The Quilt Photography Workshop: Japanese Fabric Zipper Pouch

 This month's challenge at Beth's "The Quilt Photography Workshop" is all about colour and using white balance to get the truest representation of that colour. To practise using the white balance on my camera (actually a Nokia N8 phone) I decided to use a Japanese fabric zipper pouch I made using a beautiful bundle of fabric from Nunoya.

Nunoya is a Spanish based company specialising in Japanese fabrics retail and wholesale. Their shop is located in Barcelona's historic centre but they also have a very good on line shop. I found out about them at a fair in Milan. Take a look at the Japanese fabrics they stock in their on line shop, you'll be really impressed! From Echino to Nani Iro by Naomi Ito (stunning double gauze fabric), from kawaii to traditional motifs.

Back to the challenge: I started off by taking photos of the pouch using the white balance presets on the phone, taking the same photo using each time with a different setting. Here's the result:

Custom white balance setting

Daylight

Cloudy

Tungsten

Fluorescent

I then tried out the manual exposure  function on the camera. I can only change using preset exposure ranging from -2.0 to + 2.0. Here are the photos I took:

-2.0


-1.5


-1.0


-0.5


+0.5

To finish off, I tired changing the colour of the background, with the same order of white balance: custom, daylight, cloudy, tungsten and fluorescent:

Look at the difference the background makes, it's incredible. Conclusions? My favourite is actually the first photo. I know, after all that, it's the custom white balance setting, on a light background! But to be honest, the truest colours are in the cloudy version. This challenge has been super interesting and I've learned so much!

The Quilt Photography Workshop -- August Link Up at Plum and June

I still own an old Reflex with a film, yes.. you know those things on a reel! I really miss my Reflex but it would be madness using it today with all the photos I (unsuccessfully!) take. So here I am joining The Quilt Photography Workshop at Plum and June with my mobile. Sorry!

For this workshop, I concentrated on using the white balance option and tried out all the possibilities on offer:

Cloudy option, not bad...

 This one's too green!

 This is isn't in focus, is it?

 This one seems a bit blue to me.

Don't like the colours here, either.

I keep going back to the Cloudy option, which seems to work well even on a sunny day. Recently I have decided:

1) to only take photos using natural light. Can't stand the effect the flash has on colours and am not equipped to take photos without a flash (that means my hand moves too much!)
2) to try and take pictures outdoors (if the weather is good enough)
3) to concentrate on the background. Once your work is finished, you have to find a good way of setting it off and I'm now playing with the idea of using interesting backgrounds that make the photo a bit more personal. This idea has brought me to take my latest photos:

I'd never thought about it before, but there are so many interesting details and textures in the houses around where I live. Hope nobody minds if I "borrow" them for my backgrounds!

I'm very happy to be able to link up with Beth's workshop at Plum and June to see how my new goals will develop and read everybody's inspiring posts.

Ella's Pocket Bunting

I really enjoyed myself making Ella's Pocket Bunting! It's really for her bedroom, to put odds and ends in order. There's a lot of them in her bedroom... odds and ends that is, not order!

Mi sono veramente divertita a cucire il Festone con Tasche di Ella! In realtà è per la sua camera, per mettere in ordine piccoli giochi. Ce ne sono tanti nella sua camera...di piccoli giochi, ma non molto ordine!

I thought it would be a good idea for a party too (hence the photo!), with the Birthday Girl's (or Boy's!) name and some handy things you need for the party. Decorative and also very useful. What do you think?

Ho pensato che sarebbe stata una buona idea anche per una festa (ecco spiegata la foto!), con il nome della festeggiata (o dello festeggiato) e degli oggetti utili per la festa. Una decorazione ma anche molto utile. Cosa ne pensi?

The idea is from Marie Claire Idees, a French magazine I have been reading for years. There are often brilliant craft ideas and always exquiste French taste!

L'idea è da Marie Claire Idees, una rivista francese che leggo da anni. Ci sono spesso delle belle idee creative e c'e' sempre il buon gusto francese!

A word about The 2013 Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop: this is sadly the last week. It's been an incredibile experience and I feel honoured to have been able to take part. I see the wave of this Blog Hop is already echoing into new ideas and projects and this is fantastic. We will continue to surprise you (and ourselves!) in the near future! Please join us then this week in visiting these great blogs:

Due parole sul The 2013 Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop: purtroppo questa è l'ultima settimana. E' stata un'esperienza incredibile e mi sento onorata ad aver potuto partecipare. Sento che l'onda di questo Blog Hop continuerà a diffondersi verso nuove idee e progetti e questo è fantastico. Continueremo a stupirvi (e noi stesse!) nel prossimo futuro! Per favore unisciti a noi questa settimana per visitare questi fantastici blog:

A Quilter's Mission

RobinSue Quilts

In the Boon Docks

Sew Fresh Quilts

fabric and flowers

Sewing by Moonlight

Lovelea Designs

A Note to Follow Sew

Sew E.T.

P.S. Thank you to Daniele Di Ciccio for the first photo of Ella's Pocket Bunting!

P.S. Grazie a Daniele Di Ciccio per la prima foto del Festone con Tasche di Ella!

Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop 2013

Today is my day on the Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop 2013. I would like to start by thanking Beth at Plum and June for hosting the Blog Hop and for giving me the chance to join. It's an incredible way to meet new bloggers and learn from their experience too.

Why did you start your blog and where did your blog name come from?

Ella (my daughter) and I (Nesta) started our blog in a "Little Room" in 2010 as a diary of our craft projects. Only this year did I become particularly curious about the on line craft community and blogging. The blog has passed from just a diary to a way of setting myself goals and getting projects finished, meeting people with the same interests and learning, learning, learning. Sewing and blogging is also very therapeutic!

When did you start quilting and who taught you?

I started quilting three years ago thanks to a patchwork course at a local shop. I enjoyed the course so much I decided to buy myself a really cheap supermarket sewing machine. I am sure I spent more time trying to fix the thread on the machine and unstitching things that the machine had messed up than making anything, but I didn't give up. After a year, still in love with sewing and quilting, I decided it was time to get a real sewing machine (which was actually a wonderful present!).

What is your favourite type of project?

The time I'm left over with, after my job in maintenance of public buildings, maintenance of the household and playing with my two wonderful daughters, is dedicated to sewing. At the moment small scale projects are on my to do list. I'm really enjoying the the Zakka Along 2.0:: Patchwork, Please! sew along.

I would like to invite you to participate in our blog's 100th Post Giveaway, which has just opened and is running until Sunday 28th of July. Thank you so much for visiting our blog and please do not miss the great blogs in today's Blog Hop:

Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures

Katie @ Snuggle Up With A Dish From Karma 

Alison @ Making Happyness

Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room

Adrienne @ Chezzetcook Modern Quilts

Nicole @ Modern Handcraft

Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya

Kelsey and Amanda @ Everyday Fray

Plum and June's Let's Get Acquainted New Blogger Blog Hop - New blogs to visit!

I have a lot of catching up to do after my holiday! I'm ignoring the piles of ironing surrounding me to invite you to visit these fantastic blogs: loads of great projects and energy to be found!

Stitched in Thyme

Factotum of Arts

The Sassy Quilter

Faffling

So Sew Green

The Rainbow Revolts

Little Mushroom Cap

Kayak Quilting

Sew Sunshine