Better off red..

I have been busy getting my folio together for school - this unit was all about colour theory, different dying techniques, samples and stitcheries;  We also had to create a folio cover based on 'The colours of our lives'......

It took me quite a while to work out what to do for this folio cover - I knew I wanted to use fabrics I'd dyed myself and I also knew I wanted to use the colour red...

After much faffing about and false starts..

false start no. 1

I thought about layers and how we choose to reveal only some parts of ourselves...and came up with this..



and promptly had an omg moment - it looks RUDE!!!!

So I cut away a few more layers, stitched a little more and roughed up the edges for texture...

this looks very orangey, but trust me, it's red! - the colours on the previous 'rude' picture are more true

Much more presentable!

I also finished all my stitcheries...

yellow and blanket/buttonhole stitch

orange and straight stitch

violet and chain stitch

green and satin stitch

red and fly / feather stitch

blue and colonial knots with rice/seed stitch

so, just have a few more things to do and it's presentation time on friday.......phew

Bee blocks.......and lots of other stuff....

It seems like forever that I posted - in reality, it's been a week, but not getting on the computer everyday makes such a difference - the 'To be read' list of posts from the uber talented I follow continue to circle the globe and I don't seem to be making any dent in it with the paltry time I'm 'allowing' myself - hopefully all will change next term (this term really has been very busy and I'm hoping it's not indicative of the rest of the course)

So, I got up early, read a couple of posts and thought I'd quickly add what's been happening around here....

A couple of Bee blocks, the first for the Australia Bee....

such a pretty block

The next couple are for do.good Stitches - Melissa sent the pink dot for the final round and the rest we contributed...

The final pink round on the second one actually matches the first for colour - so the saturation you see is a bit exagerated!

These blocks have been sent off to their respective bee mamas.

In other news, the ladies in my classes have been busily sewing away their projects of the month...

The gorgeous Barb - and it's the very first thing she has ever made - love that beaming 'I made it myself' smile..

This months project - a zipped, lined pouch - they did a fabulous job.....

A couple of days ago I dyed some fabric to use for the stitched piece for school - the brief is titled 'colours of our lives' and I'm going red....reddish.....what the??

Buster had to get himself in the photo again - this time his 'other' end

 

So, time to go......today I'm mounting samples of fabrics dyed with various dye mediums (sun dyes, RIT dyes and Landscape dyes) and I really must make a start on the reports.......arrivederci...

Stitching by hand

In between sewing by machine and putting some hand quilting on my sisters hexy quilt, I've been creating a couple of samples for my Diploma.  This term we're studying colour theory and I for one did not know there was soooo much written about colour - it's truly fascinating - so we've been cutting and pasting and painting and colouring and stitching........

Last week was red and fly stitch.......

This week was blue and french and colonial knots.....

I found out on Sunday that I've been sewing french knots incorrectly - oops - but then I was shown how to do a colonial knot which results in a larger knot, so fills in more space - scores!!!

Next week is yellow and buttonhole stitch, so that'll be interesting.

While I was faffing about today, I made up next month's project for my classes - and we're going to make a zipped, lined pouch - I stuffed up the base though - made it too wide, so will have to make it again - I also have to write the instructions - I'm supposed to be doing that right now but I got distracted ;)

I copied the stylised flower shapes and drew them on the left hand side of the pouch with fabric markers - I messed up placement a bit but I don't think I mind - I really love that floral fabric...unfortunately I now only have a piece about 4" x 11" left :(

WIP Wednesday - well it would be, but now it's Thursday and the link is closed :(

omg - I knew it had been a while since linking up with WIP Wednesday at Lee's, but just saw that the last time was 9th Feb - definately a long time between drinks!

So obviously there's a little bit of creativity going on in the meantime - most of which relates to the Textiles course I'm doing, but I got a few things done outside of that too :)

I have a finish which started about here....

Totally inspired by this

Here's the back........

there's actual sunshine in Melbourne today!

I finished up another quilt...

I'm in the process of adding hand quilting to this next one...

Completed some farmers wife and projects for school, sewing bees and my teaching classes...

I also managed to complete a few quilting commissions on the long-arm too - I'm sure there's more but it's been so long I think I'd be here forever finding all the photos!

Anyway - pop on over to Lee's and check out everyone else's awesome WIP's - huge amount of inspiration out there :)

farmers wife-ing

In between demonstrating making market bags on the weekend, I was able to complete a few more farmers blocks..

from top left, spider legs, spider web, single wedding star
bottom, snowball and spool

I've now completed 84 of the little darlings....27 to go, 27 to go......

Then this morning I finished the next monthly project for my classes - a zipped cushion cover..

the back has a zip with a concealing flap

Don't you just love gigantor stitches!!  I used a fabulous new product that I've been told about to mark the spacing - it's an erasable felt tip called Frixion by Pilot.  I simply drew on the fabric then after I'd sewed my stitches, I quickly pressed with the iron and all the marks disappeared - just like magic.  apparently they will re-appear if the temperature gets below -20c and there's little chance of that in Oz, so we're all good :)....although Melbourne these last couple of days seems to have been hit with an icy blast from somewhere....we've had the open fire going!

