If Monet grew hydrangeas....

I have been playing with this background fabric I dyed a while ago. I picked a section of it to work with and photographed it . Then, I printed the photo to 8.5"x 11" and then I reprinted the photo on paper and drew a "garden" over top of the fabric photo.Then, with a piece of acetate over that, I traced over my little "hydrangea garden". Next, I took the acetate to my wonderful printshop to be enlarged. Well now, as you can see , I have started making some few foreground hydrangea heads. It is a trial and error kind of thing. So far , I think I am seeing what I want but there is a LONG way to go. Oh, and BTW, WHERE,OH WHERE IS MY LOVELY STEAM A SEAM??? Has anyone heard any good news in that department?

Here's the fabric I started with

My original drawing on the printed photo

Tracing of the original drawing

The acetate pattern ready for the printer to enlarge it for me.

The enlarged pattern. It is 17 1/2 inches high because the fabric is 17 1/2" wide.

I have started building hydrangea heads and trying them out on the fabric.  I think it will work if I persist!

I am going to post this on to the needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com And now, before it rains again, I ( and my new little pedometer) are going to squeeze in a walk!

Well, blow me down!!!

I am NOT good at horn tooting or self promotion but I guess I need to share THIS news. I have just learned tonight that I have had a tiny little quilt- 10" x 7" that I submitted to the SAQA travelling quilt show, accepted into the permanent collection of the National Quilt Museum in Paducah KY!!!!! Blown away is putting it mildly! I NEVER expected such an honour- especially for such a tiny piece of work. Anyway, there it is... and HERE it is in case you missed it the first time round.

Poppies Aglow

I am amazed and very honoured. Guess I will post this to the needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com
I am very sick with DH's nasty cold tonight so I have no new work to show. I did do the TV interview today though- drugged to the hilt so I did not sneeze or cough or anything. It went fine I guess but I was REALLY out of it . Hope it was reasonable for anyone who watched it!

Dreaming - in technicolour!

Look what I stumbled across while shopping the other day! Instant nostalgia :-) I was transported back to my childhood when, every spring, my Dad would buy me a NEW SKIPPING ROPE! Once in a while, he would make one for me from heavy braided cord. They were great for skipping, but my childish head thought the coloured plastic ones were absolutely TO DIE FOR! Isn't it funny how simple life was then and how the smallest thing lit our boards! Too bad children these days expect such BIG ticket toys. Here's where it is REALLY at, kids! Get a rope and SKIP :-)

The other technicolour dream came to me last night as I was gathering "concrete materials" to take with me on Tuesday next. That is the day I am to be a star of stage , screen and Television- well Kitchener's Rogers Cable, anyway. I am being interviewed in connection with the quilt show. I thought it might be interesting to take a couple of pieces of my hand dyed fabric and show what happens to it. Look what I found....

Hydrangeas???

Do you not see a Monet-ish hydrangea garden in there? I do. I lay awake half the night thinking about it. I have printed it as large as I can and will overlay it with acetate and draw a pattern and see what I think. I AM a strange woman, eh!

I THINK there is just enough time to post this to the  needleandthreadnetwork.blogspot.com. I am in a hurry. I get me new "21st century" specs this afternoon:-) They have RED temples! Wild!

Ready to face the facing :-)

Well, it is done except for finishing the back and labelling.

Not sure which I think is the better colour.

Maybe the top one? Maybe take an average!

This was fun to work on but now I want to dye a dedicated piece for the background of the "real thing". I will pare the sides down and make it long and narrow- like Milkweed! I may even do a diptych or a triptych if I feel REALLY  crazy! Maybe three seasons? We shall see but definitely this one. I learned a LOT on this piece. It may end up being called Glorious Explosion. Right now it is still The Milkweed Project!

1- the metallic organza disintegrates when stitched over too much- heat transfer foil may be better

2- planning circular quilting ahead of time is good- I DID use a Chaco-liner which was a help and disappeared nicely. I was upset about the unevenness of the circles but in the end, I think I like it better than perfection. This is NOT drafting!

3- On the Real one I will be more careful with the placement of the bright patches of light. I had little choice here but when I dye my background, it will be better placed.

And, as I have not done it for a little while- Mr Personality!!!

Two months

                                         On that note- Cheerio for now! Happy quilting :-)