Bloggers Quilt Festival

Once again a big thank-you to Amy for organising the bloggers quilt festival.
This piece is in the style of kantha - the Indian technique - whilst using other techniques - this type of heavy stitching is soothing to me - it eats fabric like small children eat chocolate - and has a fabulous tactile quality. It is unfinished - it could be stitched to death - but I am unsure about it's destination so it remains in this kind of limbo - I will decide at some point..... I love the way the Caran D'Ache crayons melt - how the colours flood into each other in a slightly unpredicatable way. I don't claim this technique - but adore it's unpredictability.
This was a FAT Follow me blind challenge, the instructions were posted to the group. The piece started around 1 inches square, but has shrunk massively with the stitching. it's around 10 by 12 now.
Now what to do with it? not sure - it's decorative at the moment - I would prefer for it to become functional..... watch this space!

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The start was a piece of plain cotton, which was coloured using Caran D'Ache Neo-colour II crayons, sprit with water. This is my beloved technique - the results are unpredictable and rich.

Writing followed then FME, finally intense hand stitching - using the FME as a border of kinds. There is a second piece of muslin behind (US Calico), but no wadding.

Writing followed then FME, finally intense hand stitching - using the FME as a border of kinds. There is a second piece of muslin behind (US Calico), but no wadding. The text is snippets from the Beatles, Golden Slumbers.... Which suited my mood a lot at that time.....

Hand Drawn Postcards

I signed up for a 'blind' swap of 'black and white postcards' - these are my contribution, drawn in pen on heavy watercolour stock, inspired by the landscape around the cliffs and the agapanthus and verbena in my garden.... will see what comes back....

Shadow box table - Dotee and ATC's

My FAT ATC's (I think one has gone walk about) the prize matchbox and the Same Cloth dotee, all share this section -prize matchbox will get blogged soon.....
Not many sections if the table left now - I had a bit of a play with the table and now have 2 empty sections, for new bits of stuff....

Last Recycled ATC

This is the last of the 5 traded ATC's - from Diana in Ky, featuring Ferreo Rocher foil and cup of all things - very delicate - they will go as a group into the last empty slot in the shadow box table.

Here's one I made earlier...

Here's one I made earlier - really - I whipped this up yesterday afternoon, using the same FME technique as the other little gems piece. They are both winging their way to York for the Little Gems tombola.

Shadow box table - bottle top pin cushions

Yet another section of the table - 3 are mine, the rest have been traded/gifted. Both T2 and I were sick yesterday - whilst a nearly 5 year old can sleep in the shade of the quince tree all day and feel bright the next day - mommy can't.... I didn't do anything today except play catch up from yesterday, and groan about my aching bones - hopefully it'll be gone tomorrow, what ever it is...

Shadow box table - Plus size inchies

Another section of the table - the plus size inchies that I traded a while back - the theme was B.... there is another trade coming up 'what summer means to me', may do that, may not....

Ortanca

So this was the finished 19x18 inch piece, ready for fusing - the flowers were all FME'd on to the base, then fused with Wonder-under.

This is 11 by 8.5 inches (A4) and will go to the QGBI for their Little Gem's tombola at the Festival of Quilts in August - since I have no quilt to exhibit this year, at least I have a piece of work there!

6 of these will go the BQL postcard group - the first group I belonged to nearly 5 years ago.... I feel good that these are done now.....

Silver lining.

Today started off crummy - just 17 degrees and cloudy, then some disappointing news.... but things picked, up the sun came out and I got mail..... good mail - thanks Mr Postie.

From FAT - ATCs from Gretchen, Kristen and Leilenni - they are good - I'm thrilled. I would really like to try sewing with pop cans, but don't have the guts.... one day. 1 more card to come.

I got nearly all the admin for school done today too, including a visit to our new muhtar's office - both the muhtar and the office are new, she gave No3 chocolate - it was quick and painless, everyone was happy.

Incoming mail - ATC's

My first ATC's arrived yesterday - they made great time from the US, from Janice and Normajean, both far nicer in the flesh, Janice's has a rubberised feel to it, Normajean's has fine net over it, need to look back through old FAT posts to see how they made them, 4 more to come!

More is more

In between power outages and weirdness with the ASDL I've managed to work on the ATC's tonight. I chopped them down and fused them onto felt as planned, and now am adding more stitching, beads and sequins we're heading towards a more is more feel!
Today we've been busy enjoying the weather, eating scones and fairy cakes! Scones for the 'Baby Group' my turn to be the hostess with the mostess again - and fairy cakes for the littles - all of them, the small littles this morning, then the twins got to demolish those left over when they got back from school. Why? they were just SO sad that they wouldn't get any of Nana's birthday cake today. So they wanted cake in order to celebrate long distance. They didn't each much tea.

Who stole my day?

OK, not all day, but whilst baby has been napping and once all 3 littles were in bed I've been checking out the links for Amy's online Quilt Festival some 340+ quilters have joined in - quite a lot to look through, there are some fantastic quilts out there and some interesting musical tastes too.

So while waiting for the blogs to load, I've been working on the strip for the ATC's, I'm working towards a 'more is more' idea, but now the base cotton fabric is getting a bit distorted - I know I should have put a stabiliser on the back, but since I plan on fusing them to a felt base, I think I'll do that now and can add the final bits using the felt as a stabiliser, it'll also allow me to work up to the edge knowing that a sequin isn't going to get chopped.... back to the show...

ATC's

I've never made ATC's before, but saw a 'Recycled Spring' trade on FAT, the caveat is not to buy anything to make the spring inspired ATC's - this appealed as it solved the dilemma of what to do with a strip of pink non quilting fabric that has been sitting on my desk since forever... now it's being used, I got some stamps out, bits of 'silk' flowers, and plan to do some hand embroidery on each card, then cut the strip and fuse it to a base and done..... will see - and all without moving a meter from my desk!

The sun is out and littles are in the garden, playing with their new sand for the sandpit - the blossom is starting to drop from the peach tree, but the quince is just gearing up to open - the buds are beautiful twisted drops... but difficult to photograph.

Bottle Cap Pincushions

I got all of these back, I'm only sure where one comes from.
#
This one is so funky, it looks like a 'Walnut Whip' - are they still made? or a Turban on an Ottoman headstone.

This one looks like it's got a palm tree growing out of the top, but they are just little flowers and leaves.

This was my all time favourite of the group. I know this came from Heather in Scotland - we have a mutual friend. It's done on her embellisher then all the beads etc by hand, it's like a fake cake - it does have a red heart on the base, very cute...
I heard from a quilting friend that I've not seen for 9 years - I hope to meet her tomorrow - so maybe no blogging.... maybe some interesting photos - 3 littles can do quite a bit of 'damage' to a 5* hotel lobby, plus it's baby's first birthday - party will happen later.

Bottle Cap Pincushions

These were made back in December 07



These 3 were made in March 08.

I joined a couple of trades for bottle cap pincushions way back when, I used Coke bottle tops - they are really quite easy to make, and oh so cute. Pictures tomorrow of some of the ones I got back. It's been humid and heavy all day. I pulled out some silk to make the BQL August bag, measured how big a zip I need from the big haberdashers in Osmanbey tomorrow - putzed around, done very little apart from the necessary - just too un comfy. Where is that rain - the grey thick clouds are hanging over us, it was dark at 7.45 tonight, we need rain.