Signs and Symbols - Gillian

I find working to a smaller size much better - not particularly because of the size but there is less pressure - at 40cm x 80cm, if it is not a great quilt, it doesn't matter, I feel I could easily do another.
I felt inspired to get going with the long overdue challenge
Signs and Symbols
I couple of years ago, whilst in the carpet museum in Istanbul I photographed some carpets with the information next to it, explaining what the symbols mean.
I made some drawings of the symbols and used my Interchange Applique technique.

You may have heard that, in Yorkshire, on Boxing Day we had some devastating floods. It has caused chaos and has been so sad to see so many homes ruined. My quilts were hanging in our local quilt shop, as part of a small exhibition. The water came into the shop to waist high and several of my quilts got very wet. They were in very dirty muddy water for 24 hours! They have surprisingly  washed well.

We spent the next few days helping to clear the shop etc. Elaine from the Quilt Cabin gave me some fabric ( the type and colours she knows I like) for helping so I wanted to use this fabric to make my next quilt.

So, although it is a signs and symbols quilt it is also a Hebden Bridge Flood Quilt, at least that's what it will remind me of.






Gillian

'Working Meeting' in Germany

Gillian came to Germany for her holidays, and after spending a few days in the  Alps three members of the group got together for a brief and intensive 'working meeting' during which a number of issues were discussed - and decided!

Obviously, I did not take this photo - somehow to me it seems a bit distorted,
but you can still recognize Gillian, Barbara and Uta, from the left.

Because of heavy workloads and tight schedules of many of us we have gone back on the size issue a bit, and the size we will be working with in the near future is 50 x 100 cm. This new size could apply to the challenge including the Afghan embroidery already, but because Kathy Loomis (and, as it now turns out, Eti David, too) has already finished hers in the 60 x 120 cm, Uta Lenk has decided to make hers in that dimension as well.
We have a new member: Bella Kaplan, from Israel, and are looking forward to welcoming her into the group. Watch out for her introduction piece.

Missing image

Here is the image that wouldn't post the other day.

Sketch

And here are 6 of my finished quilts. The "Red" is missing.

They all look very different. 

Gillian

Sketch

This is my Sketch quilt and the last one - making up the set for Prague. It is a poor photo and I will retake it using by camera rather than my iPad mini when I get all my technology back working properly.

Challenges are all about pushing you out of your comfort zone. Over the lat couple of years I have making quilts based on Indian men and women often avoiding the faces so i decided I would try painting a face.

We were lucky enough to go to an Indian wedding when we were in India in Jaunary. I set about sketching her using my photos on to paper, and then thought - just work directly on to fabric.
When I set the challenge I said you should include or post the drawing, so I don't have a drawing.

I have used lots of metallic thread here. I never use metallic thread and bling but here it seemed appropriate.

Overall, yes I am happy with it but I am not sure she looks exactly like the bride and her face looks a little wrinkled due to the quilting. Lessons learnt.

Blue

I am going to be away for a few weeks in January and February and in between have loads of teaching so have been worrying about when I was going to find the time to make the quilts that I needed to. So the only way was to stop worrying and just get on and make them.

Here is the Blue Quilt.

This one is inspired by my trips to Scandinavian countries. I have always loved the jumpers that many people wear and have a few that I love to wear.

I dyed the 100% wool felt using acid dyes and then with an innovative way of piecing or counterchange I put the jumpers together.

The stitching in done using some thicker white thread using automatic patterns and the rest is done using lana thread

Here is a detail

For the last couple of years I have been teaching a residential course in the NWest of the UK at a lovely centre at Grange over sands. It is on an estuary and we always go over the estuary on the viaduct to a small town Arnside. 

We take photos, do some drawings etc and I have a fabulous collection of photos and I have never done anything with. I have meaning to make this quilt for a while so i was thrilled when Margaret announced her challenge. I had a few thermofax screens made from my drawings and printed some hand dyed fabrics.

This quilt is not my usual style of working but that's part of the group challenge

So now I only have the Sketch challenge to do for April. I can go away now feeling relieved

Gillian