Speaking of pebbles...

 As mentioned previously, I am trying hard not to get ahead of myself; and instead am trying to spend time exploring the notion of pebbles and stones.

I asked myself the question - how many ways/techniques can you use to make pebbles?

This led me to think about fabric; appliqué, hand stitching, machine stitching...the list went on.

So I spent a lovely afternoon hunting through my fabric stash and trying to find some fabric that felt like it had pebble potential.

I found quite a few fabrics that I had tea dyed with rust so many years ago in fact 10 years ago, and which I had re-discovered and sorted out just last year.  These soft fabrics felt like they might work and toned together beautifully.  Also some fabric a friend had gifted me was added to the group.

I got a few others out that I had printed with a corn cob, also a few years ago and think that the calico might work, and possibly the grey at a pinch; but that the dark grey with its black weft or warp would be too much. Always good to check these things.

And so I began to blind-base two layers of the lovely soft fabric together. 

This takes time, but I was lucky enough to be travelling on a plane during the week and had some time to simply sit and stitch.

I had that moment, as you do, going through security and hoping that they wouldn't mind my needle and my quick unpick. I chose my oldest quick unpick (1978 I bought my first sewing machine, second hand, and it had this with it and at that point it was fully intact) and hoped they would figure the damage I could potentially do with it would be very limited. And yes, I got through without question.

The back of the basting.

It will still be some time before I can actually start thinking about the pebble part, but I am pushing it along gently, and not racing ahead.

I feel as if I have actually slowed myself down and am now simply exploring techniques and possibilities, not attempting to solve and complete. This is good.