Moon Series, Tulles and Sheers

I went on a fabulous workshop with Ineke Berlyn yesterday and made this scene with some of my hand-dyed fabrics, some shared fabrics and some sheers. It is on a base of white organza with some pink very fine grade tulle over the top machine-stitched in purple and gold threads. I am very pleased with the result and want to do more utilising this technique.

Here is a picture which shows the layers better, but I am waiting for some sun to come out. The picture is in an acrylic frame and can stand on the window sill to get the full effect of the sun shining through (some day soon please!). Here is the class in action - we are the Embroiderers' Guild.

...and here is my new Bernina (pride and joy) in action at 6.30 this morning because I couldn't wait to finish it!

I have also been working at the Moon Series and have posted a picture of the first patch of 12 monthly Lunar influenced pictures for the following year's slow cloth. The moon is shining above the Pitons which are two very magnificent mountains which rise abruptly out of the sea in Lucia where we were in January (see last posts). I have put the Pitons in cotton velvet which feels lovely and the moon is discharged with bleach on a cotton woven fabric background.

This year I am collecting various patterns in photo and sketch for future use. This is a photo of our Victorian hall tiles which would be a patchworker's dream!

Here is the window of our front door. You don't need to go far for inspiration!

Then if you've got a moment click on this link to watch a heart warming video set to music by Tonya Davis with art by Andrea Dorfman :)

Hand Sewing - A Whole New Meaning

OUCH! My finger! Oh dear I think this new super powerful sewing machine needs a speed camera. It's supposed to be a stitch regualtor but obviously that doesn't prevent it going through your finger! I was having a happy little meander quilt and suddnely the needle broke, I screeched and I looked down to see a very neat stitch in my finger. I was attached to the machine and the quilt by the thread! I'm glad it was a nice clean new needle at any rate. I had to clip the thread and pull about a centimetre out of the side of my finger. Guttermann thread - do all surgeons use it?

So I have taken off the little darning foot (below) and put on this larger one in the hope that I may have more protection. After pacing the kitchen and applying a plaster I decided the best thing to do would be to continue sewing to take my mind of the building pain. Now I've run out of thread.

Perhaps this is punishment for using my Xmas present in advance of December 25th, but if I left it until that day to open no-one would get any Christmas lunch!

Produce in November

Ah at last I have had the nerve to quilt the trees on my new Bernina sewing machine! It was easy when I got going but the stitch regulator is so different from the "foot on the gas" style quilting I have done before. As one moves the fabric the machine automatically stitches at the same length whatever speed one goes. I think it's like switching from a manual Vauxhall Viva to an automatic step-tronic BMW (that's for any men reading).


Talking of trees I went on a foray to the much neglected allotment today with my 9 year old boy. We lit a fire. All boys should have compulsary GSCE fire poking homework. Then we picked apples, sprouts, he shelled the beans for next year's seed and finally picked coriander seeds. Off he went, bamboo cane in hand to see what was further afield whilst I dug up Jerusalem artichokes and red cabbage.
Anyway we came back with this lot.
We had a crowd for dinner so a shoulder of lamb was coated with the toasted and crushed coriander seeds with cumin (Rachel Allen recipe) and slow roasted for 4 hours and the red cabbage braised with apple, onion, garlic and spice (Delia Smith recipe). The sprouts were lightly steamed and some previously dug spuds mashed.
Madeira cake was drenched in Remy Martin and piled with fruit salad and whipped cream to follow.
The wine was not from the UK but was plentiful (hence I have to keep re-typing pretty well all these words) and my mother- in- law set fire to the table just to keep us on our toes.
I wouldn't touch the sewing machine after all that lot because it would bring a whole new meaning to meander quilting!

Out Of The East

We have just returned from a lovely holiday in the Pelaponese area of mainland Greece.

Whilst the rest of my brood were taking sailing / windsurfing / bodyboarding / kayaking lessons and generally being over-active I was doing "extreme sewing" and Olympic reading. I managed to finish this little sample of Kantha embroidery and read The Kite Runner (amongst other books) which was tremendous.

This was a fabulously relaxing holiday with great food and marvellous weather. Just what we need to carry us over the winter months.
Today I have been to learn a little about Sashiko Quilting from Japan with Stevie Walker. It's very mathematical / grid based and very different in that sense from Kantha but the running stitch idea is the same thing. The stitches are meant to be like grains of rice. The ones in the books look like Arborio rice - nice and small - mine were a bit more along the Uncle Ben's Long Grain variety! It is sashiko thread in white and denim on to indigo dyed fabric from Cotton Patch in Birmingham.

Also I have crammed in making a few little Christmas decorations for a craft fair at Bilston Art Gallery this weekend.
Time is marching on but I couldn't wait until Christmas to open my new Bernina sewing machine. It was too much to bear so I have had a brief play with it and look forward to doing more with it tomorrow. It simply purrs along.

Hoorah - decision made!

Hoorah I have decided upon, and ordered a Bernina 440QE with stitch regulator! It's coming tomorrow but hubby says I have to keep it in the box until Christmas. Boy that's tough.

Ok I know this is not a picture of a sewing machine but how often are you in the garden when a butterfly lands on your right hand and you happen to have a camera in your left?

Janome or Bernina... that is the question

May be getting a new sewing machine for Christmas. Tried out Janome Memorycraft 6600 today and a Bernina 440QE. Still can't decide. Ideas, suggestions anyone?