A Short Video of some Motifs/Techniques Learned in the Free Courses!
Thought I'd share my "design" trick for creating quilts with fabric stash...instead of purchasing what the pattern calls for. This is my thought process for scrappy style quilts like the Merry Merry Snowmen one. First task is to photocopy the color photo of the quilt provided in the pattern. Then, I use different colored markers to start "coding" the different areas while considering fabrics I pull from my stash. It is often necessary to use 2-3 fabrics where the pattern calls for just one...because there might not be enough yardage. The basic color family...brown, red, etc...must stay the same...and the value of the color (medium, dark, etc) should also stay the same. Balance the fabrics by placing them in a triangle (see blue markings) or equally balanced throughout the quilt (see yellow markings). Just as in crazy quilt embellishing...your goal is to get the eye of the viewer to travel around the quilt...and not stay in just one place.
Progress has been made...and the backgrounds for all of the remaining pattern blocks are complete.
Now, to prepare all of those applique pieces for sewing on to these blocks!
First, the snowmen! I have traced all of the snowmen shapes on to a fusible interfacing (not fusible web). The interfacing is thin enough so that I can trace on the reverse side...with a soft lead pencil (a colored pencil).
Here, you see that they have then been ironed down to the reverse side of my white fabric. Next, they will be trimmed around, leaving about 1/4 inch of fabric for turning under. Because these pieces are white, and will allow the darker background colors to "bleed through"...I'm going to use a piece of white fleece in the center of each one as I applique. That will also give each snowman a little "fluff", and you now that snowmen are fluffy!
This vintage alphabet has no "W". Suggest you use the "M" inverted.
Last month I signed up, along with 20+ other ladies, to stitch the pattern "Merry Merry Snowmen" as a group stitch-a-long over at the HGTV Message Board Group. Each person is doing their own quilt...but, we have deadlines to get each block completed.
This is block one...and was not too difficult to create. This quilt is not as easy breezy as Erin Russek's "Jingle" quilt is...that I blogged about last week. Mostly because this quilt has more pieces and pieces that are smaller than the ones commonly designed by Erin. Still, this is not a hard quilt...and the pattern includes pages and pages of instruction and full size templates...no re-sizing! Got to love that!
The pattern is available at Bunny Hill Designs. You can get the idea for the entire quilt. I'm using my own fabric stash...and did not order a kit. One lady in the group is pulling blues instead of reds...and so far, her quilt is very nice...very "winter" looking.
Some of the ladies are doing machine applique...but mine is all by hand. I don't enjoy stitching fusible, and hand applique just looks worlds better to me....so, it is worth my time. So, if you are looking to start a full-size project for Christmas...this is a good pattern to work up.
It was created by Hideko Ishida of Japan. The blocks are from the Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2012, and the journal is her choice of how to display the blocks. I so love it...that I asked her permission to share some photos here on my blog. She graciously agreed...thank you Hideko!
I am just in awe as the professional look of the finished project...and now...yep, my muse wants one too!
But, she will have to wait...as there is way too much work going on in my house now. And my CQJP2013 plans are already underway...but, there will be CQJP2014 to consider!!
Perhaps I can satisfy Ms. Muse with that plan. Doesn't this journal just make you want to stitch!
Glorious! Just glorious!
I love the way the pages are sewn in to a felted spine, and the little eyelet lace at each edge...and the fringe trim to the front and back! Oh, and the little poems and sayings on the back of each page...ingenious! Such a treasure!
The past five hours...I've been looking over hundreds of images on a site...where I can't even understand the language!! Here is the site link: http://lespetitescroixdanaide.centerblog.net/
This is a french site...and the images seem to be for use as blog headers, corners, pins, separations, and such. However, a great, great many of the images would be suitable for personal scrapbooking or for creating silkies too.
Hopefully, you will agree that the site is worth your time to look around. As I don't speak or read French...please contact the site owner before using the images in your professional endeavors...as I have no idea what the copyright limitations are for these. There are no prices or pop up blockers on the site...so, it could be a free blog resource too...as it appears to me. All I know for sure... is that there are hundreds of wonderful ideas there!
These past few days, I've been stitching solely on the center block to Erin Russek's Block of the Month for 2013, "Jingle". The center is a 30"x30" medallion pattern, titled "Miss Kringle" which she sales to accompany the free blocks every month that she posts on her blog, One Piece At A Time.
I love her designs...and have download them the past two years...but have not sewn them. This year, I had all of the fabric colors in my stash...and ran out of excuses not to stitch! Hugs!
