Sewing in Good Company

Another catch up with the ladies sewing projects in the Cabin and at Beales.

Jean finnished her special quilt for her friend, Margaret. Now that the quilt has been given to Margaret we can put some pictures up.

Here it is finished and laid out for basting to the wadding. Jean used Quilters dreampoly and a spray baste.

Quilted on the machine in straight lines using a gentle zig zag stitch with the walking foot. Jean used Aurifil thread and a quilting needle. The zig zag does add a nice little textural detail and helps with any uneven wrinkles between the layers. Margaret had a special pet dog and Jean wanted to make the quilt personal so I suggested an embroidery in a blank square. We used a design by Lynette Anderson from her book, Quilting Cats and Dogs Just back stitch and lazy daisy. Jean is so pleased that Margaret loved her quilt.

Now Jean is learning to Applique using needle turn and freezer paper techniques. Jean's making a table runner. It's got three panels and now she's on the third panel she's beginning to enjoy it!

Mum's been making a bird hanging with an embroidered heart for Wendy to celebrate her wedding Anniversary. I can't show the finished article because she has given it already!

Here's mum still working through the 9 patch quilts for Kofi and Oscar. We have enough for 1 quilt and I bet as I type Mum has made up the final squares for the second one. Oh gosh, another quilting project! An I have just noticed that Jean and Mum appear to dress to match their sewing projects!

I can't fit any more onto the deisgn wall but you can get the idea. I really like the blue jewel like colours. I think the quilting should be simple as the patterned fabric wont let intricate designs show up too well.

And here we are at Beales, this is Elizabeth and Rachel. Elizabeth has rich gold taupes and black and Rachel is working on hazy pinks and creams. It's been good fun sewing with so many different people on so many different projects. I'm looking forward to going back to Beales next Tuesday, 10 Feb and with Valentines Day around the corner, maybe I should think of a themed project...

Next up will be an update on my own sewing projects. I have 2 new starts and 1 and a half finishes!

Grandmothers Flower Garden Hexagon Quilt

2015 and new projects! My Mother-in-Law, Sue, has a hexagon quilt which she finished at the end of 2014 after 40 years of stitching! I think we can call it Vintage now!

These little Hexagons are 1inch and include fabrics from her daughter's dresses as well as other materials along the way. We laid them out some time ago and Sue has been diligently stitching in the white and cream filler hexes. This is an absolute classic example of a scrap quilt and I do love it. There is fussy cutting and an interesting use of striped fabrics to different effect. I think the light and dark colours add interest. You can see that some flowers have pale petals and so seem to disappear into the background. These elements make for an interesting quilt.

Here is the back, you can see the little stitches and tiny seam. The tacking is black, you can't see it from the front so I am going to leave it in and hope a quilting thread doesn't pull any through. (Eek). This tacking method works well on a small shape and does not pierce the papers so they are easy to take out.

Sue has washed this and some of the sneaky polyester cottons that are included have not shrunk at the same rate as the cotton, so I am mindful of this.

Free Motion Quilting

I have said I will quilt it, which now seems like a daunting task as I don't want to ruin the quilt. After much sketchbook doodling, here is one sample idea. I have left a hex flower shape unquilted in the middle to represent a flower to gauge the scale.

Thread: So Fine by Superior Threads. Ive chosen a blending colour and etched poly thread for strength, etched so it looks like cotton. Its 50 weight and so very fine. This is so that you see more of the design and less of the actual thread. I am using an 80/12 Topstitch needle and the same thread in the bobbin.

Ive decided to use a dense design for the background as it will add stability to the hand stitching plus if I only lightly quilt the flowers they will puff up with a more three dimensional effect. The trade off is that the amount of thread required is "lots" and the quilt will be stiffer than it would if it was lightly quilted, but more robust. Decisions, decisions.

Another option would be a simple Meander, but I just want this to be a little bit more special. I am still thinking about this and I think my swirls are a little bit wonky!

Hand Pieced Christmas Star Patchwork Panel

Well yesterdays photographs were not very good, its a balance between memory usage on the site and getting detailed pictures. Hmm, so I need to work on that.

It's been a productive day, look what I've made with the diamonds! You can see the order that they need to be stitched in.

This is what I have ended up with. Considering I wasn't exactly fond of the fabrics or the idea of Christmas themed fabrics, I can't quite believe that this has turned out so well. I loved adding the border of rectangles which I just trimmed by eye each time I added another strip. I would like to make this part of a mini sampler quilt and incorporate some foundation piecing as well. So my next challenge is going to be improving my skills on my Electric Quilt software. I definitely want some Dresden plates...

One final thing on this panel, the outer red points, turning the seams in was tricky. Helped along by some spray starch sprayed into the lid so that it is a fluid and then brushing  onto the corners, tease into position and then dab with a hot iron. Worked a treat  and the sewing machine stitched without a hitch.

My last quick project for the day, I can't take credit for. I saw this done somewhere on the web and fancied having a go. It's a super fast Christmas star decoration which I think would be brilliant as a Christmas style bunting or garland, personalized gift label or whatever else you can think of.

