A Picture for Sunday - The Thaw

If it snows here, as often as not it thaws the next day.  This field of winter wheat gives a great illusion of vastness with the disappearing parallel lines.

Here is a photo taken just a few feet away on a very different day.  The joys of photography!

Linking up with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.

Quilting the River Thames

My easiest free motion quilting project for a long time... straight(ish) lines, following the print of the fabric.  This is the Thames fabric that I bought in December, which is now being made into a lap quilt.  It seems that winter may finally be arriving.  The day started with a hard frost, and this evening it has been snowing - about an inch so far, which could well all thaw tomorrow.  I could tell we were at risk of snow by the draught blowing through the house from the East.  Ideally I should have had this quilt finished already, especially as my husband has had a cold has been feeling the chill.

Despite the fact that the quilting is so simple, it seemed to take a while to finish.  It was an awkward size to manage, and I ended up using three different threads, as I ran out of the main colour I was using, and used up what was left on bobbins of two other colours to finish the quilting.  Now all I have to do is the binding, and it should be finished this weekend!




Free motion Mavericks this week is at Andrée's blog Quilting and Learning - what a combo and I'm linking up!

A Picture for Sunday - January Sky

Only a minute or two earlier these clouds had been forming a criss-cross pattern.  By the time I had reached a good vantage point to take a photo they had rearranged themselves.  Half an hour later the sky had completely clouded over and life was back to normal.

Linking up with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.

The Fashion Museum in Madrid

Right at the top of my list of least favourite styles of architecture is Late 20th Century Crematorium Brutalist.  The grey skies, ominous dark trees and bare grounds all add to the gloom.  If I hadn't known what was inside I would have been running in the opposite direction.  However, a great treat awaited me.

This is the Museo del Traje, the Fashion Museum in Madrid.  The permanent exhibition shows the history of fashion in Spain, with garments displayed in glass cases with minimal lighting so as to preserve the fabrics.  It is a feast for the eyes, showing the costumes and styles seen in old paintings.  Seeing the influence of French fashion in the 18th century was particularly interesting.

Also running was a temporary exhibition, La Vie en Rose, which concentrated on the colour pink, showing how it came into vogue once reliable dyes were developed and how strongly it used to figure in men's fashion.

The detail on the back of this dusky pink coat must have helped its original wearer to cut a dash.

As for the embroidery and outsize buttons on this French style outfit, surely only a dandy with extremely expensive taste could have carried this one off.

More my style was this beautiful Chinese silk embroidered shawl from the late 19th or early 20th century.  It just shimmered.

My ultimate fantasy ensemble was this fuchsia pink dress and bolero, dating from the 1970s.  If only I had the looks and the figure, but that's all behind me now.

Free Motion Mavericks - Week 213 - Roses Cradle Quilt

Pretty pink doesn't look too marvellous when photographed in poor daylight...

… but on close inspection the theme is pretty obvious.  Roses!  As many as possible, plus a few other flowers, and some non-floral fabrics to prevent the overall effect from becoming too riotous.

Even the binding has roses...

… and there are more on the back.

Huge thanks to Andrée in Canada for hosting the linky for her first time last week!  We are alternating weeks, so week 214 will be at her blog Quilting and Learning - what a combo.

Here goes for week 213:-

Many thanks to Margarita for linking up with her beautiful Christmas wreath quilt.  If you haven't seen her blog post yet, nip over now and see more.

If you have no free motion quilting to show, feel free to link up and show any project you like.  Here are the usual rules, but feel free to ignore them.  To keep the original emphasis, however, preference will be given to free motion quilting when featuring projects from the previous week.

If you love free motion quilting, whether you are a beginner just taking the plunge, or you have reached the stage where you can do ostrich feathers with your eyes shut and still achieve perfect symmetry, then please link up.

Remember, FMQ is FMQ, whether your machine was made last week, or it is older than your granny.

Here are the very easy and slightly elastic rules:-

1.  Link up with any recent post, ideally from the last week but within the last month, which features a free motion quilting project, whether it is a work in progress or a finish.

2.  Link back to this post in your own post.
  
3.  Visit as many of the other participants as possible and say hello in the comments box.

4.  The link up will remain open for four days, from midnight to midnight GMT for the long weekend, Friday to Monday.

So far quilters from the USA, England, Wales, Australia, Canada, Germany, Holland, New Zealand, France, Macau, Russia, Ireland and Brazil have taken part.  The first participant from each new country will get a special mention the following week.

Suddenly The Thread Ran Out

Especially annoying, as I wanted to get the quilting finished before I went on my travels and ready for me to put the binding on when I got home.  It will have to wait.

At the moment I am still away, and Free Motion Mavericks is being hosted this week by Andrée at Quilting and Learning - what a combo.

A Picture for Sunday - Ground Mist

How often I wish I could get up early and take a walk when it is misty, but it never happens.  I am no lark.  A couple of weeks ago I saw this intriguing patch of ground mist in the late afternoon.

Linking up with Wandering Camera at Whims and Fancies.