Tuesday 28 November 2017

Mushrooms and Trees

After a long hot dry summer I was surprised this Autumn with all the different varieties of Mushrooms I've seen on my walks along the quay.  No I don't know their proper names or if they are edible or not.  I'm just fascinated with all the colours and shapes.
 This one looks like a gnome must have sat on the edge to cause the deformity.
 This is one of my favourite groupings.  It was hidden under a rhododendron bush.
 A different perspective of the ones above with a few added friends.
 Looks close to the ones above but none of the orange or brown colouration.
 These I found around the base of a rose bush.
 A teeny tiny one.
Love how they layer together overlapping.
 Decapitated by the wind or an animal.
 I flipped it over to find the colour.  It was probably close to 8" in diameter!
 Interesting fringe version.
 Weird shapes.
 Another interesting shaped grouping.
 Love the colour and shape of this one.
 A neighbour pushing thru looking almost perfectly formed.
 Deep under a mossy carpet under a rhododendron.
 Love these skinny stemmed variety.
 Love the shapes of their caps I imagine some fairies dancing amongst them.
 Here are all my swap trees.  The Jane Sassaman dot print is pink and red and hard to get a good colour representation against the bright green.
 Red and green striped versions were my second grouping.
                                               
The Pink, Red and Green ones together.
 A green, red and white text with a green and white text version.
 My golden yellow and white version.
 The red, green, white and golden yellow versions together.

Finally a sampling of each of the colour ways together.  They soon will be in the mail to California and close to Christmas I've have a surprise sent back to me.
 Today my friend Anna shared she is doing a pincushion exchange with a group of stitching friends.  It reminded me of a couple that I made in November 2010.

This one was part of a Fall-O-Ween blog hop and was designed by Kim Diehl. If you are interested you can click here and get a copy of the pattern.
                                         
This second one was inspired by Kaaren of The Painted Quilt blog. Sadly she is no longer posting on the blog but has lots of inspiration and tutorials that you can access by clicking here.
                                       


Monday 20 November 2017

Come and Join the Fun, you might even Win!


 As you know I'm currently working on the current Sarah Fielke BOM called Down the Rabbit Hole.  I've signed up for both of her new 2018 BOM also.  Sarah has just announced on instagram a chance to win one of the programs along with the videos, acrylic templates and some fat quarters of her new Word Play line of fabric! For details check out her website Sarah Fielke here  Or follower on instagram click here
 Here are the line drawing for Simple Folk border variation 1
 Simple Folk border variation 2
Grasshopper is designed to be all hand stitched if you wish.
                                       
This is the line drawing she shared for Down the Rabbit Hole.
                                         
Got my bees attached over the weekend.
                                           
Another one here.
          

And a third one here.
                                          
I also finished up my blocks for the tree swap. These were the first ones, they are not reading the true colour not quite so fluorescent.
Next up red and green stripes and text fabrics.

 The first two sets together.
More red and green with script and text.
                                               
Golden yellow text and snowflake prints.
                                               
Three and four together.
                                              
And a sampling on all four block variations.
                                              
They will be packed up and mailed can't wait to see what comes home!

Thursday 16 November 2017

Prepping, Cutting, Stitching, November Colours.

I've been busy prepping pieces for the Down the Rabbit Hole quilt. This month is prepping four sitting bunnies, I have two prepped.  Stitching down lollipop flowers and leaves.  I also added some tulip flowers and leaves. Making two centre circles with hearts.  The leaves take forever to stitch and are very small.