So, I'm doing it!
Here's the applique pieces...before I started putting down all of the leaves.
And, instead of the suggested bias stems...I'm doing embroidery work (stemstitch). The single applique blocks of the month have embroidery stems...so, I'm thinking this will coordinate better than bias would (plus it's faster!). Hugs!
I do love Erin's patterns...they have large applique pieces that are easy to work with. No "slender points" (which are only good for fusible work), these shapes are "designed" for hand applique. Thank you Erin!
If you have been looking for a hand applique challenge...that is truly manageable...I strongly recommend her patterns.
Of course, working on this full-size applique project...(the first large scale applique that I've tackled in fifteen years!!)... has not stopped me from also signing up for another huge applique quilt endeavor over at HGTV Message Board group either this year...geez!
But, at least for Erin's quilt...she is doing one applique block and then one pieced block for every other month. So, I should get a bit of a breather at least every other month!
(Plus...my muze agreeded yesterday to crochet a baby blanket for my sister-in-law's nephew's new baby, to be delivered some time next month. She is getting the yarn...I'm doing the handwork. My muze is always getting me in deeper! Does yours?)
This vintage alphabet has no "I" Suggest using the post of the "K"
Well, if you do either of these...you really seriously need to check out this site. I'm not even sure how I found it, but I've been following it for weeks now...and love it. I don't have the time for all of the projects, but have done at least three of them when Aidan has visited...and she always has a good time with them.
This little sheep is one idea out of hundreds...but is a good example of the easy nature of the crafts, and that most supplies needed are really usually on-hand anyway!
So, please check them out....Krokotak
The site is in Russian, but can easily be translated...there is a button at the top right.
Really, this book should be called "400+ Crazy Quilt Seam Ideas". And, without a doubt...it is the very best book on seams that I have seen yet. And, I include my own book, Embellishing Crazy Quilts, in that list too. And my second book will be done closer to this one...as I'm in love with this easy breezy layout!
This book is published by the Love to Quilt Creations, and is promoted by the American Quilt Society. The author, Joan Waldman, created a lovely book. Actually, it is more the size of a pamplet...only 31 pages.
But almost every page is stuffed full of gorgeous charted designs that are clearly printed on graph paper. (A perfect companion to the grid template I posted for you last week...how cool is that!).
I love that it is thin enough to go in a project totebag, and easy enough to understand that any stitcher...even the very beginning stitcher...can follow it.
I got my copy as a "used like new" book from Amazon...at only $7.70 plus shipping. You might not find one that cheap, but...any price is seriously worth the money!
I spent a little time this afternoon making more templates...using the grid system I posted about last week. I did punch out an entire grid with my large needle...and it took a while. I also used my 1/16 hole punch and punched out just a few "individual" seam template base ideas...cretan, holbein, herringbone, running stitch, etc. and they took far less time! More printing of the grids on vellum...but far easier to punch out.
Actually, I'm really surprised that I can even see the holes...as I'm that tired. Sommer and Aidan stopped by late yesterday afternoon. And, Sommer was so tired...she fell asleep across the end of my bed. At 8:00 p.m. I still didn't have the heart to wake her...but had too. I was worried about them driving home, and convinced her to just spend the night...and get up really early to drive back home and get Aidan on the school bus this morning. There were clothes still here for Aidan...so getting dressed this morning was no problem.
Sommer agreed, and immediately went right back to sleep...and I put Aidan to bed around 9:00 p.m.
Then, around 10:30 p.m. I decided it was time for me to turn in too. So, I crawled into bed. Now, my bedroom is the only bedroom in this apartment...but is big. It has my double bed and Aidan's single bed in the same large space. After about 20 minutes...and I was just almost asleep...Aidan starts snoring. And, I mean SNORING. Her mother never moved or woke up...being dead asleep herself.
ME...another story all together! I tried getting her to turn over. Nope, no help...I tried a pillow over my head...Nope, no help. Finally, around midnight I just gave up...and got up. No sleep, so I got on the laptop and got some design work done.
At 5:00 a.m. I was in the kitchen making oatmeal....and sure did need my two cups of coffee at 8:30 a.m. when mother was awake down stairs at her house!
I've got my second wind now...a burst of energy...but, figure it won't last a whole lot longer! I should sleep like a baby....a snoring baby...tonight!
Hugs! Hope you all get a good night's sleep tonight too!
p.s. If you send me something today/tonight and my response does not make sense...then, I'm asleep...so you're really talking to my muse!
Hey, that might be a better conversation come to think of it!
