Today I need to find some time to prep a bit of applique.
I do have some EPP to do and I did do a bit this morning. My Tula Nova is coming along nicely, but it's getting bigger and a bit more cumbersome to work on.
You can see on the purple-striped section that I am trying something new-to-me.
There is something called the flat-back stitch for joining EPP pieces, and I've tried it before...unsuccessfully. My attempt looked sloppy and loose. The purpose of this stitch is to actually look neater and not see see stitches from the front, as you can kind of see when doing the whip-stitch.
I tried using painters' tape for this method, but it didn't hold well enough while inserting multiple-pieced segments, like I'm doing now. Then I tried gift-wrapping tape....stickier than the painters' tape but not sticky enough to leave any residue on the fabric.
I have to say, my attempt at the flat-back stitch this time was much more successful...
Hmmm, maybe you can see in the picture above....on the right of the otter is some whip-stitching....to the left of him is the flat-back stitches.
As you can see, I'm still "old school" and baste my pieces to the foundation paper. I'm not finding it easy to do the newfangled gluing method.....and that's ok, as I even enjoy the thread-basting process.
Thanks to SS for walking me through the flat-back stitch. I really do try to be open to different methods even though I may stumble a bit at first :)
So, today I am fatigued. It feels too busy, physically, lately. I've been doing some painting this week...this morning I'll do the last hour or so needed to finish the job then really take it easy for the rest of the day.
I'd really like to prep the next block on my Kim McLean Animal Album quilt.
Here is the first block, practically done....I just need to prep three more small circles....
I do love very busy quilts!!
The other day I posted a picture of me with my arms full of garlic, you can see that post here.
Yesterday we tackled braiding the garlic. It was fun, and the first attempt without supervision. There is definitely room for improvement, but I'm quite happy with the result...
I think we should have made two smaller braids instead of the one, but once we got going it was hard to stop!
Well, I'd better get to my painting. I've always enjoyed painting, but I'm ready to have it done with.
I'll leave you with a picture of how my Temperature Quilt is coming along. This is it complete from January to the end of July...
I'm loving this one, and may even think of doing another version for 2020!
Have a lovely day, and hopefully you get a chance to sit back and relax a bit.
I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.
It seems that Spring is finally here in Southern Ontario....hope I'm not jinxing it! It feels so good to be out in the sunshine and a bit of warmth.
I have a bit of sewing that needs doing today, but hopefully the rest of the day will be spent outside enjoying the weather.
I started my day as usual, with a bit of hand-sewing. I'm working on the next segment of my Queen's Garden so I can present it at the next guild meeting. I've been leading this as a BOM, with permission from the designer.
This month we are working on two of these blocks.....
There will be a bit off embroidery going on and then these two blocks will actually be sliced in half diagonally to create four setting triangles.
Here is some of what has been completed so far...
It feels like this one is getting closer to being a real quilt top!
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A new sewalong this month is the Jen Kingwell "Dear Jen".
I think there will be 75 blocks in all...and we are given 6 block patterns per month.
I was a little frustrated with myself as I worked on the first block. I made many mistakes....just due to my own inattention, but I finally got it done. This one was done using hand-piecing. The blocks will all be 6" finished.
And, of course, it wasn't until it was done that I figured it could have used a bit more contrast between the background and the green fabric....but too bad, I'm calling this one done!!!
The next block went together much more easily. I decided to construct this one with English Paper Piecing. It still came out a bit bubbly, who knows why??!!!.....but it's not bad....
The background fabric is one that I won in a fabric bundle at Retreat a couple of weeks ago. Who took shorthand in high school??....I did, although it was the other sort....maybe known as Faulkner? I did enjoy shorthand, but did I ever use it in the work-place?....nope!....but I still will use a bit if I'm jotting down a quick note to myself.
I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. Hopefully you get a few moments to put in a couple of stitches on whatever you are working on and also get outside to soak up some Vitamin D.
Happy Easter!
