Special Gifted Quilt

I am feeling very loved and very lucky today. My quilt house group made me a quilt and it was delivered today 💜

Most of the group gathered back in March with fabrics they'd selected, and constructed my positive plus quilt top in a sewing day together. Then we went into lockdown. One of them quilted it with a gorgeous spiral pattern 

and now that we have moved to Level 2 and are able to move around, it was able to be delivered to another to attach the binding by machine and add the label before delivering to the last member for the final step of hand-stitching the binding to the back. Every member of the group was involved. If you click on the photos you can see the stunning quilting in more detail.

The back is almost as cool as the front!

I am doing so well. I was diagnosed with breast cancer just before Christmas via a routine mammogram. I have two more rounds of chemo to go - one tomorrow, and one more mid-June, followed by a surgical consultation in mid-July. I love my positive plus quilt and am staying optimistic and happy in no small part due to the love and support that I have from so many lovely friends and family. This is me taking delivery of my very special quilt today.

Hope you have some happy creative times this week.

Journal 52 : Week 19

Journal 52 is a weekly prompt from Effy Wild (Free HERE) that I'm creating on a deck of jumbo playing cards 3.5'' x 4.75'' (8.5 x 12 cm). Each card will include stitch, a found word, and be inspired by the project I've been working on that week or what's lying leftover on my work table. See the original post HERE.
#19 : Memory Knew immediately that I wanted to honour my memories of my lovely Dad whom we farewelled early February 2018. Inspired by my most recent Journal Jam (will share how this turns out soon) 

I  began by gluing paper to my card and then painted a layer of white gesso before adding the first prompt : Add squares of paint in green. I had covered a few words with clear gesso instead so they may remain visible.

When looking for a heart stamp for a later prompt on the above spread I found one I had carved of a heart within a heart = perfect. And I wanted to add a pearl to symbolise the preciousness of memory. Had the stitched leaves (perfect colour-way!) and old lace on my worktable with my prayer flag banner project. Here's the completed card

Find all my Journal 52 posts HERE 

Creating a book a month : May change of direction

This was going to be a post where I shared my progress on my stitching roll. 
Follow this link to find out more about Anne Brooke's gorgeous stitch project with tutorials on YouTube. 

This past week I haven't felt very well and I've spent more time looking at other people's work than I have creating. It's been frustrating but I'm feeling better today. What I've realised, though, is that no matter how much I love looking at the examples of other people's stitching rolls on Instagram, it's just not spinning my creative wheels at present. I'm not going to do something which isn't sparking joy at present so I've packed this project idea away for another time. 

While I love to create with fabric and stitch, my greatest enjoyment happens when I add paper to that mix. One of my favourite mixed media fabric projects from the past was my gorgeous fabric banner which I created in 2014 and even taught as a class. It sits above my computer desk in my studio

Since I had such lovely gatherings and colours for my stiching roll, I'm going to use them but change my project into a banner of prayer flags. I'm letting it fit my Creating a book a month project since they are supposed to be : small and gorgeous, mixed media and stitched, and it's going to be created using old book pages as part of the base AND it's what my heart needs right now. Beginning with some paper gatherings, stamped words, using organza and stitch to sandwich paper and make some little elements. 

It's going to be an intuitive process and I'm excited again💜

I was partly inspired to begin by seeing Kasia Avery's fun Prayer Flag project. Mine will be nothing like this, but you can sign up for FREE HERE.

I also found a delightful banner inspired by Kasia's lesson here. It was featured in Somerset Studio in 2017 

Wishing you a creative week. May you be inspired to do what you love