International Quilt Challenge

The latest theme for the International Quilt Challenge Group has been 'Reflection' or any variation thereof.  I last showed you it a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to decide how to quilt it.  Since then I have got to grips with said quilting and the piece is now finished, having skidded past the deadline by 6 days (oops!).

Thank you for the advice I was given in my last post, it did help with the decision making.  I decided not to add in any more 'field' boundaries in the hope that the quilting would make the brown lines less obvious.  I think I've just about got away with it.

This detail shows the area towards the top.  I made the 'field boundaries' towards the top darker to give the idea that they are in the distance.  The binding was made from the same strips as are in the quilt.  

My interpretation of 'Reflection' comes from reflecting on this area of Cornwall which is close to St Ives which is always in our thoughts when we are not there.  The wallhanging is also going to serve as my entry for the Sue Ridgwell Challenge at the AGM of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles in April under the theme 'My World is Green'.  I just need to add the sleeve and label.  The dimensions are 24" x 24".

Snow day(s)

Or should that be snow week?  We have had more snow down but so far it hasn't tempted me to any more snow dyeing.  We were promised more today but it is slow in arriving so, despite the snow dyeing, I am hoping that maybe it will miss us.

On Friday, when the latest lot of snow came down, I ventured out to Stitchcraft for some 'Friday Fun' with a mini workshop making Pin Cushion Baggies with Wendy Coyne. 

Altogether nine baggies were made and despite keeping an eye on the accummulating snow out the window we had a happy couple of hours.  There are going to be a lot more of these mini sessions and I am planning to go along to a few more.  If it hadn't been for the snow I would have stayed for a cuppa and a natter/cake.  As it was I got home safely but the drive up our side road was 'interesting'!  (My DH rang me as I was about to leave to drive home to warn me the snow was drifting across our road and covering it in.  Bless!)

This was the view in our garden Saturday morning.  

Instead of more snow dyeing I have been working on my quilt for the International Quilt Challenge Group and for the Sue Ridgwell Challenge at the AGM of the Quilters Guild GB.  Last time I talked about these challenges I had got as far as making a paper collage to explore my ideas.  I have since been busy piecing the landscape.

This is the start.

I've spent the last few days disecting and inserting darker strips to describe the field walls.    I think it may need one more diagonal line across the foreground.  I've been experimenting in Photoshop with the added insert and with possible quilting lines:

What do you think?   I still feel it lacks some pazzazz so decisions may be made about thread colour and possible beading.  I need to get my skates on!  As the challenge group piece it needs to be finished by the end of the month! 

Wherever you are in the world and whether you're freezing or boiling have a good week and keep safe.

Welcome to 2013

Don't you find that the two holiday periods of Christmas and New Year roll into each other to make a bit of a doldrom?  Life seems to sit in limbo between all the cooking and present opening and catching up with friends and family and I am now looking forward to picking up the strings again and getting back to some creativity.  2012 has ended with a yucky cough and cold so I am looking forward to something better for 2013.

So far I have decided not to have a particular word focus or any resolutions for this year.  It feels enough to 'keep moving forwards' as I read on someone's blog recently. Although I do still want to amalgamate what I learned with Dionne Swift and Shelley Rhodes last year so more sketchbook work does need to become part of my routine.

In the meantime I have several projects on the go.  I am still involved in the International Quilt Challenge and the latest theme is 'Reflection' and I have until later this month to complete it.  It is a theme that is open to many interpretations, especially at this time of year.  I've also committed myself to the Sue Ridgewell Challenge at this year's AGM of the Quilters' Guild of GB.  The theme of this challenge is 'My World is Green' and the resulting piece has to be 24" square.  I'm thinking that I may combine the two projects and have some ideas for 'My World is Green'.   

You may remember the first quilt I made for Festival of Quilts where I used curved piecing.

The image above shows the general idea.  I've also been meaning to work along the lines of Rayna Gillman and her free-form piecing so I thought this could be the project for it.

To make a start I have played about with an image of fields near Zennor in Cornwall in Photoshop, as that part of the country is a constant source of reflection to me as we dream about a possible move to the coast that will probably never happen.  

Fields are obviously very much in the 'green' range.  The danger is not having enough range and contrast in the choice of greens, a pitfall that is easy to fall into.  I didn't fancy working in my sketchbook (what was I saying before?) so I had a play with collage with various papers on a piece of watercolour paper.

This is 12"x12" so, one quarter the size of the final piece.   The next step will be to start making some blocks in blends of greens and trying to build the whole thing.  When I used to paint I had to remind myself that there are many types of green, red greens, yellow greens, blue greens, grey greens, brown greens.  In fact, in some cases it was better to paint colours that suggested green without actually being green.  If I were Hockney my greens would even be pink!  Now there's a thought!

I've said it already but I'll say it again, Happy New Year!  I hope 2013 is kind to you. For myself, I would just like to stop coughing!