Quilting,gardening and weeding!

 

 

Should keep me busy this week!

Linking this with Esther's WOW page---go check what others are doing. :o)

Clarice

Quilting Gallery has a weekly Show&Tell event and this week it is for quilts using circles. It was a nice opportunity to give Clarice an airing and also to show these pictures that I took as she was in the making.
Oranges and yellows are still not my colours of choice but I have to admit it is a bright and cheery combination of colours and always makes me smile.
If you want to see all the quilts and even vote the link is here.You need to scroll well down the page and all the quilts can be enlarged so you can see the details.

Time for the fun part now :o)

I love the point when quilting can begin!
I have now added the fabric backing and a wool batting. All the coloured thread work has now been closely outlined with invisible thread which has stabilised the layers really well and now allows me to doodle in the "background".
All the coloured thread work was worked with the no.24 open toe free motion foot on my Bernina 830 but now I am having a change and using the BSR foot . This is how I tend to work between the two--I prefer using the 24 foot for the more detailed work and the BSR for the more flowing stuff.
I used Isacord for the coloured threads and eventually found a good colour in Madeira Polyneon for the background.

Not sure how this will turn out but it is compulsive!

If I am not quilting/sewing/gardening or trying to be a domestic goddess (not) I am doodling and planning. This is one of those doodles!
I decided to try doing the quilt in two stages. This first stage is the "doodle" in many coloured threads which are both free motion stitched as well as a few decorative stitches from my machine.I have one layer of batting under the cotton. When this is finished I will put another layer of batting and the backing underneath and quilt through all layers.
My Bernina has a stitch counter on it and I wish I had made a note of how many stitches it has put on this week!

Bluebells, Rosie and Lugless!

There is nothing to beat the sight of a carpet of "proper" bluebells! These are our native bluebells all hanging down from the side from delicate stems. We now have a whole bank of them. :o)

The sun came through the trees to shine on the new fern like a spotlight!

Rosie enjoyed a good snuffle around whilst we enjoyed the view.




    Then she chilled out and relaxed!



  Lastly meet Lugless!
Not the best pictures but guess you can tell why we call him/her Lugless?
Rabbits are the bane of our life and are a real nuisance digging holes, eating the garden plants-------and breeding like rabbits!
Rosie sets off to chase them off the grass but pulls up as she gets close as they are nearly twice as big as her.
This is a half grown one---with no ears! He doesn't seem to have been injured as we have seen him since he was tiny.
 Looks very weird doesn't he/she?

More flowers

A small one,just nine by twelve inches, to hang alongside "Northern Spring".

Postie called yesterday----

He delivered a large box full of all sorts of goodies won by "Northern Spring" at Uttoxeter last weekend. It was so exciting opening everything up and discovering what was there! Not showing too well are the large lengths of wide Moda backing and PFD fabric at the bottom of the hamper. Also missed off are two quilt border stencils and the engraved silver platter, certificate and red rosette!
Can you tell that I am one happy bunny? :o)

Quilt and Stitch Village have pictures and info on Facebook and also a video of the show on YouTube.   (Just click on the links to see them)
Next year's theme is "Lest We Forget"------ a theme that should evoke a lot of wonderful quilts. Start thinking of what you can do now.

Exciting news yesterday :o)

I received a phonecall to say that "Northern Spring" has won First Prize in the theme quilt competition at British Quilt & Stitch Village, in Uttoxeter, this weekend!
Happy dancing :o)

Done !

Excuse the fingers peeping over the top :o)
It looks a bit squinty but it is just 'cos it moved a little at the bottom when the door was opened. It is straight when hung on a wall!

This is a painted wholecloth quilt that has been in my head for years! I always thought that a dry stone wall would make a brilliant quilting project!
I took photos and looked at walls but in the end drew this one with imaginary stones starting at the bottom as a proper waller would begin. Initially the colours were very pale but I intensified them and added shadows as I went on. The wall, fields and sky are mainly coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils but Pentel Watercolor Dyes and Fabrico dual point have also been used and all the stitching was done with Bernina 830.

The dandelion from the previous posting is on the bottom right hand side. All the flowers at the bottom are the early spring flowers. Above the wall the early orange tip butterflies are dancing watched by a nest building Robin. Sheep and lambs are on the slopes where the tree has not yet come into leaf. Bottom left a little bank vole is looking for a crevice in the wall for its nest.

In view of the very late spring /long winter we have had this year perhaps I should have included a little snow in the background!
I think I might eventually make a summer and autumn version  of this.

Back at the machine :o)

I am alternating my time at the moment between the garden and the sewing machine.

 Nothing much got done in the garden after I started being unwell in July ,last year,so there are vast tracts of brambles and sycamore seedlings to clear . I can nearly see all the daffodils now! Their position will be taken by a carpet of bluebells will be here in a few weeks so I need to keep at it.

The current quilt has a few flowers too.
They were painted and coloured with Derwent Inktense pencils and Pentel water colour dyes before sewing was involved..:o)
My Bernina 830 was updated recently and is still a bit tetchy with a couple of functions but it is humming away happily stitching on this which is just free motion work with the feed dogs down.