Decorating!

I have not been able to do anything at all creative since Friday. I spent the weekend moving furniture out of the living room into the garage and what wouldn't fit in the garage has gone into the dining area. See middle row of pictures. It is like living in a caravan! No it's worse than living in a caravan! There is no room to move. And that is Martin's computer set up. Fortunately mine is upstairs and I can still get at it...just! On Sunday we ripped up the carpet and rolled it up in strips and put it into dustbin bags. The wonderful dustmen took it away today! Underneath the grotty carpet was an even grottier tiled floor. The colour was sick beige! Then on Monday the wallpaper came off and under that was pale duck-egg blue paint. Actually the hanging strips of wallpaper as seen in picture 1 were quite inspiring and I have some good ideas for a something! Watch this space but don't hold your breath. We have a long way to go yet. Then last night there was the tidying up and sanding down and I went to bed exhausted. Today the first coat of paint went on the walls and the covings were done. Martin is putting on the second coat of paint on the walls as we speak....well as I write to be more accurate! As you can see it is a definite improvement. Tomorrow we start to lay the floor. We have solid light oak wood and it should look good. Then the gloss gets painted. After that all the furniture has to come back and the furniture from the dining area has to also be fitted in while we lay floor in there and then in the hall. Just writing about it makes me feel very very tired! And I haven't mentioned the cupboard that we are building in the alcove nearest the dining area and the shelves above! So I don't think a lot of anything else will get done this week. I'm just glad I got the TIF challenge finished in time!

Finished!

I have finished the TIF challenge! It is perhaps not as detailed as I might have made it had I not had so much else going on at the same time but it has ended up as I visualised it which is a good thing I suppose! I wanted to keep it simple as I have good intentions of working further with this concept and perhaps doing another piece or pieces. I think it has great possibilities so I will continue to work designs around this idea in my sketchbook and hope for some free time to actually get down to sewing them out. The picture isn't brilliant and I don't know how much detail can be seen. If I could do one part again I would do the satin stitching on the leaves differently and I would make the twisting stem of cord and not stitch it as doing the twists was a pain. Hopefully by December I will have perfected the actual putting together of my designs. Did I enjoy doing it? Yes, very much so and it made me look at colour and shapes in a completely different way for me. I saw the purple and mauve as shadows which complemented the beige of the columns and the background colour being the colour of a murky sky viewed through a haze of leafy shapes. I'm now looking forward to February's challenge. But first I've got to get through the trauma of laying the floor, decorating, clearing up and preparing for the enslaught of the family! Oh what fun!

Faux Chenille

I have just spent the last two hours in the attic so no time to take pictures of the cushions. But here is one of the bags which I made last year. The fabric was layered five deep and then the flowers laid on top. I used several colours to get the petal effect. Then I stitched across the whole thing diagonally. I used a Clover channel slicer which did the job in next to no time and then after a go in the washing machine, voila a piece of faux chenille.
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When Martin and his friend Kieran layed the floor in the attic they did a side at a time and just moved the boxes etc from one side to the other. I am now going through a tightly packed heap of stuff and trying to make an organised plan. What I'm finding is though that their tightly packed heap is turning into a large sprawling mess. And this even though I'm chucking stuff as I go! Eventually it will all be neat and tidy! I hope!

Rush,rush, rush!

I'm feeling pressurised! Today we bought wooden flooring to lay across most of the downstairs of our house. On Monday a guy we know who is good at these things is coming to help lay it and also to strip wallpaper and decorate the livingroom. So knowing that the house is going to be turned upside down I have been trying to get as much stuff done as possible. This has meant that the TIF challenge has been put to one side for the time being. It is a proper piece now, being backed with neat edges. I bagged it out as I decided not to put binding on and it is looking good. Now I need to applique the leaves on and do whatever quilting I decide on. There is the rub...how am I going to quilt it?

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Added to my general feeling of stress is the fact that the week after next Caroline comes down with the two grands. Much as I am looking forward to seeing her I am also dreading not being finished in time. Perhaps I could carcerate all three of them in the attic! Just joking!

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This week on Friday we are going to do some faux chenille so to that end I have made two faux chenille cushions using a couple of my whirlpool FQ's. As I am writing this at work I have no pictures but they look good and I am pleased with them. They will fit in the newly decorated living room. I have several tote bags where I have used faux chenille as panels and I have to say that I do like the effect. If I have time tonight I'll post some pictures.

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I have changed my email as my provider at the moment has been taken over and I have decided to move. It is valeri.b@farnedesigns.co.uk and is linked to my website so should be OK. I say that because for the last few days my website has been down and my email wasn't working. When I queried this it was because they had suspended the site due to non-payment of registration fee. As I paid this in October for two years I was a tad upset! They re-instated the site but there was not a word of apology for causing me such grief. Yet when I had a problem several years ago they couldn't have been more helpful or more concerned. How things have changed!

Yet more quizzes!

You're Not Exactly a Hippie...

While you're not a hippie, you've got the spirit of one. Like most hippies, you have deep beliefs and unusual interests. You may not buy into hippie fashions, music, or heavy drug use. But at heart, you are a free spirit and suspicious of the status quo.

Are You a Hippie?

Well no I'm not really a hippie. When I was an art student I was more of a bohemian. The last line says it all! Again I have Gabrielle to thank for this. I'm a sucker for these quizzes.

On being organised!

