More Celebrations

Last month I told you about my birthday celebrations and that they would continue in September.

My lovely friend Vicky hosted a dinner party for me. Vicky, her husband Steve and our mutual friend Ange worked hard all day to provide a meal for 12.

There was an Italian theme to the first two courses.  A tomato salad starter and a main course of salmon poached in white wine.

These were followed by a choice of chocolate bread and butter pudding and/or cheese and biscuits.

This was followed by a chocolate birthday cake made especially by Ange.  Underneath the chocolate cake on the cake stand, there was a vanilla sponge cake.

Most people asked to take their cake home.  Vicky miraculously conjured up party bags - admittedly with Easter rabbits on them!

I had a fabulous evening with those friends I consider to be my family.  I am very blessed to be able to call them family. And thankful to have friends like Vicky, Steve and Ange who went all out to spoil me.  Vicky had also arranged for Andy to send a video from the Hopper Juniors.

The other thing I did in August which I mentioned before was to buy a quilt made by Leah Higgins.  I've decided it's my birthday present to myself.  And at long last it's up on the wall.  I see it every time I sit down to watch the television.

The ducks represent Roger and I, my son and daughter-in-law and the three grandchildren.  Each duckling was bought when each baby was born.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

Satin Stitch

Last month I told you I was going to work on the piece I started at Summer School.  I had machined all the pieces together and was then trying to decide what to do with it.

I thought I would put the three words I had used in all the printed fabric onto a photo.

The fabric is much darker in the photo than it actually is!  I was thinking of cutting the letters out of fabric and bonding them on.  However the printed fabric was done in my handwriting, so I used an italic Copic pen to write my three words on tissue.

I used satin stitch with a dark grey thread for 'captivity'.  And an ochre thread for 'freedom'.

Then I needed to decide what colour to stitch 'identity'.

I chose the variegated skein.

So now it's back to thinking about the other pieces I've already started!

Thanks for being here today
Bernice

What I did next!

Last time I shared my new poem Conviction.  Despite having at least three textile pieces on the go, I decided I had to start a new piece with the new poem.

I wrote the poem onto calico with an italic Copic pen.  I used my Thermofax screens to put broken bits of chain using acrylic paint.

I cut it up into 4.5 inch squares leaving the two questions whole.

I laid out the squares fairly randomly in terms of which line they came from, but made sure that each square was facing a different way.  I sewed all the squares together and added the questions at the bottom.

This will be put onto wadding and a backing and a binding put round the edge.

I want to add some more chains.  I thought about maybe painting some of the plastic chain I have left from the Dancing in Fetters piece.  In the photo you have to imagine that the chain has been painted to look rusty.

However I've decided I will stitch large chains.  I scanned the thermofax image into the computer and made it larger.  I've printed it off ready to trace onto tissue so I can hand stitch later this week.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Thanks for being here today
Bernice