Far too long a blog.

The Northern Ireland Patchwork Guild are having an exhibition in Belfast City Hall next month. The title is Cultural Heritage.

I am leaving it a bit late, but after a bit of thought and a lot of procrastination, I have decided to enter a piece.

I may not make it in time for the deadline, but I will give it a go.

During our summer holiday we spent a day in the Somme area of France. We visited Thiepval War Memorial.

And Hamel Military Cemetary, where my Great Grandfather William Powers is buried.

He died 1st July 1916, first day of the Battle of The Somme.

We took a few grave rubbings.

Cultural Heritage... Remembering our war dead.

Today I started experimenting with ideas for a textile piece. Probably a small piece as time is against me.

This is a kind of tracing of a grave rubbing onto white cotton which had some acrylic paint applied to it.

Too messy. Don't like this.

I traced onto tissue paper, pinned the paper to cream cotton and stitched around the letters.

Then I painted inside the stitching with textile paint.

I don't like this effect either. Still too messy

The numbers have been traced then outlined in pen and painted with textile paint.

This is ok. But not great.

I tried it on grey fabric, and painting the space around the numbers. I think I like this, it looks more like the stone of the headstones.

I want to use the symbol of the cross in the piece. Here I have used a poster, cut out the cross shape and   scrunched the paper to distress it.

I have this poster, and want to use it in the piece. Cutting cross shapes with the images of the faces perhaps.

So that's as far as I got.

I also went to the allotment this afternoon.

Yes the courgette is huge. 

The first sweet pea, but there are so many flowers just about to bloom.

There are a lot of weeds too. Sunday will be weeding day. I wasn't in weeding mood today so they got a reprieve.

This is far too long a blog. 

xx

Festival of Quilts 2013.

I bought some delicious fabric at Festival of Quilts.

Carnaby Street from Art Gallery Fabrics,

Scamper for birch fabrics,

a lovely batik

and Wildflower Wood by Lynette Anderson Designs.

I spent Thursday and Friday of last week in Birmingham at the Festival of Quilts.

Thursday was the spending day and the oohing and aaahing at the fabrics.

Then Friday was inspiration day, looking at the quilts on display. 

Here are a few of many wonderful quilts...

Linda Colsh.

Second Hand.

Bethan Ash

Dorothy Caldwell.

How do we know when it's night?

Winner of Fine Art Quilt Masters 2013.

Eszter Bornemisza's work was beautiful.... some of her work and some details....

 Ineke Berlyn

Lesley Brankin

I really liked the straight line stitching. It's called Horizon II.

Vineta Cable, Light Uncovered.

"This work explores the ever changing nature of beauty and is inspired by Hinton St Mary mosaic, one of the earliest works of art depicting Christ"

detail...

Janie Harvey-Douglas.

A Slight Murmur of Starlings.

Unfortunately photography was forbidden in the exhibition space of Willy Doreleijers. She is a dutch textile artist and her work inspired and moved me the most.

www.willydoreleijers.nl/

go to portfolie to see her beautiful work.

Oh my goodness I want a piece on my wall.

I haven't picked up a pin or turned my sewing machine on for over a month.

So I should be fully charged for some serious sewing then.

xx

Up-cycling bag.

Ok first things first, in my last post I wrote "wondered about" instead of "wandered about".

The kind of mistake I would give off about if I read it.

Apologies.

So this is my second post today.

As planned I up-cycled a pair of trousers and an unloved shirt.

I followed the Reversible Tote class which is a free on Craftsy at the moment.

www.craftsy.com

Just search "Reversible Tote" and it will come up.

So simple.

The pocket here is the breast pocket off the shirt.

The inside/ reversible side.

The fabrics are soft and give the bag a lovely slouchy feel.

It is lined with a colourshott fabric from Oakshott.

It has already been to Tesco and the allotment with me.

x

Starring the mug bag. thank you mum xx

Last week I went to london for a few days, and wondered about whilst my hubbie was working. 

We walked from Victoria Station to our hotel at Charing Cross which just happened to bring us past HRH's place.

Turquoise mosaic mask Mixtec-Aztec AD 1400-1521

The British Museum is amazing and free!

I also went to the National Portrait Gallery to see the annual BP Portrait Award.

Then because I felt I had covered the cultural bit fairly well I spent the rest of the time shopping.

Liberty fabric and haberdashery department, yummy, but too expensive.

I did buy some fabric on sale at half price in John Lewis though.

This week it was my birthday and I got some lovely pressies.

Look at this beautiful mug bag my mum made me, to transport my mug to Patchwork Guild meetings and sewing classes in style.

The sewing machine design on the front is hand stitched.

The scissor pattern above it is from her fancy sewing machine.

I just loved it as soon as I saw it.

There is even a lid to keep my new birdie mug which was in the bag warm and cosy.

She went to a lot of effort. xxx

I made another zipper pouch from my Craftsy free class.

Today I am going to up-cycle an old shirt and pair of trousers that were destined for the charity shop.

I will post again later to let you know how I get on.

Stupid planes.

Armed Forces Day in Carrickfergus.

I just have to tell you about the Red Arrows.

They flew over Carrickfergus on Saturday for Armed Forces Day.

I'm not usually into planes and metal things with engines... more of a bird, hedgehog, patchwork kind of a girl.

But they were amazing.

The noise and speed and grace... I felt emotional watching them.

Enough about stupid planes.

I made this yesterday. A pencil case/makeup bag.

It's about 8 inches by 6 inches, or slightly bigger.

Really chuffed with it, especially as it took less than an hour to make and the zip was easy peasy to do.

There was glue involved.

I am going to make a hundred more.

The project is free on Craftsy, and the tutor is Kristin Link.

Go to the Craftsy website  www.craftsy.com

and type in zipper pouch in the search option.

There are a few free sewing classes available.

And actually on this same free tutorial there is a reversible tote project.

xx

Thinking about making.

OOOPs

It's been about 3 weeks since I posted last.

But I haven't really been doing any sewing.

Blame the sun that came and stayed a surprisingly long time, then went away again. Far away.

Then there's the allotment. I have been there a lot pulling up weeds and planting stuff.

And the flaffing about, cleaning, talking to the chickens, reading (during the day!!),walking the dogs. Doing all the things that fill a day, but when you look back at your day you wonder what you've actually done.

I have read 3 books in the last few weeks.

Recommend Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn.

This is where I am with Beth's quilt. I think I am going to put some white sashing between each block and then applique a circle in the centre of each pinwheel.

I have also been making some circles. These are coming to France on holiday for a bit of hand applique.

Onto what I don't quite know yet.

Maybe something like this on a plain background, with machine quilting in spirals.

A cushion?

Or bag?

I also want to start work on a series of bird inspired pieces. 

Or coastal? Which would also include birds.

Feeling inspired.

My friend Joanne, from Dojo Designs, gave me this beautiful trinket as a thank you for the three bags I made for her daughter and two friends.

I absolutely love it.

The slate is about 3 inches in height.

Made by Tracey Beattie at Crafty Coast.

And look at this piece of wonderfulness.

This little sheep was made and given to me by Jenny.

Jenny is the mum of Evan, a gorgeous baby in work. 

She distracts me all day because she's into sewing and knitting and dress making.

So he stands on my dash board chewing the cud with the tortoise my son bought for me in France.

So even though not much sewing, lots of craft and making, and thinking about making.