Photography

Camera Quilt Pattern | Whims And Fancies

I was wondering the other day why I like paper piecing so much and I think I might have an answer. My camera and I are inseparable. Photography makes me more aware of my surroundings. The small flower and the grand scenery that it is a part of, the colours of reflected lights, the motions or the stillness of a moment – I love to see them all through my lens. Photography, in turn, also helps me with my painting. Even the paintings I create from imagination have their roots in the life around me.

Soon after I discovered paper piecing, fabric became another medium for me for painting pictures. I start with drawing my designs from scratch before turning them into patterns. The patterns are like puzzles to me. I enjoy the challenge of trying to define shapes with minimum amount of seam alignment. I realised that paper piecing is the playground for all three things that I love so much – photography, painting and puzzles.

I could therefore hardly say no when a custom order for making this camera quilt pattern came along. However, I ended up waiting this long to make my own block. I like to take photos in the moody, grey light of stormy days. The grey leaf fabric couldn’t have reflected that any better. The dark colour is also very well suited for the travel bag I will be making with this block.

Many thanks to those who have purchased this pattern and shared the projects they made for their photographer friends and family. Fields On Camera is available in my shop.

Speaking of paintings, here’s my next set of index cards –

icad 2015 - Steampunk Wing Painting | Whims And Fancies

Steampunk Wings

icad 2015 - Night Sky Painting | Whims And Fancies

Nightscape – I love to watch the stars during camping trips.

icad 2015 - Violins Painting | Whims And Fancies

My Violins

icad 2015 - Steampunk Hot Air Balloon Painting | Whims And Fancies

Tell Them Stories

Stories have such power – pass them on!

icad 2015 - Solar Eclipse And Shuttle Endeavour Painting | Whims And Fancies

Solar eclipse viewed from our backyard

I was fortunate enough to see the flyby and transport of the Shuttle Endeavour to the museum. I added a silhouette of her on the sun as a tribute to her glory days.

icad 2015 - Paper Cutting Tunnel Painting | Whims And Fancies

Paper Tunnel

I used a white pen to draw the lines after painting the background grey.

icad 2015 - Vineyard in autumn | Whims And Fancies

Vineyard in autumn

Painted from a photo I took last year

I tried some new techniques on these paintings. After some trial and error, I think they turned out all right.

Happy Crafting,
-Soma

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Pride And Prejudice Embroidery Pattern | Whims And Fancies

Purchase Pride And Prejudice – Fools In Love embroidery pattern

There are too many women from the stories that I love to list here. I love the character of Ms. Elizabeth Bennet so much that I found myself needing to draw this Pride and Prejudice embroidery pattern.

Pride And Prejudice Embroidery Pattern | Whims And Fancies

I used wash-off stabilizer for the first time on this piece. It leaves a tiny bit of starchiness after washing, which gives the whole piece a wonderful finish. I used DMC perle 8 for the first time too, a navy thread. I used three different stitches for varying thickness: chain stitch, stem stitch and back stitch, with chain stitch being one of my favourites. I really love how it turned out. At the moment I am not exactly sure what I will do with this block. I may come up with a few more designs to make a small Pride And Prejudice quilt.

Doctor Who Rose Tyler Doomsday Mitts

This one is for Ms. Rose Tyler. The tenth Doctor and Rose had such a sad ending. I don’t watch it too often since it leaves me in a daze every time I watch it. It always seems that happy and sad endings walk along side by side.

I wanted to make these mitts ever since the very first time I saw the episode. The extent of my knowledge of knitting back then was basic cast on, cast off, purl and knit. Since then I have learned how to make fingerless mitts, and from there I jumped straight into cable. I am happy to say that once I started knitting the second mitt, I was already able to knit without looking at the pattern file anymore. I love this pair of gloves so much! I added an extra diamond to cover my palm a little better. They not only keep my hands warm, they also make me feel warm and comfortable in a very nostalgic way. This pattern by Christina Slattery can be found on Ravelry.

Pink Flowers | Whims And Fancies

My ageless cactus plant blooms only once a year. Just for a couple of days all the flowers burst open together like a fireworks finale. Every year the display is more spectacular than the year before. The flowers are very much like these ladies I love so much, rare and beautiful.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
-Soma

Photography, Paper Piecing And Painting Cards

Two Of My Favourite Ladies