Right-i-o then, back to my assignments - have a great week

really supposed to be completing a report for school....so randomly sharing instead...

....but I don't have all the information (it's a collaborative report) and I can't find the spark to get me to start the damned thing......so......to the Blog Batman...

I mentioned a little while back that my Community classes make a project of the month and this month was the Dilly Bag..

The basis of the dilly bag was from the tute kindly shared by Jeni of In Color Order and she graciously let me use it for my Community classes.  I created a small foundation pieced panel for the front so my ladies could practice the skill....and they came up with some gorgeous bags....

a couple decided not to use the panel and someone else decided to create a log cabin block for the centre instead - brill!!

I know there's more completed, which I don't have a photo of yet - but I will take one and share.  Great job ladies :)

The next project will be a zipped and pieced cushion cover - I still need to make up the sample and instructions and hopefully will have my machine back tomorrow.....

I really do need my machine for Saturday and Sunday: Crib Point Community House has a quilt show this weekend (7 Park Rd, Crib Point for those on the Mornington Peninsula this weekend) and I'm going to be demonstrating - I've decided to demonstrate a simple market/tote bag (because it's quick and hopefully won't bore the onlookers!)  and some piecing (which I can use in my sample cushion cover) so I also have to prepare for that - I really would really prefer to sew using my new machine - thank goodness the old one is still available as a back up.....and I'll have to do all the prep today as it's school all day tomorrow (when the report I'm procrastinating about is due..) and my eldest son has just invited us to dinner tomorrow night - that doesn't happen often as he's a baker and works unsocial hours, so we really jump on any chance :) 

I've just re-read that last paragraph and have to say my old english teacher would have put a large red cross through it all and told me to reconstruct according to the rules....

Speaking of large red crosses - another assignment we had for school this week was to illustrate an emotion using a limited colour palette and using chain stitches and french knots.  I am not an embroiderer by any stretch of the imagination and when I finished mine, couldn't decide whether it was anger or lust.....then thought, X marks the spot - surely lust???

I also played about with a technique I found in a book called 'Layers of Stitch' by Valerie Campbell-Harding and Maggie Grey - it's using stained newspaper and fancy machine stitches - it's also the piece I broke my machine on -  The top piece was me practicing my fancy stitches then on the bottom piece, as I changed from normal straight sewing to decorative sewing, I omitted to allow the automatic base plate to reset which allowed the needle to viciously attack the metal underneath - so I had to use the back up machine and I can see the difference - it's really obvious in the text line....love the technique though and will use it again...

Hahaha - hope you're still with me - this is a looong post - who knew I had so much to share!!

Lastly though, I played around with an idea for my folio cover that I started a week or so ago - using a very high-tech tool.......

a piece of cardboard marked in a circle with needle holes and through which you thread a 'web' which you then weave a circle with other threads/wools etc

I was shown this method at a Twisted Threads day I attended on Saturday and thought the sample I made looked like the middle of a gerbera (the flowers in the drawing I used to create the folio cover) so I used it, along with some polyester black fabric, to make a kind of flower.....not really sure about this...I'm thinking I need to FMQ them (great suggestion by Susan - thanks!)....but I'll play around with the idea before I commit either way..

close up of the woven centre.  I used black perle threads as well as a variable red/black and some strange knobbly polyester stuff I acquired at school..

the 'gerberer' on the background - I think it needs to be smaller - and obviously needs a stalk and a couple of other heads :)

Ok - enough already - getting onto that report and my prep for the weekend right now.....well, after lunch....

Class Mug Bag

I teach sewing/patchwork at 2 local Community Houses and we have a project every month - we've actually just kicked it off and the very first project was a little bag to hold your mug - it protects the mug when you take it to class.  I don't know where the pattern originated - I just rejigged the instructions (which were simply typed on a piece of A4 paper) to make them a little easier to understand.  Well, my gorgeous ladies have been beavering away at their mug bags and they've created a riot of colour...

a couple of these weren't quite finished when I took the photo - but they all are now and they're fantastic.  The blue/purple bag on the right has a beautifully embroidered cup of coffee on the front - unfortunately it's obscured by the handle - sorry Barb!

Some opted for a pieced centre - and there was a lot of vintage buttons used - sensational

One lady supersized the dimensions to make a tote bag - the original size is on the right - way to go Mary!

The ladies did a wonderful job - and we're now onto our second project.

The second project takes the dilly bag created by Jeni of In Color Order (and generously shared by her through a tute on her blog) and I've added a foundation pieced panel - the ladies wanted to have a go at foundation pieceing on a small project...

I'm really enjoying the classes - the ladies are wonderfully enthusiastic - and they're very forgiving if how I teach something doesn't work for them - I'm actually searching out all my notes made when learning all about adult education (it was soooo long ago!) so that I can incorporate new methods.  I'm loving my new life!

A project for class

I've left Berdych and Nadal fighting it out at Melbourne Park so I could share what I made today - even though it was 34c!

