Survivors

My apologies for the bleak subject this time. 

I was looking around the internet for copyright-free poems when I stumbled across this one. It drew such compelling images in my head that I just had to try and get something down.

The words are by Siegfried Sassoon:

Survivors

No doubt they'll soon get well; the shock and strain

Have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.

Of course they're 'longing to go out again,' —

These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.

They'll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed

Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,—

Their dreams that drip with murder; and they'll be proud

Of glorious war that shatter'd all their pride...

Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;

Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad.

Craiglockhart.

October, 1917.

The words drew such a strong reaction from me since I had, some days earlier been listening to a radio broadcast detailing the mental health of today's soldiers. Some things just do not change. 

The words and image are printed onto silk fabric, the background uses the chance-dyed dye catchers I have collected over the years. Lastly, the whole is overlaid with some sheer fabric, and hand stitched.

My piece will be late

I have started my piece and got it mostly done but I have ordered TAP... Transfer Artist Paper last week to do one of the bits . Never used TAP but think it will do the job. I heard yesterday that the paper had been posted but with Easter and no post on some days it will not be here until next week.

Holes in the Sky

There are holes in the sky

Where the rain gets in

But there ever so small

That's why the rain is thin

This funny little poem is written by Spike Milligan. I war really stuck with this theme till Irene mentioned Spike. This poem inspired me to make this quilt:

After the background was made, the tree appliqued and the cloud (batting covered with cheese cloth) added it was time for the fun part: punching the holes. I do not want them to start fraying so I put some gel medium around the edges to prevent this. The theme gave me lots of problems, but I am very happy with the result :-).

April theme

And hopefully the temperature will be higher in April :-). Our next theme is: Breakthrough. Good luck to you all.

Now is the Month of Maying

I learnt "Now is the Month of Maying" as a poem when I was quite young, about eleven I think and my school did maypole dancing on the village green and again on the rectory lawn. It was a wonderful time in the late 1940s when the sun shone all day in the summer, well at least that's how I remember it!!
Only later in life did I find that this poem was in fact the lyrics and that there should have been music as well.  I trust you will allow me this as my Poem this month.
This is a copy of an original I made some years ago but this time I have padded some parts as in trapunto to make the pieces stand out and give it depth.

Poem ..... or no poem

I have to confess that I have not found a poem which I can use for a quilt. Actually I have not even found a poet :-(.  To be honest I can not even recall when I read a poem. I read a lot, but no poetry. So unless you can give me a good clue, I will not be able to show a quilt by the end of the coming week.

You might wonder what poem this is!  I have been working with this image and found this poem which partly reflects my view on trying 'foreign' plants.
Slender Agapanthus trembling in the breeze
Visited by hoverflies and bees,
here in this cooler land,  cherished
with such care and placed in tubs
beside old honeyed walls,
Have you forgotten with what abandon
you turned the hillsides blue?
I know how profligate you really are.
Seeing this shadow of how I saw you once,
I cannot bear the thought of you
Imprisoned in a tub.

March Poem

This is Hilary's March quilt. She says;

 "I have chosen to illustrate a verse from a favourite poem, 'As I walked out one evening,' by W.H.Auden.

The ocean is a mini quilt hanging freely from craft pegs. I have written the verse around the sides of the quilt."

Spring Forward - Kelly

Finally, I was able to complete the February piece! A few days late but here none the less.

The title is "Spring Forward".  There are several layers of Spring in this piece, starting with the surface design on the background. There are hearts and Xs and Os. All stand for Love..."In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." - Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Then the watch main springs...springing out of the watch and...forming spring flowers. Also, the quilting is spirals to repeat the main spring motif.

Spring Forward

Already have the fabric batching for the Poem piece. Hoping not to be late on this next one.

Spring has come when you can put your foot on 3 daisies.   Proverb

Home dyed greens for the background. The daisies have painted tips and centres. The pink is a bit strong. I am not very happy with it. I really wanted the daisies to be much more integrated and I think if I were to do it again I would use a different method. I have run out of time to redo it.

Irene MacWilliam in sunny Northern Ireland but sadly no daisies in my lawn yet!