Final piece

I have finally finished the online course I have been working on. It was with Sue Stone and explored pattern and texture. This piece has appliqué and stitch. Sitting on the fabric book I made to put all my  samples into and be able to go back and use ideas for future work.

The vintage buckle and braid I used for the clasp were waiting to be used in something .The yellow linen was a de stash from Ali George at Aliquilts.I did not purchase any fabric or notions to work on the book or the samples. This is what I am trying to do this year , to use the beautiful fabrics, linens and laces I have been collecting and not using because something better might need that piece or once it’s used I won’t have it anymore. But if I don’t use it then it will sit in a cupboard for another lifetime.

Watcher

Sampson needed something to look at. It is too hot for him to try and catch birds, besides they are leaving now that they see him in the garden. It’s always cooler by the frog pond. Had to do a rough organic binding on the edges of the page as it frayed a lot. So before I start each page I will do this....hope to get the fabric right in colour and texture as I don’t want it to be too preplanned out... Just stitching and going depending on what he’s doing on the day I start.

Silk and cotton tree with fly stitches to hold down. Will keep adding to the sky before starting my next page for February. I want to stitch the story on the lecto page and lightly attach with buttons so it can be lifted to see the reverse side stitching which is really lovely and raw. Will find time somewhere as I am back at school now but really pleased with all the stitching and finishing that I got done over the holidays even though it was too hot at times. Wish I had taken to my studio/ sewing room with as much gusto as it still looks like a bomb has hit or burglers have ransacked it or a herd of cows has trampled through . And I am not exaggerating.

Year of stitches 2018

 Starting the year off with my 1yearof stitches 2018. I have made a cloth book from a heavy canvas. Each month will have a page of part of the year long story of my cat Sampson. He is the good boy I also have a bad boy cat Pablo who may feature at times . But he is dark grey with a lot more white so will blend into the background. So for January poor hot Sampson is trying to find a cool place to nestle for the snoozes throughout the long summer days. I cut him freehand from a piece of cotton organza. This is the back view , harder to achieve will be the front where he has white patches on his face and chest. He is a real tuxedo cat. I only discovered black and white cats are called this through seeing it on Instagram.

So far all the stitching done has been straight stitches. I wonder what he is looking at...a few more weeks of January to add more into the story.

Coreopsis dye

I harvested a small bucket of Coreopsis flowers and boiled them up in my big aluminium pot on the stove. Added som alum. Then in went a long strip of silk habotai some soft light cotton and some crisp white cotton doileys. Rinsed well in salt water. I was so pleased with the colour I added a few other pieces , cotton handkerchief and a piece of cotton crochet to the liquid dye when it had cooled. Still got colour even though I didn’t leave these in for long.

Here is a picture of these after washing and drying, no ironing of course. The image of the fabric in the pot really is very close to the real colour I achieved. They are much paler in the dry photo , certainly don’t get the beautiful depth of orange yellow on the silk and soft buttery yellow on the cottons. Much less harsh an orange than you get with onion or rusting. 

Oh dear they look so pale . My photography skills are very lacking as I don’t know what to do to give more realistic colour.

Nativity

My Emily collects small Nativity scenes, especially those from other countries which are not traditional. So I made her one for Christmas 2017. I purchased the buttons in a packet from a stand at the Quilt and Craft show at the Brisbane Convention Centre. Then had fun stitching a little stable and positioning the buttons.

Oh Tannenbaum

Oh Christmas tree oh Christmas tree
Of all the trees most lovely
Oh Christmas tree Oh Christmas tree
Of all the trees most lovely
Each year you bring to me delight,
meaning in the Christmas night
Oh Christmas tree Oh Christmas tree
............with faithful leaves unchanging

My tree is filled with decorations that have so much meaning for me and my family. There are all those wonderful little girl handmade angels and fairies and baubles.
Then there are the many angels from the years I spent making a Christmas angel to mark the passing of the years. Only kept up for about 10 though. I can spy other ornaments I made at quilt meetings, retreats, or WIP days. Many others were given as gifts...quilting friends and an exchange with a quilt group in the U.S. There are those bought by my Mum each year for her young granddaughters . Two of these show the wear from being taken off the tree and played with. There are handmade decorations I purchased from fundraising gift stalls. There is a special teddy from my godmother and a red bird I received in a Girl Guide secret Santa swap. All treasured and all bring special memories.

Christmas cats

Today having fun creating something from what I can find. So here is a Christmas angel for 2017. The hankie was in my pile of vintage white hankies and I noticed the bells embroidered on. That  was the starting point. Christmas bells, then some folding and it became a dress for an angel. Then the search for the angel was on. Not many around here .I was thinking if I had any wooden large beads with faces or not as I could paint them on. Then I thought maybe an old doll would have a head I could pull off....told you no angels. Found a bag of ‘stuff’ and in it was these two little abandoned Sylvania cats. So they became Christmas angel cats. Mother and child , Madonna and baby, Mary and Jesus.

The small lace tablecloth in the hoop was inspired by a similar hanging hoop by @aknitakcreations . The Cat angel can be packed away after Christmas and another object placed in the hoop...or not maybe they’ll hang around for awhile.