WOW: Taking It Easy

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I've had a full week since my last WOW. But can't shake off my lingering cough so today I'll be making lots of lemon and ginger tea and taking it easy. I'll take a long walk and then sit down and decide just what to do with my design folio. I'm in two minds about the next BOM.

I'm having difficulty deciding which one to release... or whether to just release them both. I'm behind on my emails (what's new?) and have lots of little things to take care of on my blog and website before I can focus on crafting any patterns for release again.

Its a case of tidying up everything so that I have more room for my future creative mess. Does that make sense? I'm really excited about the rest of 2015 - quilt wise- and I'm looking forward to sharing my ideas here with you soon.

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

WOW: Oma's Blues Part 4

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

Oma's Blues is just flying by. I haven't made much of a start myself so I'm a bit shocked to be releasing Part 4 today. It seems like I just released this quilt yesterday and already we're in the fourth month. My goodness time flies when you get old! The more I see of Oma (and I'm so lucky that members are sharing images over in the Group of their work and ideas) the more I love this blue and white quilt. 

This month it's time for more charms. I like them all, but I think this cat really makes the charms homely- it's stolen a place in my heart. Our own much loved cat died a few years ago, at 15 years old. We discovered she had cancer after taking her to the vet's for a loss of appetite and she had to be euthanased the next day. Since then, we haven't been ready for another cat, but I really do miss having one around, inspecting all my quilting work. So this block is extra special to me as it really looks like her side profile actually!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up

Worst. Flu. Ever.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my previous post about Delft. They still haven't apologized or credited me and I'm somewhat annoyed about it. Sure, everyone makes mistakes, I'm the first to accept that to err is human. But now that they know and have been advised - and have chosen not to rectify their error - its a very poor standard of business values to simply ignore this matter, which is precisely what they are doing.

Yes, there are things I could do about it. But I'm not going to. I'm not an argumentative person and its not worth my time to pursue this from the other side of the world.They aren't financially benefiting from the image, they're just being plain rude. And its so easy for them to rectify. And yet they haven't. It's disappointing.

Since Easter I've been battling the Worst Flu Ever. Its hit me hard and I've been spending all my time trying to recover myself for my upcoming classes at AQC in a few days time. I think its so disappointing to find that your class is being run by a substitute (even when it can't be helped) so I went to the doctor on Easter Monday to take serious action to get me back on my feet. Usually I'm the kind of person to let things run their course, but this time that wasn't possible. Two rounds of antibiotics, an injection and a 2 weeks in bed and I'm only now starting to feel human again.

I always feel that when you're sick, everything goes wrong. And in my experience it does! My pattern booklets for my workshops were printed wrongly and had to be sent back. Then the pattern sheets I'd spent months organizing were printed at the wrong size. Printers just don't understand that an extra few centimeters change an entire pattern, making it unusable. What a hassle. What this means is that I'm going to have to do it all myself and at the last minute, even though I had planned so that this wouldn't happen. It takes a lot of planning to run a workshop and its just been bad timing that I got so sick right when everything was coming together.

Unpacked and all wrong. :(

Here's what my dining table looks like.

And there are my tea towels, off the line and waiting to be ironed. 

A woman's work is never done..

WOW: 'Oma's Easter' and the City of Delft

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

How was your Easter? I spent mine rugged up, battling a cold. Luckily my DDs took care of Easter Sunday lunch and I spent most of the weekend trying to recover. During religious occasions and holidays I never go online or use my computer so I was surprised to find out (thanks Anne Marieke) that, on Maundy Thursday, the official City of Delft Facebook page published an image of my 2015 Easter project - Oma’s Easter. As many of you know, I have released a quilt design called Oma’s Blues which is inspired by Delft tableware. And my Oma’s Easter project was designed in the same style. I can see why they used it; it really has the ‘Delft’ feel to it.

But here’s the problem: the City of Delft went ahead and did what so many businesses, agencies and individuals do nowadays –they grabbed an image without the owner’s permission and used it to suit their own purposes without any credit or acknowledgement to its maker. How rude!

I would have loved for them to mention that it was my design alongside a link to my blog. They could have even mentioned it was my free Easter Project, inspired by Delft and that everyone was welcome to create it.

Is it so hard to be polite? To be considerate?

The irony of this situation is that I would have been delighted to allow the City of Delft to use my image, if they had only bothered to ask me. In fact, I would have considered it an honour. Delft is a place I have always wanted to visit and sharing my work with them and their readers could have and should have been a real pleasure.

What Do You Think?

Is it really so hard to credit someone?

An InLinkz Link-up

Lily Rose: QUILTED !

'Mum, CAPITALS mean you're shouting.'

Well, I don't mind. Do you mind if I shout about it?

I just finished quilting Lily Rose and I am delighted about it!

As I was quilting Lily Rose, I thought a lot about the elements that were on my mind when I designed it. Really, Lily Rose is just another ode to Love Entwined. In many ways, I just can't get over Love Entwined - in the sense that something about it feels so unfinished. To have come so far and found it, to have discovered that it is still around, and yet have no further information about its origins is so frustrating. And I think about the Love Entwined coverlet design over and over and I know that the woman who made it, or instigated it, could not have gone un-noticed in British Georgian Society circles. And knowing that somewhere, the answer to our questions is out there makes it all the more tantalizing for me.

I designed Lily Rose after visiting the V&A 1700s exhibition and Lily Rose is bit of everything I love from the Georgian era quilts that were hanging there - condensed into one bouquet! That's how I think about it anyway. 

I purposefully chose gaudy colours because it felt so right in a Georgian tribute quilt and looking at them now, I am in love with the shouting vibrancy of them. 

And yes, the turquoise and gold have been used for the same reason: so Georgian and so right in my eyes. I am inspired by most things turquoise and gold at the moment, I still don't have the Georgian influence out of my system!

 I'm finished!

Doesn't it always feel so good to finish a quilt?

Lily Rose will be on display at AQC this year in Melbourne (which is just around the corner now) so if you're coming, make sure to keep an eye out.

Look out for my pattern too! I know there's been a demand for this pattern in hard copy so I'm currently looking to see if its possible to sell this pattern in hard copy through any interested stall holders who'll be there.

I'll keep you posted!

Lily Rose: Quilting Flower Details

This is how I chose to quilt my flower heads. I  felt they needed some emphasis and I've provided it with stitching throughout the petals and leaf veins. 

I also felt that the lillies were missing something. The petals were so large that I decided what was missing was a vein up the middle. I added this simple stitch with an embroidery thread by hand. I think it makes a great visual difference even though its such a small, basic detail. 

I'm nearly done now and I really do love the look and feel of Lily Rose. I can't wait to hang it up and enjoy it every day.

WOW: April Fool's Day

WOW = WIPs On Wednesdays

I know I say this every month, but can you believe its April already? 

Are you ready for Easter?

Today I'll be quilting non stop, I'm nearly there and hope to have Lily Rose finished today. 

Wish me luck!

What's Your WOW?

An InLinkz Link-up