Seeds of inspiration finally bear fruit

Although I left a bit of a teaser about my latest project in my post last week, it has actually been many months in gestation. The first seed of inspiration came when a friend and I took some time out at the end of November 2013 to explore the work on show at a few venues on the North Bristol Art Trail. There was much to admire but I could have stayed all day in one house which included the work of Clare Cutts. Her work led to my obsession with silhouettes, especially birds, that has dominated much of my year so far.

The next seed sown was a set of vinyl graphics placed on some shop windows in Bristol city centre that were awaiting redevelopment. Someone had gone to the trouble of having beautiful abstract images that included animals, birds, fish and flowers designed, with a slightly different theme for each window (it was a large redevelopment project involving at least 7 shops so it was quite display and I now wish I'd taken photos). This must have been in December whilst I was dashing around getting set for Christmas.

The third element was linked to Christmas when I was wracking my brains for a gift idea for my godson (then aged 3 1/2) and his baby brother. I'd set myself the task of trying to make the majority of the presents I was to give and, by this time, I was running out of time. Having looked after my godson for a weekend earlier in the year whilst his parents were becoming acquainted with his brother, I got quite familiar with his travel cot. This had obviously been at the back of my mind because I suddenly came up with the idea of making fleece travel blankets for them both. I set off for Fabric Land, probably past the aforementioned decorated shop windows, and chose two different patterned fleeces:

For an aeroplane-obsessed 3-year-old

For his cheeky brother

The rolls of fabric were 1.5m wide and I bought 1.5m of each - mainly because I wasn't confident that the cut line would be straight enough for me to just ask for 1m. Once home, I squared off the fabric and cut each blanket so that it measured 1m by 1.5m and set to blanket stitching a hem using lovely bright yarn that I had in my yarn stash (red for one, yellow for the other).  This took a while but I did it whilst curled up on the sofa watching TV so it was no hardship.  Not wanting to waste the off-cuts of fabric I decided to use it to make a case for each blanket.  This I thought could mean that the blanket could double up as a travel pillow if it was in the case or the empty case could be stuffed with clothes and turned into a pillow for when the blanket was in use.  It was a simple construction like a pillowcase but with the flap that keeps the pillow in the case folding over the outside rather than being on the inside.  I did the side seams using the sewing machine but blanket stitched the edge of the overlapping flap to match each blanket.

In my Christmas haste I forgot to take any photos of the finished articles but I shall be visiting the boys in a couple of weeks and will try to take some then.  Anyway, I was really pleased with the results and it seems that the boys were too. I was told that for weeks after Christmas my godson took his blanket with him everywhere - a well-travelled travel blanket indeed!

Anyway, in the weeks that followed I began to put all these ideas together and started dreaming of fleecy blankets with appliquéd birds and animals.  So, back in Fabric Land last Saturday seeking out thread to finish my trouser project, I was finally inspired by a group of fabrics that I thought could work.  Now complete, I have to say I'm delighted with the results - everything that I imagined!

The size of this one is around 65cm by 120cm - roughly cot-sized.  It was a great size to work on as a first attempt and hopefully will find a good home in September when someone I know will be having their first baby.  They have chosen not to know the sex so I'm hoping that this combination of colours and prints will mean that it will suit either.

Here are a few close-ups for you.

I know it has been about 35 weeks in the making, and 34 of those in 'germination' but isn't that what the creative and hand made process is all about?