Thursday, February 28, 2019

#mendmarch @visiblemend

I like monthly challenges.  They are a short time frame, but very intense.  Demanding. Not much time to think and ponder.  Just do the first thing that comes to mind, photograph it, post it and move on. 

During the month of March I've decided to participate in #mendmarch @visiblemend.  31 days of mending, darning and stitching.  Pics will be posted on instagram if you want to follow the group, or join in!

Day #1 prompt is "Get Your Kit Out".   I worked ahead on this one as a 2 day retreat will keep me busy on Thursday and Friday.  As I pulled together a basket of supplies, I weeded a few drawers of supplies to make sure the trash man had a bag to pick up this week.  Talk about multi-tasking!

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Keep stitching...

One of these days, the sun and warm weather will return and I will get off my chair and return to the great outdoors.  In the mean time, I stitch...




Sunday, February 24, 2019

Morning Tea / Bright and cheery

I try to stitch a little bit every morning while drinking my first cup of tea.  It's amazing how much gets done this way!







Saturday, February 23, 2019

Collage animals

Lots of cold rain this morning.  A perfect time to create collage animals! They will be fun to use in greeting cards or journal art.










Monday, February 18, 2019

Norse quilt - update

Picked up my Norse natural dyed quilt again.  It sat in a box and then hung on the design wall for a long time.  I had hit a brick wall and didn't like the direction it was traveling.  Then inspiration hit. Go back to the collage quilt idea.  Make small parts, and then collage them together.  Not sure why I thought I could go away from this concept. Anyway, I'm working away, taking baby steps on this quilt using stitch and thickened dyes:




Sunday, February 17, 2019

Make Ink

I checked this brilliant book out from the library:


I've been on a natural dyeing kick for the past year, and this book spoke to me!  With much snow on the ground, it has been difficult to even think about foraging for materials outdoors.  Instead, I started cleaning the kitchen cupboard spice shelf.  Instead of ink, I naturally used my creations on fabric.  Cinnamon chunks, allspice berries, rose hips, star anise, and cardamom seed  each had a day of simmering on the stove.  I then poured the liquid and dye stuffs on my fabric and let it steep for a few days.




Yummy fabrics!  All began as white.  The cardamom didn't take much colour.  I also did not use a mordant on any of the fabrics.  Next experiment will include an alum or iron soak before the dye.



Monday, February 11, 2019

Floral block

I had a few minutes this afternoon to play with block design. The goal is quick and easy, bright and cheerful. The other goal is to use fabric from the closet.  No more purchasing until a shelf is cleared off in the closet!


Sunday, February 10, 2019

Facelift

I've been trying to get some much needed painting done in the house.  This past week I tackled the bedroom.

Before:


After:


I think a new quilt is in order too!  Trying to use only fabrics from my stash as I continue to downsize.


Started playing with sewing samples today.  This seems too busy, but on during this long winter I really need some bright colour. Will play more tomorrow and dig deeper into my stash.


Friday, February 8, 2019

Ice

Photos just never pick up the beauty of snow and ice the way the eye does.  Just the same, I couldn't help but take a few shots.