mini quilt in progress

i was a little bored the other day, so i put together the lottis jansdotter lavender sachet i received as a subscription gift from selvedge. the linen is so soft and fine, i wish i could have more of it.

i also started on a miniature quilt that i had been mentally processing for awhile. i felt it was time. so i cut the scrap pieces i had, rather randomly into squares and rectangles, arranged them nicely and hand sewed them together. it went together quickly and i was able to reuse the natural linen pouch my gift came in as the backing.

now that i have it pinned together i'm rather at a loss for what to do. should i quilt it with little crosses, use a sashiko technique of scallops, hand stitch rectangles and squares in mimic of the patches?

part of me wants to save it for the long plane trip i have ahead of me in four weeks, but part of me wants to just go ahead and finish. i think perhaps i shall set it aside for now, let it simmer in the recesses of my mind, and come back to it when the time is right.

quilting for the wall

exploring free motion sewing is very exciting; i can merge my two favorite arts, fabric manipulation and imagery. my schooling was in illustration, which sadly i have let fall by the wayside. but using the sewing machine i can draw again using fabric as the surface. this way i can further my use and love of textiles with my own renderings, my own signature.

i really like the linework and containment that patchwork provides, together with the softness, curviness, and free spirited stitches of the octopus. french knots have been one of my favorite embroidery stitches since taking classes in japanese embroidery where i learned a really easy and 99% accurate way of making them.

the lime is a linen material, the light blue is cotton, and the charcoal grey is a felted wool, each has a certain thickness and feel. i love incorporating tactileness in my work; you should be able to not only see, but feel. touch is very important to me, it's a sense that at times is lacking in our environment; human touch especially.

there are studies that have proven that human touch is essential to us, it creates a better balanced and receptive person, helps heal wounds and surgery sites quicker, and eases stress and pain. the human spirit and body become damaged when touch is withheld, it's one of the cruelest things you can do to a person. even if you are not comfortable having others touch you, it is imperative to reach out and touch a pet, animals, the earth, feathers, wool, living things. petting your cat, or dog, or pet lowers blood pressure and reduces pain, be it emotional, physical, or mental; this is an incredible thing!

i wanted the back of this piece to be interesting as well. i think it is just as important an area as the front; i love when pieces of jewellery, artwork, and clothing have creative things happening where you don't expect it. in the case of the octopus, i saw a constellation in the lines from the french knots, so i embroidered silver stars and wrote out the constellations name.

quilting sampler

after taking the quilting workshop i feel very inspired to do more free motion sewing. a few days ago i decided to have at it and threw together some pieces of scrap fabric i had and just started making swirls and curlicues; then when i felt confident enough i sketched out an octopus and away i went with my needle and machine.

the octopus came out so cute; i really like octopus' they're really very fun to stitch and paint. and although i know they have eight legs, i tend to always leave one out as it is behind the head and not visible. artist's license and all.
then i decided to sketch a change purse. why? no clue. but it's so little, must be a paupers purse.

while looking at the first stitching i imagined they were the wild untamed tresses of a woman; the type of hair i always long for. so i put a face to them. i don't really like portraiture, or realistic art, it was one thing i suffered through in college. but, regardless of like, i think she turned out well.