A Farewell to 2016 Crumb - December 30 and 31

It's been quite a year hasn't it.

Perhaps as I stitched this one I was thinking

or trying to think of the blessings

rather than the negatives

of this very strange year.

My goodness

as I write this I realize it is already 2017 in Australia!
2016 is fading into history.

Thank you for supporting my writings about the work I do.
I am happy to share!
Just a reminder that if you post a comment
I respond via email
simply because that is the way I have set things up
and it works for me.

See you in 2017!

My SAQA Interview

I did an interview for SAQA Atlantic

They called it Marking Time and Tides in Stitch

Feel free to drop by their blog if you are interested.

I will keep a link on the sidebar to make it easier to link to

should you want to go back there again.

Perhaps an Arts and Crafts Crumb - Week Fifty-Two

Stitching together bits and pieces

resulted in this.

Made me think Frank Lloyd Wright

I added stitches

but did not like the results

Nearly decided to remove them all

or perhaps discard this one.

But Christmas is a busy time.

A Snowy Rainy Crumb - Week Fifty-One

The snow came early this winter

It came deep

The cold came along with it!

Then the rains came and washed away all the snow.

Then everything froze!

And Winter hadn't even officially started.

Days of Rhythm

At the moment I have a rhythm to my days.
Mornings are spent at the sewing machine
but I can't be showing you that right now.
It is practical work
Piecing a bed quilt
that unfortunately won't be done by Christmas.
But if I can keep up this rhythm I'm hoping for early in the year.
Boy am I stiff after those morning sessions!

It is after lunch that I pick up my hoop
and get into a new rhythm.

A rhythm of repetition
repetition of movement
stitch after stitch
row upon row.
Building up a symphony of texture.

A time for mind wandering thought
Contemplation
Meditation
Until a thread comes to an end
and it is time to focus on rethreading a needle
 time to lay a hand on the growing areas of texture
time to smooth the cloth
time to move the hoop
then back to the rhythm of stitch upon stitch
and wandering thoughts return.

A Little Bit of Red - Week Fifty

....but mostly black and white.

White on white might have been more appropriate

for we are living in a snow globe again.

One day I am going to make a huge black and white piece

with a tiny but important red mark.

That has been brewing for a coupe of years now

but too many ideas

too few hours in the day!

Small stitches and finer thread melding two layers of cloth

together....

such a different feel to last week's

huge stitches with thick, thick thread.

There is no rhyme or reason

no planning ahead.

Rummaging around in a basket full of scraps

is enough.

This time a small piece of kantha caught my eye.

Stitched in a Dorothy Caldwell class years ago.

Stitched on two layers of Kona cotton...

not easy for my ageing hands!

If I embarked on a larger piece 

it would have to be on turban cotton or harem cotton

or perhaps an old worn damask tablecloth.

Stitches Piled Atop One Another

Just Three more Crumbs to go.

What to do next year?

I am thinking....

daily stitching again rather than weekly.

It seems more appropriate 

for recording the passage of time.

If it's daily it has to be simple.

I like the continuous scroll of the four years

covered by the Daily Scratchings project.

Hundreds of things catch my eye on our daily walks

including pebbles.

What if I take the outline of a pebble each day

and appliqué it to a six inch square?

Each month of squares would become a wall hanging.

I've even been working out the various ways of

organizing the different months.

But it doesn't seem quite right for me.

I am not a square type person!

Perhaps strips of fabric covered with a pebble a day.

Or

perhaps a larger scroll than the 6" Daily Scratchings

and a simple row of stitch a day.

Or

Whatever else pops into my head!

Still have time.