Summer School

I am so excited to be going to Summer school on Sunday I have already begun packing!!!



The fascinator is completed, BUT I would prefer to unveil it to my Distant Stitchers and Sian before I show the World. I hope you don't mind!

Well, maybe a taster of what it looks like...

I like it so much I am contemplating making a dress to match for a wedding I am invited to at the end of August!

Watoto Choir

I have just had a most enjoyable evening watching the Watoto Choir. The children all live in a Watoto village in Uganda, with a Housemother, as they are orphans to HIV/aids. They are so positive in their outlook on life due to the support they get from the Watoto leaders.

Came away humble, yet happy and uplifted

So what next?

Coursework of course!

Tomorrow I shall be doing my Monday jobs and then spending some time reviewing what still needs to be done, allocating time (finding time between jobs as chief cook and bottle washer and taxi driver) to get them done before Summer School.

I'm so very close to completing this module I can touch it!

Now I need some sleep - I think I deserve it

They came, they saw...

We had a Quilt Show!

On Friday evening we built our quilt frames, photographed the quilts as they were hung, and created a Quilt Show.




Saturday, the quilts were judged by Dawn Cameron-Dick and the rosettes were given out and the general public came. It was amazing to have spent some months co-ordinating the entry forms and the collection of quilts and then deciding where they were to be put and then the show was on!

This Block of the Month won Best in Show

This quilt on the left got my Visitor's Choice vote as it was fresh, bright and was outlined in silver instead of black bias binding, giving a modern twist to the stained glass window design.

We had a visit from the Mayor and Mayoress

And you don't have to use colour if you don't want to!

This quilt, obscured by this delightful gentleman, won Best Traditional Design and had lots of signitures from family members from across the world - A Family Tree of a Quilt!

And then as soon as it had begun, it was over and it all came down

and quilts were reclaimed

And then it was gone!

and we all went home for a good rest!

I enjoyed myself - yes it was hard work and just a little stressed BUT it was fun and it happened, and my team did it!

They think I did such a good job I'll be co-ordinating it next year!!!!!!

Quilt Show

So it's Friday night and the quilts are handing - We have a show!



All we need now are the visitors.



The building of the frames - yes, they arrived on time - was done in no time and before I knew it we had photographed and had the quilts hanging in a flash. This was my first hanging (!) as with children it hasn't always been possible to attend at 4.30pm til 9.00pm, although I was at the dismantling on the Sunday evenings as DH was home. Now they are older it is alot easier. Daughter went off to a Guide and Scout camping weekend - Scouts and Guides camping at separate ends of a camping ground (!!!) and meeting during the day for activities. Son helped find the quilts for photographing and was general help to all the Ladies - v. proud Mother as he was well mannered and charming.



Now I have bits and pieces of labling to do before bed and an early start as the Judge arrives at 8am and the Show officially begins at 10am

Thought you'd like to see the quilts I have entered

Jean Genie with Stars and Hearts

This is my "green" quilt as it is recycled jeans and very cuddly. It is my star gazy quilt for v. late summer evenings when I sit in the garden and watch meteor showers.

and

A Rare Bit of Welsh!

Daffodils, Dragons and Leeks. I made three "leeks" and attached them to the bottom panel. Although a bit wonky, I am proud of this quilt as I taught myself how to do this! I would like to try this technique again, but next time I would machine quilt the pattern as it would be quicker and I could be doing the stuffing sooner and this is the bit I enjoyed the most.

And so to bed I think I deserve it.

Resolved Piece - Final Layer

Just to remind you of where I left off

The final layer has been influenced by the spiral staircase in St. Paul's catherdral.

The tracing was enlarged and the smaller second mini spiral in the line drawing was made using foam board covered with embellished fabric.

The rest of the main spiral was cut into sections . These boards where used as templates to made a delicate lacy topping (see picture below in top left hand side of sample)

I made the lacy sections by sewing patterns into soluable paper

First I printed out the base design, using a spiral printing block

Once this design had been machine embroidered in the green thread, I over sewed bigger spirals in a deep pink. Then I machine embroidered smaller light pink spirals and finally printed a swirl design which I oversewed in a dark green

Once the sewing was completed I cut out the sections and pinned then to a foam board

and rinsed them under a running tap where the soluable paper dissolved.

