Better things.....I watched the Live Podcast done by Helen Godden for Handi-Quilter. She is absolutely amazing and inspiring.
She was stitching on poly/silk scarves from thrift shops and turned them into beautiful wall hangings. Her "road map" technique intrigued me. I played around with it on plain cotton....just to get the hang of it. Begin by drawing large curls so that each one connects to the previous one, using a wash away marker. You do not stitch on the mark but on each side....begin on one side of the curl and follow it all the way around the entire design. It will eventually get you back to where you started. 
No laughing, or pointing fingers now.
My results were not the most beautiful or anywhere near pretty.....but the technique does work well. Yet by stitching this trial, I see how important it is to space the curls apart and not bunch them closely. And it takes practice to control and be consistent in stitching around a drawn line. That was always a challenge for me.
Helen also shared her technique for grid marking for sewing orange peel filler. Once again I need to practice if I want to do this for real.
Moving on.....to something I know I can do. I played around with floral squares and some interfacing. Just to use up the abundance of squares, a more graphic interpretation than I usually do. Maybe it should be turned 180 degrees before I decide. I will probably turn this into a small banner at some point.
Storms are moving thru the area right now....and heavy rain. The rain is quite welcome because it should reduce the dreaded orange haze of pollen that covers us all.
Have a great weekend. Happy Easter. Happy stitching.
10 comments:
So sorry you have had to endure allergy issues. The pollen here is not yet out. Raining hard today. I love the floral piece. I have my trays organized, but something always comes up and interferes with putting up a piece. Hopefully, you will feel better and be able to function how you want. Good to hear from you!
I've been slammed by allergies this year too. Usually they aren't a problem, but I can now say "I get it." Love the watercolor.
Allergy season is just about to hit us too, as many of the trees are budding out rapidly. Things will be miserable until the locust trees bloom near the end of June. The summer grasses aren't nearly as bad for me. Good to see that you're getting in a little stitching play. Very soothing I'm sure.
I sure hope those storms aren't too bad for you. My son in NC said they have had a few alerts - ugh. That road map technique looks interesting but I'd better not get side tracked - I have people coming for Easter. Do take care! ~Jeanne
Ugh! Sinus infections and allergies can only be understood by those who have lived through them. My seasonal allergies used to leave me physically ill, aside from all the other miserable symptoms. And the sinus infections would sometimes follow one after the other. So sorry you have had to deal with this physical/emotional drain on top of the usual.
Looks like a fun play session with Hot Legs!
And the time spent with your florals always produce lovely results.
Still praying for you! :)
I feel your pain. When allergies and sinus issues appear I am far less motivated to blog.
Sorry for the allergies. We don't have any pollen yet, but I'm expecting my allergies to start acting up soon, as we are finally starting to see things bud out around here.
The storms and cooler weather really helped here. Have you tried an allergy shot? I get them only when I can't function and have had good results, tho this year it only helped my red puffy itchy eyes about a week which is odd. Other than the eyes, I've kept my allergies under control for years now w/2T of LOCAL honey daily. It's made a real difference--I used to get sick every spring and haven't since I started that. It may take several weeks to make a noticeable difference; I put it in a smoothie 6 days a week and never skip. It can be a little pricey but better than meds and has been a lifesaver! Hope you get through it all soon and happy Easter!
I love all the navy blue in this new piece. And what an interesting FMQ motif! I really like it. My first attempt at a new shape looks like yours...a bit wobbly but very instructive. Thanks for sharing the info about peeling skin and allergies. My toes are peeling, which has never happened before, and I really wondered why! Maybe allergies are the answer.
Always lovely watercolor columns! Thanks for sharing the inspiring Handi Quilter video link.
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