I felt that now was a good time to re-read the above book. Of all the self motivation books there are out there I like this one best. It is easy to read and is such sound common sense. Working on the premise that lists are good I have been making lists for all eventualities. A list of what I hope to achieve by this time next year and then that broken down into what I hope to achieve this month and then this week and lastly day by day. According to the book those who plan ahead get on better and with more to show for their activities. I haven't only looked at long term goals but also at things that need to be done soon or in the not too distant future. And I've broken everything down into importance categories. In fact I feel really pleased with myself.
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One of my long term goals is to teach myself Spanish and breaking this down into sizable mouthfuls means I learn 4 words a day! This is good! This is about what I can manage! The first words I have learnt are the Spanish for 'where', 'what', 'how' and 'when'. I didn't realise at the time but these are good words in relation to my quilting-sewing work. Where am I going with this design? What am I going to use for fabric, thread, etc? How am I going to put it all together and when am I going to do it? I must remember this when starting a new piece and I will be starting new pieces because one of my other long term goals is to achieve a new piece of work each month and end up with at least 12 items by this time next year. Along with the weight loss and the tidy and decorated house etc etc. I just love making these lists; isn't it a pity that I'm not so good on following through. Perhaps now I've told it to the world I'll feel shamed into getting it all done!
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But the TIF challenge is coming on. I have found it a challenge as it has made me question my decisions so that I move away from safe and simple and try something different. At the moment I'm not sure how to stitch on my piece. Do I machine stitch or hand stitch? Something free and curvy or straight and restrained? I am working with two ideas in my head. The elegance and solid vision of Greek ruins and the wildly spiraling and curving ivy and vines that find their way onto these uptight stones. Perhaps a bit of both? I shall sleep on it. As Scarlet O'Hara said 'tomorrow is another day'.

A bit of fun!

You Are 96% Creative

You are an incredibly creative person. For you, there are no bounds or limits to your creativity. Your next creation could be something very great... Or at least very cool!

How Creative Are You?

Saw this on Gabrielle's blog and had to have a go! Of course it's all true!!!

More TIF Challenge!

I was able to work more on the TIF challenge today even though it was a day fraught with problems. The first one was that the paper recycling people came at the crack of dawn or even before that it was so dark. I noticed the flashing yellow light on their cart and looked out to be horrified as I had nothing by the side of the road but a large, no an enormous pile of cardboard blocking my hallway. So in the howling gale and spitting rain and in my dressing gown I hauled all the stuff out just in time! My neighbour wasn't so lucky as the wind caught one of her bags and tins and plastic bottles blew everywhere. And then second trauma of the day, Martin's car wouldn't start so I had to give him a tow. I was dressed by this time but he had to have two goes as the first time he turned the engine off again to see if it would re-start. It didn't! Eventually I was able to have breakfast and get under way.
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After all this I found it relaxing working on the piece and very therapeutic. So far I like what I've done though I haven't done any stitching yet and the leaves and thread are only placed over the fused pieces. Tomorrow is a teaching day but perhaps tomorrow evening I'll be able to do a bit more. I'm thinking of a border in the deeper purple. Only a small one but I think it will set it off.

Under Way!

I have started! That is half the battle; actually cutting into the fabric and laying it out. I fused all the fabric and then cut the pieces out and layed them in place. In the photo the pieces have curled up because they still have the paper in place. Tomorrow I will fuse them and then the piece will begin to come alive. I'm finding this really quite exciting and enjoying working on it. Suddenly I find that I am motivated and full of ideas regarding this piece. Shall I use the yarns I found as embellishment? Could the green thread be used to link the leaves together? What if I put a border on and let the leaves fall outside the piece onto the border or even be free-form and dangle from the bottom. There are so many what-ifs! But it is beginning to be real to me and I am just thankful that we have a whole month to work on it as I think I'll need that time to come to a successful conclusion. I do like what I've done so far and that is always a bonus!
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Not a lot else is being done! Is that surprising! I am trying to organise my wardrobe. I bought a lot of clothes in the sales. I'm amazed that Marks and Spencers had such a poor time in the sales as I would have thought that the amount I bought would have kept their shares in the black for a long time! Now I have to find clothing that I can get rid of to make room for the new. I have been looking on the web for 'wardrobe planners' where one can list all the clothes in one's wardrobe but to no avail. I shall have to design something myself so that at a glance I can see what I have, what colour it is and what pieces work well together. This would save so much time and cut the agonising over what to wear.
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In a previous post's comments Wanda said of putting boxes in the attic that that was fine as long as one marked the boxes. Cleverly I marked the boxes but now I can't think what the descriptions belong to. How clever is that! Words such as 'files', photos (when one has several boxes marked thus),stuff!?!, old stuff and paper have so many meanings. I obviously thought I knew what I was doing at the time! Ah well..my head will never save my body!

Looking back; looking forward!

I am having to work on my laptop as I don't want to go upstairs and work in the cold. And the lovely log fire is too nice to leave! So I have no pictures available of current stuff. However I found this picture I took last summer and thought what a good composition it would make for a landscape piece of work. Especially one done in an abstract manner. The blocks at the forefront of the picture are so strong and have such fantastic shapes. The hint of white foam on the waves and the contrast of the various blues all are inspirational in their own way. So I'm glad I was hunting through files as this will be something I work on soon. And also there is the promise of another summer to come. Something to look forward to.
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I have enlarged the drawing for the TIF challenge and will work at about 14 x 9. This is a good size as it is large enough to convey what I want to say but small enough that I won't get bored! Depending on how this piece ends up it is also a good size for a table mat! I could end up with 12 different 'arty' table mats! Could be worse! I have a free morning tomorrow so will try and get the pieces cut out and fused. How did we manage before bondaweb? I know I was a great fan of Pritt Stick but it still meant lots of outline sewing to keep the pieces from shifting.
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I have noticed that as I lose weight so I am becoming unbearably energetic and enthusiastic! But I am not becoming a weight loss fanatic (over a stone so far!)as I'm off now to eat a piece of fudge! Yummy! And I can't really say I'm doing a lot of exercise....a bit of Salsa dancing now and then!

