Post 355 All about friends and textiles

 I had a very slow start this morning, getting up late and finishing Clare Chase's Mystery on Hidden Lane, the first of her Eve Mallow series. I'm glad I didn't start with this one. While it has the framework of the later books in the series and the beginnings of the community, I found it a bit convoluted and over-detailed. I think she has improved as she's gone along.

The postman called as I was finishing it. He had my package from Ink and Spindle. I had bought three bundles of remnants in their recent sale as well as a metre of their flax coloured eco-linen.

The remnants are really inspiring - and a complete indulgence. I have no immediate use for them but they fill me with ideas. I can see some of them embellished (colour on the wrens, or on some of the line-drawn plants for example) 

Or rows of stitching along the arced lines of the river bed pieces shown here. There are more, of varying sizes. None are large but I''m envisaging pouches and bags.

I'm putting them de for a while - I will not be distracted!

They are, however, lovely. Ink and Spindle use Belgian linen of superbe quality - I'm in thrall.

I did a little on my Owl Service in the vain hope I'd get the motifs finished before I left to Sit'n Stitch at Susan's place. In the end I took it with me and finished it there. There were various little bits of correction to do as will as what was left to complete on second small motif.

Now for the quote. The plan is to put a piece of tracing paper over it and trace the outline then practice writing on the tracing paper version to get the spacing and layout right. I'm thinking I might need to work through Solvi or

 tracing paper to get it even. Then I can use the gimp that is on its way from The Thread Studio to outline the edge of the 'plate'.

I'm very pleased with it.Susan and I had a productive and most relaxed afternoon. Her piece from Margaret Light's book is coming on beautifully.

Nelly sent me some photos of some clothing she has and did not include in the collection she has lent me. They are all embroidered by her mother-in-law, Vala Georgieva, who is now working on 4 tree of life embroideries for Nelly and other members of her family. 

I am going to take up Nelly's offer to borrow these as well for our World Embroidery Study Group meeting in April.

How beautiful is this? 

From Susan's I went on to friends' place for dinner. I do like the entrance to their place- the depth of blue in the pot and the thriving native plants. 

Barbara had cooked tray-baked pork sausages with roast vegetables from a recipe. It was not only excellent but has inspired me for a Monday night dinner.

While we were solving the problems of the world I finished another crocheted square. As you can see, I've moved on to a ball of orange cotton.

That's about it for today. Tomorrow I need to prepare the text for the WES Group entry in the Guild Exhibition. Margaret M has our pieces on Inuit embroidery laid out ready to fix. Brigid is also coming here after she finishes work at St Aloysius School before going out with a friend for her birthday. She's booked to accompany an orienteering excursion, which I'm hoping will be cancelled as the forecast is 35C and the exercise is in a State Forrest on the edge of the recent bushfire.