Final 2017 Catch Up

 I had a lot of odd balls of cheap acrylic yarn, so with an eye towards a fast approaching Autumn, I set out to make each dog a blanket of their own. Arthur's colour is blue, so I made sure to include blue in his. The colours were inspired by looking up through the oak leaves at a blue Summer sky.
 Dobby's colour is red. Her blanket is in sunset colours.
 Lyla's colour is bright pink. This (sunglasses worthy) loud blanket used up the brightest colours I had!
Squeak's colour is pale pink. It looked good teamed with all my grey scraps, some acid green and petrol blue. As Squeak is bigger than the others, so is her blanket.
A friend's elderly mother rescued an elderly yorkshire terrier. This granny square was made from the left overs of the leftovers.
A coil pot having been biscuit fired.
I followed my pottery teacher's advice for how to pit fire pottery in the garden. It is an ancient technique with 40% breakage rate.
After a restless night I uncovered the pot. It survived! I had been so worried.
It needed a good wash to get the ash off.
Then waxing to bring the colour out.
I now have a special bowl to keep the stones I have collected from special places, in.


Mouse started to form in my hand after I had made some tiles. I took some clay home and made his body. I really like how he turned out. I hope he survives firing.
I came across a Troll Woman sculpture on facebook. I wondered how the elements fitted together so made a version of my own to understand the original better from what views I could find online.
The original is at the Reykjavik Art museum and is by Asmundur Sveinsson.
These blue and white glazed tiles are waiting to be fired.
These ones with a glass inlay however are done. One day all these star tiles will go around a craft room sink.
Once this is cut down the middle it will be an eco printed silk scarf. It was made using the iron blanket method, rather than dipping the leaves in rust water.
Do you remember the story of the Green Knight from Arthurian legend? I think there is a remnant of a pre Christian December deity in the tale with the holly and everlasting life associations. This outdoor pottery was my interpretation. He has a holly leaf helmet and eyes from a medieval manuscript.
A leather pouch to keep my pottery tools in. 

Janus was the Roman god we associate with January as the month looks both ways. He was the god of doorways. I tried to make one face eastern and the other western. I think it can be improved on a lot, but I like the concept.
This is a miniature of the wooden carving of the Boar's head Tavern sign below. it needs to be fired next.
It is an exhibit in the Globe Theatre Museum in London. Read more below, for the connection with Shakespeare.
My boar is a little tribute to the boar I have met in the Forest. They have been so respectful and given me a wide berth when crossing my path. I think they are special, but I am careful especially when they have young to protect.
I bought all 4 Mystery of Salem's Quilt Guild patterns by Crabapple Hill. Unfortunately it was huge! I don't have that kind of wall space in this little cottage so I made mine 50% smaller. This meant that the fancy pieced border would have been too much, so instead I added grey spiders, black crows and a New England big border. It seemed appropriate as the real Salem is in Massachusetts.
My 70 something uncle keeps hi brain alive by going to uni classes. I made him a rust printed a4 jotter cover.
From the leftovers I made a pencil case teamed with a piece of leather.
Now some jolly makes for myself. A case to keep my adult colouring in books and pens in. I really loved working with bright batiks.
What better then to line it in a procion dyed calico? Bright colours are so uplifting!
I wanted to make a bag to keep my writing stuff together. It can take an a4 file, an i pad and several pens.
It had a tropical frog theme to go with the gorgeous bright batik jungle type of fabrics.
I couldn't resist adding a frog patch pocket. What better for adventures even if they are only inside your head?
These 2 houses were finished this week. They came from issue 9 of Simply Vintage. There are simpler ways to assemble them than the instructions given but I liked the shape.
They had waited to be made since 2013, so they are a big tick on my list. I have just 2 other longstanding items left to make. One is a Cathedrals quilt, and the other is Rosewood Cottage. I bought the pattern at the 2012 Birmingham Quilt Show. I think I ought to begin it as a main project next.

That is the end of the huge catch up of my craftings from where my old blog left off last September. From now on it will just be small craft posts and the occasional share of the Forest and places I visit.

Comments

Days and colors said…
Beautiful finishes! The blankets look like sunshades at the beach! I think I've already told you I love the mouse and the Troll Woman, the bag turned out great and the houses show how much work you put on them. Thanks for the catch up.
Tracy said…
Such an amazing parade of finishes! :) Your dog blankets are wonderful--and such a fun way to use up yarn stash. Your experiments in pottery are great to see, and where you inspirations sources come from... LOVE the mouse! :) Your rust printed textiles are so beautiful... love the set you made for your uncle. The cloth houses are sooo sweet!! Looking forward to see your new creations soon! HapPy Days ((HUGS))
Thanks Suzie. The dog blankets were fun and useful. One day I would like to see the original sculpture in Reykjavik. I think Mouse is special because it felt like that bit of clay wanted to be a mouse. It was like doodling and finding you had drawn a something! lol I am glad I know another way to make houses or I don't think I would make another. Their instructions expected me to be able to sew the binding by machine to the house complete with floor and wall card in place. There was no possible way to get the seam near the needle. Maybe they had a special machine with a very high clearance? I've not seen one though.
Thanks Tracy, as you can read in my reply to Suzie, Mouse is special. It was good to use up so much acrylic yarn stash in a practical way. My uncle liked the set, which made me smile. Nana is long gone or else she would have helped him prepare for next term, like when he was a boy. Last night I made my goddaughter's new daughter a medical book cover. It was nice to have a very quick make.
Ulla said…
Your crochet hooks have been busy making all those dog blankets. It must feel good to use up all yarn so you can buy new when you feel like starting a new project.
You have widened the spectre of your crafty skills while taking classes and not being in the blogland. More than just 7 stars!
The houses look super nice, and they make excellent embroidery baskets or even keepers for small knitting projects.
Thanks Ulla. The dog blankets were fun to make and ensure each dog can be warm this winter. The new craft room is so small that using up the yarn will create needed space. Trying so many new techniques has opened my eyes to new creative possibilities. I like the idea of making my own buttons for items not frequently washed for instance. I have Rosewood Cottage still to make. I think it will have a red tiled roof.
Terri said…
I knew it was you when you had a dog named Dobby, and Squeak! Welcome back to the Blog-o-sphere! We've been missing you.
You have branched out to other crafts. Love your bowl, and the Boar's Head.
Looking forward to your next installments.

Hugs
Hi Terri, welcome to my new blog. Yes a year away from Blogland! So much has happened but I did remember to photograph all my makings which made the last 3 posts. So much has happened in the last year. We managed to move to one of the most beautiful places in England so I can walk into the Forest from the cottage. Will share. I am trying Pottery, have learned about soft leather, some art techniques for textiles, but continue to knit, crochet and mess about with fabric. Will share the latest makings and a wander in the Forest in a mo.
So many beuatiful things. Love the dogs blankets, your green man i rather like one I bought back from a holiday in England :) He hangs on my veranda and keeps me safe from now (I wish :) ). I really wish I could work in clay ... alas..! I think your work looks good!
Hi Anne-Lise, the green man figure has a long history in England- probably pre-Christian. I've only just started playing with clay. It is very enjoyable. Go for it! The hounds appreciate blankets and creature comforts. I was trying to use up odd balls to make more space in the craft room.

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