What a couple of weeks!

Ella with her new friend Sasha

Well, there has been quite a lot of sewing which I can't show you, as well as some knitting. The sewing cannot yet be shown since it is ready to be unveiled later this week. It is the result of the colour challenge which I organised for NWCQ. I shall post photos after Thursday.

The biggest change over the past few days is that we are now a two dog household. Can I introduce Sasha. She joined Ella in our house just a week ago and has been settling in well. She was a rescue and is around three years old. As you can see she is a similar size and weight to Ella who is a Husky-Akita cross. Sasha appears to be an Akita-Alsatian cross.

Rosamund

My waistcoat is nearing completion. I am just knitting around the border at the moment. The plastic safety pins are showing the positioning of the buttonholes which will be made in a few more rows time. With 712 stitches on my circular needles this is proving to be a bit of a marathon. The pattern asks for a long knitted strip rather than a knitted on border. However, this will work better with my remaining yarn. As you can see I have only knitted two rows of the navy and am continuing with the turquoise. I have just about enough of the navy left to do a final row and also the cast off.

I have also been involved with an exhibition. You can see photos of the stand here.

Not much sewing this week.....

Ella in the summerhouse

I've been rather busy helping with the construction of a summerhouse down at the bottom of the garden. Ella is acting as organiser ensuring her meals are on time.

Papers and dyecatchers for bookmaking

One of the textile groups I go to is having a session working on altered books in November. Since I really cannot bear the thought of damaging or working into a printed book I decided to make my own instead. I have brought out all my dyecatchers and dyed papers to see what I can do. Since there has been no time this week to start anything,  it has remained in a heap. I'm looking forward to seeing what shape of book I end up with. The papers were dyed since they were used to wipe excess dye from boxes I had been cleaning out after a dyeing session. They were far too interesting to be consigned to the bin.

The growing crochet cushion cover

The crochet cover continues to grow. It is surprising just how much work can continue on a portable project like this.

Rowan knitting patterns by Martin Storey

My elder daughter and her husband were up this weekend and a jumper was requested. I brought out my latest knitting magazines and books and the pattern chosen was "Hearth" from the Rowan "Pioneer" collection. Knitted in a Super Chunky yarn, it really shouldn't take too long to make. However, it is always dangerous for me to pick up the knitting needles again. I know I shall start planning other knitting projects........ This is such an interesting book with some very nice patterns.....

The chosen pattern

 Yes, I did get some stitching done, but only some handstitching. I took this piece along to another group and worked quite happily on it before going back to get some of the crocheted cushion hexagons completed.

Hand stitched sampler destined to become a cushion cover

Another of the groups I go to will be having a cushion tombola in 2016. I thought I would get a head start and use some of my samplers up, turning them into the tops for cushion covers. This first one doesn't feel finished yet, But this next one is almost ready.

A hand stitched sampler - another future cushion cover

Sewing and knitting

September JQ - Ella

It has been quite a busy week. I managed to nearly get up to date with my journal quilts, finishing two of them. The third one, November is languishing on my workbench this evening since I have been so busy getting other things done today. I have promised myself that I shall get it stitched tomorrow. It is another section of the same map that I have been putting together over the past few months.

October JQ - another section of the map

It might seem daft to stitch a map in sections like this, but the intention is to get all twelve of the journal quilts put together in some way. I haven't quite decided how this will be achieved yet, but they will need to be held carefully together so that all the bits of the map link up. It shows the areas where I go walking with Ella.

Speaking of Ella, the September Journal Quilts was achieved by printing an outline drawing of Ella onto silk. The outline was taken from a photo which I took some time ago. The colouring in was done after the silk had been printed and left to dry. I used some colouring pencils, trying to keep as close as possible to the colours of the original photo. It would have been so much simpler to have merely used a photograph printed onto silk. I just wanted a different, matt, texture. The background was first painted and then stencilled before the image of Ella was appliquéd using bondaweb.

