WIP...

Today I was very restless I think mostly because of the events over the last 24 hours (see previous post)... Today we went to visit M and D to see how they both were - both were wearing brave faces and it made me sad to see them so sad... What can one say when to someone when they have lost something which they have loved and cherished...

After stitching the seahorse for H in the CQRRO6 I have been involved in I have been thinking about other ways I could reproduce it... As I am contemplating taking part in a lino printing workshop and I thought I could use the seahorse image again... So for an hour and a half this afternoon I drew - I had a a couple of pictures for reference but I was determined to make an original drawing for the printing process... I am mostly happy with the above result and see that with a little more fiddling I could start the next part of the process...

E suggested I have a go at colouring it in photoshop ( steep learning curve here!!!!) but again it gave me a sense of what it might look like if I used it as another medium... I hope to have a go at colouring the prints to some degree - but we will see... I was also thinking about printing it onto fabric and then embellising it in some way - perhaps an underwater CQ block... Why do I get these inspirations on Sunday night????

On a lighter note P has just 'wrestled' the first huntsman spider for the year out the door... Why do they persist in getting so high up on the wall...

Yuki

YUKI 1998-2007

Yuki was my son-in-law's cat... She had made many moves and had many changes throughout her life which included accepting my daughter M into she and D's life... Yuki's personality was as large and as vibrant as her purr and although she watched from afar - didn't miss a thing...

Unfortunately in the latter part of last year she was diagnosed with cancer and she underwent intensive chemotherapy... During this last week it was evident that she was having difficulty breathing - more tests yesterday revealed that she had developed fluid on her lungs and that the cancer had spread - there was little which could be done...

This afternoon she passed away at her home surrounded by those she loved and who loved her ...

RIP little lady..

The long, dry summer...

The heat is continual and exhausting down here in Melbourne everyone waiting for that magical cool change... Another sleepless night ahead - P, E and I went for a drive down to the beach after I finished work last night... I couldn't believe how much cooler it was - I stood in the shallows and it was just delicious... My desire to live by the water renewed...

Between the heat, the harsher water (Stage 3) restrictions and the noise from construction (that should read, re designing, re locating) work being carried out on the local intesection and railway station (24 hours a day) for the next five weeks, the invasion of ants and cockroashes I could be certifiable - still on thinking about it - just the perfect place to catch up on some crazy quilting...

It is...

3.07 am and I am still awake... It is still very warm and the promise of another sweltering day ahead... Thank goodness I am on the late shift at work so I may have the luxury of a sleep in when I finally get to sleep...

Hey there Doll face...

Just to show progress... I have added a little more embroidery to the trouser section... And of course I have made a start to develop the face... At the moment she seems to have rather a startled look but I hope to soften it with a little more play... I want to add more shaded definition but think I shall wait until I have assembled her... I have hand stitched her features as I wanted to achieve a 'folksey' handmade feel... I am not sure about the stitching around her headscarf - my intention was to go back and add french knots above the blanket stitch... I also want to somehow alter the line of her scarf to break that solid line - either that or add something to the points of the 'pinked' line - perhaps beads might do it... Buttons or stitching to her shoes should complte that She also has another arm and hopefully next weekend will see the whole thing coming together...

Before I forget - Happy New Year to you all... May it be a safe and prosperous one for each and every one...

Gimme a hand...

... this is of course is the hand to my doll... So far she has only one and without fingers at that... I haven't done much more than this but I am getting there - the thought of the face next is putting me off a bit... But press on I will... You should see the dining room - looks like a whirlwind has gone through - pieces of fabric adorn chairs table and probably every other flat surface... One could wonder how such a small project could cause so much mess - but at least I found some bits that I had been looking for...

My latest project...

In case you are having trouble guess what it is - she is a doll... I found her in the Winter issue of Cloth paper scissors - an American mixed media publication. Her designer is Katie Kendrick and she has lots of interesting things to look at on her site...

I have produced mine slightly differently to the original design as I wanted to also embroider her... I still have a way to go - I was so engrossed 'playing' that I failed to notice it was one o'clock in this morning - the time just seemed to vanish... LOL that surely must say something... The red band across her middle section is causing a little corncern as it 'drags' the eye right to it and cuts her in half... The plan is to do more involved stitching over the red satin - I love the stripy material which make up her trousers - that will also be her back panel... I can see myself making another trip to Spotlight to buy more... The creating of face area is intimidating me somewhat... The ones in the magazine had gone through quite a process and are perhaps more 'interesting' than 'pretty'... I shall press onwards and perhaps let her 'talk' to me...The head scarf I want perhaps bead... She has arms and rather large hands which I intend to sleeve in some loosely woven lace which G gave me a couple of years ago...

Unfortunately she is quite neat and not quite as naive as the one in the magazine... It is as though I can't help myself I have to be coordinated I must have this inbuilt gene which won't allow me to 'colour outside the lines'... I would like to make another one - but with work again next week the chances are slim... I am definetely going to finish this one... It has been a fun process taking each little bit and making decisions with each step of the way... I can already 'see' all the different applications I could use to make each one interesting and unique...