A Hobbit Hole

 

There are no prizes for guessing which book I chose!

I had a hard time deciding as I've had so many different favourite books at different times of my life but Tolkien has been an enduring companion to me throughout and The Hobbit is my chosen tale.

There are so many wonderful quilts that were crying out to be made but I settled for a modest, understated Hobbit Hole framed with a gold ring. 

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what others have made :)

Bird in Motion

For today's reveal, I made a bird that (with help) can flap her wings. I did also make a hanging felt heart but, once I put the strings on, the heart wasn't heavy enough to make her hang without her wings drooping so (after a lot of searching) I found a stone pendant and that did the trick.

Here is a selection of photos showing her in motion...

The background is a room Mr RH was decorating, with various coatings of paint over new plaster.

Thank you Mr RH!

I thought this was a particularly challenging theme so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made :)

Sashiko Colour

 

After ages of not knowing what to make for this challenge, I ended up making six 9 1/2" square quilts inspired by sashiko, colour and typography.

It was something of a scrap project, using up the fused silk pieces I had left over from my Circles and Squares quilt.

The first little quilt I made was probably the most sashiko/boro inspired but I was having fun so I just carried on without worrying about keeping too closely to the theme.

I've posted more about this project over over at Rainbow Hare.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone has made this time :)

The Effervescent Baths

 

I doubt I was the only one who found Effervescent a tricky theme?

But after my Circus Horse, last time, several people mentioned the Cirque du Soleil. I hadn't heard of it before but, from my first glimpse on You Tube, I was enthralled and I eventually decided to take that as my inspiration for this sister quilt - The Effervescent Baths!

The bubbles were a challenge but, although they are not perfect, it was a fun quilt to sew and I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made this time :)

Circus Horse

 

Whenever we have had themes before it has taken more than a year for mine to come up so when I chose 'circus' and it was the first be to be drawn (by Barbara) I was shocked. I had to wait for the SAHRR to finish before I had time to start and that gave me time for a million ideas. 

But, in the end, I decided to go with a true story. 

My childhood home was on the bank of a river and on the other side of the river were water meadows. Mostly, in the summer, they were grazed by beautiful black and white cows and sometimes, in the winter, they flooded and we had to walk round the road way to get to school. 

But once a year the circus came.

The circus people unlocked the big metal gate at the timber yard entrance and drove in with their trucks and trailers and caravans and tents and for a glorious week the world was giddy rush of colour and music. My Dad let them hook up their generators to our electric and they gave us free tickets to the greatest show in Church Meadows.

It began with the elephants coming for their morning bath in the river and ended with us children lying in bed, listening for the strange roars and wondering if the lions would get out of their caged trailers and eat us in our sleep!

Funnily enough, I have clearer memories of circus 'village' that sprung up out of nowhere and vanished like magic than the actual shows we watched inside the big top and my quilt is based on something that happened outside the tent.

One day, our elderly neighbours came back from the town with their shopping and said, we would never guess what they had just seen in the field. And of course we tried to guess- lions, monkeys, clowns, tight rope walkers, trapeze artists...But no.

"We saw them painting their horse!" 

"What colour?"

"It was a white horse and they were painting black spots on it! It made us chuckle".

I have taken a little license in the blue spots and I doubt the person painting was dressed as a clown...

I will post more about the making of this quilt on Rainbow Hare but I'll wait until tomorrow or Saturday because tomorrow I am (by complete coincidence) going to the circus with my little granddaughters and, perhaps I'll include some photos.

In the meantime, I'm really looking forward to seeing how everyone else has interpreted this theme :)

SPICES

 

I've had a deal of trouble with this post but, finally, here it is!

I was so much at a loss about what to do for this theme, in the end I decided to focus on the word "spices", rather than spices themselves.

I used the same fused silk technique as my circles and squares quilt but, this time, I embellished with embroidery, beads and sequins.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else came up with for this quarter so hopefully my internet will hold out and I will visit all the other reveals now :)

A Sad Little Horse

I didn't mean for this little horse to look so downcast but it is reflective of my making during the last quarter. From September, I hope I will have more time as my childcare days will start at 12 noon instead of 8 am and I should have finished quite a big garden project, which has taken a lot of time...

For today's reveal, though, I just have a simple offering. I have been wanting to use this vintage embroidered tea cosy (I assume it's a tea cosy but it's really too thin to use as one) for a long time but I haven't wanted to cut it and the awkward shape has always ended up putting me off.



Finally, it's time has come!

I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made this quarter :)

Harmony

I struggled to think of anything interesting to do for this theme so I settled on constructing a Fibonacci spiral. So far as I understand it, this construction is used to create a harmonic composition in paintings and you can see see some examples overlayed with an outline of the spiral here. I'm not entirely convinced that features in the paintings aren't being selected to fit the template but you can see what you think.

