Life wasn't meant to be easy

I have not posted for a couple of days because my computer is refusing to download macromedia flash whatnot from flickr and also Pixela Hello is not working for me. I have been wanting to post some sane quilt heart block pictures that I am making for blankets of love, which out quilting guild donates to the local maternity unit. Life wasn't meant to be easy I think.

I am off to make some blueberry muffins both for our picnic tonight and also for breakfast. We are going to see Much Ado About Nothing in Kings Park so I am putting together a gourmet picnic for us to nibble whilst we wait for the performance to start and in between acts. Mini quiches, satay chicken, salad, crusty bread, wine, muffins, fresh fruit and coffee. Maybe life isn't that hard after all!

Ta-da lists

Thanks to sharonb I have got myself a ta-da list http://www.tadalist.com/ I went to visit it just now and all the things on my list are still there! This is not helping at all. Making things I should do official seems to inhibit activity.

WIPs and Using up the stash

I was looking for another ball of yarn to add to the scarf I am knitting, and realised I have so much of this stuff, odd balls bought just because I thought them pretty, and the idea came to me that I could knit odd shapes on large needles and use them to stitch to something to make a shawl. Perhaps layer between tulle or chiffon. Must explore this idea further. Meanwhile I need to work out how to cross stich the stole I have been making, methinks I need some dissolving film for the top, hope I have some in my stash.

I am having problems with the font on my blog now, but this is larger and should be easier to read.

Craft -v-Fad

Yesterday I went to see the Rover Thomas exhibition entitled 'I want to paint' in the Art Gallery. He is one of those painters of extremely simplistic looking works that somehow strike a chord in your heart and soul. Just lovely.

But the title set me thinking about the discussion on Sharonb's blog, Inaminuteago, about whether craft is a fad or a long term thing. I think like Rover Thomas that I want to craft. I have been embroidering, sewing, knitting since I was very small, that is for over 50 years now. During that time I have seen lots of fad crafts come and go, rather like the current knitting craze which I see as a fad craft, although knitting is not. If I see one more scarf knitted in Feathers yarn I think I might have a hissy fit right in the middle of the street So I divide craft into fads and crafts that border and very often teeter over into art in some totally unexplained way. It does not help that art galleries generally are very unwilling to feature women's crafts, although somehow such work becomes 'respectable' when exhibited by a man! This, of course, is crass generalisation, but I really think it is a common event.

Tsunami Charity Block

Tsunami Charity Block
Originally uploaded by Maureen1.

...is all finished. Silk fabrics, vintage ribbons, tatting, bobbin lace, embroidery and beading. The teddy is to commemorate the children who were injured or who lost their lives in the tsunami. I worked with blue colours to suggest tranquillity.

Charity Block

I have been busily embroidering this block this morning. Nearly ready for beading and finishing off.

I must pluck up courage and try to insert a links list again. Mary-Frances helped me do this and I got in such a muddle that I changed it all back to normal again and have been too pushed for time to re-do it.

Somehow Flickr got me into joining a group to make a quilt block for the tsumani raffle quilt. Here is my unembellished crazy patch block, including vintage ribbons, hand made bobbin lace. My embroidery and beading still to be added.  

Help!

My youngest daughter moved back home yesterday for a few months. Emma and her partner are in the middle of getting approval for a mortgage loan and actually buying a house instead of renting. It is nice to have her home for a while, but my sewing machine is buried under a pile of small wallhangings and my sewing chair has a huge pile of quilts on it. Now how did my guest bed get to be so cluttered, it is a long time since we had guests I know, guess I'm just an untidy soul who needs to re-arrange her life to include some serious housework in it.

Have just been to visit this site: http://www.gulhis.com/eng/index.htm This lady does some amazing hand work, lacemaking, crazy patch, patchwork. I don't know how one person ever has enough time to do this amount of work on bedcovers, wallhangings, tablecovers, lace in one lifetime.

Even textile artists have to eat

This site is for when you have forgotten to go shopping, have been busy creating all day and the larder is empty, or just for plain fun. Go and check it out, I love it:

http://www.cookingbynumbers.com/

Here are the fabric scraps I was talking about. The middle one looks an alien from the 1950s plus another orange, white and brown stripey bit in the parcel. There were another couple of very small scraps, but they are cut up now.  

I was sorting out my workspace and found a pile of 30s rayon scraps given me just before Christmas. Washing them and then ironing gave me ideas about using them. Yes, another stole, but they are such small pieces that much else would not be possible. Will take a picture of a selection in the morning.

There is no doubt that 30s style is not for me, but I can remember when I was 12 years old thinking how sweet the patterns on my grandma's aprons were. Thankfully this fabric is not in the colours found on patchwork 30s reproductions.

Colorstrology

Thanks to Arlee at http://arleebarr.squarespare.com.designjournal I have been playing with colour at www.colorstrology.com and find that my colour is Autumn Leaf. Note the colour of the font in this blog.
This is really strange because there is a paint site that I play with and invariably whatever my answers the colour scheme that comes up time after time for my interior decorations is natural stone shades, creams through browns. And actually, although I don't dress in these colours, I do feel most comfortable living in rooms with this colour scheme. Maybe there is really something in it.

Oh, its Sale time!!!

I have to come down to the more prosaic after finishing my stole. I need some summer clothes and bought some linen to make trousers today. Not that it will take me long, having a much used pattern I don't have to bother too much about fit. It has been very hot today and I have been in my little indoor cave under the airconditioning. But I did pre-shrink the linen and will make a start on pinning out the pattern soon.

Sales are just too tempting, however, in view of the yarn I have already did manage to resist that, but I really need new sheets and bought a set, plus the linen, think basically I was very good not to be more led astray by price reductions.

Sharon b set me thinking about waving to all my friends out there in the ether. I feel I know you, and those internet friends I have been lucky enough to meet have been on my wavelength and it has been lovely to put a face to the name. Not an axe murderer amongst them!

Here is a close up of the same stole. Ribbons and yarns coloured blue and purple. Polyester satin ribbon, rayon knitting yarn, cotton knitting yarn, all white before being dyed with Setacolour. 

Stole made with Setacoloured ribbons and yarns. 

I have been dyeing more yarn today for my shawl. Slight hiccup due to summer holidays and running out of any suitable embellishment for this piece of work. Now this is dry I am keen to get going again. 

We picnicked by this river whilst on holiday. Was a tremendously hot and humid day but we were enjoying the cooler air by the water until it started to storm and rain heavily.