Flowers for Grandma

Starting another Little Red piece. Using the left over bits from the doily I cut the hexagons from for the ecodyed hexagon piece. Added Grandmas house. But Little Red has decided that Grandma doesn't want the cakes and bread, she wants flowers. So Little Red ditched the food for flowers for Grandma to enjoy , to enrich her soul.

Lots of stitching to come. Stitching the backing together which is part of a tray cloth on the top and a pulled apart old soft pillow case. Both have embroidery on their ends which I will cut off for another piece.

Going to add some octogons around basket, will outline shape of cutout hexagons a bit more....blanket stitch or stab stitch. Need to back stitch in Little Reds hand....a sun in top left? Door, windows ...pathway? Too much to think of . Firstly I might iron it all!

Ecodye Hexagons

I need to do something for the 2QAQ display at the Quilt show in October. We have been asked to display pieces using the Eco / botanical dyed fabrics we experimented with last year. So I started making hexagons from a piece that was wrapped and boiled with  eucalypt , purple carrot , turmeric and onion skins either bundled up with or in the boiling water. I have also used an old doiley where I cut out the small embroidered flowers to make more hexagons. An old  crochet doiley is just sitting as I ponder the layout.

I also embroidered some of the fabric then made covered buttons to go on the piece.

'Rising out of the rough weeds, listening, looking'   Mary Oliver

Improvisational piecing

Went to a workshop today on this style of improvisational piecing run by Jane Rundle. Really enjoyed the process of which I have done some of before but not just random exploration and thinking of the process. I have used Gwen Marstens book for inspiration , where she delves into this style. I have made house blocks. So it was good today to think more of the design as I was going along such as line , repetition, contrast and focal points.

Not such a good picture against the pine floor. The dark is a dark blue not black as it looks in the photo. I love the colours. Might keep going or turn it into a book cover. I would like to use this technique with some of the vintage linens and embroidered textiles. White with embroidery and other colours that combine ...maybe a indigo dyed blue.

Can't see the branches for the wolf

More work on Little Red. Love the name of the Sylko thread I picked up at Vinnies today. Mid Mole ....perfect colour to appliqué down that wolf. I think he quite likes balancing that branch on the tip of his nose. He doesn't look at all wicked....maybe he isn't. I think he is having so much fun being a tree he has forgotten all about Little Red who will come sneaking into the picture soon. Watch out wolf she's coming for you!

Watch out for wolves

Another Little Red. This time I have ecodyed a white embroidered doiley with avocado pits. Then a small piece of silk from an ecodyed bundle forms the wolf. But I am going to add more to him so Little Red will need to keep her wits about her because as she will find sometimes the wolf appears in the most unlikely places. Just when she thought she was safe . But maybe it's that grandma again hiding in the trees and just looking like a wolf....who knows?

More stitching to follow...not sure where to put Little Red.. entering from the side, behind the tree oops I mean wolf, or does she even need to be there?

Lipstick hibiscus

Here is the results of my lipstick hibiscus solar dying. The silks are a soft beautiful pink and the cottons are  faintly tinted. But I didn't soak in soy or add any protein to the fabric before dying so didn't expect to get too much if any colour. They are still wet in this photo and now have dried a little paler, but I am happy with the result.

I have to work out a way to keep note of how I got the colours. So these are now tied together in a bundle with a hand written tag detailing the information.

Running stitch

I have started an online course with Sue Stone . These are my first two samples where running stitch is explored. There are variations in each square to relate to spacing, tone and texture. I am trying very hard to make my samples neat and controlled but my fingers and mind won't let me ....is that something about new dogs and old tricks? As I stitch these I am pondering how I can use some of these textural stitching ideas in pieces that have come to a standstill because they need something to bring them out of a predictable space they and my thoughts are in.