I was also hoping this would harmonise in the Makery with the yet-to-be-finished SAHRR I made recently but, despite using the same fabrics, I'm not sure that it does!

I'm sorry I'm posting late as last night and this morning I was struggling with the internet. I really need to start scheduling these posts :(

I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made this time :)

Patterns in Nature - The Lesser Adjutant

Once upon a time in those halcyon days before the pandemic, I went to Sri Lanka with Mr RH and two of our sons to go to a wedding that included a church service, a buddhist ceremony (where traditional dancers/acrobats fetched first the groom then the bride) and a reception with the biggest chandeliers I’ve ever seen, a banquet and dancing into the early hours. The other guests wore saris in all colours and gold bangles and it really was exactly like falling into a scene from a fairytale…

On that same trip, in Wilpattu National Park, I took a photo of this chap, who also seems like he would be at home in a fairy tale.

And I knew one day he (she?) would appear in a quilt, though in this quilt, I ended up selecting/making patterns using shapes cropped from my image of this striking creature and the bird itself remains waiting to be immortalised in stitches on some other occasion.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made this quarter :)

Moon Over Squircle

 

For this challenge, I used some silk scraps that I have collected over time but never done anything with.

I used the same collage technique as last time and I really enjoyed seeing the beautiful shapes that emerged from basically putting colour into a grid - although I decided, in the end, not to actually mark the grid and that allowed me to take a little poetic license with the moon! I have put more details over at Rainbow Hare.

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone has made for this challenge :)

Per ardua ad astra

 

Thank you everyone for your patience. I have finished at last - though the photos are indoor/nighttime and don't show the colours well. 

My son asked me a while ago if I could make a picture for my grandson's room, which would also be a memory of my father, who sadly died last November. I thought the collage theme would be a good opportunity to do that so I started by drawing the main elements onto a piece of linen stabilised with freezer paper and fusing on the hexagons for the sky and  scallop strips for the sea. I then attached the piece to wadding by machine stitching wavy lines (sky) and hand stitching (sea). I then fused on the gold frame and quilted with straight lines.

After that, I fused on the various elements apart from the metal cogs, which I glued on at the very end. The sausage dog is lighter than the photo and is velvet with leather ears and nose and I was very surprised and impressed that the velvet didn't fray. The plane was printed onto fabric.

Unfortunately it looked very drab and I struggled to decide how to brighten up the picture until I realised I could liven it up by getting more colour into the frame.  That allowed me to put the words into the main picture where I thought there was too much empty space.

I've never been a fan of fusing in quilts before but, apart from the trials of actually finding time to do this, I really enjoyed the collage techniques and I was very pleased with effect. In particular, I could never have got the dog's tail or the shine on the balloon so precise with turned applique and the fabric spots would have taken forever. I feel I've been missing a trick all these years! When I get a chance, I will take a better photo and give more detail of the story behind this quilt over on Rainbow Hare.

I enjoyed seeing everyone's collage quilts and I'm really looking forward to seeing the circles and squares in November. I will be sure to start very early this quarter :)

Somewhere like Coverack

For this challenge, I wanted to make a map as a fictional location for some 12th scale models that I have perpetually in progress. As one of the models is a lighthouse, although that isn't included in the map, I needed a suitably coastal location so I looked for pictures of the sort of place I had in mind and then searched for a corresponding map. 

I eventually based this very roughly on a vintage Town Plan, Sea and Coast Chart of Coverack in Cornwall, England. It is a very beautiful location and well worth a quick google search to see some photos. 

Usually, I struggle to think of something to make but this time I had an idea from the start and, ironically,  I had all sorts of trials (including not having a sewing machine for a couple of months, a house full of plaster dust, a christening cake, a nasty virus and some commissioned bags) so it became a very last minute rush despite my early planning and is unfortunately, very rough and ready. 

I tried a new-to-me fused applique collage technique and added machine and hand sewing and permanent marker. It was interesting to try some new things and a miracle to get it done at all but disappointing that the end result doesn't look a bit better! One day I'd like to attempt a more polished version.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone has made this quarter :)

POP ART or The Poppy Diptych

 

I was really not looking forward to it as my portraiture skills are around about zero and my sewing mojo was altogether elsewhere. But, coming back to my blog after a time away, I found a host of new icon options to click on so I had to do a little trial and error investigation. To my surprise, I discovered I could alter a photo of our dog, Poppy, with coloured shadows and highlights and that put me in mind of the Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol and suchlike. 

You can find out more about how I altered the photo and made this quilt over at Rainbow Hare

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made for this challenge :)

Boustrophedon

I don't really know what to say about this quilt except that I think last time I tried quilt painting I had a steadier hand! I am quite pleased with the design but I wish I'd pieced it. 

I'm really looking forward to seeing what everyone has made for this interesting theme :)

 

Remembering Lucy...

