Amazing Grace!

I've been busy sewing for Grace who's growing like the proverbial weed. I haven't managed to get to see her for a fortnight and I swear she's grown two inches and even more gorgeous than ever. I know I'm the doting Nana but scroll down and you'll see what I mean.

First up are a couple of little summer dresses although if the weather we've been having lately keeps up she'll be too big for them when the sun does make a reappearance.




And a little pinafore dress based on the same pattern. The sharp eyed amongst you may have noticed an absence of buttons on these. That ISN'T because I can't do buttonholes but because her Mum has a "thing" about them. So velcro and hooks and eyes to the rescue. Can you guess what fabric I used for this?


I had some fabric left over from making her cot quilt and bumper so ran her up this little elasticated waist skirt.



And this one is my favourite - the fabric was in the sale for only 99p a metre and the broderie anglais trim at 50p. I can't resist a bargain so bought five metres of each. I may make her Mum a (more grown up style) matching skirt and maybe one for me too.


I looked after Grace for a couple of hours last night while her Mum popped out. And wasn't I surprised to discover that in two weeks she's mastered cutlery!


Here's proof it goes where it should (most of the time at least)


All done Nanamanda - wipe my face please!



Isn't she just adorable .....


And for those of you still guessing what the checked pinafore dress is made of - two teacloths that cost the princely sum of 36p each!

A bit of this and a bit of that

Now the pressure is off I've just been enjoying myself doing a variety of things.

First up is this machine embroidered panel, the inspiration for which came from one of the wonderful photographs taken by the amazing Yann Arthus Bertrand. The original photograph is of a flooded valley after the construction of a dam with the dead tree stumps sticking up out of the water.


And a close up


I've also played around with a canvas covered with crumpled tissue paper and painted with acrylics which I've called 'Fire in the woods' for want of a more inspired title.


I treated myself to some Tim Holtz Alcohol Inks and made some cards.




And I've embarked on a new piece since getting Maggie Grey's new book, 'Stitches, Straps and Layers'. This is very much a 'work in progress' - here are the beginnings of the first two layers - more anon.

It's finally finished

(Click image for close up view)

My final piece for my NCFE Level 3 Creative Textiles course is now finished and submitted. I have to admit, the last few weeks I've done little else and I've actually grown to really dislike the end product. And if I don't stitch another bead in the next six months I won't be unhappy.

All that, together with all the paperwork that has to go alongside the piece, has meant I've decided not to take my tutor's advice and embark on the two year C & G Level 4 course come September. I may reconsider in a year's time but for now I'm fed up to the back teeth with form filling, client briefs, 'evidence', aims and outcomes and want to work in my usual spontaneous, fairly unplanned way for a while!

I was lucky enough to get a place on the Jan Beaney/Jean Littlejohn five day course in October at www.masseriadellazingara.com which I'm looking forward to immensely and have already got my name down for a course at the same place (doesn't it look divine) with Maggie Grey in May 2010. Those, some online courses, Festival of Quilts in August and Ally Pally in October will suit me fine for a while.

So - now I'm free to do as I please! Watch this space .....

A bit rusty

Tried out a new technique today - rust dyeing. This could become seriously addictive I fear ....

This is what I achieved in just half an hour and I ran out of table drying space. I tried out heavy weight tyvek, 300gsm watercolour paper and fabric (no pics of the fabric yet as it looks a fairly uninteresting dark brown until it dries and can be rinsed).


These are the tyvek pieces - some A4 and some A3 size pieces.








Close ups of some of my favourite areas





And I think this piece of watercolour paper is just stunning


And because it's so quick to do, I even did some more of my coursework piece!

Back from 'lurgy' land

I've been laid up in bed most of this week with a vicious viral thing so haven't felt much like doing anything let alone blogging!

Anyway, I'm back with a vengeance and thought I'd share my first attempts at using transfer papers to make A4 size mini quilts with a view to submitting them to
http://littlegemquilts.wordpress.com.

The first two I'm not very pleased with:-

"Sunrays"


and "Shiny Spirals"


Both of them are a bit 'obvious' - don't really say much about anything.

These three I like much more. The first one, "Scarlet Rain" was transferred to light weight Lutradur which was layered over some commercially printed fabric, free motion machine quilted and then areas of the Lutradur were cut back to reveal the fabric beneath. I've since mounted this on a blue painted box canvas and plan to give it as a birthday gift to a friend this weekend so this is one that won't end up in the Little Gems tombola.


This one I've called "Optical Illusion" as it made me cross eyed when stitching it! I painted two transfer sheets - one graduated yellow and one blue - then cut and wove the two sheets together before printing onto an 80% polyester/20% cotton blend and quilted.


This one, inspired by the sun shining on the big stand of bamboo in the garden, is my favourite.


Enough blogging for now. Got to get back to beading before class tomorrow!

Productive weekend

Well, Artmixter has certainly started something now! I've made 19 ATC/ACEO this weekend - some I'm pleased with, others not so pleased. If you click on any of the images you'll get an enlarged view.

This is the first batch:


And these . . .



And I think I like these ones the best.



After all that cutting, painting and sticking, I decided to just sew today. I seem to have acquired quite a lot of copper coloured fabrics so I chopped some bits up and stitched them to a piece of craft vilene. I then added some free motion embroidery, bound the edges and this was the result:-



What a shame it's back to work tomorrow.

Couldn't resist it

I know I should be stitching beads but Artmixter asked me to be her guinea pig for a new pamphlet she's produced on making ATCs. Having never made one before, I just couldn't resist making a start on my first four. Will post some photos when they're finished.

I did spend nearly three hours this morning with the beading although progress is painfully slow. My own fault for trying to be too ambitious I suppose.