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!