Mondrian's Lone Star in a hoop

It's finished! My first embroidery project, Mondrian's Lone Star 3 (you can see no.1 here and no. 2 here).

There's definitely room for improvement, but I'm still very happy with it. 

It's hanging on the bookcase in our bedroom. I love looking at it!

Here it is together with its big brother; Mondrian's Lone Star 2:

I have lots of ideas for more embroidery projects and can't wait to start on the next one. But there's also a crochet project that I need to finish.. Stay tuned!

Progress

Embroidery

Last week I read A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier, one of my favourite authors. It's about the life of a single woman (one of the so-called surplus women) in the 1930s in England. Embroidery and bellringing are important themes. It's beautifully written, and very thought-provoking. I highly recommend it.



I had just finished the cardigan I showed in the previous posting, and was trying to decide what to crochet next. But after reading the book I decided I really wanted to give embroidery a go. In my craft stash I found some muslin fabric and embroidery hoops (from when I used to sell screenprinted fabric stretched in hoops in my Etsy shop Blue Jacaranda). I bought some embroidery floss and was ready to start.



I knew what I wanted to embroider: a Lone Star. Even though I don't make quilts anymore, my house is still full of them, and quite a few of them are Lone Star quilts. My Classic Lone Star Quilt is on our bed, and my Lone Star Mini Quilt is hanging on the bookcase in the bedroom. I look at it every morning when I do the exercises for my Achilles tendon!



And when I look to the other side I see Mondrian's Lone Star Quilt, hanging on the wall in the hallway:



And that is the one I want to reproduce in embroidery. I really like the colours and the fact that it is so asymmetrical.



I started last Friday and this is where I'm at today. I'm enjoying the process very much - except threading the needle! And I've got lots of ideas for other embroidery projects, so stay tuned...

(there's also the crocheted Lone Star Blanket that I still have to finish...)

Lone Star Blanket Revisited

After more than seven months I have finally picked up the Lone Star Blanket again and started making more diamonds.
This is what the blanket looked like the last time I worked on it, in July 2018:



I've crocheted 22 diamonds in the last two weeks, so only 138 more to go!



And then a lot of sewing them together... Not my favourite part of the job.



But it will look so good when it's finished!

Lone Star Blanket

Remember the Lone Star Blanket I was working on? In between other projects I have been crocheting diamonds and sewing them together.



This is what the blanket looks like now - there's 190 diamonds in there!



Only 80 or so more to go... Plus a few dozen half-diamonds:



That should keep me busy for the next few months!

Adding background to the Lone Star

Here's another update to the state of affairs regarding the Lone Star blanket. I've added the background to one corner now, and this is what it currently looks like: a shooting star!



I'm now up to 190 diamonds: 150 in the star and 40 in the background. Only another 200 or so to go...



I've been working on it (off and on) for two months now and still not getting tired of it. However, I have bought some yarn for my next project:



I decided to not go with my favourite blues for once, but to pick a red/orange/yellow palette. I have an idea about what I want to do, just need to figure out how...

I'll leave you with a pic of our adorable Barney, taken just after he had had a bath:



:-)

Easter

How was your Easter weekend? Mine was perfect - my yarn arrived on Thursday, so I spent a lot of time crocheting diamonds, while listening to an audiobook or watching Netflix (got through series 1 of Victoria over the weekend!)



I made twenty-three background diamonds - only 157 to go! (or more if I want the blanket to be rectangular instad of square...)



It was wonderful to have a break after the hectic first term of the year, settling in our new home. We are very happy here on the Gold Coast but it has been exhausting; new jobs, new schools, new clubs, finding our way around, making new friends. Especially doing all that for the second time in just over a year...

However, we didn't just stay at home and relax - we decided to explore some of the beautiful Gold Coast Hinterland and went to Mount Tambourine on Sunday and to Springwood National Park on Monday. There we did the 4k hike to the bottom of the Purling Brook Falls - it was very muddy and slippery after all the rain we've had, but well worth the effort!



You can find some more pics on my photo blog.
My youngest son has taken possession of my old DSLR and brought it along as well. Love this photo my husband took of the two photographers in the family :-)

150 diamonds

All the blue diamonds have been sewn on to the Lone Star - it now consists of 150 diamonds!
Here is a pic to give you an idea of the current size:



I love how it looks up close:



I had planned to make lots of white diamonds for the background, but realised I did not have enough of the white yarn to do that. I couldn't get any more balls of that particular yarn, so have ordered another brand, which I hope will be a good substitute.

