It has been an amazingly beautiful day today and I couldn't resist sharing some of the highlights of my garden at the moment.
While I was out I took these pictures of my Stitching for Texture project, as promised.
Country Roads Quilters had a wonderfully inspiring workshop with
Angela Daymond last week. We looked at using machine and hand stitching to quilt projects and worked towards creating a fabric book of sample designs using a variety of techniques. Angela managed to make FMQ easy and so my squiggles appear as my cover, I was even brave enough to add a few daisies. Angela discussed scale for effect, using combinations of the same pattern in different sizes, such as on my cover, and also scaling up the designs for a full size quilt. Not all of my pages are finished, as you can see, but I feel I have done enough on these designs and been inspired to make further books. My next one will be a selection of "water" designs I think (but not until A.J., after Japan!) Several members of Country Roads Quilters agreed that the quilting of a project is the part that provokes the most terror. I think we now feel a lot more confident and willing to have more fun with our quilting too, so a big thank you to Angela.
A thank you to
Tina too. She gave me this book:
Some wonderful examples of a range of Japanese textile styles to enjoy, thank you Tina. (Do pop over to
Tina's blog for some wonderful textile creations).
If you were at the
Quilters' Guild AGM and Conference in Dundee this past weekend I'm sure you had a wonderful time, and, if you listened carefully, you might have heard my name mentioned. I have some very good news to share with you another day but now I'm going back into the sunshine.
Added 29 March: I've just read the
post Angela wrote about her workshop. She has a photograph of me. I was concentrating on my FMQ so hard that I didn't know she'd taken a picture!
Beautiful Spring photos Lis and thank you for the photos of the workshop with Angela. I shall know what to expect when I come to do it with Angela later in the year.
ReplyDeleteI like your quilted texture book pages, looks like you had a lot of fun with them. Lovely flowers too. Nice to see signs of spring. I guess that your trip to Japan is very imminent - how exciting!
ReplyDeleteFab FMQ, really lovely, well done
ReplyDeleteI envy you your spring garden!
ReplyDeleteThe quilting book must have been fun to make and it will be an inspiration for future projects. Working hard on a project like this together with other quilters has probably removed a lot of that terror of quilting you are talking about.
What a good friend to present you with such a beautiful book. I hope you will see many wonderful examples of Japanese textile on your tour. It's just around the corner!
We are beginning to see touches of spring here at last. (Must have heard you are coming) I am in awe of anyone who can make a machhine behave that well. It looks like you are a star student.
ReplyDeleteThat book should get you all fired up for your trip.There is a college in Shinjuku, that is for sewers or fashion designers or something like that and they have a museum which often has displays. I went to an exhibit of indego dying and antique clothing made with those fabrics. I don't know what exhibit they have now.
Thanks for sharing those beautiful photos of spring blooms in your garden! I'm also very impressed with your quilting "booklet". Great work with your FMQ! Having a booklet like this would be very handy. My FMQ samples are just scraps really stuffed in a plastic bag so not nearly as handy as this idea.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are so lovely,and the samples are a joy. Wish I could do work as good as those.
ReplyDeleteLove the flower photos. Your book looks really good. I love the hearts and flowers on your fmq. when are you off to Japan, can't be long now?
ReplyDeleteAngela x
Oh the joy of spring...
ReplyDeleteGreat idea having little quilting squares you can refer back to for inspiration and they are so neat!