Friday 10 January 2014

The Wool Quilt



Hello again. I'm sitting in the dining room with the sun streaming through the window - though it is quite chilly outside. I hope you are warm and dry and not suffering from the flooding that has affected so may areas. I'm reminded that this time last year we were waiting to fly out to New Zealand and worrying that the airports would be closed with all the snow and ice!

Right I promised you a peep at the new book which has been inspiring my woollen quilt. It is by a woman called Sègolaine Schweitzer. It is called Voyage autour de la Laine - A Trip around the Wool. She uses her materials in a very loose, free way.


As you can see, Sègolaine uses raw-edge appliqué, and her applique is actually more like darning.


There are a few quilts to copy, and an exposition of her working methods. I would rather make my own designs, and so use the book as an inspirational jumping off point. The photographs are very visually tactile (if you understand what I mean!) and I gaze and gaze at them.


I think her quilts are mainly used as wall hangings, and mine are to be used, so although I do like her very rough and raw manner of working, I find I need to make mine neater. Not known much for my insistence on neatness in life, generally, I find I can't leave my work quite as 'unfinished' as Sègolaine.



Here are a few photo's of my throw so far.




And - Confession Alert! I still have not bound the Sunflower Farm quilt! I know, I know, what am I like!I promised I would do it for this blog-post. I have actually cut the strips, and pressed them in half and stitched them together, I just can't get round to pinning and machining the jolly things onto the quilt.


Anyway, here it is finished, just waiting for the binding.


I had intended to get the machine out to finish off this cushion cover and then do the binding.


But I decided to hand stitch the cushion instead, hence the machine didn't come out. This is sold, by the way, already!


Now then, here are a couple of shots of Victoria's SECOND huge quilt, all hand stitched. It looks and feels really gorgeous, and to think she had never touched a quilt before she met us! (Downhill all the way since then of course!) Victoria has used Liberty fabrics exclusively for the prints.


I put this shot of the garden in to show you how bright and cheerful the sun makes everything look. Even when the branches are bare, still lots of green grass and evergreen.


And I'll leave you with a close up of the lovely roses Victoria brought to Stitch and Bitch the other day.




16 comments:

  1. Very nice. I love your stitching, reminds me of multi-coloured ice crystals! Having difficulty doing any knitting at the moment due to my finger. How annoying but this is the year I intend to start quilting plus I have to begin a rug for DS and FDiL:)

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    1. Hi Dc, and thank you. Yes, I can see what you mean about the ice crystals. I hope your finger mends soon - are you putting anything on it? You do need all your digits to stitch comfortably! I hope you get back to having a needle (or latch hook) in your hands very soon.

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    2. Savlon on the dressing. Very sensitive at the moment - not surprising as I probably took the tops of the nerves off! Seems to be healing well.

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  2. Your blog post was picked up by Google Alerts today. (Congratulations!) I've enjoyed looking at your work.

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    1. Hi Nann, thanks for posting and good to meet you.

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  3. Love the throw and the quilt, your work is so original, I can see why the cushion is sold, it is gorgeous.

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    1. Thanks Pam. I read and 'view' a lot of textile work, so inevitably i am influenced and inspired by the work of others - but I do try and keep my own work original.Lx

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  4. Yes, you nailed it - 'visually tactile' - just like all the gorgeous photos on your blog, Lynne. :)

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    1. Thanks Jayne, sometimes a word or phrase pops into my head and I know it feels right but it might not be quite accurate! The textile photographs I most enjoy looking at are those detailed close-ups showing stitching and texture; I try and achieve this myself but neither my camera nor my photographic skills are up to the job, usually! I try! Lxx

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  5. Your work is always inspiring Lynne ... maybe you should write a book!

    The colour palette you work with isn't the easiest to get right either, and yet you always do :)

    Glad your feet are dry over there in the east in the low country.

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    1. AH thank you Annie! I'd love to write a book - I love to write. But I think you have to be firmly in the public eye to get published. Mmm, yes, a book about stitching with wool and wool felt ......that would be fun! We are doing quite well weatherwise, very fortunate. Lxx

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  6. Love the farm quilt, really fabulous.
    Gillxx

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    1. Thanks Gill! I WILL get the binding on! Lx

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  7. i thought i had replied last week but obviously not!!!!! must be going doolally!!! lovely work as usual - i agree with what you said about having to be neat with your stitches - i think that's probably why i don't sew very much - my expectations are very high and i only get disappointed BUT i know you will say practice makes perfect!!!!! hope it's dry with you - it is RAINING again here xx

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    1. Hi Lynne, if you are anything like me you will be totally out of sync with blogging and other blogs - but don't worry I think we are all recovering from the Christmas break!
      To be honest, I am not a perfectionist - a little slap dash to be really honest! But I just couldn't leave the raw edges to fray on a quilt that will be used. But it is true that practice helps with the rhythm of your stitching and even ness is more important than size.
      We had something close to frost today and this evening as I set off for an evening of music making with friends, but coming home just now it was drizzling so has obviously warmed up a little. Lx

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  8. Thank you for visiting, Marie.Lx

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