Times past!

We spent a couple of days with Aunty Pam in Pune. For those of you who don't know Aunty Pam, she is Viveck's only surviving aunt, 90 years old, and still an amazing needle woman. She is crocheting a blanket for Viveck and me at the moment!!! Anyway, she said she had been making pot holders with all the bits of wool that she had, and gave me a few!

They are beautiful!
She had a bag full of them and said she had been using up her wool scraps! It brought home to me the fact that as a generation today, we have forgotten how to save and not waste, how to make do with whatever we have. A lot of the bits of wool used here was also recycled wool, and of course all the tiny bits that get left over from the huge amount of crochet and knitting she has done over the years. I remember Granny, Aunty Pam's mother, teaching me how to unravel  and refresh old wool! You had to unravel the wool into hanks. Then it had to be soaked in a solution of  mild detergent and washed. In the last rinse a cap full of liquid glycerin was added and the wool left to soak for a while. Granny said this added the oil back into the wool. Once the wool was dried, it did have a lot of its 'bounce' back.  A lesson well learnt. So many memories!!!

I have been featured!

Carol Shantananda who runs a blog on Indian quilters, has featured me on her blog! I am delighted and excited as you can imagine!
http://quiltinginindia.blogspot.ca/2013/05/quilter-spotlight-brinda-crishna.html

The crochet table cloth is complete!

I started this for Naeeda and David as their 1st wedding anniversary present in August last year. I wrote about it  earlier http://embroideringmytale.blogspot.com/2012/10/wip.html
Its now done and here it is on her dining table!

Its a wonderful star cum flower pattern, and I have really enjoyed crocheting it. I worked it in panels so I could carry it with me where every I went, making it a much traveled table cloth! I decided to use a thicker crochet cotton than was recommended in the original pattern and I like the effect!

I used an ecru colour as this went with Naeeda's wonderful pottery dinner set!

A tip I want to share here is that any weaving of extra threads needs to be done as you crochet, and not wait till the end. I'm not sure what madness took over that I didn't do that, and have had to spend over 2 full days actually weaving the bits in! With David offering to 'cut' them off, until he realized the entire table cloth will unravel!

Sandhya's Ohio Star Block!

Sandhya was the Bee this month and wanted an Ohio Star Block in a solid and off white combination....So here it is! I have to say that the block looks nice, but I am not sure I like so much symmetry! Feel pleased that the points have matched!

And the back had quarter inch seams! I'm beginning to get the hang of nesting!!!!

Bee Madhu's Block

Madhu wanted us to make a block from  Elizabeth Hartman's modern mosaic block! Its an interesting block and one I was keen to make anyway....keeps with my love for crazy quilting! Madhu wanted blues, greys and maybe lime green or turquoise to set it off. Here's what I cam up with

 I think I should have used bigger pieces though, possibly have been more dramatic!  

Quilting in Chiang Mai (3) The top is done!!!!!

So my Rooster is ready!  I haven't quilted it yet....but the top is ready so I am showing it off here. Its been such an exciting time for me and in spite of some ripping and redoing....I have enjoyed every minute of it.... And am so proud of it! Thanks KAREN!

Also putting up a picture of the back: which shows how much detail work went into it! I hope you are all impressed with the exact 1/4 inch seams! So much of this was about being precise and exact, and this being a huge challenge for me, was a tremendous learning experience. I will definetely make another!

A Quilting Break in Chiang Mai (part 2)

The four days of my workshop was spent in learning an amazing technique, complex and complicated, on how to make pictures with fabric.  I have been quilting for a bit and have an understanding of some basic techniques, but this was very different. There were 2 of us doing the workshop which was great as so much learning takes place  by observing another work. Karen had a unique style of teaching, as, besides handouts and constant support and advice,  she also made a small quilt and modeled a lot of the skills we were being taught! 

I woke up really early on the first day of my four days workshop, excited and eager to start. I had been wanting to do this for such a long time! We started at 8 and worked till 5, with a short break for a quick lunch! This was the schedule we maintained for the entire duration and we soon realized why this was such hard work!

The first step was to draw a clear line drawing of the picture we wanted to make. Karen had asked me to choose a bird, or a fish as my first picture, as she felt this would be easier to do than a person as a first attempt. So I chose the picture Priya had sent me of her bad tempered cock….such a beautiful fellow though! So I made a sketch, and then made the line drawing.

Priya's rooster and my reference picture

The line drawing

The next step was to put a thinner paper on to the line drawing, take a ruler and pencil and trace and square all the curves into points, and thus have an angled version of the picture

The squared head

We then coloured each segment into separate coloured groups, as this second drawing was going to be our ‘map’ and what we would use as reference once we started piecing so it had to also be totally accurate. 

Colouring the picture

Once the colouring was done we decided how we would divide the picture into segments for piecing.

We then divided the picture into large working segments, numbered all the pieces in each segment and used a high lighter to mark these segments. 

Numbering

Numbered segments

We then traced another copy of the design onto another sheet of paper, and this became the piece on which we would create the colours of our picture by auditioning the right fabric! Such a super process!

Finally the drawing was traced onto freezer paper and the pieces marked with little coloured ticks, so that we would be able to match them while piecing! Since the marking would have to be on the wrong side, everything had to be done in reverse!!!

Finally on the last day we started putting it together! Not to mention that sustenance was always great!

4 days later