the patchwork dress

suzanne's map

I did this map as a Christmas present for my friend Suzanne - initially had the idea as a birthday gift 1.5 years ago, so it has taken me a while to get round to it!

This map took on a different form from ones I've done in the past.  I liked the idea of using a traditional patchwork hexagon.  After a little research about honeycomb (which is turned on its side vertically) I abandoned my original idea of trying to make a formal pattern.  With the honeycomb as an idea for the build up of a creative life, it took on more of a story.

I started with her birth/childhood place in the middle, and then spiralled out, adding additional hexagons or creative cells, which told of her creative journey - adding in places that had meaning for living, working or visiting - and culminating in some parts from the Isle of Lewis where she buys the tweed for the things she makes.

I stamped out a little bee from one of the hexagons, symbolising the trip on the ferry across to the island that inspires her.

The message is "be(e) creative" - which I proffer to all of you too!

finished

 I have finished this sashiko kit project, at last...

 ... not that I have been rushing it. 

Unlike my job, it doesn't need planning, designing or co-ordinating.  

Just joining the dots, stitch by stitch, a line at a time. 

(As you can see I haven't even got round to ironing it yet!)

 

Just to thread up a needle with a length of sashiko cotton, and do one line - maybe two.  It's just enough... and all gets finished in the end.

Luckily,... I have another kit waiting...
 

 

valentine's day quilt

This quilt for N has been around 4 years in the making, from the time I bought the first fabrics, beginning it 2 years ago, and continuing to develop it in a very organic manner. 

I even blogged about it a year ago today! Somewhere in the middle I got 'the fear' of actually tackling the quilting.  I found it hard to decide what direction to go in, as it is my biggest quilt yet.  Eventually I just 'stitched in the ditch'.  The backing is the same Ikea fabric as the edging, which I only just bought enough to do - but managed to work it out.  The edges of the quilt were sewn by hand.  

I am glad to say that it suddenly felt the right time to finish it off, just in time for Valentine's Day 2010.  I must stop thinking of all the faults and imperfections of this quilt - it's not a show quilt by any means, but it is to have a practical life.

I hope to see it in the garden, on the sofa, on a book reading chair for a long time to come.  A bit like the person it was made for.  He's happy, and relieved that it is finished at last!

 

graphic quilts

here are a couple more quilts that caught my eye at the International Quilt Fair in Birmingham...

this was  a lovely colourful quilt with applique and embroidered shapes & words all to do with eco living.

I also liked this one, beautifully balanced and controlled with lovely stitch detail...

have a great week!

another Birmingham quilt

I liked this too - sashiko stitching on a chintzy background...

fantastic quilts

Last weekend I took a weekend trip down to Birmingham to see the International Festival of Quilts.  I must apologise for the lack of recent posts, and forsee this for the next

month or so - even as I write now after a day off, my eyes are crossing, so will keep this brief.

Here are some of the highlights that appealed to me... the other of course was meeting the lovely Ginny, who has been a blogfriend for some time now.  We had a long chat and a wander through the quilts - and were so absorbed, I totally forgot to take a photograph of our meeting!!  So thank you Ginny for coming all the way - and allowing yourself to be distracted from the quilts for a couple of hours, it was really nice to meet you.

As usual I have failed to take note of the makers of these quilts - above was one of the overall winners - amazing work. 

Below is one of my personal favourites from a collection of Japanese quilts.  So neat! So flat!

This was another that took my breath away.  I think it is the goddess Quan Yin - all handsewn in sashiko

stitching - the quilt is full size.

 

A detail below...

Sorry I am going to have to leave it there - as I am shattered plus my typepad is playing up and I don't have the patience to fiddle with it! - but will post some 'postcard'

images of more quilts over next days.

sticking & stitching

At last I have some new cards and have restocked my etsy shop!  If you are not already familiar with my cards, they are made by 'upcycling' my favourite magazine images into cards and matching envelopes using recycled card for the interior.  The images are non-toxic glued & wrap right round the back of the card, and the envelopes fold round and seal with a sticker - so no glue on them!

I take a long time choosing the images, matching them to their envelopes, getting them really flat, and then finding 4 that go together before they pop in their (now) biodegradable wrapper!  I'm going to add a little detail of a twine tie and small label, for those people who'd like to give them as a handmade gift.

More to come... I feel gift tag making session coming on - watch this space!

In the background there you can just see one of my latest finds from the charity shop...

...this lovely green linen with lilacs embroidered all over - it was a bargain for £3.99 - how could you compare the price with the work that has gone into it?

I have also been doing some sewing with one of the sashiko kits -

it does feel a bit of a cheat, rather like doing dot-to-dot which I used to love as a child.  

