A Postcard from Malta

Today I think I have finished the stitching on my February journal quilt for the Contemporary Quilt group challenge.

I am on holiday in Malta and so my quiltlet is inspired by the island, the colours, the sea, the honey-coloured limestone rock, the ancient history:

I have decided on a Maltese proverb to write onto my quilt but can't decide whether to write it in English or Maltese (which I can't pronounce properly).  I shall sleep on it!

Contemporary Journal Quilt - February

This is the start of my quiltlet for February.

I am on holiday in Malta so this month my work will have a very different feel from January.

You will see that I have included one fabric from January, one of my self-imposed "rules" for this project.  Another "rule" was that I include some text and I am currently collecting ideas and pondering this for February.  It won't be written in Maltese though, I couldn't pronounce it!

Today is the Festival of Broken Needles in Japan so it is a good day to be stitching and be thankful for the most simple and essential if our tools.  Firstly though I have a pedicure booked in the spa 😉

Two Sewn, Four To Do

The weekend's work!  So many of you have, like me, spent a lot of this weekend sewing.  In the UK it has been cold, with a lot of places experiencing heavy snowfall and to sit by a fire and stitch was the perfect plan.

The first two, actually the bottom left two, journal quilts from my NZ trip are now joined and quilted.  I've used a large sashiko stitch and cotton perlé for the quilting in the borders and a variety of threads for quilting the blocks.  Again I was caught out by hand stitching through batiks, also known as sewing concrete, and my fingers are suffering a little, but I live batiks!! How we suffer for our art!!

Not Waving But Drowning

I have finished my first quiltlet for the Contemporary Quilt Group Challenge, eleven to go!  I enjoyed making the piece, finding the mediative process not dissimilar to working on prayer flags.

Here it is, photographed outside in the glorious sunshine (although the temperature is below freezing):

I also took a couple of photos of some of the detail:

Here is part of my statement which accompanies the quilt:

Not waving … but drowning

The first in a series of journal quilts inspired by the mood of each month reflected as a seascape, “Not waving … but drowning” is my response to January 2015 which was...a predominantly grey time.

The 12” x 6” quilt is made of commercially produced fabrics from my stash ...  The fabrics were machine pieced and then quilted with hand embroidery in cotton sashiko thread and variegated cotton perlé. The text is handwritten with permanent ink.

Contemporary Quilt Challenge

I have decided to take part in the QGBI Contemporary Quilt Group Journal Quilt Challenge for this year.  The main criteria are that quilts must be 12"x6" and that participants have to choose to work in either landscape or portrait orientation and stick to it for the quilt we make each month, no chopping and changing.

I have opted to work in landscape layout and have also agreed some rules/guidelines with myself for the challenge.

1.  I will only use fabric from my stash (although I may buy threads).

2.  Some fabric from January's quilt is incorporated in February's quilt etc, to provide a link and some flow.

3.  The quilts are based on mood and seascapes.

4.  Each journal quilt will include some lettering, words or haiku.

January's quilt in progress is shown above.  The sea is dark and murky, storms have taken place and there is fear and sadness.  Roll on Spring!

Sam's Birthday Party

Yesterday all Sam's favourite people gathered at the Rand Farm Park to celebrate his 7th birthday. 

Loads of smiles, cows, tractor rides, sunshine and cake, an excellent time was had by all, and, most especially, by Sam himself.

Contemporary Quilt Group - 2015 Challenge

My copy of the CQ group journal has arrived and with it the details of this year's journal quilt challenge.  As a new member of this group I haven't taken part in the challenge in previous years but this year I am tempted.

The commitment is to make a quilt each month, 6" x 12", and to decide now whether they will all be landscape or portrait orientation.  My tendency is to start things with enthusiasm and trail off so I am giving themes and styles a lot of thought before I sign up.

When I did my annual new year tidy up in my sewing room I decided to use this wall hanging, made in 2008, to (almost) hid a multitude of sins in my room and so I could enjoy it again.  This is an early piece in my quilting life and full of a multitude of sins itself but I was pleased with it and still like it.  

Interestingly, I think if I was to remake it today I would do something very similar in idea, although it would definitely be hand quilted and have more stitchery than this has.  I know I was trying to do too many things with this piece, responding to a complicated idea rather than taking one part or theme to explore

This piece is, however, true to my likes, styles and techniques and I find it amusing that I have often concerned myself with finding my "style" when it's been there all the time!

So, back to the quilt challenge - watch this space!!

Thank You

I seem to have rediscovered both my blogging boots and my stitching slippers (if not my alliteration acumen!)

Today I started the sixth and last quiltlet inspired by NZ.  This, when pressed and stitched, will be the background for a piece based on a wonderful beach we visited on the Coromandel Peninsula, a place called Kuaotunu.

Today I want to say a massive 

THANK  YOU 

to a small and very special group of people.  

These are the people who have stuck with me while my posts were few and far between;  who wrote lovely comments and continued to do so even when I didn't get around to replying to or even just acknowledging those comments and who stuck with Piece'n'Peace even though it seemed as if their own blogs had been abandoned by me.  

THANK  YOU, I really appreciate you all.

Trout Caught

Stitching Fish

Having survived a wild and windy night (although not as bad as in the north of the country and Scotland), much of it spent awake and thinking, I am working on my trout today.

My original thought was an appliqué fish, if I could ever get the design right, I even have some vaguely fishy fabric. Then, during one of those periods awake last night I thought of Angela Daymond, or, more specifically, of her Kantha Hare.  Let me explain...

Last time I did a workshop with Angela she was talking about two kantha stitch projects she had designed and made, the hare and a heron, and is considering offering as kits at FoQ.  She asked whether I and the other ladies at the workshop would be willing to trial the kits to help her get thread quantities right etc.  Of course we would!  So my thought process last night took me from appliqué trout to kantha trout.  

This morning I got out all my embroidery threads and made a cunning plan:

This afternoon, while the wind continues to blow and the rain is only a short time away, I am sitting in front of a lovely fire stitching my fish. Bliss, thanks Angela.