Sunday 31 August 2014

LUCKY ME



These are not only two nice bolettes, these are also the symbol of Jumis and are supposed to bring me luck. 
We have had plenty of rain for past few weeks and now forests are bursting with mushrooms, especially boletes.
We are rather paganic nation, with loads of gods and deities roaming around our culture. One of such deities is Jumis who personify the harvest.


This deity was believed to live in the fields thus the symbol of Jumis is two stylized, crossed corn stalks, and we believe this symbol is one of prosperity and good fortune.
Any Jumis signs, found in nature (like two nuts grown together, or like in this case – two boletes) were kept at home for prosperity and fertility – simply the good luck sign, similar like four-leaf clover


Anyway, autumn is in the air and first jars of mushrooms and Rowan Berry jelly are stored away already. 

I also started to tidy up slowly my this year's scrap bag. It’s not even a project yet and maybe never will, but at least instead of unruly bags with rubbish I can stack some neat blocks.  


Oh, and I already have started a new project. After pheasants comes the horse. 

It’s not just a horse, it’s THE horse – one rather feisty red mare, who will gallop all over this  quilt. Her name is Oga. So, Oga quilt is on the table now.

Thursday 21 August 2014

O happy day! I'm back!


Skipping and dancing around the table! I finally ... FINALLY.... finished quilting the pheasant quilt! Hurrah!

I must admit there were moments when I was ready to rip it apart, wrap tightly and hide in the deepest drawer, or drown in the sea...

Right now, before washing, it contains about two pints of my own sweat ( I carried on at +38 C in shade), daily from March till August. And now the quilting is done. My biggest project so far. And hardest.

I took advice about practicing on quilting, and slowly I'm getting there. The quilt is very densely quilted, just for practice, overall about 25 standard 400 Y spools of yarn for the top (the same amount went for the bobin). Of course, there are still plenty of mistakes, but I can see some improvement in my quilting so it was well worth it.

Tomorrow it will be washed and all that, but in general it's DONE! WHOOP-WHOOP!


So now it's time to tidy up the scrap bag - the minute pieces of scrap had built up past the last 6 months. Already divided the leftpvers into three colour schemes and will put as much of these bits together - plenty for few quite large blocks.