The cobbler’s children……

You might be tempted to ask why, if sewing is my hobby, my elder son went to school on the last day of term with a blazer in this state?  The saying about the cobbler’s children comes to mind.

Four letter word

Some interesting stencils in “The Street Art Stencil book” inspired this month’s Contemporary Quilt group monthly challenge mini-quilt. Markal painsticks used to stencil on top of shibori, indigo dyed old sheets. I really like the way this colour is transparent, and lets the underlying dyed marks show through the stencilling.   Hand quilted with large stitches, and then outlined with hand quilted back stitch ( Jacqui Harvey method).

Upside down, inside out, back to front……thank goodness for Youtube

I have never been good at visualising a geometric drawing or object as it could be seen from a different angle.  Therefore, there are some quilting techniques that will take me so much effort to master, that I’ll just pass them by for now.

However, the latest quilt, for a good friend, needs a more professional binding than usual, so I turned to the “ continuous quilt binding” instructions in several of my books.  All went swimmingly until it got to the part about joining the two, long, flapping ends.  After about an hour: putting bits together in different orders, sewing them together,  ripping them out ; putting bits together in different orders, sewing them together,  ripping them out …………. I turned to Youtube.

This video, by Bailey was easy to understand and the binding looks perfect.

No pics yet, as this a gift and is not the design the recipient is expecting.

Resistance is futile

Missing Morley ( term has finished) I wanted to try some Procion dyeing using some of the resist techniques that I learned on the course.  I think,however, my dye stock has gone off, as these two pieces are supposed to be a deep , periwinkle blue.  While the masking tape resist has worked , the stitched resist shows almost no “resist” , so perhaps the thread was too fine.  Back to the dyeing board.

On another note, how can it take 1.5 hours on the phone and on the web to find out if a tap is compatible with a gravity feed domestic system?  Before today, I didn’t even know that technical term.

Postcards for summer

Fabric postcards swaps are a phenomenon in the on-line textile world.  The theme is defined, a date is chosen, swapping groups are set-up and off we all go in to our stashes of fabric.  I don’t take part in many, due to time constraints, but this one I really enjoyed.

The theme was “your favourite weather”.  Bonded fabrics, stacked and slashed, then recombined with a bit of bling on the top, then machine quilted. Trying to represent the heat and shimmering haze of a London urban summer, (which hasn’t been felt much so far this year.)

 

The pattering of tiny feet……

 

won’t be heard in our house for the next two days, as both boys are off on independent trips with their respective schools. An insight in to the future, I think.  I can always put on one of their playlists, very loud, if it seems too quiet.

Morley Makinui

Amidst the minor complexities of modern life: relatives being admitted to hospital as emergency cases due to self-induced causes; dog diagnosed with hayfever; moth infestation found in the carpet, Morley activities manage to soothe the mind.

Last week’s trial of makinui shibori, led to this beautiful result.  Picking out the stitches became a restful activity in itself, once I had settled to it, and stopped cursing it for being such a slow process.

Cotton poplin, about 12 “ square, top side, not ironed yet

Underside