Loving the look of the spots on the bunnies.
 I decided to add an inner ear on the front ear to help define the bunny.  I've also prepped all the eyes for these guys when I made the leaping bunny.  Fortunately they have the same size eyes!  I noticed I lost the freezer paper template but have it cut and prepped ready to sew.  Then I'll prep the second set, I cut out two templates one for each direction.  Notice I wrote black on the freezer paper, why because I cut one out facing the wrong way!
 I decided to use the same fabrics for both heart and circle medallions and not change them as I did with the tulips.  I have the word sew framed for each heart.
 I do a running stitch around the circles and also for the curve of the hearts.  I iron and then paint them with starch to help obtain a nice even outer edge.
 I cut heat resistant Mylar templates for the bee body and wing as I've prepped 8 sets for the four borders.
 This is how Sarah has the bees on her quilt.  Don't you love the measuring tape fabric for the bee bodies?  I don't have a yellow and black stripe and didn't want to piece the bodies.  Did that for my Mary Lou garden swap blocks and it would be a b*gg*r to applique all those seams.
 I may do some with the wings this way but still thinking on it.
 For those doing the flower border Sarah made some tulip and daisies besides the lollipop flowers.
 I decided to put some on my bunny border.
 I've also got a couple of the lollipop flowers.  Used heat resistant Mylar and gathering stitch for these circles also.  I clip the knot and sew them down.  Just before I'm finished I pull the basting thread out.  I find it helps with keeping the shape of the circle better.
 Some more flowers ready to stitch.
 The small centre.
 Another one.
 Here is a picture of the first finished bunny border but still needing the bees to be added.  My trick for getting a full picture of the bunnies is to hang them on a design wall vertically and then crop and rotate the picture.
 The lollipop flowers looked funny under the bunny so I made the tulips instead, looking like he was running thru not over them.
 Sew fussy cut for the tulip.
 Love the yellow and turquoise tulip.
 Having fun fussy cutting words for the flowers.
 The white bunny side.
 Had to have at least one bunny tulip!
 Some tight curves to sew on the bunny at the neck and rear leg.
 I didn't like the look of the white against the grey spot on his hind leg curve so yes I did camouflage it but go back and check out the black bunny.  They were both smooth curves.
 Looks like she is kicking that back flower out of her way.
 Another vertical picture rotated but you get the idea.
 I've been fascinated with all the mushrooms and toadstools that have popped up this Autumn.  These ones were hidden under on of the rhododendrons. Hence the green out of focus leaves.
 Love this little collection of the toadstools.
Interesting to see the evolution of the colour and shapes.
 Not sure what kind of mushrooms these were.  They were cluster around the base of one of the rose bushes.
 We've had a series of wind and rain storms and the now filled pool is cover with them floating on it.  This was taken on November 10th.
 Yesterday afternoon after stitching some tree blocks I went to Tre Galli Gelato Cafe, love these metal chickens adorning the space.
 You can see the flags snapping in the brisk wind.  The day started lovely and sunny with blue skies and no clouds.  5 hours later there was just a hint of brightness along the horizon.
 Some of the late blooms along the quay.
 We as equally coloured leaves.
 Caught this bright yellow out of the corner of my eye.
 Interesting seed pods.  Don't recall what the blossoms looked like.
 So delicate.
 Rose hips amongst the few roses.
 Amazing that some of the trees still have leaves while the surrounding ones are long gone.
 This maple was filled with coloured leaves.
 Skinny maple leaves.
 The river was busy, this tug was towing three booms.
 The one behind had one.
 Love this peeling bark maple tree.
 The leaves are a lovely colour.
 Some tiny tiny mushroom pushing up.
 Another large one starting to break thru the soil.  I think this will be one of the orange toadstool varieties.
 More smaller ones.
 A bit of brightness across the river.
I was surprised by the large load of heavy duty equipment on this barge being towed by one tug but a bit of help from a friend to negotiate the curve in the river.
 I mad another 8 red and green Christmas trees for my swap.
                                                  
 Here they are with the previous pink red and greens.
                                                     
 Walking around to the front of my building some lovely colours.
 The larger trees have pretty much lost their leaves. The smaller maples are hanging on to theirs and there are still a few green ones around.
 These maple leaves are hanging in there.
 The lobby view on November 15th.
                                                   
And the view from the second floor.
 Looking along Quayside Drive at the leaves across the street.
 The trees outside my front door.