 This quilt began as a small memorial to my dog, Lucy. We were lucky enough to walk through life together for almost 14 years and she was quite seriously the best friend I have ever had. Then, one very sad day, I found myself continuing that walk without her at my side.

I was originally intending to add more detail but, as I stitched, I pondered that this actually illustrates the experience of many pet owners and (you might think this a stretch!) even a comment on our times as mass extinctions diminish the animal kingdom and leave us humans in a lonelier, though ironically more crowded, world.

I feel oddly about calling it finished because my inclination is always to go for over-the-top colour and I'm very tempted to do just a little colouring in but I am resisting because I think maybe this rough outline style might work better on this occasion. I'd be interested if anyone has any thoughts on that.

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's quilts this quarter, Janine :)

Two apologies...

Hello everyone. 

Apologies for my late posting. I had expected to title this post 'May Day' but, alas, it isn't May Day anymore - unless we are thinking of it's meaning as an international distress call! 

Yesterday we had a long power cut and no internet and by the time the electric came back we had a houseful of family visiting and posting this had gone completely out of my mind. 

Apologies, also, for this hideous quilt! I have wanted to make a May Day quilt with children dancing round a maypole for literally years so it's sad this turned out so horribly :(

In February I found a dolls house with furniture and these dolls on ebay. I plan to paint up the house for my granddaughter and her soon-to-be-born sister but I had no use for the dolls (which are unsuitable for little children). Whilst brainstorming what to with them, I considered a quilt like this and put it together soon afterwards. I used a shadow box because I wanted to a more dimensional effect but I think it's really too small to get the effect I wanted. 

I knew I wouldn't have time this quarter to create a larger, fully sewn version with appliqued figures so I set it aside and thought I'd make something else altogether but time overtook me. Perhaps I will make that other glorious version some other May...

It seems I do better with a theme than when I'm left to my own devices!

I'm looking forward to seeing all the other quilts for this quarter and I'll post about the new themes in a separate post later today.

I hope everyone is enjoying the bank holiday weekend :)

Janine

Note to self...

I spent so long deciding what to do for this challenge I finished past midnight last night and had to take photos this morning before it was light. My aim was to create a piece inspired by and invoking a variety of emotions. I am currently babysitting so I will post with more detail, and hopefully, better pictures tonight or tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the other quilts this quarter :)
 

Man Walks on the Moon

 

This quarter, I couldn't really complain about the theme because I chose it myself so apologies to anyone who struggled with it as much as I did. It was a long time ago before the headlines became Brexit, Brexit, Brexit, Covid, Covid Covid. We don't take a newspaper anymore and, although, from time to time I used to notice an interesting or amusing headline, whilst waiting in the post office (which is also our village shop), as soon as I wanted to make a quilt that came to an abrupt stop.

I had no more luck searching the internet, where the only front pages in the first thousand or so search results seem to record deaths of celebrities, wars or terrorists attacks. You could be forgiven for thinking nothing positive ever happened in the world! 

So, with the deadline fast approaching, I resorted to quilt pictionary.

I'm very much looking forward to seeing what everyone came up with :)

Opposites Attract

I really struggled to come up with anything to make this quarter and also with finding time to make anything at all so this is definitely a better-finished-than-perfect offering, which I eventually managed to make yesterday. 

Amazingly, I started by bagging a layer cake square with some wadding and backing (having absolutely no idea what to do with it) and then had to go out. By some kind of miracle, by the time I got back and re-staked some rows of runner beans that had been razed to the ground by high winds, the butterfly/flower idea had popped into my head and I sewed it up very quickly in the evening.

It reminded me of a Ted Talk, I think by Elizabeth Gilbert (I will look it up and edit) where she speaks about her daemon (but I think it could be our subconscious or something) and says she if she sits ready to work, she's done her part of the job and making that commitment allows the universe, or whatever to come with the inspiration. Sorry this is vague and may be quite wrong but I have two minutes to the deadline!

Anyway, the rational behind this quilt is that the shapes are opposite each other in space and the colours are complementary opposites...

And the 'attract' part is indicated by the flower and butterfly because butterflies are attracted to flowers.

I stitched mainly in white and painted (in colours) the shapes comprising the 'opposite' elements. Then I used black stitching to illustrated the flower and butterfly details - so black and white for the non-opposite elements.

Apologies for such a rushed and garbled post this quarter! I can't wait to see what everyone else had made :)

 

Colour Theory - All in the Mind

 Hello! I decided that, for this quilt, instead of documenting qualities of colours in the external world, I would use some conventional ways of illustrating colour theory to show the colours that letters, numbers and words display in my mind. I was inspired to make this quilt by a lovely book called Werner's Nomenclature of Colours', which was kindly gifted to me by Catherine. You can read more about the rationale behind this quilt and about how I made it over at Rainbow Hare. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what everyone has made for this reveal :)