4 Seasons in 1 Day

Using 2m fabric left over from Carl's quilt, I created this small 50 cm work, reflecting my passion for nature. The smaller triangles were fiddly, compared to the larger quilt, and when it was being made, it kept saying wind and sun, so I reverse bobbin embroidered Tawhirimatea (the wind) and Te Ra (sun) with crochet cotton.




For quilting the top, Press 'n' Seal was laid over the fabric, and the swirling wind drawn on, and the sun rays as well. After quilting, it was easier to remove than fabric pencil, so I will use it again.

As work evolved, I wanted to keep faith to the organic beginnings of the creation, so considered not to bind the work with the tradional binding, but zigzagged the edges, and then framed the work in wool.

Finally finished!

Completed two triangle quilts, not sure what to work on next, I have a bargello yelling in my brain, saying "Ccome on , you have put me off for so long!", and another creation whirling, quietly whispering, coaxing me, seducing me with silk.

Here is Carl's quilt, keeping him warm down in the Cold South of the Mainland.

4 weeks escape

Impossibly turquoise lakes, brown astrakhan hills, yellow, yellow, trees. I have been away from my desk and computer for 4 weeks enjoying a road trip of the South Island of New Zealand.

The seasons are more defined the further south I ventured. Autumn leaves in jewel tones. Can you get tired of seeing canary yellow trees for days on end. The lakes Tekapo and Pukaki look fake. I am told the turquoise blue is from the glacial waters. It still looks fake to me, and would be more suited to tropical coral seas and palm trees on the edges, not salmon farms and hydro electric power stations.

Snow, glorious snow! Only a North Islander would get excited, waking up to snow on the lawn, and then play in it before breakfast. How can I translate the texture to fabric, the crystals, the emotion of joy and laughter from playing in soft snow.

Captivated by the alpine trees, mist and bellbirds, I think nature and the seasons will feature in my work in the following months. I have experienced autumn in all her glory. To pay her homage would be recognition of all that she does each season, unnoticed by many.

Happy Houses

Have been having a play around with the techniques described by Karen Eckmeier during her recent New Zealand lecture tour. I found initially to be excited by her Accidental landscapes, but after making two, Flax and Nikau, they are not as challenging to me as her “Happy Villages”.

Flax and Nikau are created from the same fabrics, I have changed the order or the hills, and the angle of the shapes to add interest and variety. A simple technique but limits the amount of embellishment for me. Simple lines but I am not sure if I would use this technique again

Happy Villages is fabric collage, and the process is a familiar one for me. I used fusible stabiliser instead of glue, and cut away the netting in some places. The children enjoyed making museums, and shops, and galleries. I intend to bead some of the roofs. Found it difficult to cut the ladder, but I believe the small rectangles give the steps definition.

Connections

I have been wondering lately about the connections between nature and humankind, the spirits and humankind. There is an inter-relationship between the forces that connect us, and if you hear your name on the wind, do you act on it? Fascinating book "When the wind calls your name" and this has lead me to consider, how could I on fabric, convey the wind calling your name.

Triangles, Triangles, Triangles!

Now, with the sewimg machine back I was able to start on the triangles I had cut last week. I am ptting them into hexagons, and I am facinated wtih the array of design possiblities that this shape offers. I have slapped 100 hexagons onto the design wall, and are having a play with them. The photos are of different combinations.

NZ Bush Scene

Well I finally finished the NZ Bush Scene that I started way back in Oct 07 in Hamilton.

I am really pleased with the moss (detail) created with wool and wash away stablisher. The techniques that I wanted to try in this wall hanging, I incorporated into my weekly challenge quilts, so I worked with Angelina fibres, machine embroidery, bead soup in my weekly quilt, to be confident in the technique before working on this quilt.