My first blocks!

I have only worked on Crazy Quilting till date! I have wanted to look at other traditional american styles of quilting and so finally decided to get started this year! I have signed up for an online course http://www.craftsy.com/ where we will be making 2 blocks every month and then finally at the end of the year will have a ready made quilt. Each block will be a sample of  a new technique! The video's are clear and the written instructions add to that. The first month are the slashed blocks, so here are my two! I am thrilled as they have come out to size. The background fabric is a little thicker than the rest, and I hope this doesn't prove to be a problem as we proceed! Lets see! An exciting year in needlework as I am also participating in the IMQG (Indian Modern Quilters Guild) challenge!

TAST Week 2

We are into the second week and the stitches this time was the Straight stitch and the Holbein stitch. I really loved doing the square stitch, as it had so many possibilities and I could see myself getting totally carried away by it! Since my plan is to make a reference book of embroidery stitches, I am doing small samplers and I will be writing the instructions on the facing page. It will be great for me....and maybe even one of the girls may like it!Here is my work for the week:

My first stack!

I bought my first stack of cotton printed fabrics for quilting today! So far all my quilting has been done from scraps of fabrics I had collected over the years of making clothes for my kids and myself! Hence the first love is for crazy patchwork. Now I have 'graduated' and am keen to try other types of patch work....hence went out and bought some fabric. In this day of 'terry' fabrics, it wasn't easy to find cotton fabrics. I finally found a little shop in  New Market and went mad seeing a whole range of wonderfully coloured prints. The dilemma is that I have a huge liking for the handlooms, and maybe one day when I have practiced enough, will attempt a quilt with them. I have been considering poplins as well, but I think they are a little thin. Lets see what I do with these!

TAST (Take a Stitch on Tuesday) Week 1

I am taking part in an interesting challenge called the TAST ( http://begintast2012.blogspot.com/). It is a year long challenge where we will be practicing a new embroidery stitch every week! I am excited as it will be a way of building up a reference journal of embroideryof stitches! I have bought myself a file with attachable sleeves, and will keeping building up my reference The first stitch is the straight stitch and seed stitch. So much like our kantha. This is my contribution to week 1.

Sufi's crocheted African Lion!

This has been a busy busy time as the girls were down for Christmas and new year! What a wonderful wonderful time, so much laughter, fun and unbounded bonding and love! In all that I haven't had time to post anything on my blogs!!! I crocheted this lion for Sufi! She has begun to recognise animals and since her Dad is a naturalist knows names of her little plastic  forest animals  like okapi and hammer head shark, no simple little sheep or teddy bears for our Sufi! I had such fun doing it! I downloaded the pattern from the net and I am delighted how well it has turned out!

Most importantly Sufi likes it and spends her time saying grrrrr! 

Sufi's winter coat

We are going to Kalinpong for New Years. It is going to be freezing, so I have crocheted Sufi a coat. I couldn't get really thick wool so doubled 4 ply to make it 8 ply! The wool is from Shillong, and beautifully soft. The patter id off the net, and I still marvel at the generosity of people to share so much. I found these buttons in my collection of buttons, which goes back many many years, especially as these includes Thai's collection!

RR continues!

Suz's block finally arrived. I was so delighted that it hadn't got lost like her earlier one! The block was in pinks and Suz said she wanted garden visitors! I pondered on this for quite a long time and then decided to create a magic garden! I think it was all the pinks in the block that made me think of magic! I have used crochet a lot! I spent some time on the net looking at flowers of different kinds and visualizing how I would crochet them.  

I started by making the silver flowers and then the blue one with the yellow center. 

I made bright yellow buttercups and embroidered on the white flowers with a simple lazydazy stitch and the clear bead as a center. 

Since the theme was garden visitors,  I made a purple butterfly and the snails with a golden fleck! Its all Magic!!!

I added beads to embelish my work and add to the picture. I normally work on my patchwork only with a variety of stitches, and this is the first time that I have used beads, lace and crochet! 

So this is how the block looks now before I send it on to Kim to do her bit and then send it back to Suzi to complete!