Another Cash 4 Quilts mini April 16, 2011
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This was inspired by a velvet patchwork quilt in the Quilt Association collection. The exhibition of the Association’s collection opened today and we hope lots of quilters will be inspired to donate A4 sized inspirations to raise funds.
Dyeing April 15, 2011
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Following on from Wonderwool, and the absence of yellow yarn, here is my first attempt at dyeing. I had some Koolade Lemonade flavour and was expecting it to be zingy – it wasn’t. After getting the yarn good and wet (an hour’s soak) It was too pale even when concentrated in only a small area.
I decided to go back to an old stalwart – Turmeric – first used in this family one easter when the faithful (and yellow) Mini-Egg laying chick had gone AWOL, and a white chick had to be hastily disguised as an understudy! Anyone who has spilt curry will know of Turmeric’s staying power.
Determined to have some Highly-E-numbered-American-Poison presence, a few dashes of Walmart’s finest Value Fruit Punch, gives a lovely red – tomatoey, not pinky – and a tiny drip-drop of some teal Procion I had already mixed up – Voila!
All I have to now is choose a pattern and beads – Yawn!!!!!
Wonderwool Wales April 9, 2011
Posted by George in Felting, Knitting.1 comment so far
I had a spiffing time today. Didn’t bump in to any Ravellers, but I did see a lot of local friends, including a few Welsh Heritage and Region 12 quilters. Wonderwool has gone from strength to strength over the years and is now a really polished event, albeit in the cavernous warehouse style units of Llanelwedd showground.
Today, and at last year’s autumn quilt show at Malvern, I set myself a modest spending limit, and the policy has worked in that on both occasions I have been very selective and not even reached, let alone, gone beyond, the boundary!
Today I was drawn by a lovely quiet and calm, yet very informative demo given by the lovely Twist Fibre Craft Studio, using ‘pre-felt’ – something new to me. Much more controllable, and quick, and straightforward, than either knitted felt, or from-tops felt, pre-felt is in the ‘almost there’ state. I am looking forward to experimenting with their no-soap and bubble wrap method.
You can see the colours of pre-felt at the top of the picture – a large piece of cherry red (coincidentally u-handbag have just got new metal handbag frames, with cherry red bobbles!), and a rainbow of smaller pieces.
I also bought some laceweight merino/silk ready to dye. I have been looking out for some yellow yarn, for a chakra shawl, without success, so I am going to have a go at dyeing my own. I think a Koolaid yellow might please me! DT crafts can tell you all you need to know!
My final purchases were made at Colourcraft – a useful lettering stencil, a couple of Markal sticks with a particular art quilt in mind, and some transfer dyes, as I think the not-seeing-immediately the final colour will help me be a bit more free, less perfectionist – shut that inner critic right up!
Well – my actual final purchase – food from Love Patisserie of Hay on Wye – a wheatfree Florentine for the WFV – as the Rick Astley song says ‘Cause I think about you even when you’re far away ( he was at home weeding!) – and two Rose Meringues for pudding after supper with the first picking of rhubarb!
PS The meringues were perfect!
Quilting content! April 6, 2011
Posted by George in Quilting and Patchwork.add a comment
I am a member of The Quilt Association. It is an incredible resource in this outpost of the cultural world, and a joy. Sadly, The Minerva Centre, which houses the association’s collection of antique quilts and also provides a venue for many interesting exhibitions each year, is in need of some renovation work.
This is my first contribution to the Cash4Quilts fundraiser. Other quilters may, (I hope) be encouraged to take part. We are hoping to sell A4 sized interpretations of many of the quilts in the collection.
This is my interpretation
of this quilt from the 1930s.
I was intrigued by the fading of the quilt from mauve to buff and took the elements of the spiral and geometric quilting and the butted edge finish. I added half a line from a C16th poem (words in italic), that caught my imagination. It is by Barnabe Barnes.
A blast of wind, a momentary breath,
A wat’ry bubble symbolized with air,
A sun-blown rose, but for a season fair,
A ghostly glance, a skeleton of death;
A morning dew, pearling the grass beneath,
Whose moisture sun’s appearance doth impair;
A lightning glimpse, a muse of thought and care,
A planet’s shot, a shade which followeth,
A voice which vanisheth so soon as heard,
The thriftless heir of time, a rolling wave,
A show, no more in action than regard,
A mass of dust, world’s momentary slave,
Is man, in state of our old Adam made,
Soon born to die, soon flourishing to fade.
Today I received all the Round Robin pieces. I started the ‘game’ off with the 12″ square woven star you can see in the centre, surrounded by the blocks made by the other five participants. I love the results and can’t wait to play with them and turn them into a full sized quilt.
Stylish! Moi!!! April 2, 2011
Posted by George in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
The lovely and very stylish herself Hazel aka Knityoga has nominated me for the stylish blogger meme! Thank you Hazel!!!!
The rules of the award are:
a) Thank the person that awarded you:
Thank you very much, Hazel!
(b) List 7 things about myself:
1. The first record I bought that was not an Elvis Presley one, was T.Rex’s Ride a White Swan
2. I love poetry and when I worked in a dull office I used to secretly post a ‘poem of the week’ on the staff noticeboard
3. If I could have chosen to live in another time I would like to have been a 20s flapper – if only for the pudding basin hats
4. I put multi-theist on the census as my religion, as I have deep spiritual beliefs and enjoy aspects of many faiths, while at the same time abhorring the divisions that the more ridiculous constraints of those different religions cause – as if the power over all creation minds what we eat or wear, when or where we do what we do, and wants us to bless our wars in their name.
5. I am a person of contrasts – I love London and I love the middle of nowhere – I love very sweet and I love very salty – I love silence and I love full volume music
6. I am a Gleek.
7. I would like to sit and watch a watercolourist paint a picture from start to finish
(c) Pass the award to other stylish bloggers:
In no particular order, my choices are:
Eli Pascall Willis