Sky's the Limit quilt for November - Hand Out / Handout

The last quilt completed this week was this one for the monthly Sky's the Limit group. The theme this time was "Hand out". For this I used a piece of fabric which I dyed some months ago and was not happy with. It had been lying in my "fabric to be used for printing" pile for some time and was perfect for this. I have written phrases in the style of a dictionary, putting together some of the meanings of "Handout" and "Hand out". Hence the title. The hand is an outline printed onto silk which has had the words "Handout" written repeatedly over it in permanent marker. This has been bondawebbed in place onto the background. The whole has then been free machine quilted with a hand design in variegated thread. This was simply achieved by drawing around both my hands, scanning this image into my computer, reducing it in size. This was then printed out and the resulting print used to trace the design repeatedly onto a thin tissue. I then stitched through this joining the hand images so that the whole was stitched continuously. Good fun!
Oh yes, I finished my jumper too. I've worn it as well. Very cosy and comfortable. I forgot to take a photo, so that will have to wait until another time.

Making a book and looking forward to changes.

MCAL in progress.

Over the past month I have been working steadily on my crochet piece. So far it is 30 inches long and almost 20 inches at the widest point. I am just about half way to completion, I think. This will make a useful shawl/wrap for chilly evenings around the house. It should also look quite nice on the back of one of the chairs. It started off as a Mystery Crochet-a-long, hence the "MCAL" in the photo caption. I will never gain any prizes for my crochet technique, but I am quite pleased with this and it is a really enjoyable alternative to knitting and is giving my achy elbow a much-needed rest.

I'm also busy with a textile book at present, but apart from letting you know it is being prepared for a show and tell display to take place in October, I really can't divulge more. Photos of the book will come after that meeting in mid October.

Apart from this, I have to start planning a move in my workroom. In a few days time I will be having a new door fitted and it will mean tidying my room and making space for workmen.................. eeeeeek! No matter, the resulting door will be well worth all the effort of sorting out my muddle of a room. But, if you are reading this, do wish me luck. My main concern for the moment is finding somewhere safe for my sewing machines to keep them away from the dust which is bound to invade my space. I can always wash my fabric collection. Special fabrics are already in boxes with fitted lids. I shall not bore you with more, but photos will be taken of the work in progress and also once it is all finished.

I nearly forgot. There has been a lot of sewing going on too. I managed to get the next four of my journal quilts uploaded in time, so I can now continue the project until the end of the year. Such a relief since I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the stitching finished in time. The first of these you may have already seen.

May - a journey to Prague was the inspiration here. 

 The purple wristband is my identification tag from the Prague Patchwork Meeting in Prague which took place in April. The background is a print, on silk, of one of the tourist maps form our trip.

June - a continuation of the map sequence.

July - another of the sequence of maps.

August - walking with Ella. 

This piece shows my dog, Ella, wearing her doggie back pack on one of our walks. It holds her water bottles, treats and bowl in one pannier while the other holds a flask of coffee for me. The Blue Bridge carries a dual carriageway over the River Weaver. The paths beneath the bridge are a favourite with the local dogwalkers, joggers and cyclists. The river is busy too with a wealth of wildlife, wildflowers and trees along this length. It is a haunt for the local fishermen and women, canoeists, as well as the boaters who travel through.

The 12 journal quilts - work in progress.

This photograph shows a mockup of how most of the year's journal quilts will look. I need to start work on the September journal quilt, before completing the remaining two map sections. I am undecided about the last JQ. It will probably show some of the local trains. The background to September will show the river and boats. The main issue is, do I start work on September before sorting out my workroom, or do I wait until the dust has literally settled and my room is clean once more. Can anyone advise me?

Here's hoping for more sewing this week!

Ella, wearing her back pack.

Well, I haven't managed to get any sewing done over the past two weeks. Once the costumes were finished it was time for play week. A brief weekend away and I am itching to get on with some stitching of my own. I've managed to fit in a couple of mending tasks - a tear in a trouser leg, repairing the hem of another pair. Nothing very exciting and not really what I want to be doing.

Bluebells in the local woods.

If nothing else, I did manage to fit in a daily walk with Ella. Being a Husky/Akita cross, she really does need a couple of good walks a day. My morning walks tend to be at least 3 miles in length, with the route changing each morning. We are very lucky to have some wonderful walking tracks around here. All are walking distance from my front door as well!

