Gelli prints and a postcard

 A few weeks ago I showed you this picture of some collograph gelli prints that I had made using a tutorial from Design Matters TV.

I have started working into a couple of them

but I was soon distracted by the idea of printing the designs onto fabric and came up with these.

The top two are printed onto white cotton sheeting and the bottom three onto hand dyed cottons. I was very pleased with how these turned out - even the ones that dont show up very clearly at the bottom. Needing something for a postcard I took the print on the bottom left 

and bonded it to some pelmet vilene before adding some machine stitch to the background to emphasise the shapes, and to the pomegranate seeds.

I used some gold paint to hightlight the hexagons and the pomegranate and there we are, one postcard!

It has been lovely to watch the garden coming to life during March so I will leave you with a few of my favourite photogrpahs.

FNSI MArch

 I have been a busy bee recently basting the coffin hexies for my Wings and Pretty Things borders. I have basted more than I need for the moment but I felt it was good to have some done ready for the outer border, when I get there. Anyway, here they are

and here are the ones for the first border, all sewn together.

So my Friday task was to cut the background fabric and start appliqueing! And this is where I was by he end of Friday.

Not quite finished but almost!

Many thanks to Wendy for getting us together again - you can see who else took part here. I have a bit of reading to do I can see!

This lovely postcard arrived in my postbox recently

It was from Annie as a bloghop prize. If you don't know Annie then do pop over to her blog, she makes some lovely things. It is some time since a post card came my way and it has enthused me to make some myself!

Spring is well under way here although it is decidedly nippy here this weekend with a cold north wind blowing. But the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in sight!

Have a great week

FNwF's and RSC 2021

 Well, what happened to Friday I have no idea, but all I have to show for my Friday Night with Friends are these coffin hexagons that I cut out for the next stage of Wings and Pretty Things.

  These are for a border and I have cut way more than I need but there is also an outer border of these so they will all be used. Lots of basting to do this week which will be a nice antidote to quilting my tablecloth which has begun. No exciting photographs yet though.

Thank you to Cheryll for hosting our Friday night get together - I have already seen some lovely work from Friday night.

                                                                       +++++++++++

The new Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for March is green and so I pulled out all the green scraps from my box earlier this week - sadly I forgot to take a photograph! However, I now have two little flowers for my quilt, some ScrapTherapy squares and six and a half crumb squares to add to my collection which nicely cleared up all my green scraps.

I have to say that most of my greens are pretty dull! Not my favourite colour.

Linking up with Angela at  Scrap Happy Saturday where you can see much more interesting greens than mine!

Have a good week everyone.

February!

What happened to February? Here we are on the last but one day and it seems to have gone by in a blur! We started off with horrible weather and now are enjoying beautiful sunny days - long may it last.

This last week has seen me busy quilting and I have finished another couple of blocks of my Red Manor House. A quarter of these blocks are now completed.

So I have now decided to put RMH away until next winter and work on a lighter project. Next week will see me start quilting the appliqued tablecloth which will not be so heavy to work on.

I have also added some more applique to the Dresden centre block of Wings and Pretty Things.

I will finish off the corner hearts when I have added the first border.

I have also been working in my sketchbooks this week - this is a finished page from one of them.

I carried on with the pomegranate theme with these collographs

using a tutorial from Design Matters TV. They will be cut out and used in my sketchbooks.

With the weather warming up the garden is coming to life and there is a lot more colour around.

Lovley to see green shoots everywhere.

Have a good week everyone.

Saying Goodbye

 In 1981 I started a City and Guilds Embroidery course and after a few weeks working with different techniques we were given our first assignment - Something to Delight a Child. Christmas was coming and so I decided to make an Advent calendar. Until about 10 years ago I used that calendar every year, but then we started travelling to UK for Christmas and it was too bulky to take with us. So a couple of years ago I made a more portable calendar.

So my original calendar has sat in a cupboard for some time - but now it is going to a new home and so I thought I would share a few photographs before it goes.

The numbers on the pockets are worked with perle thread couched down with gold which doesnt show up too well in the picture sadly.

The pockets each contain a little charm most of which are hand worked and they hang on the silver baubles. The pockets are also big enough for a small square of chocolate or a sweet. I have also been known to hang shreds of lametta on the tree..

Just a few pictures of the little charms. The tiniest cathedral window pin cushion I have ever made - 1" square.

A little chain stitched stocking.

The candle which always goes into the first pocket.

Some bargello.

And some blackwork.

Hnadmade cord and tassels to finish it off.

This is now going to my neice and her daughter and I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.

And a couple of pictures of my final exhibion showing the calendar and my other two years worth of work.

FNSI February

 Friday was a lovely day here, if a tad windy! But at least it was dry and it has been good to have some warm sun around again this week.

I started my Friday afternoon with an hour working in my sketchbooks - sorry, no photos - and then went off walking with friends for the rest afternoon.

However, come the evening I got our my Red Manor House with the intention of finishing the quilting of this butterfly block.

But, a good film came on TV and in the end I had little to show for my evening. However this afternoon, two hours and one football match later, I have a completed block.

Many thanks to Wendy for organising our get together yesterday - pop over to Wendy's blog to see who else joined in and to see what they got up to.

In other news this week the centre Dresden for Wings and Pretty Things is now appliqued in place and has it's corona of dots applied too.

I am now on a hunt for some more of the fabric I have used as a background as it works perfectly with the pretty Rue 1800 fabrics.

If anyone has any tucked away in their stash then I would love to hear from you!

Right, I need to catch up with what everyone was doing yesterday - have a good week.

A New Project!

 And I am really excited about this new, long term, project! Michelle has very kindly shared her notes for her Wings and Pretty Things quilt which is full of gorgeous applique and EPP.

These gorgeous fabrics arrived this week which I plan to use for all the applique. They are from a range called Rue 1800 by 3 Sisters for Moda. Just as lovely in real life as they were on the website where I spotted them.

So I got straight in and made the centre Dresden for the quilt - I just need to stitch the centre circle down.

Next up, some applique flowers.

In other news this week I have sent off my swap hexies for the month

and I have been busy quilting my Red Manor House. Having completed the narrow blue border, I am now working on the flower and flower pot blocks.

Its been a cold week here with heavy rain yesterday and the valley is flooded again. But things are looking brighter and warmer for next week thank goodness.

Have a good week.