More doodling!

I had found the photograph of part of a ruined Greek temple while clearing out and had stuck it in the corner of the mirror in the room where my computer now lives. This was one of a series of photos that my father took in the 1930's. The mirror is even older! I was struck by the idea of temples and blocks for the Challenge - Take it Further, so I did some rough sketches playing with ideas this brought forth. They were lightly done and I have shown pictures of the later ones. I think this one is the one I am going to run with. I like the idea of vines trailing across the piece. Every ruin I have seen has had vines or ivy running riot over all or parts of it and I will be able to bring in the green fabric. The purple and lilac fabrics will represent shadows. The roof recess and the floor inside. The eu-de-nil shade will be the sky except that the fabric I have is more akin to a light turquoise. The next stage will be to work out how big I want to work. Certainly not larger than A4 landscaped, but I did wonder whether it might work as postcard art. In fact I'm sure it would but is that what I want? I am concerned that the process is rapidly overtaking the action! This page below is from an earlier sketch book that I did using other photos from this collection as inspiration.

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Today we went to Trago's, our local buy it while you see it store. And while Martin perused the basement for motor bits I went to the art section and found a box with 110 felt tips for £1.79. (About $4 perhaps a bit less) Imagine my dismay when I got home to find that the top layer which was visible was all I was going to get colourwise as the underneath layers were all repeats! What a swizz! There I was imagining all kinds of nuances of colour with the usefulness of being able to shade from one colour to another. Made in China of course! Not that there is anything wrong with them, I just feel let down! I was restrained. They were the sum total of my arty buying. Oh well. I can feel virtuous about that!

Weird!

This was really weird as it was so accurate. Well almost so accurate. I wouldn't say that I was that hyper but the end is definitely more me than the beginning.
If you want to see what your name says about you have a look at Deb's blog for the link.

What Valeri Means

You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you.
You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night.
Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe.

You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection.
You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive.
You have the classic "Type A" personality.

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily.
Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.

You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense.
You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing.
You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long.
You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

Speed!

The first week back at work went very quickly. Well it would because I only did the last two days in the week! Next week is going to seem soooooo long! The first class of this term went well this morning and everyone is up to scratch with their sampler quilts. It amazes me that this quilt

could look so different so many times. Each student worked out their own colour scheme and they range from seaside bright to Mexican adobe art in themes. When they are finished I will take pictures. This is the one I've been working along with them as a demonstration model. It too looks completely different. Some of the students have chosen to do the large quilt and others are only doing the centre part as a throw. This one is only the centre and is all pinned ready for quilting. Not the best of pictures as I had no where to really lay it out.

Cold and without!

It has been bitterly cold today though we are lucky not to have had the snow that they have had in other parts of the country. However it was very windy and wet as well so not a good day to be without my car. I kept telling myself, as I walked to work, that the walk was doing me so much good and that it would be perfectly possible for me to have a mince pie with my coffee which I wouldn't have done if I'd driven. Well it worked for me! And thankfully I was able to collect my car this evening as I will need it for the class tomorrow morning. The amount of stuff I take is legion!

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There is a lovely roaring fire downstairs and I really didn't want to come up into the cold spare bedroom to check my emails but I made myself do it. And then I had a little play with the colours in the challenge in one of my paint packages. This was fun but I was too cold to do much. It is hard to keep to the exact colours and I wasn't working in Photoshop where I could have used the colour numbers or the dropper tool to get the right colours. However they are close. I quite like the idea of ragged edges and shapes. I wonder if this would work with layering and then free machine quilting round the shapes. I also spent some time looking at pictures of water and oil pollution and got some ideas there as well, in case I want to do a more factual piece. One thing I will say for this challenge is that it is making me think! However the cold has defeated me tonight and I must away to the fire and my knitting! The rocking chair beckons!

NB The strip at the top is the colour control panel!

This and that!

I spent some time today looking through my stash for fabrics which matched the 'challenge' colours. Some I was able to get spot on but the eau de nil colour second in from the left was difficult and the piece I've got is more turquoise. It was the best I could do so I won't use a lot of this. I have made a rule that I am only going to use what is to hand so if I can't be exact then the nearest match will have to do. Also I found some interesting yarn and beads that might work in well. So far so good! Now to think of the 'what'. I might pull some photos out of my album for inspiration. I'm still thinking water. It doesn't help that the printer has not caught the colours exactly as they appear on the screen. But I feel a start has been made.


I have given up on the socks. I think this wool was too ambitious for a sock knitting beginner. So it is now being knitted into a strip. I'm not calling it a scarf as it might end up as a luxurious hot water bottle cover. If it makes it to scarfdom then it will be very soft and cosy. It is easy to knit with and I am using big wooden needles so it should grow apace. I hope so!
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I have continued with the clearances and now have a wonderfully tidy sock-stocking drawer, scarf drawer and lingerie drawer; and my makeup is all tidy and findable. We went into Truro this afternoon and I was again beguiled by the sales and bought some more tops which had been reduced even further and some small 'really useful' plastic boxes in several sizes. I will be so organised soon that I just won't know myself. Long may it continue. Back to work tomorrow and I have to walk as my car is at the garage being fitted up for its annual M.O.T. But we won't talk about that as it is a fraught subject.

