Margaret Every Challenge - 3

Its finished!
I'm not that happy with it as I think I missed out a step before I added the borders and its a little wonky!!! 1cm out but it shows. I can't take the border off now so will have to live with it and put it down to experience.
It has definitely improved my quilting skills and I won't baulk at machine quilting again, but I may adopt a quilt as you go method to reduce the size of the quilt that I have to manipulate.
Now its back to the UFOs so that I can eventually begin some new work! The only thing I now need to do is think about what I'll do with all these newly finished pieces! I think I'll donate this challenge quilt, but I'm not sure how useful it will be to them with such alot of black in it!!!
The photos show some close ups of the quilting.

Margaret Every Challenge - 2

There is nothing like some cold weather to keep one inside when you have a deadline to meet! So, thanks to the weather I've made really good progress.
I've pieced the backing for this quilt using some of the same fabrics and made a couple of little blocks as a part of it. Its layered and now mostly quilted, my machine, using threads to match the fabrics in each section, again letting the fabrics do the talking.
I have tried to use the knowledge I'm learning on the Machine Embroidery course to liven up my quilting and I've used one stitch on the tiny pieced sections to ape tieing - a modern equivalent! I think it works quite well - will be interested in comments from others over that.
Just the borders left to do now and the binding so I'm on course to finish in time!

Margaret Every Challenge

This challenge has been taking place each summer for a while now, with The Bramblepatch selecting a fabric which must be incorporated within a quilt. Up to now I have never been inspired by the fabric, so haven't bothered. This year 2 fabrics were offered, one which was covered in words! I love lettering in quilts and made a snap decision to "have a go". I bought 4 other related fat quarters and reckoned that I had enough fabric at home to complete a quilt.
With the other things I'm doing, the challenge fabric languished until this week when I realised that I only had a month left to do it! I found in my stash several toning fabrics and then had to think about the design. With a month only to make it it had to be a simple design, looking at the words, "real simple" shone out so my design is called "Real Simple" and so is the quilt! I've let the fabrics do the talking!
The top is now done!

UFO no. 2

Hard at work on the unfinished pieces I keep finding in the cupboard!
This was started on a course with Christine Porter at the Bramblepatch a good few years ago, I collected a box of fabrics and then put them away - working all hours at the time! - Now I've liberated the box and completed the quilt! Based on Christine's floor tile pattern it is hand pieced (while away for week-ends) and machine quilted. The first time I have machine quilted anything this size. (45" square)
There are lots of mistakes, but I console myself knowing that I have learned a great deal by doing it!
Just 4 more big UFOs to go!

UFOs

I'm still maintaining my self denying ordinance - can't start a new work until the old ones have been finished!! Its a hard discipline but it will be lovely to think of all these ignored pieces being properly completed.
"War Torn" is now complete, started in 2007 and found recently. Its been cut up, re-joined, quilted, beaded and bound! Its full of fabrics which I have stamped,screen printed and mono-printed, Its probably a bit busy but I love the richness of the colours and the textures. Its too small for FoQ but I fond the size easy to manipulate under the machine. Perhaps a bit bigger next time. Next time, because I still have quite a stash of "African" fabrics and I think I have enough ideas to make a small series of pieces.

Inspiration 4

Last night we were entertained by a stunning talk by Yvonne Brown at Market Harborough Embroiderers. I had seen a piece of her work on display in Ely Cathedral some time ago and was intrigued by the intricacy of her stitching and the multi layered look she achieved. Seeing a range of her work from early to recent, in close-up and hearing how she had achieved these effects was fascinating. The trouble is that seeing such exquisite work makes you wonder whether its worth producing your own lesser pieces!
I have been really struck recently by the immense generosity of the textile art fraternity, so many, really well know artists are so willing to share their secrets, my friends tell me that "fine artists" are much more protective of any new idea they come up with, so glad I live in the textile world!

Inspiration 3

Seeing the Kente Cloth work sent me looking on the Internet for some more information about El Anatsui and to see more of his work.
This was how his work was described:
"Born in 1944, in the Ewe-speaking area of Ghana, El Anatsui, is today recognised as one of the foremost contemporary artists of his generation. Taking the broad spectrum of indigenous African cultures as an extended canvas, his central themes concern the erosion of these inherited traditions by powerful external forces and the manner of their survival and transmission into the present."
I was really struck by the amazing weavings using metal of all sorts including bottle tops, ring pulls etc creating such shimmering hangings. As in 1st picture above.
The other work I feel a great affinity to are his hardwood and tempura panels which are beautiful and stark and I think they will lead me to some new work. See 2nd and 3rd pictures.