My "Cut-out" Period

When I broke my ankle 4 years ago, I couldn't dye fabric. In fact, I couldn't do much at all as my leg was screwed together and I wasn't able to put any weight on it for 12 weeks. A friend very kindly persuaded her husband to make me a fabric-covered board I could use, and instead of dyeing, I turned to fabric painting. With time on my hands, I also explored cutting out positive and negative images, and appliqueing them onto a background. Here are 2 of my favourites, both of which are PHDs (Projects Half Done).

Top Model

Here's the finished quilt top, photographed on location in exotic Rangiora in the company of heritage apple, Peasgood Nonsuch (yes, I bought it just for the name!).

Which one looks best? Help needed!

I am about to add the last quarter strip to Hidden Wells, but can't decide where to put it.

Option 1 - light purple top and bottom, darker purple in the middle, 5 large purple/beige diamonds
Option 2 - light purple top half, darker purple lower half, 4 large purple/beige diamonds.

Let me know your thoughts!

Halfway to the top

Well, really that should read "halfway through the top" but that doesn't sound as good! This is the Hidden Wells quilt top with 4 of the 8 units completed. You can get a better feel now for how the pattern comes together - or, at least, how this particular layout does, as there are a number of ways that the individual triangular pieces can be re-assembled. Unlike other patterns where the blocks are mixed up and scattered throughout the top, this design is meant to have each section with all the same fabrics in it, so that the design and colours change across the quilt.

One Quarter

Above, leaning somewhat drunkenly, (no, not me - the blocks!) is one quarter of the Hidden Wells quilt that I'm making with a batik jelly roll. You end up with 8 different fabric units. Each one is cut and sewn together to make 2 large blocks. These are then sewn together to make mirror images; then the next units are made, and then rotated and sewn to the first ones to give this result. The photo shows 2 completed units.

Each fabric unit that you make comprises strips of 4 separate colour groups and 2 accent fabrics.
The accent fabrics are in every unit, while the other fabrics vary from unit to unit. This means that while each unit has red, yellow, purple and blackish fabrics, these change from unit to unit so that the look of the quilt top changes as well. You can see this more clearly in the photos of the pattern in the previous post.

Why is it...

..that sometimes, I have ideas spouting from every orifice (ok, that's an exaggeration), and other times (like now), I don't have 2 to rub together? Is this part of getting older? I hope not. Maybe I just have Decision Overload Syndrome. This is what you get when you have to make dozens of major important decisions all by yourself. If it's not already an recognised disorder, I'm inventing it now.

Leaving my multitudinous (yes, that IS a word) problems aside, I have decided to soothe myself and my craft-starved brain by making a quilt using the lovely batik jelly roll I bought shortly after I came home. Here it is again -
Because I'm completely unable to think up an original design,I reached for my book "Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts" by Pam and Nicky Lintott. This is the design I thought I'd go with:
It's called "Hidden Wells" and is a slightly adapted version of the Mary Ellen Hopkins pattern.
This is a more feminine pastel version. The pattern uses a couple of accent fabrics, so I'll use hand dyes for these. Being a morning person, I'll wait for a free morning to make a start.
And here are the poodles, still in their winter coats (I love their coats all long and soft and curly), pretending to be joined at the hip.

The new look for the living room

A few posts ago, I showed you what my living room used to look like. This large room runs the whole width of the front of the house, and is built for the sun. It's the heart of the house, and where I spend most of my time. I have now completed repainting the walls, beams and ceilings. This is what you see as you enter the room from the deck.
This is the view over to the stairs. Poodles insisted on being in the photos.
Above is the left-hand side of the room (as you enter from the deck). I didn't paint the side rafters as it's too much work, and I don't mind leaving them stained. The little red settee is a great place to sit on during the day.
Above is the right-hand side, where I sit at night.

Two weeks later...

..and I have made some progress on my Earthquake Quilt but I'm not happy with how it's looking so I've put it aside while I concentrate on getting the house ready for sale. I'm in the middle of painting the living room and want it FINISHED so I can restore some order.

Yesterday I went to a local spinners and weavers trading day where I bought this lovely skein of 50% silk, 50% merino from Jessicah at Spinning A Yarn. She has lovely 100% silk yarns too.

And here is Clapotis, finally completed. It's over 2 metres long and I used less than 70 grams of this lovely silk and merino wool. Unfortunately, in my haste to complete it, I made an error (not visible in the photo) which I simply cannot be bothered ripping back and sorting - the pattern does not have straight ends, but pointed ones, and I would have to frog a huge amount of knitting. So it will just have to stay as is. It's not like it's the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

A Brief Southern Sojourn

I decided on Wednesday night that this would be a good time to look around down south where I am probably going to be living. This is Plan B if I can't find work, and with the earthquake causing a lot of disruption to businesses, this is looking more and more likely. So I packed up the pooches on Thursday morning and headed for Dunedin, to stay a couple of nights with my friend Desi. I spent Friday touring around Otago Peninsula with her, the poodles and her little Bichon. One place we went to was Long Beach, where we were able to let the dogs out for a good run. Here they are on the sand dunes. This was their reward for all the hours spent in the car, where they behaved impeccably.

