Dydd Santes Dwynwen Hapus pawb

Happy St. Dwynwen's day all.

(Wales patron saint of lovers)

help needed - I'm a bit stuck

I have been thinking about this piece for the longest time. I started it the summer before last when we went to Zante. I dyed the fabric and painted on the gantry shapes. I then block printed on a grid. I then bunched the whole up and painted it with copper too look like rust. I have running stitch quilted the grid and done a back stitch round the gantry pieces.

I have seeded in the gaps and will continue this as and when...

My question is this piece is totally without focal point in my opinion and I don't know where to go next. I was thinking of this for Dijanne Cheval's 2 colour quilt challenge. There has been a lot of talk about slow cloth for a while and I have to admit apart from the fact it evolves slowly I don't know if there are any other rules, this has been a truely slow cloth for me :) I thought about adding pieces of scrim or muslin - hand dyed or painted to the grid? Or maybe it needs something else? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated - cause I am totally stuck? Thanks all

January workshop - book making

Chris and I shared the teaching of a book workshop in January for our little group. I was showing one book technique and Chris showed about 3 :) she sure works fast :) This was my class sample - you know the one I prepared earlier.

This is the surface I created as a demo on the day - haven't got round to finishing it yet. Is mistyfuse and transfoil with a layer of nappy liner that I used to mop up with and clean brushes on the day. A layer of turquoise net was put over and the whole lot zapped carefully after I sewed using the fancy-dan machine. It was a great recycling workshop cause we used every scrap of paper, mop up paper and even the nappy liners or babywipes we used to clean up.

Chris taught how to make a gorgeous and clever star book - for which I used my acrylic scraped pages.

and this amazing coffee filter book, again I used acrylic scraped papers. I used the off cuts to make paper beads.

The coffee filters have papers glued to them and each makes a really nice pocket.

It was a lovely day and the group are so much fun they make teaching easy :)

can anyone remind me of the blog that put out the challenge to make a quilt (I think) in 2 colours??? I am having a brain blockage and after searching everywhere still can't find it?

Thanks Susan I found it :) Dejanne's blog :)

I made this style book a little while ago for 2 ladies in our group who had a "significant" birthday. They all liked them so much I am teaching it for tomorrow's workshop along with Chris who is going to teach 2 other books which should be fun :)

This is my class sample and I am well pleased with it :) Am going for a colour change tomorrow for my demo piece, I have found a delish peace of bright pink silk to line so that will be my inspiration :)

52 Q's - something just for me :)

I saw this project that happened last year through on Emily's blog ( check out 52Q in the sidebar) through Dale. This was a project that happened last year, but I love it so much and need something manageable and sufficiently challenging to get me back on track with my art work, and hopefuly encourage me to finish an online workshop I have had on hold for a while, while I sorted my head out.

So how it works :- Emily set up 52 questions last year (which I have duely written up in my art note book :)) and you compete one small "journal" ish response per week. She had used Tags, Dale had decided to use some children's flash cards. I remembered a box o unused tags in school, been there the full 10 years I have and have never been used so bingo off I go :) So I have started the first question but it isn't finished yet, but did a "cover" first. I used a mop up paper from a spot of acrylic scraping I did this week and some card numbers and even the dried bit from the copper paint tube as it looked so industrial yet rusted - my kind of theme. My fave copper and turquoise - start somewhere safe I thought :)

The question mark is done with a real easy technique I plan to feature in the online workshop if I ever get it finished :) I decided on the back to record why I decided to do this.

Now, off to find my stash of mop up painted baby wipes, I have a real nasty feeling I threw them out in my big purge last week, but I was sure I had saved them as I am giving a workshop on sat and I totally need them, grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Book, thanks to Gina

Gina was showing a clever little book on her blog the other day and as I had lots of wrapping paper left over I thought I would give it a go. The folding was a bit of a mare, due to my incompetence not Gina's instructions which are brill.

It holds postcards and so I will be using mine for holding some of the gorgeous postcards I have received over the years. The link on Gina's name will take you too her lovely tutorial. Thanks Gina.