Sunday 30 September 2012

October theme

Tomorrow the new month starts and that also means a new theme for our group. This time it will be  Opposites. Think about opposites in color, in shape, in size. But there are also opposites in character, like for instance the timid tiny mouse and the huge loud elephant. No doubt you can come up with other ideas as well :-). Good luck to you all, I am interested to see what you can create with this theme.

Days of wine, roses and castles


This small quilt recalls some very happy memories of when my daughters were young. We had a boat and travelled the canals during the summer holidays. As a family we had huge fun with "Cats Paw", which we kept for  several years. We sold the boat when we moved house twenty years ago.
The photos featured here date from 1990 and our summer holiday that year. The small figure on the back of the boat with me is my younger daughter, then aged 6.
I should explain, that the "roses and castles" of the title refer to the style of decoration on narrowboats on the canals in England and Wales. The decoration on "Cats Paw" is not really quite in the same tradition - I preferred to paint cheerful daisies. I must also apologise for the dreadful photograph. I shall try taking another photo once the weather improves here - the daylight is so dull at the moment.

Friday 28 September 2012

The road to .......

This is my contribution for Road Maps and I called it 'The road to .....'. Maybe a sign post or a road map would help deciding where this road is :-). My inspiration source for this quiltlet was a detail of a painting by David Hockney. I used some hand dyed fabric in combination with commercial fabric.
Using this same color palet with some additional fabric I also created a giraf quilt. Well actually it is only a top right now, it still needs to be quilted.

Thursday 27 September 2012

This month my husband and I did a whirl-wind trip to Texas.  Driving straight through there (1,100 miles one way) and straight through back (another 1,100 miles). The reason - my dad's memorial service.  All this in 5 days.  So Road Map was an appropriate theme for me this month.  And due to this long road trip to my home state, to my parents land where my dad's ashes are now buried, I've chosen to title this piece:

The Long Road Home

So, I went quite literal this time. White cotton background (just like a real map) The roads, county lines, road numbers,  railroads, rivers, etc are stitched. I then painted in the colors of the different roads and the river with Pigma Brush Pens.

As you might remember...I started this month's challenge with a whole different direction.  But it grew too big (20 X 20). Here is a link to my art blog if you want to see the final outcome of the big piece: http://kellyartist.blogspot.com/2012/09/and-it-grew-and-grew.html



Tuesday 25 September 2012

Red, Red, Wine

A new month and a new challenge, this time to use new techniques! 1983 saw UB40 in the charts with Red, Red, Wine, a song written and originally performed by Neil Diamond, one of my all time favorites so how to interpret it onto fabric was the question!.
Yet more hand dyed fabric ( I love it!) but this time with the addition of heat transfer photos, one of the wine and bottle and the second of the mirror frame.  I then made a poly chiffon rose and burnt around the edges to create a curl but having overdone it, I was forced to add some silver paint to cover up the black marks!!!!
Finally I used my machine programmes to add wording ( Sweet love) and a rose pattern to finish off. Most of our machines have these wonderful patterns these days and I am training myself to incorporate them into various pieces of work.
Oh, I forgot to say the central grey piece of fabric is a bamboo/silk mix and is a real find from Whaleys, dyes beautifully and as the reverse takes the dyed differently you get two fabrics for the price of one, always a bonus.
Welcome to our new members, it's good to see a group expanding.
Ann B

Wednesday 19 September 2012

New Plan

OK...so I'm working on this Road Map quilt with the maps covered with sheer silk. I'm having so much fun with it that it has WAY outgrown a 12 X 12!! And I like it too much to cut it down....

So....I guess I'm going to have to come up with something else for the Road Map Challenge. (putting my thinking cap back on...)

I'll post a photo of the finished bigger art quilt when it is done just so you can see what my vision WAS.....

