hazeljoy

thoughtful friday 2

"it's the job that's never started as takes the longest to finish"

(sam gamgee in jrr tolkien's lord of the rings)

a very relevant photo here - remember this? and the quilt i made from it just last week?

well, it seems that i may have to make another one. 

i've been contacted by a group who would like to exhibit it early next year! exciting, no? the exhibition is about recycling memories, and they really like the quilt and all of the other connotations it has (consumer society, recycling, football fans, fashion...)

i said that, being as i'd just given the original quilt away, i couldn't very well ask for it back. that's a bit bad manners. so i got myself on ebay, bid on some shirts (which i've won) and now i'm going to make another for the exhibition (i might even be able to sell it). the only thing is, when shall i start?

ta-da! a new make-up bag

this:

is what i was carrying my make-up around in. for, like, 4 or 5 months. yeah, i know, horrid. and quite sad, really. it should have been, and was meant to be, temporary.

but following on from, and inspired by, this visit, i made this:

much better, much prettier.

i'd looked around the internets and found these two tutorials. both of which i liked: one because it is lined, and one because it's more boufy* (not flat).

i went with the lined one in the end (but i will be trying a few unlined/lined experiments with the poufy one soon). It's long and thin because i hate rummaging around for things. this way all the contents are easy to find. and i added a bit of decoration of my own - a small swallow rosette(!) to make it just enough girly.

and i'm pretty pleased with how the zip turned out - thanks to the good, clear instructions.

*incidentally, the word 'boufy' comes from the word bouffant, that describes a hairstyle that is in a high, rounded shape, i.e. not flat.

more new words tomorrow.

? (wednesday 2nd july)

it disappeared.

the post i wrote yesterday, and which i thought i published properly, disappeared.

?

how?

anyone else had this?

chilling in the park

have you ever tried to photograph a swallow? 

no? it's blooming hard i tell thee. they're all a-swooping and a-dodging, up and down, left and right, loop-the-loop. and it's fast.

if i was a bird, i'd like to be a swallow.

everytime i pointed and pressed, i seemed to miss. badly. i had so many shots like this one:

but there were some gems. out of focus and blurry, but gems all the same

i want to use the silhouettes on a project i'm working on. something that might look a little like this and a bit like this

the kite runner / a thought

i have never felt so moved by a film, by a story. it's not really a story, it's more than that. we sit here in our safe houses, worrying and complaining about trivialities. who are we to be so petty? we live in our secure, safe houses, allowing ourselves to believe that it's just a film. just a story.

i can never imagine the hardship, the horror, the fear these people have gone through. the love, the honour, the humility that they still have for themselves and for each other. what horrors exist in this world. how does it go on? i feel humbled to have been allowed to even watch the film. i live, i exist in a world when my most major problem is a feeling of being poor. but i'm not, not really. how stupid.

it's important, life-affirming. if it changes lives, good. if it changes attitudes, great. if it changes the way we treat ourselves and others, even better. i've learnt a lesson and when i wake tomorrow, i will try to apply it.

i urge you to see it. it's so important, so necessary.

sunday 29th june

fantastic weekend. 

lots of fun. lots of people. excellent.

quilt delivered.

it went down very well. the quilt, i mean. on that note, thankyou for all the quilt-love that's been slung my way guys. i really appreciate all of the compliments.

finished off with a lovely visit at mum & dad's:

saturday 28th june

 

finally: finished

phew. that was a lot of hours & a lot of hard work, but i'm there and it's done.

putting the back on is/was such a bind, i hate the spreading out (rather, i hate not having the space to spread things out properly) and the fear that i will tuck the fabric and the whole thing will be ruined. but i am exceptionally pleased with these results. it is exactly what i imagined i would make, and it is exactly how i imagined it would turned out. i have loved making this quilt, and i am looking forward to giving it away, and the response i *hope* it will get.

here's to a fantastic weekend, celebrating a birthday and getting some sleep! have a good one, cheers.

what a day! (thursday 27th june)

i have had another lovely day today.

 

 

i held an all day textile workshop with the very lovely textile artist peggy fearne. she showed us how to fold a variety of modular shapes from paper & fabric, as well as different ways of putting them together.

 

and then we were encouraged to play. such lovely lovely results. origami is so my thing. i am very, very inspired to do more.

 

finally!

you know when you have a day that is so blindingly good that everything seems right with the world? well i've had one of those lovely days today. not only do i seem to be shaking off the cold i started with earlier this week (touch wood), but take a little look at this:

yes folks, this is the double bed-sized quilt i started putting together on sunday (i don't say 'started making' because i cut the pieces a few weeks ago now). and i love it. i almost don't want to give it away, but give it away i must. it's a birthday present for a certain coventry city fan, who will get it on friday.

 

i think i like it so much because it's turning out EXACTLY as i was picturing that it would. even down to the appliqued lettering, which was a right pain to do. yes, very tricksy. 

geek point - interestingly, all of the lettering is made from only the letters in the word 'subaru' (the sponsor's name) from all seven shirts

i just love all of the blues and the different textures from the changing shirt styles over the years. it almost looks nautical, especially the blue and white triangles. and i cannot believe that the jersey fabric was such a dream to knit. i may have to make one to stay here.

just got to back it tomorrow and i'll be laughing!

hope you have an excellent day or two this week xx