Forest and Makings

A baby quilt for my goddaughter's daughter born this month. After making the Splendid Sampler Quilt for a year in pink and greys, this was the last colour combination in the world I wanted to do, but those are the colours her mother said her room will be in. It has blue tit birds and cow parsley and bees on, so it suits August.
A cover for her medical book with cone flowers on. They are in flower in the garden, so again suitable for August.
These are the first wheel turned pots I have made! There was an entire day allowed in the pottery room and boy did I need it to learn the technique. Really proud of them.
Everything survived the biscuit firing. They need painting in glazes next.

Let me show you the Forest nearest the cottage.
Crystal cobwebs with diamond dew drops.
A spider's hole.
Dead Men's Fingers funghi.
Cow parsley.
So many mushrooms appear overnight after the rain.
This is a special very old beech tree I call the Shroomy Tree as so many knobs on her look like mushrooms. She had the huge limb come down in the Spring winds due to rot. It was so sad to see. I will share the little dragon I have from one of the fallen branches next time.
Bracken is bronzing. It covers the floor of the forest, providing cover for baby boar in Spring.
At this time of the year these beetles gather together.
These are some of the oaks at the entrance to the Forest nearest the cottage. They look like they are dancing in the breeze with the shadows fluttering over the ground.
There is a particular place where you can look over some of the Forest to the west.
You can just about see the Brecon Beacons of Wales.
Squeak has joined me on this walk of ours.

This is the entrance to a mineshalf known as Lufty's Tump. it is boarded up now but when the weather was bone dry Son and I had a little explore.  Yes I did take my camera so will share.
I love how the sunlight has divided into its colours in this photograph. As a child I would screw my eyes up to see this and try to draw the colours with felt tips.
Now back out through the woods home.  The video below is 15 seconds. At the end you can hear the "kiew" of the buzzard.
I hope you liked the little introduction to the Forest. It is a very special place and full of inspiration.

Comments

Tracy said…
The baby quilt is LOVELY, and such a good gift! :) You pots are wonderful! Potter with the wheel is really challenging--well done! So glad your fired pieced turned out well! It's always a bit nervy, isn't it, waiting to to see how things fared after a fire. The forest is magical... so glad ypu have this special place near ypur doorstep to go wander and play... Cow parsely is such s pretty plant, I think. Thanks for the walk along with you, and the video too! :) Happy Days ((HUGS))
27 August 2017 at 15:30
Terri said…
I, too, love your baby quilt, so sweet. AND the pottery! I tried in college. Here we call it "throwing" a pot made on the wheel. You made some beauties for your first time. Love your tiles. The glaze was always my favorite part. We had to make our own from information from the lecture. Mad Scientist work. LOL
But it is the walk through the woods that most reminds me of you. Good to have you back on the blogs.
Hugs
27 August 2017 at 18:28
Deb said…
The baby quilt is lovely Melanie. It certainly didn't take you long to make.
28 August 2017 at 06:26
Jellybeans Angel said…
Thanks Tracy. I was so glad I could make something on the wheel. I will keep practicing. I've only one big coffee mug which ought to contain beer as it came from The Grizzly Paw in Canmore, Canada. I hope to be able to make something similar. I was glad everything survived. Yes the Forest is a very special place and so huge!
28 August 2017 at 11:33
Jellybeans Angel said…
Thanks Terri. Yes it is called throwing here too. I was so glad to have managed to make something. It turns out that I am left handed for it, just like ironing. The tiles have the ogham symbols on them. I have 7 more to make for the full set. Ooo sounds exciting to make your own glazes. I'm glad you enjoyed the Forest. I've explored Glastonbury, Avebury and a few other places while here so hope to share those too.
28 August 2017 at 11:38
Jellybeans Angel said…
Thanks Deb. It was an entire day of me ignoring long overdue housework. I needed to make it as quickly as possible as they don't stay little for long. I'll do some knitting for her after the dog blanket is finished. The 400g ball isn't shrinking though, and the blanket is 40-50cm long!
28 August 2017 at 11:41
Annie Coe said…
OH, I love your forest!!! The Beech tree!!! The quilt is lovely and your clay work is coming along fast!! xoxo

30 August 2017 at 04:24
Jellybeans Angel said…
Thank you Annie. I keep getting ideas for pottery. I would most like to make a big coffee mug and more tiny items. First I will finish the ogham leaf tiles.
31 August 2017 at 07:17
Anne-Lise at Rag, Tag, Bobtail said…
Your pottery looks good! What fun!
The forest is lovely, getting ready for a change of colours :)
Beautiful gifts for the baby.
1 September 2017 at 11:29
Days and colors said…
A beautiful place for a walk, thanks for taking us along!
The baby quilt is lovely, a pretty and useful present. You have a talent for pottery, but most of all, it looks like you really enjoy it!
2 September 2017 at 15:06
Jellybeans Angel said…
I'm glad you enjoyed the walk Suzie. My goddaughter liked the quilt, so I am happy. It was faster than knitting a blanket. Pottery is a lot of fun! Term starts on the 21st. Hopefully I will finish the ogham leaf tiles as well as make more pots on the wheel.
11 September 2017 at 08:25
Jellybeans Angel said…
Yes pottery is a lot of fun! I'm trying to think of ways I can mix pottery with other materials in a project. Hanging pots mixing crochet with pottery would be interesting. Yes the forest is starting to wear her Autumn clothes. The Rowan leaves are pinking. I'm glad I could make something for my goddaughter's baby.
11 September 2017 at 08:29
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Horace the Gargoyle and Cottage Makes

Image
 Horace the Gargoyle has an important job.  The hold the bag containing various bird foods. A Great Tit came in onto the bedroom window sill one morning so I used the bird fabric at the top, and Mary Engelbreit  garden fabric for the rest of the outside. I added a pocket to the inside just in case I want to use it when gardening in Spring. The pocket should be enough for seed packets. There has also been this make from a vintage piece of Diary of an Edwardian Lady "Wild Flowers." It covers the little practice amp, and goes with the curtains in the living room which also come from the Diary of an Edwardian Lady range. Da dar! Finished with a plain cream lining and a green dotty binding. The main amp will get the same treatment when the odd metre of the same fabric I tracked down, arrives. I am liking this going away from plastic bags in the cottage and trying to make it cosy and pretty for these colder months which we spend more indoors.
Read more

Take it easy crafting

Image
Happy Valentine’s Day! I made my husband a hat and finished sewing it up just now. Everything has been a go slow this week with illness. I have managed to work on using up my odd balls of acrylic DK yarn. This hat took a little less than 100g of dk acrylic. Using 3 1/4mm needles I cast on 116 stitches. Stocking stitch for 8cm. (Rolled up brim.) Change to 4mm needles and stocking stitch until work measures 27cm. Cast off 16 stitches, knit 26, cast off 32, knit 26, and cast off the final 16 stitches. I now had 2 groups of 26 stitches. Dealing with one at a time exactly the same as one another: purl a row. Stocking stitch 45 rows, decreasing one stitch at either end of the row in 5th and every following 8th rows. You will end up with 14 stitches. Work 8 rows decreasing at each end of every knit row. You now have 6 stitches. Work 3 rows and cast off. Fold the ears in half and sew the seam. sew across the top of the head. The final seam is the back of the head. Don...
Read more