Felicity Miller's Blog

Midwinter moments

So it is now 2012 - how it is already the 16th January I know not, but it is high time to send out gratitude to all you readers out there - I have loved your comments and staying power - thank you, and all warm wishes for cosy hours with family and friends. Lowry and I have been reading the marvelous works of Tove Jansson and her Finn Family Moomintroll, the above just perfect for winter consumption. I love her playful prose and engaging, quirky illustrations of these priceless little beings. Required reading in my book!

Gypsy bookmarks a quick project to use up scraps - fringed or pinked edges - whatever your fancy. Boil the kettle and settle awhile. Lingonberry jam would be nice too...

 

Block by block

I am happy to announce that my first ever block design made it into Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine! (Winter 2011, Volume 4). Specifically designed for my Gypsy collection, it is called Window Box and features the stylized Round Flowers at its centre. So far it is just a block - the quilt still has to be designed! I would love to hear your comments and would gladly feature a quilt (or other item) on this blog that you create incorporating my block. And get writing - the first person to comment on this post will receive a complimentary copy of the magazine!  Thanks to all of you out there who create beautiful things from my fabrics, and to all the designers of the quilt blocks which inspire millions.

 

Dog days...

Don't know where the days of September went, but at the end of them I had the privilege of going Home to England for a week. Unspeakable joy. Family, friends, food - all good, good, good. And I got to meet my brother's little Elvis, King of Pugs.

October, and Lowry had her heart set on being a Wiener Dog. After some futile monkeying, I remembered a metal bucket handle that I had saved (yes, I am English) in case of an emergency (and this was one) which we cut in half and used as a tail insert with a good deal of padding. Nice curve, eh?

Time to make a birthday gift - a double sided napkin with blue doggies and stripes - fun to revisit my Circus collection. Can't get enough of those canines!

 

Musical Pillow

Studio progress - have moved in and begun work at the red table...

I used bowls and cups of varying sizes to lightly trace outlines of my very stylized musical notes, then hand quilted them with running stitch - love such simple, peaceful work...

Ta da!

The Singing Chick pillow namesake was made by the very talented Cheryl Germain, a fiber artist from Genoa, NY.

Photoshoot

Elle and her friend Jess were shooting with the Canon Rebel out back the other day - I asked if one of them would model this Gypsy shirt. Thank you, Jess - you look delightful! Jeanne commissioned it based on a shirt she loves to wear - simple button-up with collar. We used 3 colours of Music for an eclectic feel. Time to stay out of the heat and make a little Music of your own perhaps?

Hope and studio renovation

My dear friend Susan sent me this cushion - it couldn't have arrived at a better time... a lot going on with life in general - these are challenging times for many I know. A cuppa with a good friend is not to be underestimated. Infusion of hope. Lately I have been feeling the strong pull of the homeland - perhaps something to do with the recent nuptials? Hmmn.

We have been knee-deep in studio renovation since February. I am soooooo grateful as I have been anticipating this for 15 years! Below is the start of the move - see the low ceiling and stained carpet?

First it gets worse before it gets better...

... as the first dropped ceiling comes down (there were 2). Whapping mess - thank you Mr. Miller and Owen for your undaunted persistence. My studio is the old summer kitchen/woodshed added to the house around 1851. I debated showing this awful disarray but sometimes it is interesting to see behind the scenes - viewing the "making of..." about films, painting and dance makes the finished product more beautiful to me.

We discovered old oak planking beneath the carpet. Score! My first encounter with a random orbit sander. Happy to use my kneeling pad. All roads lead back to tea!

Will post again soon with new views of the studio. Thanks to all who have made this renovation possible, family, friends, professionals. 

Gratefully - Felicity

A Bag for?

You can stand up in it!

It makes a cosy reading nook...

And a Place in the Sun... (much needed - it's not making much of an appearance in Upstate). A beautiful, multi-purpose bag made by Doreen Hares from a pattern called the Venti Tote Bag by Purse Strings. She used Kites for a fun, summery look.

Easter every day

Here is the Doodah spruced up for Spring with what has to be the easiest project ever: cut a 22" x 11" rectangle with pinking shears, fold in half to create an 11" x 11" square and cut diagonally from the top of the folded edge to the opposite corner of the square. Unfold the large triangle and tie around the neck of a favourite dog.

One of my favourite hymns reads "Let us sing of Easter gladness that rejoices every day... " I like to think that the joy of rebirth, newness and renewal can be in our hearts at any time throughout the year. Though there is no doubt that this holiday has its very special traditions... egg colouring is always a happy time for our family and friends - this year we added masking tape (cut up as a resist to create lettering and designs) to the staple crayons and dyes.

Just loved this little hand reaching for treasure - it is often so quietly hidden in places we least expect in life. A good reminder for me.

Yellow

I believe it was Vincent Van Gogh who said that God's favourite colour was yellow... it is the sun, daffodils, lemon curd, a colour to light our way in the grey. Here is the tablecloth from January's post in situ with lenten lights - thank you Kelley!

"Oh the thinks you can think...

...when you think about Seuss!" So goes the line from the Seussical (musical by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens that celebrates the works of Dr. Seuss), and we have been singing it for a couple of weeks after we saw our Elle sing her heart out in several chorus parts. Here she is in her cat garb for the final scene being congratulated by a somewhat serious little sister. Horton the Elephant reminded us that he had to save the tiny Whos because "A person's a person, no matter how small" - ever apropos. So few of us have not been touched in some way by the work of Theodore Geisel - his doodling led to a whole world of wild imagination that delights verbally and visually. The only book my brother would take out of the library for about a year was "Green Eggs and Ham" - I think my Mum did eventually tire of reading that one. As a teacher she was an early proponent of Dr. Seuss in schools, sometimes against the wishes of the more staid educational establishment, who disliked the invented lexicon, silly characters and ridiculous rhymes. The world is a better place because of this man's persistence, though his journey was not linear or easy - so, Thank You, Theodore Seuss Geisel!