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.

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

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

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 

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 .

Anne Brookes (H-anne Made)

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

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

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