Today we had to come home again, as it was only a reconnaissance trip, though also designed to put some distance between me and the aftershocks. On the way home, I stopped at Ashfords and bought this skein of 2 ply laceweight kid mohair blended with merino. It's 100 grams in weight, and 900 metres in length. Yes, I could dye my own, but sourcing the plain yarn is a huge mission, which is disappointing for a country with 10 times more sheep than people. Unfortunately, our small population means much of the good stuff goes offshore. Rats. Perhaps I should keep angora goats and merino sheep and alpacas, and learn to spin........

The Epicentre

Here is the centre of the Eartquake Quilt - the Epicentre. I wanted a simple design where the fabric could speak for itself. I wasn't in the mood to design something from scratch, so I settled on the Kaffe Fassett design below, which is appropriately called "Tilt".
Keep watching as the rest of the quilt unfolds.

When life throws you quakes, make a quilt.

Fortunately, I am one of the households that was not structurally damaged in Saturday's quake. I am not so sure about my state of mind, however. Even those of us without damage are tense and on edge, due to the proliferation of aftershocks ( 2 during the night of magnitude 5.4, and we have been warned that a magnitude 6 could still occur) and it's very hard to get on with normal life as a result.

Because I can't settle down to do much, I decided this morning to dye some fabric and make an earthquake quilt. I selected the following colours: ice blue, purple (equal parts of fuchsia & turquoise), scarlet, golden yellow, deep black and a bit of turquoise by itself. Due to the short batching time (I have no patience, I want the fabric NOW!) and the low ambient temperature today, the turquoise was rather fugitive. The fabric was done in bags with minimal squdging (technical term). Here are the first 6 fat quarters:
And the second lot of 6 (excuse the very lightly ironed appearance, I'm not much in the mood for that either).
Then I ripped off a metre piece and put all the leftover dyes on it. As often happens, this piece came out pretty well, I thought:
Now I just have to settle on a design that I feel is appropriate. More coming!

The earth moved for me..

..and unfortunately, much of the South Island of New Zealand as well, when an earthquake (magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale) hit Canterbury at 4.35am. Fortunately, there have been no deaths, though there is considerable property damage, mainly in Christchurch city - I live about 25km north of the city where we have got off lightly.

New Zealand is a geologically frisky place and has frequent small earthquakes, which Kiwis are used to. I lived for many years in a geothermal region where there was even a place called Earthquake Flat south of the city. However, this was the largest and most severe earthquake I have experienced, and was pretty scary even though the only damage in my house was a few things falling off shelves. The dogs have been calm, but the cat has disappeared.

We are usually comforted by the feel of solid ground, and it's disconcerting and upsetting when that ground betrays you. Blogger won't let me upload any photos for some reason, so words only for today.

Changing my world

That sounds rather grandiose, but I'm always making changes. Following on from the Great Kitchen Makeover that I started (actually, I originally only intended to paint the cupboards!)and showed you in the last post, I have now also painted the walls, beams and ceilings; plus the bathroom cabinet; and the hall walls and ceiling.

Coming up next is the living room, which is quite a big task. Here are the "before" photos. It's the light green and dark green that are going. The feature wall behind the fireplace will be the same colour as the kitchen cupboards (Half Sisal).
The ceiling and the 3 large beams will all become Quarter Sisal, the lighter version which is a lovely rich cream. I am not going to paint the sloping walls and rafters as it's too much work, and there are other more pressing tasks.
I no longer have these yellow curtaines and nets - they were replaced early on with cream calico thermal drapes, which will suit the new paintwork.

Kitchen Makeover

My kitchen used to look like this - green cupboards, drawers and window frames, green ceiling beam, with very dark green trim where anything met the ceiling. The back of the the bench area in the foreground was also painted dark green. Not the happiest colour scheme. However, I have the ability to be able to not really notice it. Mostly.

What I did notice, however, was how chipped and worn the cupboards were becoming. As I am seriously considering selling the house, I decided to paint the cupboard doors to freshen them up. I found some leftover paint that a friend had given me. It was seriously neutral, not something that I'm known for.
Four and a half hours later, after noticing that parts of the kitchen (cupboard door tops, drawer tops and the shelves above the stove) lacked any paint at all, and seeing how much better it all looked without the greens, I stopped. Note half of one glass cupboard missing - thanks to the housesitter. Just one more thing I have to shell out for after that disaster.
The area above the stove was all green previously, as were all the shelves to the right and the little window frame. And of course, the large ceiling beam which used to be two-tone green.

Unlike a fashion makeover, these photos were just quick unposed snaps taken the following morning when my friend Jill asked what colour scheme I'd chosen - I thought it was easier to show her with photos.

Did I mention I have those green beams and dark green trim all through the living room as well? .

