Storm At Sea

I have just completed my storm at sea wall hanging. This was a piece I had started a little while ago but has since become a piece of course work. I had chosen to make a storm at sea hanging as it is one of my favourite blocks, not to mention that my dad and the chaps from the fishing club had to be rescued by the RNLI a few years ago when the fishing boat he was on broke down!




To me, the fabrics I have chosen encompass all the weather conditions you encounter out on the water, blue skies, blue seas, dark tempestuous sea, red/orange skies and misty foggy conditions.

A Lovely Surprise

A lovely surprise arrived in the post this morning. A postcard from my friend Val made using dressmakers tissued paper with fibers overlaid and an inchie on it too. I love it, she is always such an inspiration.

Thank you Val.

I Took A Notion!

Why is it that I always take a notion to do something at the least appropriate time?

Having been to a 60th birthday bash on Sat night I thought it was a good idea on getting up on Sunday morning to make a bag. It had occured to me on waking that I just didn't havethe right bag to take to Ireland with me on Weds. Those that know me will know that on looking inside my wardrobe there is not a bag in site. LOL.

Now it has to be said that late nights boogeing and a few tipples do not go hand in hand with my creative mind! Never let it be said that i'm not up for a challange. Undaunted by the fact that I didn't have a pattern and not too much of an idea of what I wanted to do I launched myself with 'typical gusto' at the project. ('Typical gusto' also runs in the family, my dad suffers from it as well!)

That said, after some mistakes, (I can't possible own up to how many) I finally finished said bag and am quite pleased with it. I used some of my hand dyed felted blanket and line the inside with cotton fabric. The applique was done using more hand dyed felt and cotton fabric.

I really must learn to control these notions!

Well whilst I'm on a roll I thought I would add some more bits that I have made in the past.

This is a book that I made for my sister when she went to Nepal a couple of years ago. The image above shows the book opened out so the front and back cover are visible as one complete vista.

She wanted a journal in which to record her experiences as this was a spiritual journey for her, and also one that would reflect where she was going, so I chose snow capped mountains, running water, a temple and trees and fields.

The ropes running from the edges of the temple roof to the ground even have prayer flags flapping from them, something that you will see everywhere in Nepal.

Creating texture on the surface was important so xpanda print and various threads were used to facilitate this.Last, but by no means least I added a ribbon bookmark with beads attached. Having accomplished all that I decided that the book was too beautiful to be carted around in a suitcase or a backpack so I made a box case for it to be kept in. That way, it could be carted around without getting dirty or damaged!

Sashiko Box

A recent piece of coursework required me to produce some samples of Sashiko work, both traditional and a modern take on it as well. The traditional pieces were easy to do, worked on A4 size pieces of fabric.

Requiring much more thought was the modern piece. I decided to make a box to present the work in and came up with this piece worked in modern fabrics with machine stitching on the outstide and tradition fabric with hand stitching on the inside.

The medallion on the inside was free machined with the inside of the box stitched the traditional way.

The outside of the box was machine stitched with a firebird motif free machined on as a shadow to the firebird medallion on the outside.

The button is an antique ceramic button that came from a coat belonging to one of my grandparents, it fits the project perfectly! I'm so proud of this piece.

Worked samples