New Years Day

This is the batch of dyeing I did yesterday. They were mostly overdyes except for the control colours. Among them I got what I call Victorian Wallpaper pieces. I've marked a couple with a black cross. I actually like these pieces as they can be just what is needed in a quilt or an appliqué and they are marvellous for leaves.
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The selection below are some colours that were piled up in the ironing pile together and I thought what a great collection. So I have put them by to work with. I think they will be ideal for my series on Lemons! The trouble with fabric is that one has to really be able to see and touch it to really appreciate it. Pictures just don't cut it!

This is the 1st January and the first of the the Take it Further challenge set by Sharon B. When I read it my brain died! Too much, too soon. But then on reading it again I decided that it would have to be the colour. There are too many people who's work I admire and choosing one would be hard. So colour it is. These are colours that I don't often put together but do like. They are not as bright as I would normally use so this will be a new experience. At the moment I am thinking water, oil and feathers. But I have decided to make whatever I do abstract; keep it fairly small (no bigger than A3); and work in a sketch book. This last may be my intention now but could fall by the wayside as I am an intuitive 'artist' and tend to work directly onto the surface being fabric or paper. Lots of 'on the way' photos! When I look back next January what will I feel/think? What will I have learnt? Who knows!

Happy New Year!

I want to wish everyone a very Happy New Year full of Peace and Prosperity! Looking back on 2007 I seem to have achieved a lot although it didn't seem like it at the time! The most important thing for us was buying our house and this has made such a big difference in our lives. Martin has been able to get his new Espace on the road and this has made his job that much better. I have been able to start my own classes which have gone very well. And most importantly we have all been healthy. I don't know about the wealthy and wise bit! Hopefully that will come in 2008!
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Today I started as I mean to go on. I finished a quilt that had been half finished for several months. Shame on me! I also did a load of dyeing and over-dyeing. In fact the fabric is in washing now. And I got out a drawing pad and did lots of doodling and scribbles which when translated into ideas will provide me with the first set of quiltlets. I am going to work small and achieve a lot! Now I'm going to go in the attic and continue with clearing out the clutter. The dustman comes tomorrow so this is a good time to find stuff to throw. I already have a huge bag for a charity shop.
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A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR - SEE YOU IN 2008!

A Superb Christmas!

Thank you for all your Christmas greetings. I had a great Christmas and was thoroughly spoilt by my family. Martin gave me a USB record player so I can convert my old vinyl LP's to CD's. I am having a super time going through my hundred's of LP's and 45's listening to them through the computer. Isn't technology wonderful. These stretch back to the late 50's and I'm finding it really nostalgic. Such fun!

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My mum gave me EQ6 so that will keep my occupied. It is a great improvement on EQ5 and that was a pretty fantastic program. And what is even better is that I can use it while listening to my records. I'm going to be very good and work through the lessons so that I really know how to use every bit of it not just the things that I know already.
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My niece and nephews gave me books. I am going to really enjoy reading them. The landscape one has some great ideas in it. For some of her work she was inspired by the paintings of Ton Schulton and I really like his work.


These three books are going to be most inspirational, especially while I stretch my brain and try to produce some art inspired work. The Art Quilt workbook has a series of exercises that I am going to follow week by week just to get the brain in gear. My aim is to produce small pieces of work each week/month. Notice I'm not being too hard on myself! Smile!


This is my son and his fiance huddling under a hand woven rug that my daughter gave them for Christmas. As a weaver I can really appreciate the different weaves in it. A really lovely piece of work in soft heathery colours. I was hoping he'd leave it behind!!! But I guess in cold Scotland he has more need of it than I do in mild and occasionally sunny Cornwall.

The food was wonderful though I say it myself. I've put on a couple of pounds to prove it! We all had a good time. My friend Sue and her husband came over on the Sunday evening for dinner. We played Trivial Pursuit after the meal and I was on the losing side. Andrew and Matt were too busy giving clues away to the other side for us to win. Just as well I'm not competitive! It was a hoot from start to finish and a good time was had by all.
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I am now stocked up with wonderful things to make me smell and look delightful in the coming year. And so many scarves I can venture into the coldest weather with impunity! So colourful too that I wouldn't be lost even in the deepest snowdrift! I'm off to the sales tomorrow to see what bargains I can find. My Christmas money is burning a hole in my pocket.
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I hope you all had a great Christmas and are ready for the New Year. Still a few days to go. Time to reflect on the last year and the changes for the better that could be made in 2008. I'm on holiday still until next Thursday. It's wonderful. =

Four more sleeps to go!

I don't think I will get an opportunity to blog again until after Christmas. Possibly on Boxing Day! My son is at this moment driving down from Edinburgh and at the last count expected to be with us around 1 am tomorrow morning! Not the best time of the year to be making a 600 mile journey in one fell swoop!
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I am totally organised which is amazing me! I have bread made and a pot of soup is simmering on the stove. All the shopping has been done. I actually managed to get to the supermarket before the hordes descended! The presents are wrapped; the bed is made up and the room tidy and dusted! I have cleaned and polished and all is ready. In fact I have time to read a good book should I so wish.
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Talking of good books - my present to myself arrived this morning. It is Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook by Diane Gaudynski. A quick perusal has told me that this will be a most useful book to own and I will be pleased I gave it to myself.
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I am on holiday now until January 3rd and I have got so much planned that I wonder if I'll get it all in! Already I have made a few resolvements (I won't say resolutions) that I am going to put into practice in the New Year or sooner! I don't know if that is a word but it sounds good to me. I'm going to start making my brain work and do more hands on designing. I'm going to start planning now for next Christmas so that I can do wonderful things without pressure. I'm going to give myself projects to do so that I can practice new techniques. And I'm going to prune my life. This last one is the biggy! I'm going to work out what I enjoy doing, what I do most of and what I avoid doing if I can help it. Then I'm going to give away, sell, jettison and otherwise get rid of all the clutter that I don't need and which I'm never going to use because it isn't part of my 'enjoyment' list. I have been quite good at this so far this year but not good enough. And the attic is going to feature strongly here. I am loving the attic. It must be the next best thing to sliced bread. A floor and lights...what more could I ask. It enables me to keep and get hold of stuff quickly so that I can create more space where it matters. ie In my workroom. Oh I'm getting quite excited about it all already especially as I plan to do more of my first love which is applique.
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I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, holiday or whatever you are going to do over the next few days. Our works Christmas lunch today was yummy. I shall leave you with a picture of my absolutely fabulous dessert. It was superb! In fact pictures of all the desserts. They were, in order, our table, Christmas pudding, cherry and lemon creme brulee with shortcake and sticky toffee pudding. The creme brulee was best! I do love dessert! I'm going to make a trifle now!