The Bluebells have been magnificent this Spring. A delicate bluey-purple haze. Sadly, they have all but finished for this year. However, I did manage to get some photos.

Just in case you are wondering, Ella is carrying her own water bottles and a collapsible water bowl in her "back pack". She does get rather thirsty when the mornings are warm as they have been recently.
I did have a lovely visit with a friend yesterday afternoon - we talked textiles. A really enjoyable chat. It really got me excited about the idea of getting back to playing with textiles once more. The soldering iron and heat gun I had ordered recently arrived in the post today ready for some experimentation. I am going to be playing with the effect of heat on fabrics, as well as getting some printing done. I ordered some new woodblocks for blockprinting, as well as restocking my collection of fabric paints. These have now arrived.... lots of fun to be had!
Bye for now.

Costumes finished......... I hope!

stitched birds

Play Week starts next week. This evening will be the dress rehearsal, with setting up the hall this afternoon. This morning saw me stitching the last few birds onto the jacket I made for the last rehearsal on Thursday evening. You can see the birds I made above this text. They are made from three layers of different sheer fabrics backed with stitch'n'tear.

stitching the birds

I stitched on the back of each bird following lines drawn onto the stitch'n'tear. The needle had a backing thread while the bobbin held the embroidery thread - a rayon variegated thread called Mirage by Wonderfil. A lovely thread to work with. I shall definitely be using it again.

the bird jacket

This is the finished jacket, a tulle base with cream satin bias binding at the hems. A very simple box shape since the main impact on the jacket are the birds. The dress beneath belongs to the actress.

the back of the bird jacket

It has been a rather hectic few weeks since my last visit to this blog. I have been mostly busy with the costumes for "Glorious". This is a play which will be performed by Moulton Drama Group for whom I am currently doing the costumes. Despite my pessimism in the last post here, I did manage to get most things done. I still haven't done anything for the Sky's the limit challenges, or either of the textile books I am committed to finishing. They will just have to wait. Since the end of March the following things have happened:
Prague - 4 - 6th April -  I took quilts to the 8th Prague Patchwork Meeting. There were 98 quilts in total. The main collection was the Horizons collection from the Contemporary Quilt Group, with 30 quilts from the Traditional Group (these were their Suffragette quilts) and 21 miniature quilts from the Miniature Group. A further collection of five quilts was bought along by Nava, my colleague who, with her husband and my own husband helped carry all the quilts and hang them. All the groups are members of The Quilters' Guild of the British Isles, and we were their representatives at the Meeting. A really interesting, and exhausting experience.
Portsmouth - 11 - 13th April -This was The Quilters Guild annual Conference and AGM. A very busy weekend, but so enjoyable to meet quilting friends again.
After this I got home and was able to finally concentrate on the costumes, stitching furiously. The palazzo pants and their waistband all got completed, but I forgot to take any photos. I also made two cravats which I also forgot to take photos of. These will probably be returned to me a some stage and I shall take photos then. I also altered an apron I made several years ago based on a 1940's nurses apron which had belonged to my aunt.

apron altered

I removed the original waistband since it no longer fitted me and did not fit the actress who would be wearing it. This has been replaced by a white waistband and some ties with the straps now attached to the ties at the back.

back of the altered apron

The spanish dress also got finished. There are 15metres of fabric in each of the lower flounces. Two sewing machines decided they had had enough during the making. One of these is now up and running again, but the second will have to go in for repairs!

The almost finished spanish dress shown in the last blog post. The pins have now gone and the dress is hanging waiting for use in the play.

The biggest project for this production was the white dress. This is for the final scene and is worn with a pair of wings made from cardboard, gold paint and gold tinsel. I forgot to take any photos of the finished dress, but this is the muslin. I made up half the dress to check the fit before starting on the whole dress. This has now been completed and is currently in the collection of costumes awaiting the dress rehearsal later today. Yes, it does now fit. The actress asked for the long princess style sleeves.

muslin of the white dress

I did manage to get my two journal quilts completed for the Contemporary Quilt JQ challenge. It was important to get these finished since otherwise I would not be able to continue with the challenge this year. I am not convinced these are completely finished, but will continue to work on them and also get started on the next JQs in the sequence. The theme I am using this year is "Journeys". My first two showed a walking boot and a map. This time I have continued with the map. The March quilt is intended to be seen alongside the February quilt so that this map is a continuation of the earlier one.The April quilt shows my car, another in my sequence of modes of transport used this year in my journeys.

