How long does it take to make one?

This question is asked often by non-stitchers. I wonder if painters and sculptors are asked the same question, or is it just understood that those art forms have their own timescale, and it may take years for a piece to be considered as finished.

I am asking myself this question as I will soon return to Eigg a year after my first visit, and realise that I am still piecing the “waves” inspired by the colours of the sea there.

Placed on a re-purposed linen sheet, I hope i will finish enough arcs of the waves to finish this quilt when I come back.

Treasures from nature

I am back from a rejuvenating week in Ceredigion, staying in an Edwardian railway carriage, directly on the coastal path. Mixed weather, from glorious sunshine

 

to rain

to freezing fog

but with enough opportunities to gather some treasures from nature

and marvel at textures and colours

The human quilt stand

While quilting the blue splash, I applied some of the lessons from my drawing teacher and looked for areas on this quilt that look unrelated to the rest of it.  The borders need more relationship with the central blocks.  I added circles in three sizes into the borders and the human quilt stand helped me assess if this is a good idea or not.

 

I’m still pondering so have not stitched these down yet.

Spring is here

The sheer pleasure in being bathed by sunshine, seeing colour everywhere

Peach blossom - in London!

Roadside flowers

Sharp shadows

Seen at Ham House, where I went to see he beautiful stitching on display in the costumes from A Stitch in Time. There until 29th April.

Easter quilting

More daylight, an Easter weekend with no commitments and too much rain to do any gardening led to plenty of time to get quilting on the blue splash quilt. After auditioning several complex designs, I decided simple is best for the blocks.

I’m contemplating more complexity in the borders after re-reading Freemotion Quilting by Judy Woodworth.