I'm taking over a couple of quilting groups (from next week!) and last year at the end of term, I asked the ladies via a survey, whether they'd like a project of the month and if so, what types of projects.  The answers in so far indicate it's a goer and one of the ladies gave me a pattern for mug bag that she'd like to make - and several other ladies ticked 'yes' to the question as to whether they'd like to make one too.

So I tried out the pattern (it's one of those that's gone from pillar to post, has been altered all over the place and as a consequence, hasn't been terribly well written)  Anyway, I had a crack, made copious notes (so I can re write it and change a few things myself) and produced this:

It's got pellon and wadding and it's fully lined - and not really my cup of tea (no pun intended) - the fabric has been in my stash forever and my tastes have changed -  but I'll make one more with the changes I want to make and maybe use them as a raffle prize for the classes.

.....and despite the heat, I got out a quilt that's been languishing in the UFO bin (and it's on my winter summer stitching list) and laid it on top of the long-arm ready for pinning - I don't want to pin it just yet though because I had my nails done today (first time I've had a manicure!) and I want them to stay a bit gorgeous for a bit longer..

I had a thing about batiks quite a few years ago - which was when this quilt top was put together - batiks are not so my thing these days - this is a gift for a friend and I'm sure he'll like it..

Just had a quick look at the score and Nadal leads 2 sets to 1 with a break in the 4th.......

WIP Wednesday #10

It's that time of the week again and although I don't always make it, I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced - it's her 1 year anniversary of WIP Linky posts - thanks Lee - a sterling job!!

We have had the mother of electrical and rain storms today - flash flooding, hail and lightning all over the place - it flooded the local community centre where I teach patchwork on wednesday evenings, so those who braved the rain came to my house to sew instead - it's still raining and the pool looks like it's about to overflow - and given the pool pump has seized (the man is coming out on Friday to either fix or replace it), we may be swimming in our beds!!  I'm also just a little concerned about my vegie patch - I was very happy about how things are growing out there, but the hail may have decimated it - I'll have a look tomorrow.

But, onwards and upwards....since the last time I reported on a WIP Wednesday, there has been some progress:

I made more hexies and cut out some 'plain' ones, so now I have 26 - I think another 14 or so and I can start putting them together with sashing - then a couple of borders and the top will be ready.  The hexies are hand pieced, but everything else will be done by machine.

I started and completely finished a quilt that will go into my shop (either at Etsy or Madeit)

Made a few more FWQA blocks (blogged about here)

I'm now over half way on these so that feels pretty good.

I finished a UFO (now in my Etsy shop)

I lined some pouches with my hand dyed fabric, and listed those in my Etsy shop

...and on the Long-arm side, I've quilted one very large charity quilt, a lap size client quilt and loaded a queen size client quilt ready for quuilting tomorrow.

Phew!!

To summarise:

Finished:

Whirleygig II quilt
Nest quilt
3 pouches

Quilts in Progress:

Blanket Box Hexies - total made, 26

4 FWQA - total made, 56

No action at all:

Class Sampler quilt - all blocks completed

UFOUFN's:

Psychedelic tartan - who knows??
Double diamonds - still needs something......
Which way to go - needs quilting
Dancing with the stars - needs quilting
Kimono mini - needs binding
Sashiko qayg - needs finishing!
Red and white challenge - needs properly starting

Please click on Lee's "Freshley Pieced WIP wednesday" button on the right to see what others are up to .....

WIP Wednesday #8

I'm linking up with Lee of Freshley Pieced - thanks Lee

Seems like forever since the last WIP, but it really has only been a week.

Last wednesday evening I taught my first 'real' class at the local community house - it's a continuation of the classes I've been holding in my home but there was another 4 ladies who wanted to join in so it made more sense to move to a bigger premises and formalise the whole process a bit.

For the new ladies, I'm teaching them a basic sampler quilt I designed on Electric Quilt - so of course I had to road test both the blocks and my instructions.  I made all the blocks (12 in all) and wrote lesson plans and hand-outs for the first 2 sessions - this is one of the blocks - I can't quite put my hand on a graphic of the full quilt just at the minute...

I also got a couple of more Farmers Wife blocks completed

Bringing me to 52 - almost half-way

Got another couple of Hexies done - I now have 16 (no photo - next week!) and made a good start on my Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap - just waiting on some feedback from my seceret swap partner and then I can move on - still need to make a couple of tree ornaments to go with this but I know what I'm going to do and thats half the battle.

To summarise:

Finished:

None

Quilts in Progress:

2 more Farmers Wife blocks completed

Blanket Box Hexies - made another 2

Class Sampler quilt - all blocks completed

MCTS - top almost completed

No action at all:

none!!

UFOUFN's:

Psychedelic tartan - who knows??
Double diamonds - still needs something......
Which way to go - needs quilting
Dancing with the stars - needs quilting
Kimono mini - needs binding
Sashiko qayg - needs finishing!
Red and white challenge - needs properly starting
Whirleygig II - needs quilting

Please click on Lee's "Freshley Pieced WIP wednesday" button on the right to see what others are up to