Attention Deficit Disorder

I sometimes suspect that I suffer from an adult version of ADD, as I can usually be found reading several books at any one time, depending on my mood or the time of day (for example, I never read crime thrillers at bedtime - that is usually reserved for non-fiction tomes of a more soporific nature) and quite frankly, I hesitate to mention how many UFOs I have in my quilting storage, or even how many items I am currently knitting. Oh well, you've twisted my rubber arm, so I'll 'fess up about the knitting.

The Clapotis wrap (in merino and silk) and the Coquille shawl/scarf (in bamboo) are still unfinished, but since I've returned home and am no longer restricted to only these projects, I've picked up a couple of other unfinished pieces.

This pattern is called "Sadie" and comes from Berroco whose chief designer is the wonderful Norah Gaughan. I have her "Knitting Nature" book, and honestly, this woman is just amazing. I adore her patterns which often feature geometric designs, and are beautiful. I am making Sadie in 60% merino and 40% possum wool (ok, possums don't actually HAVE wool, but their fur is in this stuff) which is made by New Zealand's own Touch Yarns. Hand dyed of course. Above is the 2nd front, and I have already knitted the back.If you are a knitter and have not yet discovered Knitty, the online magazine, you're missing a treat. Knitty (also on Ravelry) features patterns from new designers, and has some great stuff which is all free. This pattern "Sonnet" is really interesting to knit because it's done sideways, and can be adapted to any sort of yarn and needle size. I've made it before according to the pattern but this time, it's for me and I'm using cables. The wool is Cleckheaton's Country Naturals . I've already completed the body, and this is the 1st sleeve.

So many patterns, so little time!

Fondling fabric

Ahhh....fabric! Quilters tend to be fabricaholics, as do textile and fabric artists. We are all united in our love of fabric, be it traditional, hand dyed, art cloth or whatever - there's beautiful fabric for any taste. I am currently re-creating one of my original patterns to submit to a magazine, and above are the colours I have decided to use. My forte is using hand dyes in conjunction with commercial prints, and this is what I try to achieve with the patterns I design. This one has a multicoloured commercial print square in the centre, with toning hand dyes and an interesting appliqued design.

The weather is not helping my progress, however, as it's dull and grey which means my camera insists on using the flash, and this is spoiling the photos. I am not that camera-savvy that I know how to adjust it, so am resigned to waiting till the sun shines. If anyone is more familiar with a Sony Cybershot that I am, and can tell me how, I'd love to hear. I know I have an instruction booklet SOMEWHERE...
In the meantime, I received this jelly roll from Hancocks of Paducah today. It's crazy that I can pay NZ$12 to $20 more if I buy jelly rolls locally. This is destined to be another pattern for a class or magazine, but I haven't decided what yet.

Watch this space!

Fish and Bubbles

I have completed the Fish and Bubbles quilt for wee Holly. I have quilted it simply due to time constraints. The nine patch blocks have designs of seaweed and bubbles..
..and the fish blocks have fancy bubbles. The thread is multi-coloured to go with the bright colours.

Quilt for Holly

Today, I started to make a quilt for a baby called Holly. She is the first child of a friend of my daughter, Sophie, and has been diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She will probably not live past 12 months. Having lost a child myself, I offered to make Holly a quilt. Her parents don't want a traditional pink frilly one, so I looked for inspiration for something different. In my studio, I came across these 4 appliqued fish blocks that I made with Electric Quilt and which I hand-stitched with blanket stitch, so I decided to make them the focus of the quilt. You can click on the photo for a closer look.
The blocks are 9", so I set about cutting 3 1/2" strips of plain hand dyed fabric to make nine patch blocks to go with them. These are the units I made up and then cut into strips.

Then I realised that my 9" fish blocks would only be 8 1/2" when sewn, while the nine patch blocks would be 9". Horrors! Fortunately I had some Nancy Crow "Boxes" fabric, so devised this cunning strip to run between the blocks to make them the correct size.
However, doing this meant I had to rethink the whole layout of the blocks, and I needed to make some (ahem) adjustments by including the Boxes fabric into the design.
Here are the blocks roughly laid out. I'm quite happy with this,so will go ahead over the weekend with sewing it together and adding a border. I'll aim to make it about 40" square. Watch this space!

PS I have pieces of the Nancy Crow fabric tied to my bag handles so I can easily identify my suitcase on baggage carousels - I figure hardly anyone else is likely to be doing the same, and it's distinctive. Thanks, Nancy!

Back to the future

I had some time to kill in Singapore on the way home, so I went on a city tour. We popped into Little India...
..drove past Raffles Hotel....
..and the financial district...
..past the Merlion, the symbol of Singapore...
..through Chinatown...
to the National Orchid gardens. That pool looked pretty tempting.
And of course, the orchids were lovely.
At Changi Airport, surely the world's most beautiful airport, there is a butterfly garden with 47 species of tropical butterflies like this one.

Why is this post called "back to the future"? Because now I'm back in New Zealand, our time is ahead of almost everywhere else in the world. This feels quite normal when you live here, but overseas it's weird to think that it was already tomorrow at home.