A Wonderful Day!

I had a wonderful day yesterday. It was just like being retired! I wish! I got so much done that I felt really pleased with myself. I started by making bread and a pot of red pepper soup. Have to keep the inner man going! Then I made a hot water bottle cover which was easy peasy. No big deal there! After that I made the small bag for my mum with a longer handle so that she can put it round her neck to carry small things up and down stairs and thus leave her hands free for clinging to the bannister as she has difficulty getting up and down stairs. I was really pleased with this one. I embellished an abstract design on the front with dyed fleece (from the sheep)! So no picture just in case she should glance at the blog. You never know! She has been known to. Then I did a load of washing and got it all dried and put away. In between times I sorted out all the Christmas presents into recipient piles and started to wrap them. So far I haven't done very many! And last of all I went into the attic and attacked another pile of boxes. I find this so exciting as I never know what I'm going to find. This time I found a set of curtains which I'd forgotten I had. Today I put them up in place of some really manky ones which I put out with the rubbish. They are a great improvement! And I was still in the attic when Martin came home and I had to get dinner. But a wonderful day all told as I achieved so much. Well it seemed like a lot to me!
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It was hard going back to work today but there were compensations. There have been so many tins and boxes of chocolate given to us that I think we will probably suffer death by chocolate. It is especially bad for me as they are put in reception for folk to help themselves to as they pass by but I have to look at them constantly. My will power has never been that good so it is very hard! I have to keep telling myself that the more than a stone I've lost took an effort and I don't want to have to struggle to lose it all over again!
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I have just bought myself a superb book on colour by Stephen Quiller called Colour Choices: Making Colour Sense Out of Colour Theory. (It's an American book so of course colour isn't spelt like that!) And it's a book for artists but that doesn't matter as often books for artists have more meat in them. And this one has lots of good ideas and interesting uses of colour. Will be brilliant to try to translate it into dyed fabric. All I need now is a bit of time to indulge myself and read it from cover to cover!

Wintery waves

We went shopping this afternoon to try and find some Christmas cards for Martin to give to his customers. I found several things I suddenly needed but he didn't find any cards! Or anything else that he was looking for. Mind you we only search one store, Trago's, as it is the main one that is open on a Sunday and handy for parking. On the way home taking the scenic route along the coast I was bemoaning the fact that I had left my camera behind when Martin remembered he had his in the glove compartment. So all was not lost!

I was fascinated by the rays of the sun coming through the cloud and immediately got some great ideas for some designs. The waves were pretty too though not awesomely huge like they have been during the recent gales. The large building in the picture on the end of the middle row is the Falmouth Hotel where we will be having our works Christmas lunch. Always a good occasion. And last but not least Martin's new car! It was bitterly cold and I was glad I had the boots AND gloves!

Very, very cold!

It is exceptionally cold. I have the heating turned up and still my hands are frozen! An extra couple of jumpers wouldn't go amiss. So short and sweet.
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I have continued to drag stuff up to the attic and am being constantly amazed at what I am finding squirrelled away in boxes which I haven't looked in for months. I am being very organised and putting everything away by category. So that means that when I want something that is sewing/textile related I'll be able to find it quickly. Whether this is so will only become apparent later when I need something!
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After all that effort and expenditure of energy I felt the need to take a break so I finished a book I started a few weeks ago. The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters. I didn't think I was going to like it when I read the blurb on the inside of the book cover but it was very good and towards the end quite riveting. I couldn't put it down! I have read all her other books and enjoyed them immensely.
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I made a small gift bag in machine embroidered felt. Very simple with attached yo-yo's. Well they will be attached when I can find some spare time. And I thought this would be a good bag shape for my piece of embellished wool. So I added to the embellishing and turned it into a small bag with hand-dyed cotton lining. I like it! They are both quite small being about 8" high.
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They were much admired at the workshop on Friday. We had a good time and got lots done. Plus we enjoyed mince-pies, scones and pie with our coffee. And my wonderful students gave me a gift voucher for Creative Grids which means I can indulge myself in the new year! For now I have to think CLEANING, TIDYING and COOKING in that order. Actually as I clean I will tidy so the two things will go together. I have put up the Christmas tree so I do feel I'm on the way to Christmas! And I have Monday off to get lots done!

Almost there!

