Prayer Flag
Certain parts of it were dabbed with a wet teabag to get rid of the 'whiteness' and this helped everything blend together much better and gave a more time worn feel to it which I really like.
I did have a lightbulb moment when stitching on the backing - I used some old linen trousers, and realised that the trouser hem, once cut, made a perfect sleeve to put a piece of floral wire through to use as a hanger!
This sort of thing is so doable by anyone - no real skills required, just fabrics, needle and thread, a few buttons and an open mind. No real sewing skills required, just a simple running stitch, or variation of, will do everything you need it to do.
Those of you who read my last blog post will know that I'm planning on doing some more simple prayer flag samples with a view of holding a craft session in the autumn to raise funds for MIND. I will work on that over the summer.
Holiday to North Wales
We managed to organise everything at home in order to escape for a week to North Wales/Snowdonia - we don't go away very often so it was a much needed break for the two of us.
We had a wonderful few days with fabulous weather, walking, cycling and views. Here are a few photos that I took, which of course never do the landscape justice. There were some big landscapes to enjoy, the type that make you feel small and fairly insignificant. I love that feeling of vastness and being in a big, open space and most often it was just the two of us - we tend to try and stay away from the 'touristy' bits, and we succeeded in having a very peaceful week with just the sound of cuckoos and skylarks keeping us company - oh and sheep of course, mustn't forget the sheep, of which there were many at every turn!!
 |
| Alwen Reservoir |
 |
| A climb up Moel Elio from Llanberis near Mount Snowden |
 |
| Mountain Pass back to Llanberis - so peaceful, hardly saw a soul. |
 |
 |
| View towards Moel Siabod - love the remote little cottages nestled in the trees - inspired to do a felted picture from this! |
 |
| Moorland view above Arwen Reservoir |
 |
| A perfect picnic spot by the Miners' Bridge, Gwynver |
 |
| Another picnic stop - joined by this guy along the Ledr Valley |
 |
| Walking along Forestry tracks |
 |
| A windmill on Anglesey, passed on an epic cycle ride! |
 |
| View at the north end of Anglesey |
There are MANY more photos, but I won't bore you with them all! It was a lovely few days away with time to just 'be' - precious...
Solar Dyeing Results!
So I couldn't wait any longer, and emptied the contents of my solar jars - with some really nice results. It was difficult to capture some of the more delicate colours with the camera, but I ended up with lemons, pale greens and wonderful yellows and rust marks from the nails and washers I wrapped the materials around.
All created from plants, onion skins and sunshine - magic!
These pieces will go back in my naturally dyed stash to hopefully use in a future fabric collage.
Mini Quilt
Occasionally on Instagram, there are little 'join along for fun' things that crop up, and there's currently one for making mini-quilts. So, up for a challenge I thought I'd try a bit of hexie english paper piecing (typical me to make it complicated!!)
This is a great way to 'stash-bust' and it's a really nice, portable thing to do - I've yet to finish it, it's all layered up with wadding and a backing and being hand quilted, but it's coming along nicely. Don't peer too closely though, because it's far from perfect!
If you're on Instagram and are interested, just follow #dsgminiquilt to see what others have been making - or join in yourself!
This is a great way to 'stash-bust' and it's a really nice, portable thing to do - I've yet to finish it, it's all layered up with wadding and a backing and being hand quilted, but it's coming along nicely. Don't peer too closely though, because it's far from perfect!
If you're on Instagram and are interested, just follow #dsgminiquilt to see what others have been making - or join in yourself!
On the Allotment
Oh my goodness, we've started harvesting our home-grown goodies and enjoying lots of strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries...and we have a glut of courgettes, so it's thinking of '100 things to do with a courgette'!!
We've also been digging our first potatoes, which are delicious, as well as salad and mangetouts - just waiting on those runner beans now!
Of course, as well as things to eat, it's always lovely to bring in some flowers from the garden to enjoy, and our hydrangeas are now getting into full flower - they are quite possibly my favourite!
We've also been digging our first potatoes, which are delicious, as well as salad and mangetouts - just waiting on those runner beans now!
Of course, as well as things to eat, it's always lovely to bring in some flowers from the garden to enjoy, and our hydrangeas are now getting into full flower - they are quite possibly my favourite!
So that's us more or less up to date! I'm really missing the felting, so I'm going to get some of that on the go as soon as I get a chance. It's been nice to try other things though, and I still like the idea of mixing up a few of the ideas into some finished pieces to sell - I have a folksy shop which is languishing empty, so I may reinstate that to spur myself onto getting some bits made to pop into it.
Wishing you a wonderful week, and thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings - I'd love to hear from those that read my blog, so feel free to leave a comment or two and let me know what you're up to!
xx Tanya xx
Wishing you a wonderful week, and thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings - I'd love to hear from those that read my blog, so feel free to leave a comment or two and let me know what you're up to!
xx Tanya xx
