Happy Easter, Holidays and Bonnet Stitch!

Happy Easter!

This week's TAST was a quick straightforward sampler - straight rows of bonnet stitch. But I like their symmetry and will be thinking about what I can use this one for again, when I have more time.

We are off on holiday for 3 weeks today! Flying to Darwin first and then driving onto Kakadu National Park and Katherine Gorge. It is finally starting to sink in. We are taking camping stuff and will spend some time out in the wilds - should be fun. I am so looking forward to being in the wilderness. Sydney is a great place, but having grown up in the English countryside - I am really looking forward to seeing some open space. I am looking forward to seeing so many things - ancient Aboriginal rock paintings, waterfalls, wildlife, Katherine Gorge. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

Knotted Cretan Tree Bark

I have a passion for trees - verging on being a tree hugger! I'm the one stopping to stroke bark as I walk past a beautiful tree that catches my eye and doing strange things with the camera to get a close up of the beautiful colours and textures...

Knotted cretan stitch from TAST had that organic feel to it and I felt sure that some kind of tree would be part of the stitch study this week.

A while ago I created a couple of tissue paper and scrim backgrounds based on Yvonne Brown's article in Quilting Arts Magazine (Winter 2005 - issue 20). Of the pieces I made, the yellow ochre one looked unfinished until I added burned sienna to it ...and all of a sudden ...tree bark. It was the perfect background to practice knotted cretan on.

On Saturday I had a studio day with friends in the Blue Mountains, near Sydney and had overdosed on trees - so this was the obvious way to go. I used a sketch of tree bark that I had made as the template for the stitch areas - but took lots of artistic licence!

I found the stitch a challenge, but think I got there in the end. The main challenge was to get the tension right, before the knot tightened and left a loose loop. I've been brave and posted a close up, because I love the textures!