By Stephie, on Sunday 29th August, 2010 at 13:02 pm
Hello my lovelies! Not been here for a while have I? Computer problems and a week in Norfolk are to blame – not me obviously! I’m still in Norfolk as it happens, and I happen to have found a computer that works, if you’re one of the few people that consider Windows Vista as something that works…
We’re here in the east of England visiting family. Heavy rain and blustering winds have been battering this part of the coastline for days now, so we’ve spent a lot of time inside (not having thought to bring a jaunty sou’wester and Norfolk gansey!). Kim’s been running around with his cousins, one’s the same age and has the same passion for Star Wars and Lego as Kim does. Two of them in the house? Not good for the sanity. I lost my train tickets before we came and had to buy new ones (I think I must have thrown them out with some old tickets to St Ives), but admist all the self-imposed stress I did manage to remember to bring some sewing and a sketchbook, so I’ve been happily keeping myself busy despite being stuck indoors for lack of warm and waterproof clothing.
 All piled up and ready to go I’ve been working on a quilt top I started some time ago now. I rashly decided to make it entirely by hand, but it turned out to be a good decision. It’s something I can easily carry around with me and get on with whenever the mood takes me, or I’m sitting in a waiting room somewhere. I’ve finished all the nine patch squares now and have started on the sashings with the fussy cut squares. Even though I’ve been doing this for a year or more, I still love the fabrics I chose and it surprises me how quickly it builds up when I get going. I think I’ll be doing a lot more sewing this afternoon; I’m sat in my mother’s conservatory and it sounds like I might need an ark by nightfall! I think I’ll forget about the 8 mile run I need to do and the walks I’d planned at Brancaster. You never know, I might have a finished quilt top by the time I get home.
If you’re one of my keen-eyed readers you may have noticed that my From The Loft shop images have disappeared from the column on the right. I haven’t closed it down, just shut it for the week I’m away. I’ve got some more items to list when I get back, so keep an eye out for them. ‘Til then I’ll love you and leave you and hope that where ever you are, you’re not getting too wet!
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Saturday 7th August, 2010 at 18:45 pm
From the Loft is looking good. I’ve added a goodly number of rose-scented hearts and sachets today, which I hope you’ll want to snap up, or at least go and ‘favourite’. I’ve only got three people ‘favouriting’ my shop so far, which is giving me a big pouty bottom lip! The little gallery below (and in the right hand column) shows prices in US dollars, but when you go to my shop you’ll see them in Sterling as well; annoying I know. I think the hand-made hearts are a bit of a bargain considering all the commission fees and postage to be taken off – oh yes, there’s free postage to UK addresses! (And it’s fairly reasonable elsewhere.)
Aaah, I feel like everything’s coming up roses 
Still got the cushion covers to add, but it’s been yet another very dull grey day here – meaning poor light for taking photographs with my not so hot camera! Fingers crossed the sun pokes its head out from behind the clouds later on, or failing that TOMORROW!
Think I need a run now, before I forget how!
Bye bye for now
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Saturday 7th August, 2010 at 10:05 am
Fancy a train journey? Do what we did last week and ride up to Lanhydrock House, when you get to Bodmin Parkway station (you can take a steam train journey from here) there’s the most beautiful level walk up to an old and quirky looking house. You can imagine yourself in a grand carriage rolling sedately up the long drive, or you can do what Kim does and nag to go in the modern day equivalent: the golf buggy! The lazy toad didn’t get his way and I forced him to walk! He had to walk yesterday too when we went to Trelissick Garden, which is only a few miles from home. To spare you from my rabbiting on, here’s a few photos from Trelissick.
 Panoramic views of the River Fal  A quick watercolour sketch of the River Fal. Kim would probably disagree with the word 'quick'!  Spot the strange flower in the grass!  A standing stone to mark the turning of the millennium  Colour in the flower borders. I enjoyed taking my watercolours out with me, must remember to take them next time. You never know I might even get better at it! I used to be really good with watercolours (get me!), but I’m a bit out of practice. It’s still my favourite painting medium though 
Right, I’m off now – got some things to list for From the Loft, my Etsy shop! May have a bowl of porridge first though.
See you later
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Thursday 5th August, 2010 at 20:49 pm
 A balanced pair Remember these bold cushion covers I’ve been making? I know it’s been a while, but here’s part 3 of the design and making process from start to finish. This stage is all about the quilting. If you remember, at the end of part 2 I had 2 cushion fronts pieced and ready to prepare for quilting.
