52 Tags Challenge - Tag 15

 Another tag video was put out on Friday by Anne. This week the prompt was called Tiny-scapes. Create a tiny landscape on your tag. How co-incidental that I had just created a landscape for the Landline quilt.

Adding colour to fabrics by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

After watching the video and looking through my photos for inspiration I decided that another beach-scape was what I wanted to create. Before starting I decided to hunt for fabrics and found some cheesecloth, linen and aida. All whites or creams so out came the liquid watercolour and fabric medium for some colour play. Some interesting results as I did not wet or treat the fabric before painting with the colours. I added some fabric medium to one colour pot and just played around. 

After the fabric had dried It was time to cut and add layers to a base fabric to create a loose interpretation of these photos. I wanted to have a clear sky and a little more in the foreground than just the rocks but with the waves breaking across the tiny-scape.

Beach by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Grasses by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Creating is Happening by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

I found the cheescloth was ideal for folding over to create a wave structure and for the sea as the dying process had created a darker line near the edges of the fabric that was useful for the horizon. The linen seemed a good choice for the sky as it had a different texture even though it was dyed with the same colours. Some other colours for the rocks and sand and then it was time to stitch it down. Last thing was to add some detail with stitches and some silk tops. Added a very unrealistic sun because creating the thread covered rings is so satisfying. Fly stitch birds in my sky as a way of linking back to previous tags. So much fun to create such a tiny-scape.

Tiny-scape beach by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

There were many other interpretations shared on Instagram and Facebook. What would you create as a tiny-scape? Please leave a comment sharing your ideas.

Some Crochet Has Been Happening

Crochet Bag 1 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

I am not much of a knitter and envy those who can whip up knitted wonders. I am a crochet lover at heart and am enjoying seeing the new designs that are being shared as a new generation of crochet lovers expands.

I came across Crochet Road through Crate Crochet. Crate Crochet is a subscription box seller and I purchased a pattern and yarn from the website and then followed them on Facebook. Love the pattern and yarn that I purchased and constantly lust after the luscious photos I see of the other projects they share.

I saw the Dainty Drawstring Bag pattern and love the shape of it. Bought the pattern and searched the stash for some yarn. Found some Cleckheaton Bamboo and decided that this would suitable. The pattern was easy to follow and the bag came together nicely with only one oopsie where I added and extra stitch in the shell and didn't discover it until several rounds later.

Crochet Bag 2 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Crochet Bag 3 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

As the yarn is very soft the bag is quite unstructured but very roomy. I have now got it in use holding some cotton yarn that is ready for my next project. I also like how the top folds down making it a very useful container indeed.

Do you crochet or knit? What do you like to create? Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts.

Mini Slow Stitch block

 

Mini Block 1 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Landline is a TV program that has been airing on ABC Australia for 30 years this year. They published an article asking for quilt blocks to be made and sent in as part of their celebrations. One of the members of my local stitching group asked anyone who was interested to create a block and she would organise posting the blocks to Landline.

I decided to have a go. I sorted through the stash and gathered colours that I thought represented our rural and regional landscape and starting stitching these down onto a 15cm square of cotton drill. No real plan in place aside from trying to represent the different landscapes that we have seen when driving from place to place in parts of Australia.

Mini Block 2 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

I experimented with some couching and used running stitch and colonial knots to add texture to the various fabric sections. Blanket stitch along the curved edges to add some definition and make sure the pieces were all firmly attached. At this stage no idea of where it might end up but having lots of fun hand stitching things in place.

I felt it needed something else so thought about adding a tree. One of the things I love about travelling through our rural regions is the amazing shapes and colours of the trees we see. I searched for something that might make the shape of a tree and found some yarn that was perfect as it was loosely spun and easily separated. I cut several lengths and couched them down to create the trunk and branches.

Mini Block 3 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

I tried to use the couching to show the textures of the bark that covers many of our trees. The yarn was easy to manipulate and I was very happy with how it ended up - not necessarily realistic but representative of the trees I see. The next challenge was to find something to add for the leaves without needing to stitch each individual one. 

Hunted in the stash and found some wool roving and silk tops and had some fun creating the leafy green sections of my tree. Getting these stitched on proved interesting as they easily got moved or attached to my sleeve if I brushed against them. Lots of little stitches couched them in place using shades of green thread.

Mini Block 4 by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

Almost finished after adding the leafy green sections and some pistil stitch grasses along the fence. I had two small fabric pieces to add to the bottom and then the backing as Landline was asking for each block to have finished edges. I went with a folded over edge and struggled somewhat with mitered corners. Take a look at the next image to see the final result.

Mini Block Final Result by MrsSOnline is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 

All finished and handed over. The fun was in the process and I am quite happy to see it go off with the other blocks. I have my photos and the memories of making it. What would you create to add to the Landline quilt?