Lovely walks and knitting

2nd August 2020

I have been making myself go out for more walks the last few weeks!!!

I live very near to the amazing Richmond Park where social distancing is fairly easy to achieve and was delighted last week to see the grounds of Pembroke Lodge were open again. The flowers were so beautiful in colour and design and buzzing with bees and butterflies.

At last my mixed media experiment is finished and hanging on the wall. I used my hand dyed fabrics and old linen embroidered cloths then stitched over the whole piece as suggested by Anne Kelly, this took ages and a great deal of thread but I do like the effect. Used some of my old handmade cotton indigo dyed lace to finish the bottom edge and a stick collected on my rambles to mount it!!

This beret was made using a Drops 80% wool yarn from my stash, left over from a blanket, quite pleased with the result.

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Another walk in the park, I try to walk different paths each time, this was early morning but still very warm....

.....there were deer roaming free in these ferns but was unable to take a clear picture.

Yarn bombing project in the pipe line, more on that next time.....

A visit to Kew and a new project

11th June 2020

Went to Kew on Tuesday after my sister booked our slot.....

.....wonderful aliums in the borders...

.....so sad to have missed this display in flower but the seed heads looked magnificent.....

....these beds are usually glorious but now are being prepared for spring planting....

.....still a lot of colour and wonderful scents from the rose garden where we ate our socially distanced lunch. 

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I decided to make a colourful wall hanging for my grandson....

.....sponge dyed calico with Brusho....

....added hand dyed fabrics from my stash...

....the next 2 photos are in the wrong order!!! Blogger have changed the format which isn't as good as previously. The second photo shows coloured squares of fabric backed with bondaweb, I positioned them, took a photo for reference, then ironed each square in place, took a while!

I have a couple of Elmer books in my granddaughters box so was able to trace the shape and size I needed then cut it out of freezer paper which was ironed on the squared fabric. I cut the ear out separately so that it flapped.

I am quite pleased with the result after backing with calico.

Not sure what my next project will be.......

Bunting photo found!!

7th June 2020

The bunting has been attached to hand made cotton lace from my stash.

Bunting and walks in the park....

7th June 2020

I have made bunting for my grandson's bedroom using rainbow coloured fabrics for the letters......

...firstly I had to decide on the size and letter shapes, drew them out on freezer paper, amazing stuff that can be ironed on fabric then cut out, this was placed on bondaweb backed fabric, ironed, then cut out.....

.....it took a while to make all the letters!!

I made the bunting from calico, stitched around each letter using chain stitch, backed the fabric then did a running stitch around the edge. The rainbows at each end were made from the fabric that was left with the bondaweb backing. I had some cotton lace to join all the pieces. So enjoyed making this.

 The running stitch thread matched the letter.

Then made some for my granddaughter, I dyed some old linen for this and made unicorns for each end to match her bedding, a rainbow tail and fluffy rainbow coloured mane.

I took a photo of the bunting but seem to have inadvertently deleted it!!!

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As I have mentioned previously I live very near Richmond Park and the last two weeks my daughter has come for a socially distanced visit with the children. 

SUCH A TREAT!!

We go for a walk in the park and build dens...

and quietly watch the deer from a distance, here they are resting and from the path could be easily missed.

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Kew has re-opened but you have to book a slot as numbers are restricted, I am going on Tuesday so my next post will include photos from there and perhaps pictures of my next project.....

Rainbow tree wrap and bunting and more creativity!

12th May 2020

The last couple of weeks I have been doing rainbow crochet in my community...

...this is bunting for a gazebo.

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 Some cards I have made by layering up hand made papers...

...strips of paper for the background with some of my pressed flowers and leaves.

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I joined a fb group featuring textile artists and this piece was inspired by Anne Kelly....

...this was my first layout but felt it was too fussy!

My second attempt using my own dyed fabric for the bowl and background with old linens, collected over the years from charity shops, to make the flowers in the bowl.

A feature of Anne Kelly's work is overstitching, I started as you can see on the right from he centre but unfortunately the motor on my machine gave out at this point so not yet completed!! I hope to finish when my new machine arrives, watch this space!

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I am fortunate to live very near Richmond Park and this is my walk from a couple of days ago....

...love these natural tree 'sculptures'.

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I have also taken part in sew4thesoul with Anne Brooke....

...still more stitching, beads and buttons to add...

...a very enjoyable relaxing task producing a bobbin wall hanging when completed.