It's quite therapeutic just following the stitch marks, and lets me practice and regulate my stitch length. The kit comes doublesided so you are stitching 2 layers together which is quite a nice quality.  I think the pattern would have been quite a complicated one to draw out for a beginner - so actually it is quite a good idea despite my slight guilt.

Now I have to decide whether to do the infill patterns in another colour, or do the whole in turquoise. Hmm.

On the stitchery front I found this book in the Oxfam bookshop on Byres Road.  They have a good used craft section, a whole shelf - even two - filled with embroidery books.  I thought some of the patterns in here were quite cute and bought it for my mum - perhaps with the hope that she might do some of the decorations in there for me! : )

Such as this family of sparrows - who in real life have taken over the garden as a favourite food-stop!

finishing off

This is the last post (distant sound of a bugle) from the Loch Lomond Quilt Show.  

I was particularly impressed by the quilts of Gill Turley which were on show in St Mungo's, Alexandria. Gill uses a mix of reclaimed and new fabrics - the love and care put into her quilts shines through as they are simple, neat and look as if you'd really want to use them!  I also like her colour palette.

Since redoing the bedroom I have been imagining a quilt in cream, reds and blues - using stripes to make up stars... and here (below) she has done it! With my favourite hexagons too.  

I was just realising as I was uploading these pictures - this is a great way to keep pieces that inspire me together on my blog - and perhaps inspire some others in the process!

I am gearing up to make a few things over the weekend, and finish painting outside - so hope to be back with some Patchworkdress makes soon.

Have a great weekend!

retreating & reclaiming

The last 2 weeks have been a bit of a retreat for me - as I couldn't see us getting away for a holiday anywhere, like many will be doing in '09, I holidayed at home for a fortnight - which was great as we had the hottest weather I've known in Scotland for a long time for a consistent week last week!  I really let myself do nothing except that which appealed to me, I would resume activity again this week.

Friends popped in to visit, fitted in a dentist appointment (not quite as appealing), a friend came up from London and we had a nice drive round by Lake of Menteith (the only lake in Scotland - as we arrived it hailed, and a bagpiper strolled the shore by the church there - just an everyday occurrence in a Scottish summer!)

(detail of log cabin quilt '30 of the Best', Jamestown Parish Church, LLQS)

This week I have a 'to-do-list' spread out across an A4 like a patchwork of 'don't want to do's', and 'really must get on withs', so I snuck in a few 'what I'd really like to dos' as well!  Hopefully I can balance between them all.

At the beginning of the year I was looking for some 2 drawer filing cabinets that could hold my writing projects, as they were all stuck in a box under the desk, and not easily accessible.  A couple of weeks ago my friend Susan emailed around to ask if anyone would like 2 x 2 drawer filing cabinets that were going-a-begging.  So a day was spent yesterday tucking it all into suspended files by project - hurrah, I can tick that off my list since January!  

Consequently I unearthed old accounts  that were in storage (I'm never sure if it is 5 years or 7 years you are meant to keep) so have a pile of accounts from 1999! plus some old credit card bills that I am going to shred and make into paper logs to keep us warm this winter.  

Last week I read Karen Kingston's "Clear Your Clutter" - and although I feel as if  have already cleared a lot, it made me want to do more and really get into the nitty gritty of what I don't need and what I am holding on to, that is just sitting around consuming space and energy.  I must also admit I was quite cynical of everyone who jumps on her bandwagon, but the book is very well written - concise, inspiring and in the flow.

The spirit of reclamation is in these logcabin quilts - these last 2 from a vintage quilt that was on show at the LLQS showing the famous Turkey Red fabric that came from this area in the 1800's.

I have one more post from LLQS - the quilts of Gill Turley which were really lovely and inspiring and also using recycled scraps in a beautifully controlled way... coming soon!

patchwork in detail

At last I am getting round to posting about the Loch Lomond Quilt Show which actually ran 20-23 may.

One of my favourite venues was the show of french quilts at Renton Trinity Church.  I didn't even know this church existed.  It is tucked down a little side street and actually has a wonderful energy.  Behind the church the river Leven snakes past in what is otherwise a former industrial setting.

This was such an unexpected jewel in the crown as both the church is very pretty and unusual - with beautiful ceiling, stained glass, and quite a homely, even cosy, feel.  The quilts were exceptional - above is 'Honeycomb' by Marie-Françoise Grégoire which was made up of tiny hexagons (handstitched? I think) - all hung amongst the lovely organ and structure of the church.

I also really liked this detail from a mini-quilt (sorry I forgot to take the name of the maker, and also apologies for fuzzy focus).  Each of those diamonds is approximately 1" wide, and it also looked as if all handstitched.