Monday 10 March 2008

Something a bit different.

I've been a quilter for about 8 years now ( is it really that long? ) but I have never been into embroidery. I like the embroidered and embellished look on quilts, but I don't have any idea about how to achieve it.
Last summer in Ireland we visited the ancient monuments at Newgrange and Knowth. The whole time I was there a quilt formed in my head. This quilt will be wholecloth, using fancy fibres and stitches to form the intricate carvings found on the stones. I can picture the texture and effects so clearly in my head. Trouble is, I don't know how to start. So I booked a class with James Hunting at my local quilt shop. We didn't have a project to do, but James was very inspiring, and has taught the woman who could only do running stitch and blanket stitch how to do these ...





James supplied us with fabric sketchbooks containing a variety of fabric types to try out different threads and techniques. I have discovered that I really don't like sheer fabrics. It must be the quilter in me, but I prefer to stitch on a substantial fabric with a thicker thread, I just could not cope with those fine thin things!

I've done a lot of classes lately, very indulgent of me, but this is the last for a while. Now I have to go off and finish some of them off! Back to quilting tomorrow!

1 comment:

Lisa Boyer said...

I love your embroidery! I have to tell you...and I hope this is not a bad thing because it really isn't--I worked as a Microbiolist and you have embroidered some PERFECT Cladosporium, Aspergillus, flagellated bacteria, and paramecium! Fungi are quite beautiful under the microscope--and that's what your embroidery shapes remind me of. Again...I hope you know that I think they're beautiful and wonderful! They just happen to look like something familiar to me...