March Journal quilt

April Journal Quilt

Apart from everything else, I have been spending some time in the garden during some really lovely weather we have had here. As you can see, Ella got into the spirit of everything, digging rather a large hole.

Ella digging

Lastly, some photos of the garden showing some of the flowers and the blossom on our fruit trees.

Narcissi

blossom in the garden

apple blossom

Sewing, stitching, knitting and taking the dog for a walk.

Ella wearing her new backpack.

Ella has a new backpack which we took out on her walk this morning. She is just getting used to wearing it. 

Ella.

The nice thing was that it really didn't seem to trouble her at all. There is nothing bar a few plastic bags in these pockets. I won't be adding any weights until she is quite happy with wearing this backpack. She will only carry about ten percent of her own bodyweight - this will be around 5lbs at most. The intention is to use this for long walks where she can carry some water and a collapsible dog bowl. I'm getting a backpack of my own for a flask, snacks and my camera.  

A frosty puddle.

Frosted leaves.

A chilly morning, it was lovely to see the patterns made by the overnight frost.

Small pot holder.

Collection of pot holders nearing completion.

Yes, there has been some sewing completed. I am playing around with pot holders at the moment since I managed to find some insulated wadding a while back. Oven gloves are really not all that useful at times and I have always wanted something a little smaller. The square ones didn't have a pattern, however you can find the pattern for the oval shaped ones here: http://www.lovella.ca/2011/03/fintgertip-pot-holders.html

A new pair of socks.

This pair of socks is being knitted from a pattern I go to regularly. It is Wise Hilda's Basic Ribbed Socks. You can find the link to the pattern on Ravelry.

The Etui pattern.

Lastly, I am working on this delightful kit by Sue Hawkins. It really is lovely to work on during the evening, especially since I have a really powerful little lamp I can use to light up the area where I am working.

Natural colours and having fun with dyes

Colours around my garden

I really should have written this post a couple of weeks ago, but I found myself far too busy to post anything here. These photos were taken on the 17th November, they day after I had been on a dyeing day with the Weekend group. This group is really called "Textiles without limits" and they have a blog which can be found here.

Walking around the village

Going for a walk with Ella - just look at those legs!

Colours around my garden

The dyeing session was huge fun. Many of the other members of the group had been to a previous session where they had been doing some shibori - preparing fabric ready for dyeing.

My collection of freshly dyed fabrics

I hadn't been able to go to that meeting, but I was able to try out some of the ideas since Leah had given us a link to an amazing blog called "And then we set it on fire". I copied some of the ideas there to try out with my own fabrics. As you can see I did get through rather a lot of fabric, to say nothing of bulldog clips, those clips used to clip on freezer bags, string and washers. I had a lot of fun and will share the before and after photos in my next Blog post. 

Dressmaking again, again

Finished dress.

Well, I finished the dress this week. I was really quite pleased with the fit. It is rather a good design which I shall definitely be making again. I shall probably do one of the sleeved versions next.

Dress with jacket - this will be trimmed with offcuts from the dress.

This is the simple black jacket I intend wearing over the dress. It just needs trimming since it is rather a drab piece of clothing otherwise. It started out as one of those tops with a false top beneath. I cut off the false piece since I found it rather ugly, and I really found myself wondering why I had bought the piece in the first place.

Bits and pieces waiting to be put together.

Jacket awaiting trimming.

I finally managed to take a photo of the two animals together. This was their evening meal. Luckily, last night was much cooler and they were really hungry, so they were quite happy to ignore me as I took photos. Both animals are really getting on quite well now. Ella is a little cautious of Coco, whilst Coco tolerates Ella's presence in the house.

Tea time.