Quilt 3

Title - Bicycle.   Ok, this is only a bit of a bike!   Raw edge applique.

Hand dyed and printed cotton.

Whilst looking for just the right fabrics for the bicycle, I came across these samples of viscose/rayon - folded, clamped and dyed with Procion.   Seemed a good idea to make a photographic record before they disappear again!

Sewing machine cleaned and put away for a day or two.   The garden is looking like a jungle, that will be my next task.   Out in the green gym - now where did I put that machete?

Catch time

Even more Journal Quilts - this time for Infinity Group.    Four to do, and since I seem to have found time to 'play'  I am slowing ticking them of my list - and having great fun.

Subject - Non Roman Alphabet.  Ogham (very early Celtic script).

Sorted out the dyed fabric stash, and came up with sandy coloured

sateen, and a sad piece of Procion dyed cotton which has now found it's place!

Both piece have been mono printed to knock them back and suggest

a stoney surface.

Subject - Fish.   Again, hand dyed cotton, reverse applique and lots of free machining.

Detail

Quilt 3 is ready for final stitching, and Quilt 4 on the design board.   Hurrah!

Summer Time

Gorgeous flowers in the sun

On Thursday it was the start of Summer Workshops at Walford Mill.   I did the first workshop - Tie dye t shirts and squares of cloth.   Fabulous to be in the marquee again with seven lovely children, who kept me pretty busy.    They all managed to dye two t shirts each, plus a couple of squares.   So now it really feels like summer.

Dyed squares which we checked out before they went home.   

T shirts to be washed out later.  I will probably see the t shirts of 2008 next summer!

Early morning walk

Gorgeous morning, so up really early for a breath of fresh air at Worburrow Bay.  Only  a few fishermen, me and assorted objects washed up on the shore.

turquoise net and orange twine - nice colours!

??????? why is there always only one shoe!

Someone made this arrangement of driftwood - too lovely and too much to take home.

Seaweed, sand and turquoise twine

Samphire in full bloom - the 'leaves' great with fish dishes.

           Then back home for breakfast and a bit of gardening.   Nice to be out and enjoying the summer, 

which has arrived at last.

Clearing the decks

A opportunity to play with smelly substances!    Home alone.   We all know the story - you buy the ingredients for a particular technique, they sit in a cupboard, but one day you just have to get them out and have a go.

The time had come to make up discharge paste, using Formusol, mixed with thickened print paste.  The opportunity, the July Quilt Journal.

I have a postcard bought in Bhuj, Kutch.   An image of three ladies carrying, or fetching water.   Perfect.

The Water Carriers

For the main image I made a stencil - for the borders arishi shibori.   Black fabric discharged.   I like the result, although I have to say my work room didn't exactly smell of roses!    Windows necessarily left open to refresh the atmosphere!

Notes made, samples kept - now to clear up the mess.

Banjara bags and monsoon rain

I seem to be falling into the typecast British person - always talking about the weather!   But it has been seriously like monsoon weather for days.

Last Wednesday I drove to Ashburton in Devon to take a workshop on Banjara bags.   A two hour drive, but allowed an extra 30 minutes for unfavourable road conditions.   The countryside and roads awash with water, and the rivers overflowing their banks.   The hilly bits of Dorset shrouded in mist.

Banjara bag project - loads of stitching involved here, just the thing for 

wet weather work, even better, sitting stitching in the sun!

The lovely ladies of Ashburton West Country Embroidery Group at the end of the day.

Banjara bags - work in progress on the table.   

A glimmer of hope, evening sunshine - note rain on window! 

Indigo Elephant

The Indigo Elephant has arrived

(Detail)

Yes, it does take time to do all that stitching!   The elephant decreed that it should be so.  The fabric is pieced and patched in places, with mother of pearl buttons, and thick thread stitching on the borders.

When stitching I let my mind have a bit of a wander.   I consider the cloth, and note the difference of the indigo dye on difference fabrics - on a couple of pieces it already looks as though the indigo is wearing, perhaps all that handling and stitching?  Why do I like making such small stitches - the slow thoughtful stitching; the textural effect perhaps.   I remember I liked darning when I was a child (this is not for general viewing within the household!). Close kantha stitching,  kantha pattern darning and traditional quilting are also peaceful forms of stitching.

 

Then there is the thought of recycling cloth. Indigo dyed garments were worn by Japanese farmers and workmen, if I remember correctly.   Old garments were patched and decorated with sashiko stitching for strength and also decoration.   To recycle cloth is to give it rebirth.

Now for something more frantic, no gentle sitting and thinking on this little quilt.   

The June Journal Quilt.    "Tara".   Machine stitched reverse applique.  Machine embroidery with small beads on the points of the stars.  It looks a really bright blue, when in fact the fabric was bought in Mumbai,  shot cotton - turquoise and purple.   The middle layer shot orange and gold, backing very loose weave dyed linen.  The quilt has frayed edged, allowing the different coloured layers to show through.

Tara

Detail

Fabric shops in India - what to say, where to start?   Amongst many bolts of fabric, there is always a fabulous selection of ready embroidered fabric.   It is also possible to buy hand embroidered yokes for kurtas,  So with this in mind, and memory of a particularly lovely piece, I based my design for the June Journal Quilt.