Wednesday 12 September 2012

Inspiration Locations

OK after chuckling at Irene's comment about mulling over ideas while poking around in her compost, I got to thinking about where I am when I get a lot or most of my inspiration...or when art pieces being mulled over fall into place. Soooooo I was thinking it might be fun to ask all of you where/when you seem to have most of your Eureka! moments. Just click on comment below and let us know about that part of your creative process!!

As for me (guess I should start it since I asked the question....)

I love to take hot morning baths and soak until I actually become an awake and functioning human being. During that time of the morning, somewhere between half-asleep and half-awake, it is like my mind is on auto-pilot. That is when synapses not joined before connect and an idea or concept is either born or clarified.  AND I get all prune-like....lost in the creative process......  OK...TMI??

Now, you CAN'T feel intimidated to share after all can you?

No More PESKY NUMBERS

Thank you Wil for your sorting our site,  not having to cope with the pesky numbers thing is fantastic. Although not colour blind I find it much easier to read all the information on the RHS of the page.

I would also like to comment Wil on how quickly you respond to suggestions and requests.

Irene in a wet, as usual  for this summer, morning!

Tuesday 11 September 2012

Not getting it done!

Hi everyone, just to say I am getting there with the Days of Wine and Roses but have been interrupted by the need to garden, we have a chain of allotment and the weeds  wait for no man!  My piece is all laid out on the table ready to start stitching but I am off to Carrefour de Patchwork in Alsace tomorrow morning until Sunday so will try really hard to get it finished early next week - I promise!!!
Is the road one to be finished by the end of September as well?  I appear to have lost the thread just a little.
Love the work you are all doing and keep it coming please.
Ann B

Road Map - Just the beginning - Kelly

Just completed the beginning of my Road Map quilt.  Thought I would post a photo of this first step so you can see how it started.  This is just the photo of the completed step 1...the process is described on my art blog:  www.kellyartist.blogspot.com.


We are leaving Thursday for a trip to attend my dad's memorial service. Will return on the 17th. I doubt I will have it totally completed before we leave but should have no problem getting it done by the end of September!

Pesky numbers and letters

I do not understand why sometimes I have to go through trying to decipher numbers and letters when I wish to post a comment. Much to my surprise I was able to add comments to pieces this morning without the pesky scribbles. I assume it is to do with whether I am logged in but I am always unsure as to whether I am or not as I have to log into various email address because I sort emails for a number of organisations that I am involved in. I always know when I am signed into any of them.

The previous time I tried to post a comment here I think I had about 7 trials of reading the scribbles before I was successful. The more frustrated I got the more I felt I would persevere until I read them correctly. You can imagine my surprise when they went up straight away.

I am looking forward to seeing all the new pieces yet to be posted.
Irene MacWilliam enjoying a sunny day in Northern Ireland with buzzards mewing outside the house.

my piece for the 'road map' theme






This month's theme made me think of traffic on the road, so I came up with this piece. I often work like this, a simple design, using raw edge applique. But I think simple can be effective, too!

Friday 7 September 2012

Days of wine and roses

This photo is Hilary's piece which she was unable to add to the site. Her last post gives details of the images and items on this quilt. It is a delightful mix which includes printed photographs, and badges.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Days of wine and roses

This is my quilt using inspiration  from the preceding words- they are not long........
        I have tried to show the passing of the years,using photos of my Mother as a girl,a young woman ,on her wedding day and as a mum with me and my sister.
        The piece is machine quilted with added brooches and badges that had belonged to Mum.
              Regards Hilary.

Tuesday 4 September 2012


I pondered for a long time on this theme. I could not get any angle on it that appealed to me so I eventually decided to have two rose plants growing in the shape of a wine glass, with out-turned thorns suggesting that it would not be nice to handle. They are silhouetted against a grey evening sky. Life is not all wine and roses it has its prickly side! There is one wine red rose in the wine glass, a loose scribble that is thread painted, I was thinking of Mackintosh’s roses.

I did not intend to have a wonky wine glass. Just shows I do not do enough planning. I just launch into a piece. I wish I could be more careful.
Free machine work.

Monday 3 September 2012