After tomorrow I will have a whole week to clear up in before my son arrives from Scotland for Christmas. This may sound like a long time but believe me I will need every minute! I will firstly have to clear up the mess I've made making Christmas goodies. Then I will have to wrap up all the presents that are residing on the bed he will sleep in. And when they are wrapped I will have to find somewhere to store them until Christmas day. I am feeling virtuous because I have posted off everything that has to be posted off. Fingers crossed that those gifts going to the US do actually arrive this year! And when the pressies are sorted then I have to sort the attic (the attic with the wonderful new floor that is going to make my life sooooo much easier!) so that I can put away the clutter I'm keeping from the living room. And Martin wants me to move the stuff I stored in the garage so that he can put one of his cars in there. And my Mum would also like me to remove some of the stuff that I have stored in her garage. Not because she has a car that needs to go in there but she would actually like to be able to walk from the house door to the garage door! And we haven't yet got to any actual cleaning. You know, dusting and stuff! I'm not really good at that! And then the bed will have to be made, the Christmas tree put up and decorated with those wonderful decorations I've been making; and if I am still standing I have to do some cooking! And go to work every afternoon. I'm feeling tired all ready! It's just as well that the wonderful book on colour and the book on free machine quilting which is coming from America, won't be here this side of Christmas. Because were they to arrive the temptation to read them would be great. But when they do finally appear I will no doubt be flat on my back from all the Christmas exertions and barely able to open them! Or on the other hand they could gee me up and give me a new lease of life!
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'Exuberant colour' I'm sorry about that long and involved paragraph with long and involved sentences but that is unfortunately the way I talk, and think! I HAVE been trying to be less verbose! Have you noticed?

Another change in the weather!

It is hard to keep up with this week's weather. Today Falmouth work up to a frosty start with cars iced up and roads slippery. The sun came out and it was a cold and sunny day. So cold that when I was de-icing my car windscreen my hands became so frozen that I couldn't feel them. I was so demoralised by the cold that I bought a pair of fur lined boots when in town just to cheer me up! They are lovely! I expect I shall now live in them until April!
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Again it has been a productive if mindless day. I completed the bottle carrier this morning and spent most of the afternoon getting hand out sheets ready for Friday. Then this evening I have been mindlessly making yo-yo's to sew on the bottle bag. But I am now finished. Hurray! Tomorrow I will be able to wrap up presents that need to be posted! And I quite liked the effect of the bottle carrier that I might make a small bag along the same lines but with a bit more pizzaz!

Another day entirely!

The weather today was gorgeous! Bright sun, no wind and remarkably warm. Compared to yesterday we could be in another country. Long may it continue - well at least until I've been into town tomorrow morning!
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I am feeling virtuous as I've finished the place mat I was doing. In fact it was very quick from start to finish. I appliquéd a poinsettia flower on the left hand side of a rectangle of beige self print Christmas fabric. I layered the fabric to start with by putting the top fabric and Bondawebbing it to the wadding, placing stabiliser behind this and then doing the stitching. I love the effect of ironed wadding. So smooth and flat and yet so solid. Then I bagged the whole thing out with another piece of the beige fabric. Topstitched the edges and voila one table mat. The next thing to do is a bottle carrier in green felt decorated with yo yo's. The good thing about all these samples I'm doing is that will come in useful over Christmas. If I get time I want to make some small humbug bags and stuff them with pot pourri. Lovely for hanging from hangers in the wardrobe.

Finished!

Two posts in one day! Wonders will never cease! I have finished the table runner and tomorrow I will be able to finish another of the many half done pieces waiting patiently by my sewing machine. I quilted this in gold and multi gold thread though it doesn't show up in the picture. I put two threads through the needle to make it bolder! One was gold metallic and the other was gold shot with a greeny blue - very pretty!

I really didn't have enough room to photograph this properly. I made three ragged log cabin blocks and cut them back to 10" and then put a border round the three joined up of 3". And now to bed to listen to the wind. Just the night for a really creepy book at bedtime!

On being busy!

These are some of the dyed pieces I did yesterday. I did a range of whirlpool designs using already dyed fabric for some and white fabric for others. Whirlpool designs are the most popular design that I do. I don't know why! It is always exciting pressing the washed pieces out as they look completely different when ironed. I love the one in the top left and the one in the middle. The camera hasn't done them justice as they are really vibrant.
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I have finished the top for the ragged log cabin table runner and I'm very pleased with it. If I can get it finished tonight I'll post a picture tomorrow. It was very quick to do and I have more ideas to use this technique, which is a good way of using up odd strips of fabric.
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The weather is still stormy with gale force winds. I meant to go down to the beach and take pictures of the waves but forgot and then didn't want to go out as the rain was tipping down. If it is still windy tomorrow, and it no doubt will be, then I'll go then. Last night was so bad that at one stage I thought we might be going to lose our roof so it was with great trepidation that I drew the curtains this morning but there was no obvious wind damage anywhere. Just a sodden lawn and bare trees.
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I have signed up for Sharon's Take it Further challenge that everyone is talking about. Hopefully it will encourage me to take the time to be more 'artistic' next year. I need something to motivate me and I know once I get into something like this the whole thing spurs me on. Well that's what I'm counting on. I use the word 'artistic' loosely. I know what I mean but it's hard to explain! Just that I need to think more about the design concepts and stretch myself. Life's too short to knock myself up over it; suffice to say that a tad more thought and organisation wouldn't come amiss! After all as Gabrielle said on her blog - I have lived over half my life already - or words to that effect! But that doesn't mean I can't make the best of what is yet to come!

Too busy to blog!

