Fifty Hearts for Fifty Years

Soooooo, back in 2012 Mum was sorting out and decided to give me her wedding dress to make something, rather than it sit in a box for another 46 years!!!  If you have been following me and my blog for a little while, you may remember this from 2013 - Wedding Dress - Part One  or maybe this Wedding Dress - Part Two, both made for Mum's 70th Birthday.

Well the 26th February is Mum & Dad's 50th Anniversary - for a gift, it would only be appropriate to make something else with the remainder of the dress. So, with not enough dress for a full quilt, but definitely enough for a bed runner - to keep those toes warm, off I set.  Fifty Hearts for Fifty Years.

 Knowing the wedding dress was going to fray after working with in in 2013, I did place vilene on all the sections, hoping that it would stop the worse.

 

Joining the blocks, the fraying started with small amounts....

  

And gradually got worse!

 

Quilting in a really nice gold thread, had it's problems as well - being a three strand thread it kept splitting and getting caught in the machine - I've never had this side off the machine so boy did it need a clean after untangling the spilt thread!! 

 

Binding, and final quilting - with the title and date quilted on the front.

 

Ta Dah

Cheam Camera Club: Mono Print

Round 3. Goodness, struggling to find something decent now as I've not really been out with the camera a lot.

Misty Morning, Littlehampton: I will confess if I hear rain when getting up for sunrise I tend to pull the duvet back over my head.  On this occasion, having had a talk on going out in all weathers at the club a few weeks back, I heard the rain and went anyway!  So worth it!  I think in hind sight I could have got my composition a little different but overall I like the atmosphere of the image. Judges Comments: Great negative space, good moody image, very atmospheric, good size in  mount, good leading lines - even though going slightly to the left. Score - 9.5

Supper Time:  Now I had this one printed a few months back, and have not been sure if I should enter it.  I love the image but am aware the fly's eyes are a little dark, and the back ground it distracting.  With not much else to offer, I'm going for it.  I watched the spider for ages wrapping the fly in its web - I should have videoed it!!!  Judges Comments: Creepy image, vegetarian didn't really like to see things eating each other (!!), very difficult to view, would have been better in colour. Score - 8

At least I had feedback this week!!

Annie's Blanket

Made at the same time as the lap blanket for my Mum - Birthday Blanket, the same block design, joining method and boarder was used.  For more detailed information, links to the books and you tube videos please see this post: Birthday Blanket.

So once again, with colours chosen and wool ordered - sit back and hook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Several weeks later.... Ta Dah 

Cheam Camera Club: PDI

Round 4. Two more PDI competitions to go this season.  Need to up my game with these images!!

Out of Season: Taken a couple of weeks ago. I have not been out properly with the camera for some time.  Things just keep getting the way.  I decided I was going out, no matter what, for sunrise the other weekend, and this is what I got!!!! You could only see a few feet in front of you - definitely no sunrise to be seen!! However, very happy with the results - I love the mist in this image.  Lots of rain on the lens. I really do think this image says everything about the seaside when out of season.  And once again I think I love the coast just that little bit more than before! Another misty image coming next week for the third mono print competition. Wonder if I should have cloned out the bin! Judges Comments: ? Score: 9

Penmon Point and Puffin Island, Wales: Taken in July on that infamous trip! Trying to capture the Milky Way but just too cloudy. Just got this one in before the rain started.  This image make me feel very calm!  Judges Comments: ?   Score: 8

All of the above is written in advance of the competition night, When I enter the images I place my images with blurb, and my expected score (a little game I play with myself!) in a draft post and then fill in the judges score and comments the day after.  Well tonight my images were 'mislaid' and never made it to the big screen.  Mine and another members images were 'filed' in the wrong directory.  The chairman took the decision to show the judge the images on a tablet. Small screen which compressed the image and colours.  The judge marked the images in isolation, with no comments.  I approached the judge at the end for feed back - this for me is the most important part of showing my images - how else can I improve if I don't get feedback.  Anyway, Out of Season - good leading lines. Wales - too much negative space. Not really the depth of feed back I'd hoped for and a lot less than every other member.  Hay ho.... never mind another competition next week.

Birthday Blanket

A crochet blanket for my Mum's birthday.  What do you get 'the older' generation (sorry Mum!) for a great birthday gift - most have everything they need? Something handmade, made with love perhaps...  Inspired by The Patchwork Heart, I thought perhaps a small lap blanket may go down well.....

The Willow Block was taken from 200 Crochet Blocks, a book I have had on my shelf for a couple of years! The boarder, taken from Around the Corners: Crochet Boarders - a recent treat! With my colours chosen, and wool ordered - I got started.  I started over the Christmas period, it's amazing how quickly the pile grew while I managed to watch a couple of films!!

  

 

Joined together using a new method, The Flat Braid Join. There are many you tube videos to view for this method.

 

 

Ta Dah.... completed with a whole seven days to go ...... I hope this is the way forward for me this year, finishing stuff and with time to spare!!!!

Cheam Camera Club: Colour Print

Round 3, with several competitions in short succession over the next month, and no real time to head out with the camera, I have raided the images taken in the summer. Both mounted ready since September, they keep working their way to the back of the pile.  Both experimental.

Dahlia: Picked from the garden and with the image taken in doors. I do love a Dahlia.  The print itself has more red, the orange is a little lost - perhaps its should be a PDI. The benefits of your own printer is you can play until your happy with the results.  The disadvantage of sending away, you don't always get what you wanted!!! Judges Comments: Liked the boldness of the image, the crop, the off centre composition, the sharpness of the centre leading to the softness of the petals.  Liked it being different to the more usual flower images. Score: 10

Woodland Leaves: Taken at Amerberly, while Dave was looking at the cars I explored the wood and I will be again!  A multiple exposure within camera.  The background wood is the first image, the second image placed on top is the close up of the leaves with a zoom burst for extra ta dah!!  A zoom burst is when you move the focus ring in or out while pressing the shutter button.  Sometime you get a mush (I have at least 20 or so of this type) .... sometime you get a great effect (this one!). And I like this.  The image is a little bright in the bottom right hand corner, it will be interesting to see if the image is marked down because of this, I suspect it will! Judges Comments: Very much liked seeing something a little different on the stand. Wasn't sure however, how it sat within the other images on display.  He held the image back until the end.  And without much more comment said he liked it and ..... Score: 9.5

I would be the first to admit, I'm very surprised with my marks so far this season.  I have been much more experimental this season, and I suppose that is because I'm more confident in my camera skills. I'm going to have to come down with a bump sooner or later.  One final colour competition to go!!