BLOG 392

Blog 392

I have a feast of colour for the eyes this week as I have been sewing at Suzette’s with other machine embroiderers. I learn so much and I love seeing their work develop over the weeks. Occasionally I ask if I can take photos for my blog and they generously agree. Pat, who owns three large boxes of embroidery threads, (organised by colour!) is working on a pair of grebes. I suspect that she needs so many threads to be able to ‘thread-paint’ her birds so exquisitely. Peggy, who must surely have the same amount of threads if not more (carried in large plastic bags!), is creating an lifelike owl, stems and ivy leaves to add to her textured portion of tree trunk. There is a mind boggling amount of detail and effort in all her constructed embroideries. And Suzette, an incredible thread artist, is working on a very large competition piece in her own inimitable style. I applaud you ladies!

 

 

 

             Thread envy

 

 

 

          

    Grebes

 

 

 

         

      Owl

 

 

 

             

 Tree trunk

 

                 Blue tit

 

 

 

          
  Machine embroidery

 
 

And what did I do this week during my day at Suzette’s? I sat at my machine to complete all the foundation strips that I need for my Gresford quilt! It was a heaven-sent opportunity to catch up on myself and break the back of this quilt and I was grateful of the time away from home and other distractions to make valuable progress. And with the wet weather still keeping me from the garden, I spent more time constructing the block and adding borders. I am confident that this quilt will be completed for the June show now!

 

                Foundation piecing

 

 

 

             Block construction

 

 
 

 

        

 Progress

 

 

 

           

  Border strips

 

 

             Sewing borders

 

 

 

I have also completed the 3 ½” daily squares for my daughter. They represent every day (and then some) from her initial diagnosis, through her operation and treatments until she was signed off this week. I said to her when she was diagnosed ‘When life deals you scraps, you make a quilt’. I rather hoped that she would do it! but she was very poorly a lot of the time and patchwork is really my chosen means of expression. So she was totally surprised and bowled over when I gave them all to her this week. What we are going to do with them next remains to be seen ……

 

             Daily squares

 

 

                   Tess