another block done at FNwF and Afghan squares

Firstly big thank you to Cheryll for hosting another FNwF - is it July already? 

At last we are having something resembling summer and I get to do some stitching in the garden.

My Friday night project was finishing the block on the Indigo quilt, my "play cloth", which I started in my previous post. I just let the fabrics and thread to guide me, and this is the end product.

I decided to incorporate into  my Indigo quilt 4 embroidered squares from  German - Afghan Initiative, which I wrote about here . 

These squares are made by Afghan girls and women (for which they get paid directly) and then sold at various fabric and craft shows across Europe, with the hope that fabric artists will incorporate them in their work. You can see pictures of some of these from a touring exhibition on my Pinterest (see link on the left side bar). I have created a board just for them.

 I bought my 4 squares at shows in UK during past 2 years or so.

This is the first of them stitched onto my Indigo quilt.

This quilt is getting a really international flavour - the original inspiration, indigo fabrics and some of the threads for it came from Tiggy, who lives here in England, but would "rather be in India",
it will include embroidery done by Afghan women, and is stitched by me (a Czech) living in England.

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015

despite the constant cold wind, it must be summer

because it is the longest day today, but also because my "summer play cloth" has come out of the box! 

This is a project which really only comes out in the summer; it doesn't feel right to stitch on it at any other time. Don't ask me why; may it has to do with the indigo dyed fabrics, process which needs warmth of a sunny day; may be the bright colours of fabrics and threads I am using here.

The indigo fabrics and some of the beautiful threads have come from Tiggy at I'd rather be in India blog. 

The idea here is to fill up every block with some kind of an embroidery or applique, or both.

There is no plan, no pattern.

Just take some fabric and threads and play, see where it takes me.

Needless to say, that this is a very slow project.

Some of the blocks finished during previous summers:

I have finished the first 2 blocks of "Mrs Beasley's Sampler Quilt,

and the instructions for block 3 are waiting in this issue of Vignette magazine.

Art Quilting Studio magazine, published only twice a year, is new to me. 

I saw it on Anneliese's blog  and managed to find UK supplier.
It arrived yesterday.
Very inspiring.

In UK you can get from Rainbow Silks . 

©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015

TO ALL OUR SCANDINAVIAN FRIENDS - I WISH YOU ALL A WONDERFUL MIDSUMMER!

I hope the weather is wonderful for you, and there is plenty of herring, potatoes and strawberries, and 

aquavit, of course!

green thread and strawberry jam

Good start to the week, the weather is behaving and even getting little warmer.

Last night I did a little stitching on the second block of Mrs Beasley's  Sampler Quilt, but did not have enough green thread to finish all the green on this piece. 

This morning I popped into my local shop to get some more, but they are also out of this particular shade; they will get it for me later in the week.

While I was out I bought some summer fruit and made some jam.

English strawberries 

and Spanish apricots

only about 1kg in total

has given me 3 jars of delicious jam.

It was a beautiful afternoon in my part of the world, ideal for stitching outside.

Little more work on the same piece - applique flower,






















©pleasureinstitching.blogspot.co.uk 2015

not much going on

in the way of any stitching at the moment, so I will share some pictures with you, taken in our garden today.










After a long dry spell we have been having some fine rain, so good for plants.

Although we have had some warm sunny spells, it still isn't the "real summer";
if we even get it this year?

©pleasureinstitiching.blogspot.co.uk 2015