Words fail me...

I'm so upset about the impending doom to our Ash trees that I had to stop myself trying to spot them as I drove across the countryside last week.  Stopping at some traffic lights on a steep hill in town a few years ago was always a moment of pleasure as a mature Ash and a Scots pine met over the road and gave a beautiful patterned silhouette which I have tried to capture from memory.  I always thought I should try to photograph them, but it was a busy junction and before I could get it together they were both felled as part of building work. The two leaf patterns have definite decorative possibilities. I have to turn down the radio and skip past articles in the newspaper if I see the disaster mentioned - ignorance is bliss and I want to be able to enjoy these beautiful graceful trees as long as possible. Don't you just want to weep and tear your hair knowing that there is seemingly nothing to be done to stop them dying? 

Meanwhile the theme for The Sketchbook Challenge this month is the Spice of Life, thinking about what spices your day especially at this time of year.  My thought turned to favourite woollens and so I had a go at sketching the stitches very carefully in pencil adding some Inktense pencil colour to make sense of the rows.

Once sussed, had another go using  pen and lovely spicy colours.

Another thrill this time of year are the berries everywhere - never tire of their vibrant colours.

Meanwhile back in the sewing room...

I have printed all the 'square in a square' blocks and stitched the straight cut blue strippy blocks, adding some prairie points, (all pinned up here on my design 'wall').  Next I am going to have a go at some free cut strips for the top and then add a few printed motifs.  I had to cut a new, smaller block for the printing and the shapes are a little more delineated. I hope they don't appear too Christmassy as that is not the look I'm going for. The brighter orange paper shapes at the top are the original motif.  I could paint over them - cannot decide.  Besides that I am pleased with how much my patchwork resembles my design - I know that was the idea, but I haven't managed to pull it off before!

In between time I have stitched up my bag and lined it - just deciding how to finish it off, whether to add a magnetic clasp which is practical, but a bit clunky, may just make do with a button and a cord. Hopefully tomorrow I'm having some new shelves put up in my sewing room, so I have got to do some clearing out sometime today,

Have a good week

Jill

Buzzing!

I must day I'm buzzing at the moment - not always making a bee-line, but sometimes flying round in circles. However I am making progress. You may feel I'm making a bit of a meal of it, but all this planning is against my spontaneous nature so I have been taking breaks from C&G quilt planning to do other things. 

First over the last few weeks I have been sewing these mini log cabin/courthouse blocks from lots of off-cuts and scraps. The strips are about 2cm wide before sewing.  I have now got enough to sew into a band, and I am intending to make myself a satchel type bag. I am going to add some borders and then quilt it. It is giving me good practice in cutting and stitching, and it is pretty spontaneous so it has been a good break from the formal work. However if I am going to make a bag it will require some planning.

Below is a page for this month's sketchbook challenge "a cabinet of curiosities". As you can see, I could not get away from patchwork and based it on an 'attic windows' pattern, some magazine cut-outs and some drawings fill the spaces.

And here is a frame I've done for my journal.

I've been playing with different colour combos.

Meanwhile back to the quilt planning...

This picture I did in my sketchbook in March has always been talking to me, to I decided on this pattern inspired by my photograph of chimneys agains a blue sky.

Below is my first idea for a quilt.

I made cut outs of all the elements - painted a set and copied more, until I had enough to pin up and play with the composition - actual size. (My design-wall is a strip of sheeting hung over a door.)

 

It is interesting to see how the flash used in the first photo has altered the colours - the sun came out for the second two arrangements, hence the bright spot at the bottom - lighting was not my priority here. but colours in the last two are truer - the blue is on the turquoise side.

I am favouring the last set-up at the moment.

My next task is to gather together fabrics. I have been to 'Fashion and Fabrics" St Albans' an Aladdin's cave of quilting fabrics and bought a few 30cm lengths and a fat quarter of a selection of oranges and a couple of blues, mixed here with some of my hand-dyed fabrics.  Their blue selection hadn't got what I wanted. Below I have put some lavender blues are on the left, but it is the turquoise/cyan tones I want so I will probably have a dyeing session to give me the more of the blues I want.

Here are a couple of sample squares I made when I started planning, to see if it would work. _ I intend to print the motif into the middle of each square.

Next I shall be experimenting with the right colour for the print - I shall probably use acrylic paint for this. I have also got to think how I will quilt the whole thing - I have got some ideas, but I haven't  fully decided yet.

I'm quite excited by the whole process, but I need to take it step by step - measure at least three times before cutting, and really THINK what I am doing - I am liable to make really glaring mistakes.

Thank you for sticking with me, I value any thoughts, handy tips or ideas you may have, perhaps something I have not thought of. I hope you're having a good week.

Jill