Wednesday 20 June 2018

I have moved

I have stopped writing this blog and have moved to a new one.

So if you want to find me I'm now at


https://gillytee.blogspot.com.
Come on over and read my progress
on yet another 
City & Guilds course.

Monday 7 September 2015

Module 2 Shape

Well I have passed my second module on my City & Guilds certificate in 
Patchwork and Quilting. It has taken up a lot more
of my time than I expected but I enjoyed it.
This Module was on Shape and had an Industrial theme 
and there was a lot more work
involved with this one but I suppose I 
will have to get used to that as I suspect that will
continue all the way through now.
I was really excited when I saw the theme, I find
a certain beauty in rusty old machinery and industrial decay.
I even have some in my garden turned into a sculpture
by local artist Bernie Marfleet.


 My module information pack arrived just before we went off
on a 3 week holiday to Madiera ( which was fabulous )
so I had plenty of time to take photos and do some sketching.



This time I had to come up with 10 designs,
make one into a block that I had drafted myself,
2 had to be foundation pieced , 1 curved pieced block
and one block made with pieces cut with a rotary cutter.

I won't bore you with all of them,- just a couple.
I loved the piles of old chains that were by an old fort
in Funchal quay side and this was to provide the drafted block.
It is a very simple design and was perfect for my first 
drafted block which for those who don't know is when you
draw your block onto graph paper and make templates for
the pieces before working out the best way to put it together.



This is the block I came up with, I tried it in different colours
but actually prefer the rusty coloured one as it looks more
like the original picture.



I took photos of factories, cable cars, electricity pylons
and all sorts of mechanical bits and bobs. The design above
(which is a preliminary mock up not just badly put together)
is from a pylon as is my first foundation pieced design below .



Whereas the one next one is from an
old gas holder which I saw on the M25 driving to the airport.

This is my favourite design and the other foundation pieced
block. I will be using it as a border on my next quilt I think. 



I did the blocks in mainly monochrome colours
as I thought this went with the theme but am looking forward to 
trying it with bright colours.


So now onto Module three which is Colour.

Wish me luck.

Gillxx



Wednesday 1 July 2015

Module One

 Well how about that my first Module is done and passed
so I am feeling very pleased with myself at the moment.

After the Doodle stage you saw in my last post ( too many weeks ago)
I went on to colouring the design in loads of different ways
and in different mediums.
It felt a little like painting by numbers or 
one of those colouring books for adults ( which I love)
 that all the rage at the moment.




The whole idea of the first few modules is to 
get you into the swing of design so  
the next exercise was mark making.
There was a bit more to it than just making a grid of
different marks but I love the look of this grid more than 
some of the sketches I came up with.


This was my final design which I'm not overly pleased with,
I can see things I would changed but the process
is great fun and a total revelation to me.



The work handed in at the end of the module
is a power point presentation showing the
work you have done and the various results and then 
sewn examples of certain patchwork blocks.


4 blocks had to be hand sewn, which are the ones
above, and 4 machine sewn, the ones below.


  So having had a fantastic holiday in Madiera
it's on to module 2 which is all about Shape.

Speak again soon.

Gillxx

Tuesday 14 April 2015

Time for a doodle

What a fabulous day to sit in the garden and doodle.

I'm not just  I have taken the plunge and set
myself another challenge. I try and do this every year and past
challenges have been physical ( mile open water swim
or 26 mile moonwalk for example) but this one is artistic and will last a bit longer.
I am doing a City and Guilds certificate in Patchwork.



There I've said it out loud so now 
I have to make sure I finish it. 

 Am I mad?    

Yes probably but after working
in the public sector for many years and completing countless
courses in all sorts of things from Diversity to driving mini buses
I have left with not a qualification to my name.
Hence the doodling in the garden as I'm doing the design part
which is certainly my first challenge as I'm not the worlds best artist.

So watch this space and I'll keep you up to date with my progress.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Gillx 






Wednesday 8 April 2015

I can't believe it's April already and I haven't written on here since January.

I have had a very busy year with a couple of holidays, a couple of bouts of
flu and a new casual job but more about that another day, this post is to tell you
about a couple of days I have just spent doing workshops
with a wonderful textile artist .



The workshops were called 
Collage and stitch
and 
Print, Collage and stitch and I loved them.


Day 1

Was Collage and Stitch.



This was my inspirational pictures.


and gradually my picture takes shape




I liked most of my finished picture especially the 
part around the groin but think the 
hut is out of proportion.  



These belonged to my neighbours ...



 This is what we were aiming for.


Day two .

Was Print, Collage and Stitch.


This was amazing fun, like being a kid again
as we stamp loads of paper in our chosen colours


with a huge choice of resists and stamps.




Before arranging them into a long hanging


Stitching and embellishing with
with lace, buttons, stamps, 
the world is your oyster. 



I love seeing the result of these workshops,
the way we all have the same brief and yet the results are
all so different.




Anne is a wonderful teacher and a lovely lady, I'm hoping
she will come back to Norfolk again as I will be front
of the queue for her next workshop.

I promise it won't be so long before my next post.

Gillxx

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Unexpected find.

Is it too late to wish you all a Happy New Year?
Happy New Year anyway!

I seem to have lost my blogging Mojo recently,
I haven't even been taking many photos so I'm making a
concerted effort to remedy that.

Some photos I have taken were in an old cottage
we went to recently.

I opened the airing cupboard and there was the old
wallpaper from when the room was obviously 
a nursery.







I remember having a similar type of wall paper 
in my room as a child but mine had donkeys on.
The Rabbit smoking a pipe rather dates it,
I think this must go back to the 50's.



Wouldn't you just love to have some fabric with this
pattern on.
It is such shame that when the cottage is eventually 
renovated that this will disappear but at least I have
the photos even if they aren't the best photos in the world.




Anyway hopefully I will get myself up and running again soon
and write more often.

Have a great week.

Gillxxx

Wednesday 17 December 2014

End of Year Show and Tell


I can't believe the last few weeks have gone so quickly.
I have been sewing and felting up a storm as
 I set myself the challenge of making most of the presents this year.
Certainly the females in the family anyway, I find men difficult 
to buy for let alone make for.

We have also had a couple of Christmas events with Carols at the pub
which was fun and a Christmas party for the Surf life saving club
which was great fun.

I also had a coffee and mince pie morning with
the ladies at my Patchwork group  as we had our
end of year show and tell.

It made me feel a little inadequate seeing some of the work brought along.





I loved this one below. The ladies daughter
set her the challenge of doing something abstract
and her words were
 " This was the best I could come up with I'm afraid"




It's fantastic to see how so many different designs
appear when we are all given the basic block to work with.



I wrote about my version of this Here

The shop is starting up dress making classes in the 
new year and the lady running them put some of her
work on show.


I don't need beginners dress making skills
but I do want to learn to smock as this is fabulous.
I don't think I'm alone in this either as these 
dresses generated a lot of interest.


I can't show you any of my work except the advent calendar below  as some members of 
my family read my blog and it would give the game away.

This I made for my eldest daughter though 
and of course she already has it full of chocolates.



She absolutely loved it and I have to say it was good fun to make as well.



This quilt below is for one of the classes next term
and I love the colours so might have to use similar ones
for my project next term.




One thing I can show you is my Harris tweed 
applique project. I really like the colours
of this fabric and have used this little bag a lot.


The long wooden' button' I got n Australia a few years ago
and I think just finishes it off.
I didn't use any bond a web or stiffening on the appliqué and
it is fraying a little but I rather like like that.


I can open my Santa Sack Swap tomorrow so look out for another post very soon.

Gillxx