The lacy shapes have been attached to the foam blocks - which I had covered with light pink felt

The foam blocks are sewn to the background fabric and the fabric was mounted onto foam board

Piece Resolved!

A nicer picture of this final piece will be appearing soon in the coursework gallery blog.

Christmas Morning!

Well, they all turned up with their quilts and my lounge looks like Christmas morning with all the bags containing said quilts in my bay window!

I'm feeling abit daunted as we have a venue, we have quilts, but the people who store the stands haven't got back to the committee member in charge of stands yet, so we could have very sore arms by 4pm on Sunday!!!!!

Any way I'm off to bed as I have "Quilt Entry Description" signs to complete typing and laminating tomorrow. I also have to decide where each Quilt will be hanging in the hall, That will be an interesting challenge as I have never "hung" a show before. I'm quite looking forward to it! This show has been a really interesting learning curve for me and I feel as though I have grown in confidence as each stage as been reached. By Sunday I'll be capable of planning Sandown or Malvern! In my dreams!!!!! Talking of which - Goodnight!

It's like Christmas Eve

Tonight is my Quilter's group meeting and hopefully I shall be leaving with a car full of quilts! I am feeling slightly apprehensive as the entry forms are only a promise, yes, they've paid their entry fee, but never the less they are under no obligation to actually submit their quilt if they decide not to!

I do have four that have been given to me early as the members can not be at the meeting tonight, so I do have a small quilt show if I don't receive any more!!!

Then it all begins, getting ready to hang them all on Friday for the show this week-end at a local school hall.

It's so exciting and yet nerve racking all at the same time.

Wish me luck

Is it June 14th already?

Gosh where did those days go?

Well I am truely in the deadline zone, next weekend is the Quilt show and on Monday evening I will be taking home ALOT of quilts from the monthly meeting in readiness for hanging on the Friday night! Big responcibility? You bet!

Then from Monday 23rd it's all hands on deck to complete coursework for Module 3 to be ready for the Summer School. I am so looking forward to this. Meeting up with new Distant Stitchers and the Stitchers who have been stitching too long for their own good! (That definitly includes me!). The theory is we don't want to complete as we can't go to Urchfont any more and a visit to Urchfont is like going to a health spa. You leave regenerated and raring to go on the next module, any textile technique is possible after a visit to Urchfont!

And so to bed...

Return of the...

Very Tired Son!




Son has been on the Isle of Wight for the week on a school trip - it has been very quiet at home as I haven't shouted once! It's the same when Daughter is away so I can only conclude when my Children are together "it's Merder".

On returning he showed us his souvenirs of his trip - a hat, a pencil sharpener and a collection of postcards and produced his gift for me...

This lovely limpet shell that looks like it's been topped like a boiled egg and I'm so pleased!

He knows me so well and this means alot to me. The creative juices began to flow so no doubt it will become a work of art - His only stipulation is that it is not to be covered by fabric and some of the shell should be showing. I'll add it to the list of stuff to do!

31 days to go

I haven't posted much this week as I have been busy working on the quilts for the show and the coursework. Son is on the Isle of Wight with the school all week, Daughter has been busy with archery and athletics in her afterschool clubs, so I have had lots of time which I have used wisely.

For the final layer on the resolved piece I have been working on an idea using soluable paper and thread. Will post results soon...

Still working on...

I sent DH and Children out to the Town fayre on the college fields while I got on with more work on the fascinator. DH complained that I had all day tomorrow ( whoops thats today now) when the children return to school - after half term - but I explained how I was feeling was like opening a bottle of champagne - I was full of inspiration, abit like the champagne bubbles and you would prefer to drink the champagne whilst it was bubbly and not tomorrow when it would be flat! He saw sence in the end and they had fun and I had fun and abit closer to finishing this module!