Wednesday 20 July 2016

WIPW - Marine Day helps my progress

This week on Work In Progress Wednesday I can show you some good progress. Although I have as per usual been busy with many things, Monday was a national holiday in Japan - Marine Day (海の日).

A Bank Holiday usually means  fewer chores in our  household and as I had no opportunity to go to the sea side, I spent the day at home with my Elna sewing machine, needle and thread. So my progress is quite good.

Trinity Green

Ten paper slips got the 'Elna treatment' and I have 270 new triangles. The total number of green triangles is now 2862.
There is an awful lot of orange in this quilt!!!

Fabric in Focus

In the old days patchwork quilts were often made from used clothes. Most garments were made from cotton, linen or wool, and suitable for quilts. Today we wear T-shirts, jeans with stretch and clothes made from synthetic or mixed fibers. It is far more difficult to incorporate our clothes in a quilt unless you make a point of using denim, fleece or nylon.
I had a lovely shirt made of mint green corduroy. It was soft and 'friendly', and worn until the elbows and cuffs lost their nape. Instead of discarding the shirt I salvaged the parts that were still in good condition. The fabric just HAD to be added to Trinity Green, although it is an odd kind of fabric.


H C Quilt

This is what part of the quilt now looks like from the back.

If you had a Marine Day would you go to the beach or stay home and quilt?

22 comments:

Pamela said...

I had to work on Marine Day so I didn't go to the beach or stay home and quilt! I would have stayed home and out of the sun if I had the choice. You've made great progress!

Elizabeth's quarters said...

I'd take some sewing to the seaside!

Renee said...

Great progress! I love the soft texture corduroy adds to a project. It is even more fun to add part of a loved garment. You managed both. :) I love seeing the backside of your HC project. Seeing the pattern there makes me all the more eager to see the completed piece.

chitra said...

great progress indeed. looking at the Trinity green picture, orange seems to throw brightness into the greens, the dark green seems more dominating. just a thought!
This part of the HC quilt is so beautiful. If the back looks like this, what to say of the front?

Queeniepatch said...

The sun in Japan is so bright, isn't it? Our skin has to be well protected and staying at home is of course a safe choice!

Queeniepatch said...

Well, of course, the best of both worlds!

Queeniepatch said...

Can you guess, from the back, what the HC quilt is?
Later I will show some triangles made from other recycled garments.

Queeniepatch said...

Yes, you are right, the dark green triangles are dominating, I will have to give that a good think!
The quilting stitches are half burried in the gauze of the back of the HC quilt, but maybe you can see what the front will be like?

margaret said...

liking the orange in with the green mind you they are ly 2 favourite colours. Quilting coming along well and like you i would stay home mind you no sea near me to go to

Queeniepatch said...

Other strips of triangles have no orange in them so when all the strips are layed out for the quilt top they will not be so obvious, hopefully.
It is so humid and muggy today you'd think you are IN the sea!!!

carorose said...

Well I live on the beach so I see it all the time. I just have to look out the window. But let me tell you, the trouble with the beach and sewing is the sand. It gets into everything. I think I would stay inside and look at the view. You have made great progress on all your pieces.

Queeniepatch said...

Lucky you, having the beach on your doorstep.
Yes, I understand the problem with the sand.
The best beach would be a gentle rocky slope, the ones that were created by the weight of the glaciers that covered Scandinavia until 10000 BC.The rock is smooth and comfortable to sit on, and no sand in sight. Find such a rock and some shade and you have quilter's paradise...

Janie said...

Orange sets green off in a good way, compliments. I agree that dark green can be a bit over powering.
Your stitching looks good.
If I could get to the beach, I would go. Nothing like that refreshing sea breeze.

Queeniepatch said...

You are right, orange goes well with green. You if anyone would know, you make these fantastic vibrant colourful quilts and orange is a major player in many of your qiuilts. I have very little of interior decoration or soft furnishing that is orange so I need to be careful not to add too much. And yes, you are rigth about the over powering dark green... I need to watch that too. Thanks for your comment, always valueable.

Julie Fukuda said...

Thinking back to how hot it was on Monday, I think Marine Day was better spent at home!

https://linsartyblobs.blogspot.com said...

I like the orange pop of colour. If Marine Day is like a Bank Holiday here then I would probably stay at home as it would be busy, busy and nowhere to park, traffic jams etc...

Queeniepatch said...

If you can find a shady place with a breeze, a hot day in Tokyo is bearable. Sometimes at the shores of Tokyo Bay you have more moisture and heat to deal with than in the city centre.

Queeniepatch said...

I will have to spread out the orange on the quilt and they will not look as obvious as they do here.
I know what the small seaside towns in East Anglia are like on a beautiful summer's day; the local people can't go anywhere by car, can't even get their car out of the drive...

Stitching Lady said...

I love the orange - I love when there are "blitzers" as a eye catcher. - A bank holiday? Because DH has plans for me.....better he is renovating in the house, ha!

Queeniepatch said...

You will have to make plans for him, and yourself, too, of course!

FlashinScissors said...

Like Linda, when we have a Bank Holiday we make a point of staying home too! Our closest beach is Brighton and I hate to think how long the journey would take to get there!

My choice would be to stay at home stitching.

Trinity Green is looking great, you have some pretty fabrics in it, and, yes, the orange goes very nicely with the green.

Looking forward to seeing the right side of the HC quilt.

Barbara xx

Queeniepatch said...

OK, I will have to show a bit more of the right side of HC quilt next time. Actually I have managed to quilt quite a lot.
Brighton, eh? I lived in Hove for a while in the Stone Age, and know how busy it can be.
Have a great week.