I already knew how I’d do this, it’s just something I could see in my mind’s eye as I worked on the patchwork. I started off by making the quilt sandwich then outline quilting around the flowers, so now they really stand out. I used two colours to do the quilting, a white and a tangerine orange.
 Outline quilting of the lilies Once I’d finished this section I made a freehand drawing of the lilies in pencil in the bottom right corner of the cushion. I wanted to pick up the motif and break up the geometry of the patchwork. It’s very simple and stylised, but works really well. I love the way it flows over the different colours of the patchwork, but is unfussy and ‘quiet’ too.
 free-hand quilting detail The last part of the hand quilting involved some simple ‘in-the-ditch’ quilting, which just means sewing along the seams of the patchwork. I gave it some interest by varying the colour of the theads.
 Stripey patchwork and quilting (sorry about the stray thread in the photo!) After about 4 hours of quilting on each cushion cover I was finally really happy with the results. It was a pretty free-flowing design process, which is what I like best. Making decisions as I work means I don’t always know when I’m going to stop and declare something “finished!”, but this is an intrinsic part of the process for me and ensures everything I make is unique.
 Ureka, it's finished! Well, the creative quilting bit is any way. So, once the cover is at the final stage of quilting (like it is in the picture above) all that remains is to sew the back together and attach the binding, which is all done now. I’m especially pleased with the binding I made, it really adds some zing to the overall design. They look so funky I can’t wait to show them to you, but the weather ‘s been awful (either raining or really dull and grey) and I’ve not had a good opportunity to photograph them. So come on sun, put in an appearance pleeeeease ‘cos I’m getting really impatient now (stamps foot like a five year old)! The best news is that I’m going to put them into my Etsy shop From The Loft, woohoo! I’m really excited about this bit. I think the shop’s been looking a wee bit bare since the last patchwork cushion sold and went off to sunnier climes in Australia, where I believe it may even be taking the frown off a certain grumpy young lady‘s face as I write! Perhaps these new ones will add a smile to someone else’s face elsewhere in the world – it’s lovely to think how far and wide they might go
Back soon
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Wednesday 30th June, 2010 at 11:48 am
Remember my Esty shop ‘From the Loft’, the one I’ve been going on about setting up for months? Well, it’s finally here! I’ve been feeling pretty low lately, and worse over the last couple of days, so it’s been a painful process to sort out – my head’s really not very clear and concentration has gone out the window and over the hill. But the difficulties of sorting out Paypal and currencies (believe me, numbers are a BIG problem for me!!!) have been overcome and I’m really pleased with my efforts. Apart from the shop banner, which I’ve moaned about before and which I’ll sort out as and when. Did you see the shop in the right hand column? I love the way that it shows a few new listings; it looks busy and colourful and dare I say it, confident?! What do you think, is it a feature you like too?
Of course I’d love it if you go over to the shop and have a mooch about, then come back here and tell me what you think – good or bad. If you have any comments about the pieces listed (there’s even something you’ve not seen on this blog before!), the prices, the policies, please be brave and let me know! It would be really lovely if I knew what you thought, then I can make sure I get it right and fill it with lovely goodies that you really want. Click on the image below to go over.
By the way, you might notice I still haven’t sorted out this blog layout. Well, I was going to do it this afternoon, but I’ve just noticed that a new version of WordPress has been published, so I’ll need to update to that first. No point in setting right everything that got upset when I last updated if I’ve got to do it all again! Hopefully it will at least get rid of that very annoying and peculiar bit of text about Flickr at the bottom of the right hand column. Well, I can but hope! So hang in there with me, while I get myself together for what feels like the next onslaught!
love Stephie x
By Stephie, on Friday 11th June, 2010 at 17:28 pm
 Heart on heart <3  I love stitching in the felted wool  Blanket stitch and buttons I’m thinking of these as ‘practice’, getting the feel for stitching in the wool, for something I’d like to make. These are quite sweet though and I’m hoping to have my wee shop open by Monday and these will definitely be in it . I think I’ve enough of the ex-jumper to make one more raggedy, rustic woolly heart to make it a set of three. I mean, surely you can’t call it a shop if you don’t have at least 3 things in it, can you? I can’t bear Etsy shops that are empty – like mine has been for a month or whatever it is since I started setting it up. Better stop being a hypocrite and get my skates on then hadn’t I!
|
|
I'm running a 28 mile marathon in memory of Josie this February. Come and find out why.
|
