BLOG 299

BLOG 299

You mustn’t underestimate the value of a holiday. By removing yourself from your familiar environment and time-travelling to somewhere different, you get a total break from routine. You have time on your hands to relax, explore, read and cogitate and you can fully recharge your batteries by doing little. We went to Ibiza specifically for some early sun but, after the first couple of days, we woke to overcast skies, cooler temperatures and occasional showers! We wouldn’t have minded but the UK basked in glorious sunshine until the day we flew back. Where is the justice in that!! Anyway I am back now and battling to get on top of the garden which burgeoned whilst we were away and I am happily being creative once again.

Sunshine and shadow quilt

 With the Gresford show looming in June, it is a matter of urgency that I get to grips with the tonal scrap quilt. Needing a title for the entry form, I have now labelled it Sunshine and Shadow which poetically describes the effect I am creating!

                 Sunshine and shadow

The backing squares are from my stash of floral fabrics, fabrics which I used to use on a regular basis to create my impressionist garden quilts. I feel quite nostalgic about them.

               Florals

I am working from the middle of this quilt outwards as I have used up all my light and medium light strips and made as many squares as I am able with the scraps at my disposal. I don’t want to start cutting extra strips from larger pieces of fabric as I feel that that’s not in the spirit of a scrap quilt! Progress will hopefully continue this coming week.

               Front

                 Back

The really long table runner

At Suzette’s a couple of weeks ago I decided to make a start on a table runner in the style of Susan Lenz. The fabrics need to be synthetic so they will burn with a soldering iron and the stitchery needs to be done in cotton thread so that it will not burn. I cut out synthetic rectangles and bonded them onto a nylon felt background.

           Bonded rectangles

           Detail

I then painted some Bondaweb and ironed that on top. You can see in the close-up below how the paint has been transferred.

             Removing the paper

                 Colour detail

The next stage is to add sheers and voiles over the top to add depth of colour. Then I will be stitching line and pattern with black cotton thread. More on this next time.

And finally, Pat completed her dragon; it was beautifully layered and intricately stitched. Fabulous!

             Pat’s dragon