While waiting for my order to arrive, I started playing with a hook and some of the purple yarn I used for the Physalis scarf. I quite like what I came up with - may make some more of these:



Luckily the Easter holidays have started for me - I'm planning to do a lot of crocheting over the next two weeks!

Update on the crocheted Lone Star

One week later and I have finished all 54 blue diamonds (and six white ones):



Now to sew them to the Lone Star. Today I puzzled until I had this lay-out, and took a picture for future reference.



I have a busy week coming up, with work (I've started a new job at the School of Medicine at Griffith Uiversity and am loving it!), medical appointments (nothing serious, but time-consuming), and kids' activities, but hope to find some time to work on it. I expect I'll be able to make some more white diamonds while waiting for kids and health practitioners...

Only two weeks to go until the Easter holidays - maybe I can finish this project then!

It's a star!

Look, it's a star now!
There are 96 diamonds in it and the diameter is about 1 metre.
I think I will add one more row of blue diamonds and then add a background made out of white diamonds.

I'm very much enjoying this project!

More progress

This is the current state of my crocheted Star - there are 78 diamonds in it now. It doesn't look much like a star at the moment, but that'll change soon...

Progress

My crocheted Lone Star is progressing nicely - I've finished three rounds now, or 36 diamonds. A lot of them were made while watching the Winter Olympics. It's very hot here in Queensland at the moment and it's so refreshing to watch the ice and snow-based activities!



A few days ago this gorgeous personalised pouch arrived, made by Etsy seller Claire from MontclairMade. Perfect for storing the diamonds until I have enough for the next round!

Crochet Lone Star

If you have been following this blog for a while you will know that I love Lone Star quilts... so it will come as no surprise that I have decided to crochet a Lone Star blanket.



I am using the diamond shapes found in this free pattern to create a six-pointed star, and have once again chosen to go with my favourite palette of blues.
With these diamonds it's also possible to create a Tumbling Blocks or Baby Blocks design (another favourite - see the felted trivets I made in 2013). Maybe that'll be my next project...



I'll leave you with a photo of our sweet hippie dog, Barney:



;-)

Pattern for Mondrian's Lone Star Quilt now available on Etsy

I'm happy to be able to tell you that the pattern for Mondrian's Lone Star Quilt is now available in my pattern store on Etsy.
Personally I am a big fan of Mondrian's works in red, yellow and blue, but if primary colours are not your thing, this quilt would also look very good in sea colours (blues and greens) or in pinks and purples. The thin black lines add a stained glass effect.



Meanwhile, all the boxes are gone, the kids are back at school and I have started a new crochet project, so life is slowly returning to normal. Pics following soon!

Mondrian's Lone Star

UPDATE: This pattern is now available in my pattern store on Etsy!



May I present my latest quilt: Mondrian's Lone Star!



I made this modern baby quilt back in February, but have waited to show it here, because it is one of the projects in issue 19 of the digital magazine Make Modern, which is available now!



I have always been a fan of the Dutch painter Piet Mondrian, and last year I made a small Mondrian's Lone Star quilt (16'' x 16'') for the 10th Annual Quilt Alliance Contest (you can read more about it here).



At the time I mentioned that I would like to make a larger version, and so I did - this one is 39.5" or 1 metre square. It is strip-pieced and quilted in straight lines with white Aurifil 40wt thread, to emphasize the graphic effect.



For the binding I used a fun Mondrian-themed fabric that had been in my stash for ages, waiting for the right project:



I had to provide photos for the magazine, so took the quilt for a photo shoot to Edgecliffe Boulevard here in Collaroy Plateau, where you have a lovely view over Narrabeen Lagoon and the Pacific Ocean:



But indoors it looks good too!



Here is a close-up:



Mondrian's Lone Star is now hanging on the wall in my sewing room:



Piet Mondrian was one of the most famous members of the Dutch art movement De Stijl (The Style) and this year it's exactly 100 years ago that De Stijl was founded. In my home country the Netherlands lots of events and exhibitions are held this year to celebrate this (you can read more about it here). When we were in the Netherlands in July, we saw the red, yellow and blue everywhere - like this flag on a church tower in The Hague:



So it's very appropriate that I made this quilt this year!