It's taking shape

It's morphed again....I just wasn't getting my groove on with the quilt. I was feeling really pressured to make a BEAUTIFUL quilt...I want it to be very special and I think I was trying too hard, getting all het up about it.  So I did some deep breathing, grounded myself, drank a cup of reviving tea and sat and reviewed the blocks I'd made and took stock of the situation :)  Finally clarity and direction.  I would revert to blue and white - my original colour palette, drop all the green and pink and yellow....pattern wise stick with my version of  a half-log cabin as I'm loving the pattern and it represents crop lines. I can still link it the farm, the woods and fields, a boy and a girl, some animals, the domesticity of life together - cups of tea.... I've decided to use about 5 or 6 hero fabrics and base blocks around them. I've use Liberty Birdsong, Elevenses and the Scandinavian farm - can't remember the name of that one for the life of me.... so far with another couple to come...here's a progress pic....

I've now done quite a bit more but you can see the jist of it above and now I"am totally feeling the love, the mojo is on and it is all systems a go-go.

I had a lovely weekend, mainly due to lots of time sewing, me thinks, with sprinkles of cooking and baking and an evening of musical theatre seeing Jersey Boys LOVED it! 

Upon reflection of my weekend,,,,I realise I'm so much more content when I am creating something.  Having a purpose (ie deadline) to making the quilt has given me full permission to totally immerse myself in its construction.  Which makes me wonder whether I'm not giving myself "permission" to craft away when I'm merely doing it for pleasure.  (Don't get me wrong this purpose is totally pleasurable).  I'm just wondering if my underlying psyche is that expressing myself creatively and indulging myself in pleasurable art forms is a very selfish act and I shouldn't spend my time so?  I must work, work, work...keep housekeeping up-to-date...see that there is food for everyone, run the household, and deny myself other facets of my life that make my heart truly sing. Again, I don't want to sound as though I  begrudge all that I do...I don't.... it's life and bits bring me joy...clean washing...Am I weird?  But is there an element of self sabotage at play here or some deep seated Presbyterian/fundamental religious ideology?  Fun is not right...seriousness abounds.  Only when the jobs are done can we allow ourselves to relax.  Sounds crazy as I write these words...that I think I need to give myself permission to enjoy myself????  OMG am I sounding like a  martyr!! Maybe I just operate better with a sense of purpose?  Apologies for the stream of conscious mad ramblings!
See what creative play time brings out in me!  :)

and another block

I didn't have a lot of time last night...just managed some unpicking and this one block.

and here's where I found Tilly I couple of nights ago as I went to bed.  Sound asleep in the walk-in-robe. She LOVES wool. I think I've mentioned it before...but if I happen to leave a ball lying around, she never ever fails not to find it!  And here again - she has found my stash - I thought safely put away in the robe...she would have buried herself in the bag if she could have.  Remember she is totally blind and has been from birth...

Progress Report

 

I think I've settled on the half log cabin design for the quilt as per the above blocks, which are all different sizes - in typical me style :)  Each block will represent a different facet of farm and domestic life? I love all the fabrics I've used - the domestic block with apron, baking, knitting, coffee and tea pots...

 

I began by making a few different blocks below, but didn't feel it was coming together as I wanted it too and I wasn't sure how to link all my different ideas.  A lot of the fabrics are quite different tones and tricky to link.  The pattern of the half log cabin is probably the common denominator and serves to link the blocks when the fabrics are so different.

 

I love the ute below, but I will unpick and re-do as a half log cabin. The same for the initials ...

 

 

 

 

What do you think... are you with me......the half log cabin? Can you see it coming together that way?

Seeking inspiration

I mentioned I am wanting to make a quilt for my Godson's wedding.  He and his fiancé are farmers in the Scottish borders.  I'm told that blue features a lot in their home...so I'm thinking of a blue quilt, with some purple for Scottish thistle, yellow for the rapeseed they grow and green for the green patchwork fields that abound in the UK.  I have some wonderful Liberty fabrics which I'm going to work in.  I started by fussy cutting a piece of Liberty Glencot House and that's as far as I got on the first night! 

I have no pattern in mind.  I thought I'd start with a few feature fabrics and build blocks around them.  I want it to reflect their life together on the farm, so I've got fabric with tractors, farm animals, houses, tea cups and domesticity, trees, crops, dogs, barns.  I also have their initials...but I don't want it to look too twee.  I'm thinking cutting a mixture of squares and rectangles to reflect the fields that they work in.

Last Saturday I popped into Materialise to pick up some bits for it and Sophie had this quilt on display.  I love, love  this quilt and it is serving as inspiration for mine, although mine won't be as strippy, but I like the idea of the larger feature blocks.

 

Apologies for the bad photography.  Aren't the fabrics to-die-for?  Sophie has made a border in her signature Boho style.  I love the mosaic effect and how it marries styles/ideas/fabric together and tells a story.  My visit made me nostalgic for my days when I worked in the shop one day a week.  I LOVED working in such a creative space - it was sensory overload :)) Here's a close up of the house. Perhaps I'll incorporate a bit of applique....

 

I hope the inspiration flies tonight - I totally need to get my groove on with this quilt.  It will have to be machine quilted as I can't imagine I'll have time to hand quilt it....I'm hand delivering it in July!!

 

Snoozin'

Bonkers for Honkers

I realise my blog has been so little about craft this year.  Apologies to those readers who follow for craft...but it's been quite a year so far.

The flat renovation project CONSUMED me it seemed, so now that it is done, I will be free-er. Also, we are finally seeing the winter rain and cooler weather.  It's such a relief after the looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggg hot summer!  Straight away I want to bury myself away with my fabric hoard and play....why must I work...why oh why :)....

But before I do that I want to share some pics with you of my first ever trip to Hong Kong, courtesy of work. It is a crazy mad place that pulsates life.  It is so vibrant and alive.  How lucky was I to score a free trip for work!  Unbelievable.  Work did take up rather a lot of time (unfortunately ...but that was why I was there) so I didn't do too much of anything touristy other than the markets, some shopping and dim sum!  Yum, yum!  I was totally overwhelmed by the shops...Nothing I'd heard prepared me for the volume of designer label shop after shop after shop....they are mad for it.  I lost count of how many Tiffany, Chanel, Gucci, Coach, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Bvlgari, Burberry shops - and the list goes and on and on -  I saw. It got me thinking about consumerism quite a bit.  There were people buy everywhere.  I was enjoying watching and absorbing a new environment. Australia has such a tiny tiny population compared with so much of the rest of the world that out impact on the environment is so tiny compared with what Asia is faced with.  As usual I digress....

Here are a few pics

I loved this book installation at the trade show
 



Bamboo scaffolding!
 

 Chefs at work at the Michelin star dim sum restaurant.

 

 Completely defeated by dim sum!

 

 A new do!

Fresh seafood restaurant - the aerators are bubbling away

 



Trams - I didn't know there were trams!

The highrise buildings everywhere.

A junk floating around

A ferry ride from HK island to Kowloon - a must do!

 

Marvelling at how white their laundry is.

Oh My!  19 floors of shopping at Times Square....too much!

 Ladies market...my fave

 

Ring-a-ding-ling-bling market stall...I loved these!

 Streetscape

Scaffolding Hong Kong style - it's ALL Bamboo!

 

Pretty Shop Windows

And my splurge...a Kate Spade Wallet.  I love it!

 

Let the crafting begin.  I have 8 weeks to make a quilt as a wedding present...a real challenge for me - my quilts are usually years in the making.....

WATCH THIS SPACE!!