What's on Your Design Wall Wednesday

I'm trying to modify my working habits.  Usually I would flit from project to project.  If I get a bit stuck or frustrated, I'd put down whatever it was I was working on and start or work on something else.  I don't have the room to keep lots of projects spread out here and I know that if I put them away, a lot of them wouldn't surface again!

So I'm trying to stick one thing through until the bitter end.  With a bit of hand work when I'm out and about and a fairly simple piecing project for quiet times at work, I think I might be able to make it work.

The project I'm currently working on is one I started in my class with Sue Benner.  I made the background panel in class and then played around with different ways of constructing the shags/cormorants.  I was trying for a sketchy or loose look and the first two weren't right.  The last one was, but was too big for the panel.

Once home, I constructed more background panels to enlarge the quilt to fit the first bird.  I constructed two more birds, loosely working from photos I had taken out at Urupukapuka Island.

I played around with balancing the layout of the birds.  I'm trying to convey how I feel when I watch these birds - peaceful and calm and enjoying of the beauty of the scene.  So I want a balanced, tranquil feel to the quilt.  This means getting the layout right so nothing feels 'odd' or 'unsettled'.

Next I worked on the poles that the shags are standing on.  The mix of fabrics I used was too contrasting and too red to start with, so I used a bit of coloured pencil and a bit textile paint to tone the colours down and blend them together more.  These little changes can make a big difference.

More playing around with the layout of the birds.  Now that I have it up on a design wall I can use white cropping strips to see how it will looks once trimmed.  And that changes how the birds sit in the space.

Lastly, the reflections of the poles in the water.  The poles need to be placed in space with relation to their surroundings or they just look like they are 'plonked' there.  A few ripply reflections is giving them a relation to the water.

I think it's slowly coming together.  And I'm enjoying just keeping with one project and seeing it through the little sticking points.

So what's on your design wall?

Solid

I've been convincing myself that I don't have many solids in my fabric stash.  I've picked the Gwen Marston class 'Small Studies' as my first choice at the Taupo Symposium in July and if I get it I'll need a range of solids.  And I know they say do not buy any supplies until your classes are confirmed, but I can't help myself.  Can you blame me if I want to be a little bit prepared?  Plus, solids in my stash will never go astray   (Does it sound like I'm justifying fabric purchases?)

So I pulled all the solids in my stash and piled them on the floor to get an idea of what I have and if I just happen to be at a fabric store, what I should be looking at.  There was more than I thought.

Then I have to post this photo of my design wall for the unbeliever (Suz!).  I've managed not to start any new projects (lots fizzing in my head) and those blocks on my design wall are from a quilt I started about seven (gulp) years ago.  I've even had the tui and flax piece off the design wall and under my needle.  In total I've worked on five different projects since I posted my last post and managed to move them all along a good bit.

And yes, I was one of those hacked (off) yahoo users.  I would like to clarify that I never even clicked on a link to get hacked.  So take care because some of you will be in my contacts.  Delete any emails from me with just Hello or Re: in the title and if you do, DO NOT open any links.

Waitangi Day

The 6th of February is Waitangi Day (pronounced why-tongue-ee), a public holiday in New Zealand.  It celebrates the day the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the crown and (most of) the Maori tribes of NZ.  And because we live down the road, and hadn't been along for a couple of years, we decided that this year we would head along and join the fun.

We watched the Navy brass band and the guard of honour form for the 21 gun salute (that came from the Naval frigate you can see anchored out in the bay).  We ate whitebait fritters and candy floss and drank a kawakawa soft drink.  The kids played on a bouncy castle and we all escaped to the shade of the pohutakawa trees for a while.

But for me, the best bit of the day was watching the Red Checkers perform an awesome aerial show.  Several times they had me gasping or clapping and the kids loved it too.  It was a great day and we were all tired and happy by the end of it.

I'm thinking about doing a monthly picture of 'what's on your design wall?'.  Here's what's on mine at the beginning of February.  Lots of stuff jostling for space.  It's made me make a resolution (shock horror, I tried so hard to steer clear of them in January!).  I'm going to endeavour to finish two projects before I allow myself to start another....do you think it will work?