Happy Halloween.......

Hello All,

Halloween is not as well celebrated here as it is in America, but there are still a

few mini ghosties and spooks out on the streets this evening.

I remembered to buy a few sweets in case any should come knocking..... but

if they don't hurry up I will have eaten them all myself!

Enjoy, and stay safe :)

Speak again soon.......hopefully......

P.

Charcoal......it's a bit messy isn't it.....

Hello All on this dark evening,

I don't know about you, but dark evenings are a disaster for me in the creative

department! I just want to settle down on the sofa with the dog :/

I'm sure in another life I was a creature that spent the winter months in hibernation.

I seem to watch more television too (whilst on the sofa with the dog).

A real treat at the moment is the Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year Competition.

The winner of this weeks episode was a young man drawing with charcoal (check it out)

and it was amazing.

I find the medium a bit messy.......

......but good for getting a bit of dimension.

I just need to keep it FAR away from the sewing table.

It's all a bit leaves and wind around here......

And a few snatched moments after work to sketch.

Bye for now, P.

Everybody Will Get Cushions........

Hello All and welcome,

I usually don't think about the festive season (won't mention the words) until

about two weeks before......it's really not my favourite time of year.

However, to justify the time and pleasure of a few hours happy sewing, I will

say that everybody will this year get cushions!

You can't beat bright and cheerful colours on a clean white background.

I am SO enjoying simple sewing using my Janome Horizon machine. I have had

it for a while now and it suits me down to the ground. Choosing a machine is a bit

pot luck really......I have tried a few, not always with success, but this one is great.

These designs are adapted from projects by Tilda, altered and mashed up a bit. Very

relaxing and pleasant to sew.

I already have some more cut and ready to sew :)

Fortunately none of my family follow my blog.

Have a good evening, P.

Simply Pencil Drawing......

Hello All,

Autumn is definitely here....and it's getting difficult to fit in walks, work and

art. There just aren't enough daylight hours...and it's only going to get worse!

Where's the sunshine gone?

Some things are hanging in there for a bit longer if you look close enough,

and a few new things appearing

so with a bit of simple pencil drawing and a bit of imagination.....

I will persevere.....even though I really just want to slouch in front of the TV.

Which is what I'm going to do now :)

Back soon, P.

Owl......

Hello All,

Pen and ink with watercolour wash has always been a favourite way of drawing

for me. You can get a lot of detail and the drawing helps "contain" the wash

of colour.

It can be quite atmospheric too, with the dark shading. And who says you have to

always go for naturalistic colours?

Use a bit of imagination sometimes :)

Have a good evening, P.

I Actually Finished It!.......

Hello Again and welcome,

Well this probably is a first........I have followed and completed a short on line art

class!   I really enjoyed it :)

And this is the finished product. I didn't have all of the exact materials to use ( self

leveling gel was replaced with a few layers of gesso and sanding) but I think it has

worked pretty well.

Thank you Alison O'Donoghue for your generous giving of information and your

entertaining presentation.

It's a really interesting technique......so if you get chance I would recommend this class.

How about a hippopotamus.....

I'm going to explore this further.

Have a good evening, P.

Quilted.....

Hello All,

Back now after a few days rest from blogging......but not from sewing.

I rarely tackle large quilt projects. I don't like wrestling with large, heavy

chunks of material.

But this was a labour of love for my daughter.

Had to move all the furniture out of the way to make enough room on the floor to

lay out the wadding and the backing and baste it all together.

The best bit is making the quilt top......always enjoy that bit.

It's a simple pattern made from jelly roll strips, but the modern fabrics look great.

Just need to finish hand stitching the binding (in front of the tv).

Bye for now, P.