Amazing wedding dress which appeared in the Mail Online on the 10/08/09 made from Lincoln Longwool.

Louise Fairburn, who is an award-winning sheep breeder, decided to get married in a fleece from her own flock.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1205007/Shepherdess-bride-marries-stunning-dress-wool-flock.html#ixzz0No26YCOx

Patchwork Rose

I borrowed the book "Pieced Flowers" from Ruth McDowell from my patchwork group and really like the curved seams rose. I have reproduced the panel using my favourite colours (lavender!) I really enjoyed working with curved seams but I am not sure what I am going to do with it yet to do a quilt:
- complete same rose panels but using different colours ?
- complete different flower panels from the book?
- use this panel for the middle and built a quilt around it using differerent techniques (boutis, hardanger...).

Inspiration, Inspiration, where are you?

Lavender Alpaca

I bought this lovely lavender colour Alpaca from Wingham woolwork and could not resist starting spinning it, even so I am busy preparing the mérino d'Arles fleeces; It is so nice, it just spins itself. I will probably use it to do a knitted lace scarf.

Mérino d'Arles

I bought 2 Mérino d'Arles fleeces 2 years ago locally and while I had some time off from work at the beginning of July, and as

it was so hot, decided that it was time to start washing them.

Washing:
The fleeces were very greasy so I used very hot water and soda crystals and did not leave the fleece to soak more than 10 to 15 minutes in each bath, so that the grease did not resettle as the water cooled down.





First wash: soda crystals and washing liquid
Second wash: washing liquid
3 rinses
4th rinse: addition of fabric conditioner

I put the wool in the washing machine in the spin cycle to drain it of water and left it to dry outside in the shade. As it was so hot, it was dry in half a day.

Preparation:
As the locks were mostly intact, I decided to use a dog comb rather than carders to prepare the wool, then the drum carder. But it is going very slow....... and I have still have a lot to do

Dyeing:
Rather than dyeing the wool after spinning it, I will dye it before to allow the colour to blend when spinning.

Country Life Patchwork

The panels on this lap quilt were started 5 years ago at my patchwork group while I still lived in the UK. As a common group project, we had to finish a panel per month. I left before I completed all the panels and just picked it up again in June this year. I used the fabric already utilised to patch the gaps between the panels and am just finishing the quilting on the edges taking some of the shapes used in the panels, ie sun, chick and mushroom.

This is my first and only so far... boutis cushion I did in April/May this year with the help of my local patchwork group. We meet every Thursday afternoon.