As it's late I'll post up the pics which are completely self explanatory. I stitched on the machine, normal straight stitch width. I used a Frixion pen and some wadding scraps. Just sandwich the wadding between the fabric front and back, right sides out and stitch on the line. Remember to tack a ribbon loop inside before you sew. With pinked raw edges this is so much fun to make and really, really fast! Yes it will fray, but that's alright. You could layer organza over a print or stitch together strips and mark the template on the resulting pieced together fabric. Add buttons, a bell, bow, whatever!

I like Christmas sewing!

Christmas Diamond Paper Piecing

Gosh it's a busy time! I have had a super lovely day today, finished some sewing and had the pleasure of spending the day with my sister's family. We made a big roast dinner, listened to Christmas music and put up my Christmas decorations.

My son, Max is away in Cyprus right now and my Husband, Charlie is in Australia of all places! It's quiet, just me and Charlie boy, the dog and the crackle of logs on the fire.

So, I have been sewing! Mainly for the sewing class I am teaching at Beales in Bedford. We are working on English Paper Piecing. So far we have dabbled in simple hexagons and now are taking a break from that shape and moving to diamonds as it's a festive shape for a decoration. I have fussy cut these to create a kaleidoscope pattern in the middle.

In the center there is a 6 point meet and that can be tricky to get a neat finish so you can always stitch on a button or two or make a sweet little label like this one.

And look at this apron! I just love this! It has two gusseted pockets which means I can fit all of my notions and spares inside. Its a mid weight denim, tough but flexible enough. I saw lots of variations on the internet, some with sectioned pockets, but I'm glad I just have two large ones, a really flexible space which I can reach into and grab what I need. The applique, I would do differently now, but it was quick and fun.

What else have I been doing? Have a look at these cheerful, festive fabrics

There's a fun reindeer print on an oatmeal background. I just love the image of a reindeer! I don't really much like novelty fabrics, well not until now. Besides, I think it is really good to try and use different fabrics and unfamiliar styles, keeps the creativity going. As long as you don't hate the fabric that is!

These diamonds have a 1inch side. one is fussy cut.

 So I made 6 sets of those and added larger 2 inch sided diamonds. Next, my favorite bit, arranging the proposed layout. Isn't that a pretty little flower that has appeared in the middle?

I have added more, but that's for next time! Back soon... 

Paper Piecing Hexagons

Finally I have found the time to return. It's been a busy month for me - not least because my son turned 18 - meanwhile my friend who is the same age as me has children aged 7 and 5! How old do I feel? But never mind, what does it really matter?

So I have been revisiting English Paper Piecing this past month. You won't believe this, little projects started and finished! But I won't be smug! Here's a little look at what I've been working on:

I love the mix of Essex linen and patchwork weight cottons. I have enjoyed some fussy cutting and embroidery.

Just some big stitch quilting and ditch quilting. I used the blanket stitch on the machine to applique the panel to the front.

A cute little needlecase, I bought some extra wide mid weight denim cotton  from Plush which was perfect. I actually left the hexie papers in - don't tell anyone!

 Hexagons for the needlecases are only 1/2 inch, not hard to work with and super quick to stitch.

I love to  add a flash of colour on the inside. I think cutting the felt pages smaller works best. I usually make each successive page a little smaller than the first and that helps the booklet close.

Big pincushion, nice for the sewing room, TIP: add a bit of tray grip mat underneath and it won't slide about.

Another needlecase. It's fun using up scraps and trying out different styles. I didn't top stitch around the front edge this time. I think I prefer them top stitched.

I think this little hanging heart would be lovely with some plain linen Hexies and personalized embroidery

Another pincushion - round and plumptious! That button was a spare in a blouse.

This bag is made from a close weaved quilter's Linen. I have used sew-in heavy weight Vilene and appliqued the panel onto the bag front and vilene so that the appliqued hexagon panel's weight doesn't cause the front to sag. It's got a lime green lining. There are other layouts you can do with the hexagons even in a strip only 3 hex wide. It doesn't take long to stitch these and I love the modern look.

Well that's the catch up on my hexagons. I am making another page on the blog for English Paper Piecing. I'll put some details about methods, there are several different methods now. I'll also add sources for free template downloads and the latest handy gadgets, so stay tuned.

DIAMOND PROJECTS NEXT

I am working with diamonds now, they have a 6 point join in the middle, so a little more precision is called for.  I have some nice Christmas fabrics too. The projects are: A little tree decoration and a gorgeous Yule Star made from two sizes of diamond. You can applique this to a cushion or make into a festive wall hanging. If I can work out how to do it I'll post up the templates - but if not email me and I will email you the printable pdf.

My other projects? well, they are taking a slight pause! My Building Blocks Quilt blocks are all done - just sashing to add. And the Applique In My Garden quilt is waiting in the wings.. For Christmas I would like more time please!

Bye for now xx