I have been so busy these last two weeks that I have felt quite stressed. Firstly I have been having to keep up with making samples and hand-out sheets for my class on Friday mornings and then I've also been working like mad to make things for the workshop this coming Friday. I've got a good collection now of stockings, tree decorations, table runners, place mats, bags and sachets to name but a few. My workroom smells like Lush or the Body Shop the perfume in the sachets is so strong in such quantities. One sachet good; several sachets overload! Then I've also been trying to get on top of my Christmas present list and I'm happy to say that after a mammoth haul this morning in Truro (in the wind and pouring rain!) I now have everything organised and bought. I just need to wrap them all and pack those gifts that are being sent. All I have to worry about now is the food! I am also making 'The Projects' which is this year's made set of pressies. But I can't tell you about this as it has to be a surprise until after Christmas. So far I am one down and five to go but I have a day's holiday on Monday week so I hope to get finally finished then. None have to be posted so I'm not under pressure. Well not that much pressure. I am also in a Crazy Patchwork round robin and I have a block to finish doing my bit of embellishing on by Sunday night so I can post off on Monday and I have to set up a scanner for my Mum so I am going to have a busy day tomorrow. But it's fun! I do like to be busy!
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And as you can see by the picture I am keeping on top of the dyeing. The hand-dyes have been selling like hot cakes so I've been dyeing batches every weekend. One of the pictures is a close up but the others are all of the same batch just at different angles. I haven't done so many pieces this time, just thirty or so. Usually I do twice or even three times that amount. But space was at a premium. I want to use some of the stripey pieces with Christmas fabric to make a table runner like the one on Gerrie's blog on December 6th. I think this design has great possibilities and I want to play with it. I love making uneven log cabins as they are such fun and its a good way to use up scraps. I might even fuse it to save time! But now I have to go and rinse out the dyeing and throw it all in the washing machine. Ho hum, another Saturday which has flown by! But I have done a lot!

I love, love, love, my hand embellisher!

First sample using cotton on cotton and glittery yarn.


Stockings waiting to be made up; embellished with felt and glittery yarn.


The edging round the embellished star is faux chain stitch done on the sewing machine. It makes a great finishing touch to appliqued things.

I bought a small hand embellisher at the Mylor Quilt exhibition because I'd always wanted one! And then I bought the base unit for it when I was shopping with a friend at a local quilt shop. Isn't it amazing - she suggested we go and I was the one who spent a fortune! Big grin! But I love everything I bought which is the main thing. And then of course having the tools to embellish I started to play and oh boy isn't it so easy and so addictive and just so wonderful. The first thing I did was embellish onto the felt stockings I was making and not having read the instructions thoroughly I actually embellished cotton fabric onto the felt and it worked. However when I read the instructions in depth it recommended wool on wool so I had another go with the piece of felted knitting above. This was a piece my Mum knitted for me with boucle wool on her knitting machine and then boil washed it to felt it. The texture is great. For the sample (above) I used hand dyed fleece which I teased out and just embellished it on. When I find my carders I'll try a more formal approach though I was pleased with the transparency and randomness of the teased out fleece. The random result was reminiscent of a flower bed although the second red flower in from the right is the spitting image of a cockerel's head and now I've seen that in it I can't get it out of my mind! But it is only a play piece. I shall do more...lots more and try different and various fabrics and threads. The felt the tools are sitting on is a piece I made and incorporated some pink strands of wool. I have added a little more with the embellisher but I can see this as a rainbow piece and will work on it later. Both pieces would make lovely little purses with silk linings! And the tools are so small I could carry them around and do this anywhere! Wonderful! I am truly hooked!

An Outing

The exhibition that the Mylor Quilting Group put on was very good, especially considering what a small group it is. From the top the first two pictures are of quilts made by a couple of my ex-students. I was impressed with both of them and a lot of work had gone into their making. The third picture is of my friend Yvonne with whom I went to the exhibition. The first picture in the middle row was done by the group to represent the village. I have put a couple of close ups. Mylor is a small village at the head of one of the creeks off the River Fal. Being a tidal creek it gets cut off at low tide and beware the novice mariner as the mud isn't far beneath the surface of the water. But very attractive and has a lovely very old church of which I've posted photos in the past. This was a most interesting piece of work and the more I looked the more I saw. The first close up is of Pandora's Inn which is an old hostelry going way back with old beams and thick uneven walls. A great place for a drink on a summer's evening. Being so near to Christmas there were lots of Christmassy items around which made it all very jolly. Yvonne and I had the obligatory coffee and cake. It is a given that going to a quilt exhibition means coffee and cake, especially as the cake is always home made. Delicious!
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And the last two pictures, one of which has lost it's top, are of the bottle bags I've been making. Nothing fantastic just very useful and taking no more than 20 minutes to make from start to finish. The first one is made using strips of Christmassy fabric and the other one is just one fabric. Both have gussetted bottoms made by sewing across the seams and tie with a ribbon in a casing at the neck. Simple but useful.
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Of course I had to spend money at the sales table at the exhibition and bought myself a hand embellisher. I have been wanting one of these for some time just so that I could have a little play and see whether it was something I'd use more than once. I don't have the base unit but reckon it could be done over a deep nail brush or similar. Perhaps a hair brush would be better. I find it strange when things are sold without the complete kit but perhaps they didn't realise there was a second part to it. I have been leaning to the traditional lately and this really isn't me so it will be good to get back to a more free form, arty approach to productivity. I'm going to see if I can apply holly leaves to felt using this method. Worth a try!

Keeping Busy!

