I have been running into this project on quite a few blogs and sites that I read. I think that it has been going on for at least a couple of months now and I have finally followed suit and did the suggested stitch sample for this week.
Instead of falling asleep in front of the tv, I got out a scrap piece of felted wool and some perl cotton and after looking at a couple of embroidery web sites, I created this little piece using a few variations of the cross stitch.
My grandmother used to follow printed patterns of cross stitch to make pillow case borders -- she even made a quilt for my sister of blocks of cross stitch farm animals -- at least I can see the quilt in my mind as I am sure it long ago got worn out and thrown out.
Without the printed x on fabric it really is a challenge to keep the stitches consistent and even, so I am quite pleased with this little attempt -- I certainly do need to work on improvement of technique.
I did want to try this project as I have been collecting unusual fabrics for a few years now and really would like to start on a crazy quilt -- embroidery stitches are essential to a good CRAZY, so perhaps the TAKE A STITCH TUESDAY will get me on track to that project.
If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?
Submitted by J.T.
Willpower! The ability to do what I say I will do...
Finally finished my Christmas Stack n Whack! Started this one way back in the millenium year (2000) with a group of friends on a warm spring day. We had our sewing machines out on my back yard deck and had a wonderful day learning together how to put together Stack n Whack Blocks from Bethany Reynolds book of that name. A couple of moves and my blocks got put on a back burner and almost forgot, til I pulled it out in Sept 06 and managed to get it layered and mostly quilted, but it took til just this week to get the final stitches in and the binding on... One of few that I shall keep for myself. I think.
And I have started a irish chain in scrappy blues, this will need to be finished up quicker than the Stack & Whack because it will be for a brother in law's second wedding in May -- still debating on borders and bindings though...
I have resisted -- I have resisted for quite some time -- my stash and a chance review of an older Simply Quilts show conspired to catch my inclination to try something new...
HO HUM...
I made fabric bowls. Just the basic, online, easy for a fabric bowl beginner bowl. But I had to do three -- there is only a picture of two of them because almost as quickly as they were made - they were wrapped up and given as a gift! And they were a HIT! So nice to see when someone is happy to receive a gift!
I found a little diversionary pattern the other day -- just something a bit different than quilts and quilt making....
Sent a picture of POINTY KITTY to some of my family and cousins, some of them sent the picture onto their grown up married kids with kids -- Now I have about 10 requests to teach them how to make this cutie kitty! I gather one of them is arranging to set up a time and day at their church and I get to show them how to put this together -- but by hand not machine, cause, only one of them has a sewing machine...
I used a batik to create this version with the eyes wonder undered on -- straight pins for whiskers, which of course would not be suitable at all for kidlets -- but I will worry about that latter....
Whew! I try to spend the morning working at whatever it takes to keep things in order or to do what needs to be done around my home. Well this week I did not sweep a floor or vacuum even one stair -- I sewed.
I spent Monday and Tuesday Morning making a table runner for a niece who is getting married on Feb 20 and having a shower on Feb 8. The table runner is two sided so that depending on what she is feeling she can lay the green/purple side up, or the log cabin scrappy blocks, side up. Actually the only difficulty with doing the two-sided table runner is when it came to layering them with the batting in between, was to make sure they were exactly lined up so that the borders would not have to be cut down at all. After I fiddled around with it I thought that it would have been a good idea if I had cut the batting to the measurements of the fabric layers and it would have been easier. I don't think that would work well if you made a whole two sided quilt but for the smaller project it should streamline things a bit better
The other dilemna with the table runner was what to bind it with so that the binding would work for both sides? I finally decided on a light mauve print because it obviously went with the purple/green side and there were some purples in the log cabin side so it went well with that too...
The other project was actually mostly sewn by members at my guild. We had a "game" at our November meeting where everyone made and brought BINGO BLOCKS, the blocks were 25 - 2 1/2 inch squares sewn so that yellows formed a row, then reds, then purples then blues then greens - the description and instructions are at http://www.fonsandporter.com/fp/onlineextras/freedesigndownloads/bingo.asp if you are interested in learning more.
After the game, instead of everyone taking home their blocks we donated them to our charity quilts program and some of our members divided them up and took home a stack (there were over 80 blocks) to make into a quilt to give back to our guild. Well, I took home 20 blocks and the above quilt is the finished product! It is a nice size, 55 x 75 with the added borders and will probably go to the local Women's Shelter, later this year. My friend Doris also took 20 blocks and she has finished her quilt too. She though, put sashing between the blocks and was able to find a multi colour border that almost exactly reflected the SHADES within the blocks, hers is considerably bigger than mine ( but then she has a BEE-LINE quilting system) so is able to do larger quilts with no trouble -- I just have my Janome 6600, which is great for quilt too, but on a smaller scale -- though, I can see myself doing a double or maybe even a queen size using a thin batting...
So that is my week!
Well, I wrote a bit and deleted a bit. I added a picture and deleted a picture. All about how this particular blog site operates I suppose. But, I have managed to create my own personalized banner! That is at least one accomplishement for the day and I am quite happy with it -- the quilt blocks pictured though are not mine, but that of a good friend -- you would think of the hundreds of quilts that I have created I could find one of my own to use...
It is best to at least start. So here is the first of my posts.
Goals, someone suggested sometime ago, is a good thing. I can plan but alot of my Goals go awry -- that is other than my QUILTS which usually turn into oddbits of joy to me -- everyone done is either happiness to me or most often to the person who recieves the material joy. My quilts are material joy, everytime, even the ones that don't particularly work well be it in colour or pattern, someone always thinks they are great! It is easier to please others than myself -- but I keep trying and a good deal of the time succeed.
Yesterday, I finished the quilt guild newsletter -- I so enjoy being the editor! It is only 10 pages but when I am done, I go through it time and time again -- each time amazing myself at its set up and content. Not all content is mine, of course as it is a membership type of newsletter, but I usually manage to find some tidbit of quilting ephemera to include on the last page. This month a whole project! And of course, I am doing the quilt that I have rewritten and redrawn the instructions for. I found the idea on the internet but the instructions were horrendous! It is a easy quilt, if the instructions were clear and complete, when NOW they are, but the original write up was even difficult for me and I thought I had tried everything in my 40 years + of quiltmaking! So somedays in the near future I shall post the photo of the completed project and space allowing the instructions that i have revamped -- there is no copywrite and I will not put one on it, so look forward to seeing it and perhaps READER you will be inclined to make it too...
on Done and Begun