying and which challenge me creatively. Conversely I have given myself permission to discard or reclaim fabrics from projects that I am not enjoying. Where such choices can be made, I can’t see the point in continuing with projects that are not enjoyable. Being aware of them on my design wall only reinforces a feeling of failure in not completing them, so once they are gone, so is the pressure to get them finished! The design wall is clear, the canvass is blank and the creative mind is de-cluttered and able to accommodate something new. I am happy again!

The ‘Christmas Flowers’ hanging is a project worth finishing and won’t take too long.

I am machine sewing it through the batting only and from the back the stitching detail is more evident. The main function of the stitches in these painterly projects is to prevent the fused shapes from lifting. That said, thread and stitch decorative details bring the flower, leaf and ribbon shapes to life and define line and movement.

Back detail

Front detail 1

Front detail 2

Once the texturing is done, a backing fabric with an escape hatch will be used to complete the wall hanging (see Hollyhocks in Blog 53).

Out of interest, nearly £5,500 was raised at the Festival of Crafts in Gresford. This was rounded off to £6,000 from club subscriptions and this princely sum will be divided amongst the church and local charities. A fine result and worth all the effort!