It's a Wonderful World

It's a Wonderful World
(c) Ruth de Vos, 2011
180cm by 200cm

I finally managed to get a photo of my most recently completed quilt. This is the biggest art quilt I have made, and although I enjoyed piecing it, quilting and photographing it was not much fun.
And, yes, this is the quilt - actually, five quilts - that got cut up. Here they are:
I'm glad that I made the change. Although I was very happy with the bubbles one (first on left) and the rain one (fourth along), the others were average. And the new quilt tells the story better - of all the wonderful things that fascinate little children in their own small world, and of how excited children can be to discover them. Things like bubbles floating, rain dripping, leaves fluttering, ants marching, and flowers blooming.

Big school girl

School started today. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon, but right now that dress is Hannah's favourite thing in her wardrobe.

A Splash of Red

I found these two footstools (minus the cushions) in the local second-hand furniture shop last week. They had a retro finish (stained darker near the edges, fading out to lighter in the middle) which I sanded back and then added my own finish. The foam cushions are covered with an upholstery remnant I picked up some time ago. It's a very luxurious fabric, and I'm so glad it could be put to good use here.
And the best thing about them? The huge amount of storage space inside!
Oh, and if anyone needs a cheerful two year old to assist in a photo shoot, just let me know!

It doesn't get better than a backyard swimming pool

...even if it is 'sitting room only'......and getting in is a little tricky.
And if your baby brothers don't let you in, there's always the sprinkler.
With school starting on Monday, we are making the most of our last few days of summer holidays!

Fascinating, but a little scary

"Please don't let him crawl up my t-shirt, Mum," he begged as the ladybug perched on the very tip of his thumb...

January sewing

Although I haven't posted much here, there has recently been fabric all over the place at our house. All manner of projects have been cut out all ready for stitching. There was screen-printing, quilt finishing, quilt starting, garment sewing, cushion sewing, machine stitching, hand sewing and so on. Below is a snapshot of some of the projects.
I don't have any good photos of finished products yet, but I'll share them when I do.

Nearly done

Dreaming of my new studio...

Here's a sneak peek. Yes, it is very special! I love the twin skylights. The two small windows have been strategically located so that I can fit a good size design wall between them. The three openings in the wall on the left, in the picture below, look down onto the dining room, to maintain a connection between the studio and the main living space!
The corner past the steps will be set up as a space where the kids can do homework or craft while I am sewing.

Of course, the photos don't do justice to the wonderful feel of this space, so maybe you'll have to pop in for a studio visit once we've shifted in!

Recent sketches

Still drawing regularly, aiming for five or so journal pages in a week. It's the best way I know for generating and developing new ideas, and staying creatively fresh!

The quilts have been quietly progressing...

My two quilts-in-progress are coming along nicely. One is completely quilted, and is in the process of having all its threads buried. Today I finished the ditch-stitching (i.e. stitching along all the seam lines) of the second one, pictured below, and which you might remember from here.
Once these threads are buried, I'll do another round of quilting on it to add texture, and after that I'll show you a proper 'before and after' , if I dare (I'm a bit nervous about being yelled at for cutting up the original quilt tops, even though I have no regrets about having done so :) )