Lately as I go about my life, I have been seeing roses everywhere. On fences, overtaking other plants, creeping onto pavements....it seems that these last few months of extra rain have given roses everywhere a new gust of life after a dry, hot suffocating year of water restrictions. This delights me as I have missed seeing so many things in bloom. I nearly forgot what I was missing out on.
These are some pictures from my neglected garden.
I have completely ignored them and they have come through blooming for me....wonderful.
You can see where my inspirations for design comes from. When winter comes, I want to be surrounded with these colours and shapes...
It's got me thinking back to my procion dying days. My quest for colour has reached critical point: I have been thinking of hand dying my own yarn for crochet work. It seems that yarn colour is so limited. Why is this???
I have so many ideas I would love to crochet through in subtle and natural shades. If anyone knows of a supplier of wool who offers a significant colour range....please let me know!
I love this head - it looks as if I have flecked it with a paint brush...no, it's completely natural.
Speaking of crochet, although I have plenty to do already, I have started designing an afghan. Yes! My main trouble is with the colour selections so I am still working on that. I am working through sampling my ideas into blocks at the minute. I have so much to do before the end of this year that I have created a list (this may not seem like much of a big deal, but it was for me). For one thing, I realised that I have A LOT of things to get done...and well as a LOT of things I want to do....so I had better get stuck in.
On top of that list is doing something about my *stash* It's still rather big.
I read somewhere that my kind of stash was now referred to as a SABLE.
Stash
Above and
Beyond
Life
Expectancy
That's me!
I decided to only buy fabric for specific projects that I will use ASAP - but as you have already guessed -it doesn't work like that,. You see a fabric, you love it, you know you could use it in that as yet undesigned quilt...you think of your groaning stash mountain and have second thoughts...and then you remember how whenever you don't purchase what you love right there on the spot - it sells out!
What's a quilter to do?
Esther, just love the roses. They are truly stunning and are my absolute favorite flower in the world.
ReplyDeleteStash busting, can't help you there girlfriend, my cubbies are flowing over with fabric and I think it is time for another cleaning and donating to the local guild day. Hugs to you, enjoy those beautiful roses.
Try Biggan Designs http://www.biggandesign.com/ They have 64 colours, are very nice wools, and are grown and made here in Australia.
ReplyDeleteThe answer to your stash question is challenge. And it requires a completely different working style. If you have the courage to work with what you've got plus accepting given fabrics (the low- or no-budget solution), you cannot create things in the style as you do. Yours is a palette way: Material is required in a certain color and pattern to make an idea come real. The alternative is: Take the material as an idea and find out what to create out of it. The result would be far away from what you do -- and this method requires another personality of artist. A big stash is necessary if you work the way you do, I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat other collectors bemoan the size of their collection.
ReplyDeleteJust let us accept that we are fabric collectors and we will leave a legacy of the fabric of our adult lifetimes or whatever.....to others....or the dumpster.
I have organiZed to leave mine to a group who make quilts for orphans and have checked that their are younger quilters coming on.....
Love the rose that looks like you flecked it with a paint brush. I can see that rose made up with a beautiful batik. Beautiful art piece quilted.
ReplyDeleteHi Esther, I am after that same elusive wool in natural shades. No luck so far. Also have that stash problem ! Yours roses are divine. Happy Stitching Chris.
ReplyDeleteI can feel the sweet smell of the roses - they are all awesome, but I've never seen one like the one with the red dots.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful roses!
ReplyDelete