Mended Door- Change of Scale

Quilt number 3 for International Threads challenge is   finally completed after several months marinating on the design wall. The theme was change of scale or large/small scale.  I returned to ideas I worked on a while ago on incorporating a photo of door within a large scale detail  as in these JQ's

The smaller scale area  is a photo of part of a patched, mended door with newer wood inserts among the old on Queen Charlottes Cottage in the grounds of Kew Gardens. The larger scale  shapes and colours are based on some of the sections of the photo, a mixture of African batik, hand dyed fabric and monoprints with acrylic paint from Jae Maries course.  I  used different weight threads ( 40 and 12) in these areas to further emphasise the change of scale.

I took this  quilt along to the Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles group meeting yesterday in Bracknell - which apart from our AGM featured an interesting  talk   by Jane O'Brien  on the history of Damask ( co-incidentally I've reading through the silk route section of the 'History of the World in 100 objects). She highlighted the damask on various Renaissance paintings, many in the National Gallery which reminded me of my drawing courses there - remembering how I struggled with the patterns on cloth  in the  Bellini painting of the Doge!  
In the afternoon, it was good to be reminded of design principles, particularly the golden section  and I couldn't resist assembling a small flock from the delightful knitted sheep the Kate Crossley had brought for sale.

 

Ian meanwhile  had been picking the last of the figs from our tree  but even he admitted this time they were seriously underwhelming in taste - we need that Mediterranean sun! 

Wren Racket and Rosemary Beetle Crushing

 Wrens are among my favourite birds - they're  feisty and  you'd never believe such a loud variety of sound could  come from such a  small bird. And I love their apt  latin name 'Troglodytes troglodytes'  hiding as they do among the ivy ! Mum made this hand quilted wren piece which I treasure - being called Jennie, they had significance for her ( I suppose it should be magpies for Mags  but I don't feel the same affinity....) 

With the lovely weather, on Sunday we had all meals  outside (including breakfast ), enjoying  the greens of our garden and the borrowed vista of trees in the small park  beyond. 

A couple of years ago I was  amused by a  group of 4 fledglings literally bouncing up and down on a tree branch in next doors garden  using it like a trampoline, so I was delighted yesterday to catch glimpses of some   fledglings at the bottom of our garden and their harassed parents trying to keep them in order.  The combined sound I can only describe as a racket it was so loud!

 This evening there  was a lot of activity nearer the house  among the scrambling rose that's done so well now the bay tree has gone ( and just look how that fig is taking off!). Sparrows had nested there earlier in the year so it's obviously a des res! We ate indoors with the door open and they almost drowned out the sound of the television.

 The  pink cistus I brought  as a cutting from my previous garden is doing very well, as is the fuchsia which was already in the garden when we moved in. Most of  our gardening involves hacking things down - I had a good go at the Kerria thicket which has allowed the Macleaya to grow unimpeded and I finally got round to planting  the 'Black Lace' elder I bought at Hampton Court Flower Show in the space I cleared.

 Not everything is welcome in the garden however.  Beautiful as these Rosemary Beetles are with their shiny red and green stripes, I'm following the advice of the RHS and picking them  off and stamping on them  before they cause too much damage.