West Country Quilt and Textile Show 2018

 Two more images of my work for Liz Hewitt and my exhibition 'Colours of Africa' at the show. http://westcountryquiltshow.co.uk/  Set up day tomorrow, finished stitching today.

 The Garden is beginning to recover from two months without rain, am so pleased with my quince tree, now we need no winds until they ripen. Hoping to make quince jam or jelly, a new experience for me, the first year I have had usable quinces. Roses having a second flowering after the rain.

My garden

My garden is the bane of my life but also a place of solace and joy.

Tits

I was so pleased to capture these images of long tailed tits, they very rarely come this near the house or stay still. A bit hazy as the photos were taken through glass. Such pretty little birds. Took loads of photos but only managed to get three in focus, or even in the picture.

My favourite Season

Autumn colour

Harvest

Rose hips

Squash in the hedge

Marigolds

Autumn is my favourite season, mellow and bright. Still warm at the moment, still a lot of colour in the garden. We have began harvesting squash, a good year for all our vegetables, I have frozen pounds of beans, and during the year have also harvested potatoes, onions, garlic and salad crops. We are still harvesting carrots, beetroots. winter salad leaves mooli and have just began to dig the parsnips.

Rowan berries

Cosmos

Late ripening

Still having trouble with my wrist so sadly no hand sewing and slow weaving happening. I am having an injection on Tuesday which will hopefully keep me going until I can have an operation. At the moment I am still waiting to go on a waiting list despite having been diagnosed with carpel tunnel syndrome six months ago. Unfortunately that is our modern NHS or at least in this area.

Sunset

 A recent sunset, just caught the moment, gone a few minutes later.

More dyeing

Woad seeds ripe for harvesting

Various clothing items

The really hot weather which has thankfully broken has ripened the woad seeds beautifully. I bought one plant two years ago, I reckon I am going to have a few more to plant next time around. As they are biennial I will plant half the seeds now and half next year.

I have been doing a fair bit of eco printing and dyeing recently of clothing from charity shops for the 'Worn' part of our exhibition. Here are some curing before being washed.

Day Lilies

I love day lilies, you can get colour from them as well especially the dark ones. I freeze them as recommended by India Flint, then they are ready whenever the dyeing mood comes to me.

Dyeing and drying

Madder dyed clothing

 With the lovely weather I have been getting on with some dyeing as I can now cook them outside. Three garments, the bundle on the right looks the most promising, done in the twice used madder bath.

Some of our onion crop

More Madder

Also drying some of our onion crop.






















This was the first batch to go in the bath. Cotton cloth, silk thread and woollen yarn. I was amazed at the difference in colour between the wool and the other fibres. I can't wear wool but am tempted to dye some wool scarves as gifts for winter.

I have done a few more yarns but will show them another time.

Hoping to dye a blouse for my Mum over the weekend.

The Answer

Papaver 'Patty's Plum' still one of my favourite flowers
15 flower heads this year

Detail of a rust piece

Whilst struggling to hand stitch wearing a wrist splint for Carpel Tunnel I have answered a question that has been troubling me for a while. Whether the work I produce should be practical and useful. I answered myself today, it just doesn't matter, if you can you should do what you love while you can.

Learning new tricks and a lovely sunset

Late afternoon sun last Thursday

Attempts at sewing with cotton jersey

I have been making my own clothes for a long time but have never worked with cotton jersey before. I want to start making my own tee shirts so that I can use organic or recycled fabric. Above is a first attempt using old clothing. The pattern doesn't have a seam down the front which would look better. Anyway I am glad I made a trial version first and will probably make another one before I start on new fabric.
I learnt a few things, firstly stay stitching needs to be done using a larger stitch than you would normally for stay stitching, I stretched the neckline, you can see it still looks a little odd.
Secondly the neck binding needs to be stitched very carefully to get an even finish and thirdly the top stitching also needs to be done carefully. Fourthly American pattern sizing is very different from ours.
This isn't a proper mannequin so the shirt doesn't hang very well but this is an American size 6 (so flattering) which is equivalent to a UK size 10, it is supposed to be a loose fit but I normally make clothes in a UK size 12. The pattern was large round the neck I have taken about two inches from the neckline.
The basic pattern is very simple to put together, the finishing a little more complicated. I haven't bothered doing hems as its a trial one, though it will do fine for gardening.
The pattern is Fen by Fancy Tiger Designs which I bought online from The Village Haberdashery, its also available from Backstitch.

My new dye garden

New dye garden

 I now have a small patch for dye plants and have already sown seeds of tagetes and purple carrot. Weld seeds are growing in my cold frame. My one and only woad plant is just coming into flower so I will harvest seed from that later in the year.
I had some indigo plants in here last year but they didn't flower in time to survive the frosts.

Woad nearly in flower

Quince flower

Daffodils in soak

Below is a flower on the quince tree I planted last year which is in the same flower bed.

























I have been collecting daffodil flowers from various family member's gardens. These have been in soak for a couple of days in an aluminium pan and a good colour is developing. So watch this space for the results. I don't have a lot of dye so will probably just try some threads.
Dandelions will be next, they are taking over my lawn, and then I want to try Rosemary of which I have loads. I have lots of flowers in the garden which I want to try, dark colour tulips worked well last year, as did blue iris and a shrub whose name has completely escaped me at the moment.
Exciting times.

Spring nights

The sun last night at 7pm uk time, just hanging

Cowslips, photo taken at the same time, gradually naturalising
in the front garden.

Full Moon

Taken at about 5pm with my small camera, so no telephoto lens. The moon has been really bright for the last few days.

Winter arrangements

Inside, I love dried seed heads

Outside, our first frost

Still thinking about now this years projects, ideas slowly emerging.

In the meantime 2 and other stuff

For some reason these didn't upload off my camera last time, first three are of fungi growing in the garden.
I have also had info sent to me by blogger about stuff I don't really understand so can you let me know if you are having any problems seeing my blog

In the meantime

 At the moment I am busy dyeing scarves and weaving more pebble hangings for the christmas open at Weston quarry. In the meantime a few pictures of autumn colour from the garden. These photos haven't really picked up the colours properly.

Sorbus and winter jasmine

Rose hips and nameless shrub

Continus with paperbark maple in front

Cotinus, many of the fallen leaves are now in the dyepot