Went for a walk

when I should have been finishing up. I figured carpe diem - my boys are always throwing that back at me from when they didn't want to do  chores "seize the day Mum, seize the day!" It was sunny outside & the last day of my youngests half term - good training for his trip to Mongolia in June, & my possible climb (walk up) of Bla Bheinn (Blaven) this summer. It would be a 2 1/2 hr walk & I prevaricated because I'd promised to volenteer at Rag Tag & was worried my (slightly) aching joints wouldn't hold me up thru the day. The final reason? I hadn't walked along the coast from Knock Bay to home before & didn't want to miss out. So we togged up & went. Well worth it. 

Knoc Bay

Knoc castle; the crumbling stronghold & modern mast

youngest peering over the cliff

lovely striations & lichen

Trying to photograph as many trees as poss before they break into leaf

He had to climb up to this platform, don't mind him scaling cliff walls

but you've no iDEA where my heart was while he was here!

We were so right to give the kids this beautiful place as a playground.

Slightly intriguing shape,  I know, but I do love a bit of burnt plastic, a bouy I think.

My A4  collage paper from a couple of weeks ago cut up & stitched into pieces for cards, I got 19, one or 2 a little small on their own.

Some purply blue samples for the workshop - book cover, brooch, pendant & earings. I remember sitting in that Jan Beany class & the woman next to me had this aMAZing notebook cover. I never thought I'd have one like it (this one is MINE!) It's only taken me 15 years, or so. I bought the booklet by Fibre Fusions ages ago 'Beyond Boundaries' but it's taken me the last year or so to work out the stages for ONE effect, well maybe 2,  from the first page! If I read something maybe 50 times it goes in. Really, it's a matter of doing it - I know EVrybody is saying that but what they don't say is that sometimes you need Blind Faith to do it; if we waited to just have faith in ourselves, forget it!

Nearly forgot the cuff, I was wearing it ;)

Actually it's page 11. The first time I did this I read to make (one of many versions - I've got enough to last me years, a great value book !) a sandwich take a fabric base layer of calico, then wadding (I didn't have any so used plain cotton, not thick enough, really), then silk, then  bondaweb, then snippets of fabric & threads then bondaweb then chiffon. Free machine all over to join layers then you could knock back chiffon with a heat gun, then add a bit of Xpandaprint then highlight with metallic paint. I was exhausted but exhilarated!

This time, in the above blue example I had a base layer of cotton, bondaweb, snippets of fabric & thread then chiffon & lots of stitching. I didn't like seeing bondaweb under chiffon before. In my sewing room there's a red version with all the snippets laid carefully out .....only I forgot the bondaweb.  ;) He he, I can hear you experienced ones chortling but I am good at learning & hopefully showing others, my mistakes! I'll get to it! If you don't have wadding it's good to try out different fabrics to achieve the desired thickness. I back mine with recycled corduroy, soft on the skin & gives the cuff  body. I think last weeks strips (have you seen Sweetiepies beautiful raggedy postcards? This link will lead you on to another link where you'll find her gorgeous notebook covers, too, they are all the rage & more book covers at Quilters Cottage, just lovely.) Anyway, the strips & snippet samples will be enough to be going on with at the workshop.

Just briefly (!) this weeks collage is a work in progress.

I never think I can draw but I tried, I'm practicing  & I'm pleased with the start of these. My DH said "very artistic" ;) !

I plan to add organzas & stitch...of course, don't think DH wants me to ruin it :)

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