Stalled a bit, but still at it...

Last weekend was a long one so I thought I'd make some great progress on my houses.  What is it they say about best laid plans?  Well, my dear hubby decided (probably not really decided, but he still did it anyway) to have a heart attack first thing Saturday morning completely destroying all my good intentions for the weekend.  He's fine and luckily I love the big lug so I also forgive him for disrupting my weekends plans.  But needless to say I didn't get far.

And now its already Sunday and I've not done anything to it.  In saying that I have managed to buy another piece of fabric for the background, although its a bit darker that what I have already which I'm not sure about but I'll iron it up and test it out.  And I've also managed to buy some more black fabric because I have no idea what the piece I've been using is made of (or from) but its not cutting well, lots of fraying and just falling to bits.

I did make a little progress in the last weekend while hubby was in hospital.  I don't know how I'm going to shift this all to the other piece of fabric... it'll probably take me longer than it has to pin it to this one by the time I've numbered the bits etc...  Oh well 😊

Thanks for stopping by!

Two blog posts in one week - wow!  But just wanted to share that I'm making some progress - Yay!

I've already learnt one new thing.  Freezer paper isn't something that it used in New Zealand for freezing stuff, so firstly getting hold of it isn't easy and secondly its crazy expensive.  I've read blog posts about large rolls of the stuff costing like $4 USD.  Here I think I paid the equivalent of $3 a METRE! Well maybe I've learnt two things then, living at the bottom of the world can make things considerably more expensive haha.  But anyway, with this being my first foray into the use of freezer paper I made a rookie mistake.  I drew out my pattern on the freezer paper, cut it out, ironed it to the fabric and then cut the fabric.  Now if I'd read that a week ago, I'd be like 'yeah and?'  but why did I cut twice?  why didn't I just draw it out, iron it on and THEN cut?!?  Cause I'm a newbie thats why haha.  I realised my mistake after I'd done all the clouds, leaves and about 90% of the branches.  Oh well live and learn, right?

So I've decided I'm going with a plain background for the sky, I might live to regret it.  But if I keep waiting to make up my mind 6 months will have passed and I won't have started.  Instead of having white-blue-white clouds I'm going to do blue-white-blue to put some additional colour in the sky.  Considering how little sky is actually visible between the trees and clouds I'm hoping this will work out.  I'm going to cut and pin everything before starting to assemble, so I can check the colours work. And colours are where I fall down every time, so I'm thinking this hopefully will be a good approach.

Turns out the piece of fabric I'd ear-marked for the background is only 90cm wide, so just fitting with my design.  So I need another piece of fabric, I'm also a bit cross about this because there is no way I would have bought only 90cm and not a full metre, so I've been short changed at the store.  But then its as cheap as chips and its not like this piece won't be used at some point, but even still I definitely paid for that missing 10cm and I need it!

The other benefit of using the calico as a backing is that I can just see my pattern through it so I'm not going to have to mark up my fabric at all - phew!  But since I've started removing the freezer paper I have of course also removed all my numbering, so when I unpin it all I'm going to have to be renumber all the leaves (which I numbered on the freezer paper and on my pattern so I could match them up.  Oh well another live and learn moment I guess.  Maybe a chalk pencil of the back of the leaves or something as I take them off?

Also had a 'Oh yikes!' moment yesterday when I started laying out the branches.  If I'm adding the spots onto those branches with French knots, firstly I'm going to need a LOT of them.  And secondly they're going to have to be pretty sizeable to be seen once its on the wall.  Oh well we'll see, its all part of the adventure. 😀

Oh! Just had a thought... I should add a chicken in there somewhere.🐓🐔🐓🐔

Thanks for stopping by!

Gosh this blogging thing was a whole lot easier when I wasn't working.

So whats been going on, well the painting is done finally, the new carpet is down, looks fab!  Miss P has now done a whole term at her new school.  Work has gotten busier and won't be letting up for a few months yet.

Stitching done recently... not a jot, unless you count a quick mending job on hubbies motorbike jacket.  I do have a new project in the works though.  Quite a few years ago now my first foray into appliqué was a quilt from a pattern called From the Mountains to the Sea.

Its all fussy cut from various New Zealand fabrics.  Took me months just to cut out all the bits.  And then months more because I'd never appliquéd before let alone machine appliquéd.  But it has had pride of place on my lounge wall for what must be 10 years plus.  But when we took it down to paint it was so faded that its not gone back up.  I can't believe I'm going to have to throw it out after all those hours and hours... and hours of work.  

Mine had a blue framing fabric without the wee touches in the bottom corners.  But wow looking at this pattern now REALLY makes me see just how sad and faded my version is now.  Oh dear.

But anyway... the question arose was do I cheat and buy artwork or make another quilt.  Well at this point the answer is make another quilt.  But of what?

Well with such a question hours of mindless googling must ensue right?  I didn't want a pattern this time, just an image.  And I've fallen in love with this painting/print.  I don't know what or why but something about it just kept making me come back to this one.

Its by Karla Gerard and is called One Afternoon.

Now I know I'm never going to be able to match fabric to those colours.  But my theory is that I will use grunge fabrics for the houses and my OCD tendencies will have me matching the house colours as best I can.  That and I'm terrible with picking colours.

But the best thing is, look at all the wee details... now to me they scream embroidery.  So not only can I create another quilt for my rather blank wall, I can then use my new skills to decorate it with embroidery!  And I don't have to fussy cut a gazillion little bits of fabric like I did for the last quilt.    (I'll see if I can dig out a picture, a quick google hasn't turned it up anywhere).

So anyway.. so far I have ordered a pile of fabric for the houses (prob too much) and traced the picture to make a pattern, enlarging it to about 90cm wide and whatever tall.  This resulted in a very pixelated image when I printed it off so I've spent some time smoothing out the lines of the pattern etc.  Once my pattern was enlarged the houses and windows have become very strange shapes, too strange in fact.  So I've had to straighten these up a bit.  I think its just the enlargement process thats made the pattern look so crazy.  Even if its just my perception I can't do it.  So I've straightened them up a bit.  I'll endeavour to not make everything too straight because then I think I will lose one of the things I like most about this image.

My big concern currently, which is stopping me from really jumping in is the background fabric.  I just can't find anything that is calling out 'YES!' to me.  So I think I'm going to have to go with something boring like a blue... a natural kind of colour.  I did think I could use maybe running stitch to create interest in the sky, but we'll see...

Don't you just hate that bit of a project when you're super keen to get started, but the other part of you is terrified of starting in case you just make a mess.  Well currently thats where I'm at.  Still building up the courage to make a stand on that background fabric and get at it!

I just have to remind myself:

• That there is no way the end result will be exactly the same as this image.  But it can still look great.  
• I will have a tonne of fun making it and then embroidering it.  
• I will learn new skills, even if its learning how NOT to do it.
• I will probably spout a good few swear words along the way.  As long as there aren't any my daughter hasn't already heard that should be OK.  
• There may be tears and tantrums, but thats OK
• And lets not forget a few drops of blood - no sewing project is complete without the blood sacrifice!  
• No-one but me will know it doesn't look just like the original image.
• Its only fabric and time.  No-one will die, no-one will get seriously hurt.

Well after that pep talk I'm not sure why I'm sitting here doing this rather than getting at it!

Thanks for stopping by!