Crazy Patchwork and Quilted Silk

What a beautiful day it has been for a drive back up to Farfield Mill to put the finishing touches to The Read Threads display and to wind some bobbins so that I can continue to weave my 10 metre warp ready to create the pillar wrappings for Farfield Mill.

Another purpose of my visit to Sedbergh was to collect some paper, netting, hessian, and woven plastic sacks from Powells Fresh Produce, one of the wonderful businesses that I am working with in preparation for The Read Threads Sedbergh Art Path.  I am going to use them to create some crazy patchwork - a technique steeped in British 'make-do-and-mend' and a reminder of how even the smallest scraps of textile were once considered precious.


In contrast to this I have been using silk noil to create some oven gloves for the other business that I am working with, Howgills Cafe and Bakery.  I am quilting the silk noil fabric using kantha quilting technique to create the ripple effect evident in the weave of the fabric from which oven gloves are made.  I have just begun work on the final piece and have nearly finished quilting one mitten.


It is strange to be working back at home again, especially on such a lovely day when the studio at Farfield Mill will be filled with light.  Working at home does, however, allow me to pick up my work whenever I have a few moments as well as working during dedicated studio time, and, as I seem to have so much to do before the Art Path begins in August, I will need every moment I can find!

Stella