TRADITIONAL OR MODERN ?

Hearing friends who are quilters It seems to me that often people like sewing traditional quilts or modern quilts, hardly ever both of them. 

What sort of quilter are you ?

I sewed a lot of traditional quilts.

Since 2 or 3 years I sewed more modern quilts. 

Modern quilts give you freedom, let your imagination run wild and none technic or method can stop you.

Yesterday, I started a traditional quilt (a pattern from Jinny Beyer). I needed to find again the neatness of the rotary cut fabric, the clearness of the seams, the geometry of the pieces put together to become blocks. 

I can't wait to sew the first block of this quilt. I'll talk you about it in another post 😀.

BAG ORGANIZER

Hi ! 

Whatever I did, I had always been unable to have a tidy hand bag.

I can't say how many times I had to spill all the things I had in my bag on the seat near me in the car or at the checkout in he supermarket to search my purse or my identity card. 
All that, after a meticulous exploration of the twelve thousand items I always have in my bag, to find that I had NOT my purse because the day before I changed my bag for another one and I forgot to put my purse in the bag I had at that time.

All the things I have in my bag are vital... I'm sure you understand that.
Moreover, I don't have to go to the gym thanks to my bag which gives me, for free !, an impressive musculature. With the twelve thousand items I just can't do without, it weighs a ton. 

There weren't that many options ! 


I decided to sew a bag organizer. 





You can sew one in no time.It is very easy. 

I chose Laurel Burch fabrics. The organizer is just made of rectangles. 

I put a binding on one of the long side of each rectangle that will be a pocket. Both the inside and the outside have pockets.  


I decided the pockets sizes according to the items I have to put in the organizer. 







Now, I have just to get the organizer out of the bag and put it into another one. I'm sure to have all my stuff and everything is at its right place !

HEART CUSHIONS

This week, I sewed heart-shaped cushions. 

They are not just cushions.

The heart was drawn by an American surgeon specialized in breast cancer. This cushion is designed to be worn under the arm by patients, operated for breast cancer, to relieve pain caused by swelling of the lymph vessels after this operation.

I give them to my gyneacologist (who is a very special person - not only because she saved my life a few years ago) so she can offers a cushion to women who are going through a hard time because of breast cancer. 

A little note is added to each cushion to make wishes and bring some support to women who are sick.

These cushions are also the women solidarity symbol for other women. 

Happy Easter !

Hello ! How are you doing ?

Of course Easter is the time for family réunions, chocolates, egg hunt... In addition of that, in Italy and in France (perhaps in your country too ?) it is a longer weekend than usually. It's wonderful, with three days off, we have more time to sew, knit, cook.... !!!

I've finished my blue Topiary scarf. The model is Marilyne a friend of Dany and me and a companion of our visits in Sainte Marie aux Mines for the Carrefour Européen du Patchwork exhibition. She has kindly accepted to wear the scarf so I can take pictures. 

I couldn't stay without having something to knit.  I dived into my   boxes and bags and found a very thin thread (silk and alpaca)  and started a little shawl for the spring. 

It has been knitted in no time.

I

It is transparent and lightweight. 
I like to wear such little things  on a dress or a blouse. 

















You can find the pattern on this site : http://lecomptoir.canalblog.com/archives/2009/10/13/15414571.html

 My next knitting project is...... a big scarf, a wrap !!!


I have not pattern. I started with a knitting stitch I found in the book "300 poins de tricot".

The yarn I'm using is the same as  this one I used for the little blue shawl (silk and alpaca) but in a purple color.


I don't know yet if I'll use this stitch for all the wrap or if I'll made strips with several stitches...

Crochet Projects

Hello!
Patchwork is not my unique passion...I also love crochet!
I find it so relaxing and and I can do it everywhere...
Actually I'm working on two different projects...just because one is not enough LOL!!!!

The first one is a "long" project...I'm making a granny square blanket...
A friend of mine gave me 3 big balls of beautiful grey yarn and so I decided to make a blanket...

I love colors so I added some colors to my grey blanket...
I'm using a light green, pink and light blue yarn too...

I'm liking the way it's turning out and I like the fact that I can do it every day...watching tv or listening my favourite music... Granny Square is a really easy crochet pattern and this is great for relax...

For my second faster project I chose colorful cottons...

I found a nice pattern on internet ...it was for a sit cover but I decided to make it as a big and colorful doily for my kitchen table...

For spring season I strongly need colors LOL!!!!!

I've just started this second project today so...I'm sharing with you my progress...

I think it will be bright and happy...

This is how it's turning out...I can't wait to have it done and put it on my table...

What do you think?

Are you working on some crochet projects too?

We'd love to hear from you all too!!!!

Happy Sunday to you all!!!!

Dany.

Any idea can become a quilt !

Some time ago   I decided with a friend to take the City and Guilds course.

We made our first tests of dye. The photograph shows the buckets with the fabrics in the dye bath, placed on black plastic bags, which were used to protect the floor.

I took the photo with my phone to keep a souvenir of the day. 

However, when printing the photo, I discovered that the buckets rounded shapes  onto the geometric folds of plastic and the shading colors of fabrics formed a harmonious and aesthetic group.

Watching the photo, I thought that the composition could be transformed into a modern panel.







The folds of the plastic on which the buckets are placed have naturally geometrical shapes: horizontal stripes, with diagonals due to the glare of the light. By representing these strips by light colors, the light is increased and is used to structure the background.
The round shapes are raised above and unify the first and second level.

The overall shape of an elongated rectangle put the quilt away from traditional shapes.

The initial idea being buckets of dye, it made sense to work with fabrics dyed at home. Given the difficulty in getting a "real" black, background fabric was purchased, as the fabric back. All other fabrics were dyed by hand.

New year, new projects

Hi !

I wish that after a so tragic and so sad beginning here, 2015 will be for everyone a peaceful year, that freedom, intelligence and heart will win the war against blindness and hate. 

January is the time to start new projects.

We'll have all the year to finish them !  

Hum, actually I have lots of unfinished projects I started last year, two years ago, etc... 

I think that I'd feel lost if I had not several knitting, sewing, quilting projects to finish. 

I'm not worried, this time won't come as I'm always tempt by a pattern, a quilting fabric, a beautiful yarn...

I started   knitting a cable and  lace wrap. 

The pattern is "Topiary" from Michèle Wang and I found it on the "Ravelry" website.

It is  an easy pattern and as the yarn is pretty thick, the wrap get bigger very quickly. 

... 

I think that I can wear it this winter !