This is this year's table runner. It has a musical theme and if I'd had enough of the blue centre fabric I would have used this instead of the sky blue triangles on the edge. I over stamped the sky blue with gold but it wasn't a success. But by using a gold thread and quilting over it the end result isn't too bad. This was very easy to do. I've put a close up underneath to show the basic pattern. It was fun to do but this year I am not going to make masses of them. That was last year's project. This year I am hoping to use some photo printed fabric and make wall hanging pockets. I have the design drawn out so it's just a question of finding the time to get started. The weekend stretches ahead of me so perhaps by Monday I'll have done something, even if it's only getting the photos printed onto the fabric.
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It is very cold here and we will probably get a frost tonight which makes me wonder if we are going to have a cold and frosty Christmas. In many ways I hope not as my son Andrew will be driving down from Scotland and icy roads won't be fun at all. As a child living in Kent we often had snowy Christmases and it was great fun but then children don't have the responsibilities that adults have. Since becoming an adult (like last week!) I've never felt the same about snow as it causes such problems. It is easy to forget how much one enjoyed as a child that now doesn't have the same glamour as it once did. Skinny dipping at midnight is another young pursuit that springs to mind!
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Tomorrow I am going to a quilt show with a friend which will be fun. As well as the joy of seeing quilts etc I am looking forward to browsing around the sales tables looking for stocking fillers. It never fails to amaze me that beautifully made items are sold off at rock bottom prices. Prices that don't in many cases cover the cost of the materials. Last year I bought a gigantic stocking with lovely applique all over it for £1! The fabric must have cost more than that! It was ideal for Martin as I could stuff it full of oddly shaped packages. I like to give him a few out of the ordinary gifts that he wouldn't think of buying for himself. Small and inexpensive but conducive of some ribald laughter. It gets harder each year to find these one off pressies! If I remember I will take my camera. The last few exhibitions I've been to I've forgotten it! Too much on my mind!

Lacking a little something!

I have noticed that I have been losing subscribers to my blog. Obviously it is no longer as vibrant and interesting as it has been in the past. I'm sorry! Unfortunately there is so much going on of a mundane nature that I don't always or not very often, have anything of great note to write about. I was reading Sharon B's blog: In a Minute Ago and I was fascinated by the reason's people give for not leaving comments on blogs they have read. Which made me think about what it is that makes some blogs so much more readable than others. I have to admit that I have about a hundred blogs in my subscribe list and yet I only read about a half a dozen regularly and they are the ones that are interesting or funny or show good pictures and talk about new techniques. And yet that isn't really it but I can't put my finger on it. There has to be something that gives a blog a certain amount of pull but what is it. Any suggestions? I'd love to know your comments on this. It might give me ideas for saving my own blog from mediocrity!
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I spent the morning in the attic clearing one half of it preparatory to boarding in the floor. Basically I moved everything over to the other half and then when one side is done I will move everything back so that the last side can be boarded. I wasn't as lazy as I sound. I did go through lots of boxes and junked masses of stuff. I have so much for the dustman that he will probably turn tail and ignore me! Also I got rid of all those boxes that we all keep which came with our printers, computers, sewing machines, etc. Why do we keep them? They are never used! In future I'm only going to keep them for the period of the guarantee. If the item doesn't go wrong in that time and need sending back then I will jettison the box. After all if they go wrong after the guarantee is ended ten to one it is cheaper to buy a new one. The only exception I will make to this is the box my sewing machine came in. That I will need when I send it back to be serviced. By getting rid of these boxes, and some such as those the monitors came in are gigantic, I have opened up loads of space all ready to take more of the overflow from my previous clear outs. The things I'm not quite ready to move on. Of the boxes I went through today 90% of the stuff was tossed! What does that say about the need to keep stuff! But then if I'd tossed it all at the time I cleared out rooms I'd have lost the 10% I'm still keeping.
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I have bought some sheets of foam that when placed on top of the fabric in my embroidery hoop when doing machine embroidered letters will give me a 3-dimensional effect. I can't wait to try it as it will be just what I need for some of my Christmas things. Perhaps I could put giant 3-D letters on the stockings I'm making. If I have time I'll try it tomorrow. Something to look forward to.

Christmas!

Flower fabric

Christmas is rapidly approaching and I have been busy making samples for my Christmas workshop. The garden is still so full of flowers that I made some flower fabric (see top picture). This is so easy to do. Place some silk or a fine fabric on a flat surface. Then take some Bondaweb and place sticky side down onto the silk and iron in place. When cool remove the paper backing. The fabric surface will now feel sticky. Arrange the flowers onto the sticky surface. Cover with a piece of net or tulle. Place another piece of Bondaweb over the net and press. Again when cool remove the paper backing and voila one piece of flower fabric which can be used for all sorts of things. I'm going to use it to make small gift bags. This piece was made last week and I used nasturtiums and they still look fresh. I have a piece that I made several years ago and the flowers still to this day retain their colour. There are some pictures on my website.
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Also I am getting quite a collection of Christmas goodies. They have been fun to do although they have taken a while as I'm not yet completely recovered. The standing Christmas tree table decoration I have to admit I made a couple of years ago, and I had started the crazy patchwork stocking earlier so it just needed finishing off. I have had fun making the woven stars. I find that weaving the pattern is so therapeutic. The little bag with the hanging bell charm was so easy to do that I will make loads more to hang on the tree with little chocolates in them. This is a good way to use yo-yo's as tree hangings especially by adding beads to them and I love the pelmet vilene cut out shapes with beads and glitter glue. Again so easy to make and quick. I like quick! Now I have to make felt applique stockings and Christmas bottle gift bags. And I'm hoping to get some photo printing done on fabric and make some hanging letter holders. And its so cold here that if I find time I'd like to use some gorgeous shaggy fur fabric to make a long jerkin. Time...it's always the problem. Finding enough time to fit everything in. I must become more organised!