Waiting In The Wings

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Potpourri - a mixture or medley of things

Last time I posted the first panel of a new project had
been stitched see
then I made another two


excuse the untidy photograph, I was suffering from a nasty bout
of colitis and not at my best!

I didn't stick to the original Stash Buster pattern but inserted two narrow panels
rather than one wide one between column 2 and 3.
 Fabrics were auditioned and after a few tries I decided
to go with my first choice which gives a wee break from all the
rich colour.


There will be a little un-picking carried out on the bottom strip on the LH side tomorrow.

I loved the Tula Pink fabric when it first came into the shops

 

and having only a small amount left I didn't have the length to cut
the panels so both have a join unfortunately!

Just one more postage stamp block has been added to the project box,
hopefully I should have a few to show in my next post.

Staying with stitching I pulled out my special Beatrix Potter tin below
yesterday, it contains a work in progress which may never be finished
because of the circumstances in which it was begun.


16th November 1998 my sweet old Irish Setter Chessie
was ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge and as I sat
at home by her side, waiting for the vet to come and carry out the
necessary procedure, I began stitching diamond stars. The two 
in the first photo were stitched at the time and the
remainder in the second over a period of a few weeks.
 I just can't seem to continue on with them, they'll
go back in the tin, perhaps one day they will actually become a small quilt.




The written word - a new book arrived in the mail a few days ago
by Mister Finch who hails from Yorkshire and lives in the city of Leeds.
The natural world and British folklore come to life in his stunning
textile pieces - butterflies, moths, mushrooms, toadstools, hares and more.
 He uses recycled materials, old velvet curtains, dresses, embroidered
cloths, tapestries and other items, he even posted on Instagram this morning - moths
made from an oil painting!!
All stitched by hand.
I have never, ever seen anything so beautiful in the pages of a book.
It is magical! I feel I am a child once more exploring the woods and
fields of my home on the edge of the Pennines in Lancashire. 



Do look him up, he has a website and is on Instagram
@misterfinchtextiles

That's all from me today but I want to say thank you for all your
comments on my predicament last post, much appreciated.
Wanda and Julie
gave me excellent advice on the way forward,
which I have followed,  resulting in my working on and making
the top featured in this post.

Happy Memorial Day to all my readers who celebrate this weekend.

Maureen

16 comments:

Nancy J said...

I know the feeling when something you are doing happens with a sad time in your life. My Mum was living her last day, I was sitting there for hours, in Middlemore Hospital, knitting a pale blue cardigan, and truly I cannot remember if I ever finished it. The time might come when you look at your pieces and remember happy days . Mister Finch, w3hat an artist extraordinaire!!! that reminds me of a book I had as a child the most beautifully illustrated " Hansel and Gretel" all pale watercolour drawings, Love your bright panels, and divided that way lets them show their beauty. Raining here, one very wet cat has come in and decided to sit on the second set of blocks for the " Centred " quiltalong with Sandra. Stay safe. stay home maybe, we did venture out last week, one visit to the doctor, and another, where Hugh has his favourite hobby shop, and guess what, the Bernina shop is opposite. Some batiks, different to the ones locally, came home.

Julierose said...

I began making the circle-a day right after Mom passed away--but just could not continue--every once in a while I take them out of their tin and look at them but I am still not ready to continue working on them...grief sewing can be long lasting...

I like your columnar piece...great fabric separators...
Stay safe in this time of opening up
~ ~ ~ waving from afar Julierose

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love those colorful strips together.

Debbie said...

This project turned out great. I love how you framed the stacks with the black first.....it is a wonderful design feature and works well here.
Some projects are just meant to get you thru an event or a trial. They do not have to be finished, as they are complete in what they bring to mind for you. I have a couple of those in my memory box.

Exuberantcolor/Wanda S Hanson said...

Maybe someday you will feel ready to make a memorial quilt but until then visiting the beautiful stars is fun too. Maybe a small project made with them would be the way to go. They would make a great border on a medallion quilt.

Louise said...

I think someone should study grief sewing. It would make a remarkable doctoral thesis for some psychology student! I'm just starting to emerge from mine with Angel kitty, having only been able to stitch very simple things: string blocks, backings, bindings, etc.

On a cheerier note, I love the sashing you've chosen for those riotous, marvelous columns. Wild dots on optical illusion black and white, so cool! :)

Pip said...

Your sashing fabric is perfect, I love it.

Quiltdivajulie said...

Beautiful choice for the sashing in your colorful strips project. And who says you HAVE to finish the stars in the diamond tin? Maybe just turning the ones that are made into a tiny remembrance quilt or even keeping them safe in the tin is more than enough. Must go check out Mr. Finch now.

Ann said...

Those narrow black strips set off the beautiful colors perfectly. You designed this well. I had a bit of that sashing fabric in navy blue. It's amazing. Like you, I wish I had more.
It is hard to work during and after personal tragedy. I helped me to pull out some old projects to finish up and get out of the house. But I did enjoy making memory quilts a year later. I like Wanda's idea of incorporating the stars into a border.

audrey said...

That fabric is perfect to set off your gorgeous strips. It's wonderful to have quilting friends even if they are halfway across the world.:) Hopefully some day you'll be able to return to your stars, but if not, they are pretty 'as is'. I don't suppose we HAVE to finish everything!

Rosemary Dickinson said...

Love the Tula Pink fabric with your strips. The colors go so well together. I love your stars too. You should only work on them if you feel like it. No need to do anything unless you feel like it. Your new book looks so interesting! Enjoy!!

Linda @ kokaquilts said...

I do love your choice of sashing, looks great with the assorted strips. I flit from one thing to another, and lately have been revisiting some old projects... but not everything will get finished around here that's for sure. And I'm ok with that.

Janie said...

Thank you for sharing your colorful projects and the stories that go with them, beautiful!

FlourishingPalms said...

Your scrap-buster quilt is great! Is it working? Scrap-busting, I mean? That layout could be applied to so many designs. Thanks for the inspiration! I may just give that layout a go with the scrappy strips I've been piecing. I know exactly what you went through in 1998 when your dear Chessie passed on. We had the vet at our house just 10 months ago, and I still cannot go without tears when I think of Hogan. I guess that must never go away. I'm sorry you have those EPP stars associated with her. Maybe they're best just given to someone else who EPPs.

gayle said...

I love your bright strippy quilt! (And it's really a strippy strippy, isn't it?)
Maybe your stars could make a small runner? Or maybe they're actually already done, and their purpose is to carry your memories safely in their tin.

O'Quilts said...

What the heck??? Must be Covid brain as I look thru these blogs and see that they are from MEMORIAL Day????? Sigh...xoxo