Wednesday 29 January 2014

Quilting for the family

Coming Home

I have been thinking about my quilts just lately and thought I would just put up a few pictures of some of them. All now given to people.

The first one is called Coming Home and is a magician standing on top of his tower in a howling gale waiting for his familiar to return home. For anyone who has ever played Dungeon and Dragons his familiar is a Pseudo Dragon. For those who haven't played it doesn't really matter. A Mage and his familiar do not take well to separation, hence the reason why he is standing at the top of his tower waiting for his tiny golden companion to return.




The Village

 The Village was done simply because we spent a glorious week in Port Meirion and I had this image in my head for months. Then my friend who owns a curtain making business gave me several bags of cabbage (Offcuts of fabrics from cushions and bedcovers) In it there were several beautiful greens and they just cried out to be used for the many trees.
When we stayed at the Village we were in the blue and yellow house on the left. It is called Chantrey and houses 8 people. We stayed with a fantastic group of friends. The advantage of staying in the village means that you can go out into the gardens after all the visitors have gone and you can play giant snakes and ladders on the lawn. Do make sure you go to the loo beforehand because you'll laugh so much you'll have to run with crossed legs to the bathroom

Claude
Orient


Claude is a Rainbow dragon. This quilt is based on a painting done by my dear friend Helen Rich. Her painting is called "The Other End of the Rainbow". I bought a print of it for Mr M as a Christmas gift and it hangs in our bedroom. I asked Helen if I could base a quilt on her picture and she generously said yes. My Youngest son now owns this quilt. You can't see in this picture but the ribs of the wings are beaded as is most of his body. From his mouth streams the rainbow. His tail is also covered in the only embroidery stitch I can do - chain stitch.
Oh, I call him Claude because at one end of the rainbow you get a pot of gold and at the other you get clawed.





The last quilt is called Orient. I based it on a card I saw in a shop. I went in and bought it because the design just screamed out quilt to me. I was so delighted with it and kept it for quite a while just so that I could roll it out onto the spare bed and look at it. The flute player is wearing beaded earrings that dangle. The centres of the flowers were done with offcuts from a very colourful waistcoat that I made for a roleplayer. When he got married I realised that I hadn't been keeping the quilt to look at I had been saving it for just such an occasion so I wrapped it up and sent it off as a wedding present.

I rarely sew now because my eyesight is getting bad, and I honestly haven't felt that burning need to make a picture of anything. I have idly thought that I should make quilts for the newer members of the family but enthusiasm seems to have departed. I am glad that I have pictures of the ones I made.

2 comments:

alexa said...

What a talent you have! I especially like The Village and Orient ... and what great generosity of spirit to give them away :).

Sian said...

Wow, these are stunning. I love how they all have stories behind them. Of course I do! Mmm..maybe you should fill the house with daylight bulbs and see what you can do: I bet there's one more left in you. At least.