Slow stitching

Finally, my pictures from my iPhone uploaded to my computer. I don't know what it is. I thought life would become easier when having all my devices from Apple. That is definitely not the case for me. 

But then, here we go (o:

A friend of mine had buttons in a plastic bag, which I had been spying on for months. Eventually, I could no longer resist to ask her what she was going to do with them. She said I could have them. Yeah!
In this small cushion I used all the sizes that were in the bag, and more. Sometimes I used the back of the button. Those are often so pretty in many ways.

 Free and slow stitching (click on picture to enlarge)

 Nine-patch made during my travels to London and York

 Inspired by scraps from a quilt I recently made

 Detail 1

 Detail 2

 Detail 3

 The scraps came from this quilt.

A quilt for a special person

 What I wish this special person

I hope my Macbook and iPhone will start appreciating each other more from now on, so that I can update my blog more often!

Stitches speaking to me

Many years ago I bought some Japanese wovens to make a bag for a cousin. Through the Boro exhibition, I decided to let them see the light again. I cut some pieces, chose threads and buttons and just started. I had no plan. No design. Nothing. I let the fabric, threads and buttons speak to me. 

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"Are your memories coming to you or are you going to them?
If you are going to them then you are wasting time.
Nostalgia is not productive.
If they are coming to you,
they are the seeds for sculpture."  Louise Bourgeois

BORO - The fabric of life

In July Ger and I visited the exhibition BORO - The fabric of life at the Museum für Ostaziatische Kunst in Cologne. (For more information on Boro, see bottom of this post.)

I was and still am very inspired by what I saw. Here is a small project I made after we visited the exhibition.

A bracelet with a handmade button.

Boro is the clothing that was worn by peasants, merchants or artisans in Japan from Edo up to early Showa (17th – early 19th century). In feudal times, the majority were peasant farmers. Not everyone could afford the lavish silk kimono and vivid obi worn by the aristocracy. Clothes were crafted from cheaper materials, but were no less beautiful than those worn by the upper classes.

Literally translated as rags or scraps of cloth, the term boro is also used to describe clothes and household items which have been patched-up and repaired many times.

Once clothing was made, it would be maintained throughout the owner’s lifetime, or perhaps even longer.

Cotton was scarce in Japan, but hemp was abundant.  Hemp would be homespun and woven into beautifl patterns. Cotton could be woven through the hemp fabrics to make it warmer.

(source: https://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com)

For more information go to https://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/boro-japanese-folk-fabric/

Things that are keeping me busy

I have been busy with some small projects. My left arm/shoulder/neck are not allowing me to do much, but I am starting to get use to it, to make just a few stitches at a time, while listening to a book on audible. Fun!

This little wall hanging is a pattern by The Patchsmith. Amanda makes the cutes mug rugs! And the patterns are well described. Look here to find them.

It is almost a year now that my mother passed away. The little angel was given to me by one of my sisters, when we heard the bad new of my mother's illness. The little cushion next to it I recently made, in memory of my mother. It has many different symbols, that have meaning to me. 

My pod of memories

This little pod has been an experiment and call it my pod of memories. I enjoy working without a plan and just see what happens. I now want to finish the inside with silk, that I still need to dye. 

 

Toos loves keeping me company. Where I go, she joins me. And, when I work in the garden, she inspects everything I do. She often makes me laugh!

Crazy Quilting Course - Part 102C: Dyeing with Acid Dye

This month I started a new course with Kathy Shawk: Paints, Dyes and Inks. This is the second part of the course, dyeing with acid dye. 

And here I have mixed the colors: primary, secondary, tertiary and then tertiary colors mixed with lots of water.

My color guide. Very helpful!

Silk ribbon dyed. The right ones are solids, the left ones with different colors. The middle one on the left was done with a paint brush. The rest saturated in the dye and then rinsed.

The ribbons ready to be stored/used.

And here are the motifs I painted. This is so much fun. While all is still wet, the contrast is much better. Still like them though.

Detail of my favorites. This is so much fun!

I am now ready for the next dyeing procedure. More to share soon.

Once again I would like to emphasize, that if you have time and want to have fun and learn something new, take the crazy quilting beginners course with Kathy. It is so worth it!!! You can find the link to her blog on the right. 

And just to let you know I have not lost my love for quilting, here is the first block of the Hillside Houses QAL that I joined. See link on the right.

Finished Block: The Key to Happiness

I finished my first Crazy Quilting block. Kathy Shawk really gives wonderful CQ courses. Last week I started her second one. For more information about her classes, please go here and here. 

If you ever wanted to take a class in Crazy Quilting, you should really register and give it a try! It is so inspiring and creative. It really brings happiness, thus the name given to this block.

Please click on the picture to get a bigger image. 

 The Key to Happiness

 Detail 1

Detail 2

Carnival in Heerlen with lots of color and sun

Jong geleerd ...

        

I hope I'm almost there!