I've taken a break from blogging this past month. It's been a forced hiatus as I have been taking steps to de-stress my life a bit. Not that blogging has ever been a chore, or stressful, but it felt like something I could put on hold for a short while.
I've also taken some of my quilty projects off the to-do list, in an attempt to simplify life. I do have to admit, though, to another sewalong beginning at the end of April, lol.
I wish I could somehow fit a relaxing activity like yoga or pilates into the mix, but at the moment it doesn't seem to be happening. Luckily I have my morning slow-stitching....which I often refer to as my "yoga".
Since I was last here in blog-land I completed my Hand-piecing Sewalong. I think I'll try to get this one basted soon so I can do a bit of hand-quilting when the mood strikes me. It is 26"square and I contemplated adding a border, but I think this will be it.
I've also completed the fourth and final block from the wool applique class that I was taking at Quilt Junction lately. I learned a lot of cool stitches and am happy with my blocks. I think I will sew these together and make a small, decorative pillow.
On my to-do list tomorrow will be to do the prep-work for the next block for my Queen's Garden. In the meantime, this morning, I worked on my Tula Nova EPP....which is normally saved for "away" stitching...
I'm a little behind in my Harry Potter QAL. I did get the "Dobby the House Elf" block completed, but then it was given away and I'll have to make another....which kind of sucks, as it was a difficult block with a couple of issues ( not issues with the pattern, issues with my piecing! ) ...
Dobby was an intricate block.....then came the Hogwart's Express block!!!....it was even more-so...and in the end it did not work out well.
There's a big, fat error in the piecing....which I can live with. What you can't see, due to the magic of cropping, is the uneven edges to my block....so much so that I don't think it will be fudge-able when it comes to joining it with the other blocks. Also, I think I will change the numeral 2 in the block so it looks less like a backwards 5.
Here is a reminder of the previous blocks....
In my quest to organize and de-stress, I am trying something called a Bullet Journal. As someone who enjoys working with lists I think this may be a good thing, who knows. If any of you uses a Bullet Journal, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
It's been an early morning for me...I find that happens when there is a lot to do to prepare for a family gathering. We are having most of the family over for an Easter lunch.
I'll be trying a couple of new recipes, one being a crust-less quiche...I hope it works out!
On Saturday I made something ahead of time, to free-up some oven time for today. This bread was something my mother would often make. It's made with a sweet dough and when it comes out of the oven you put jam in the creases of the braid and a thin icing on the humps. I have to say, I'm impressed with the results, even though the flavour of the bread is slightly different from what I remember of my mom's. Of course, I had to test it out by having a slice (or two)....
That's all for now....have a wonderful day. I hope it includes a bit of slow stitching.
I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching, and also with Elm Street Quilts for the Hand-piecing QAL Finale.
All of a sudden we are nearing the middle of January....and, hoping I don't jinx it, we haven't lifted a snow shovel yet. I'm good with that!
Today I'm dreaming a bit of my perennial garden. Last summer it got zero attention so by the end of the season I wondered if I should just give up on the idea. Nope, this year my focus will be the garden and rejuvenating it. Now I just have to be patient for a few months!
Lately my slow stitching may be considered somewhat boring, but, funny enough, I don't mind it at all. I've been prepping pieces for my English Paper Piecing project, Tula Nova.
Here are the pieces so far....
When I began this quilt I was doing a bit of prep, then a bit of sewing. I soon realised that it made more sense to me to take the time to do all the prep-work before joining the pieces....I can't explain my thought process, but I'm happy with how this is going.
I'll be going to my monthly applique afternoon this week. I think I'll dive in to the prepped pieces and actually get going on it.
On Friday I attended the first class at Quilt Junction on embroidery stitches for wool applique.
We each got a little Sue Spargo kit and instructions for our first four stitches.
I've only tried the Bullion Stitch once in my life. This one is a challenge, but will be worth mastering.
Here is my block after the first lesson. The red bumpy stitches are supposed to be the Bullion stitches....not bad for my first attempt, but not pretty either, lol....
This morning, I tore out the stitches and started over, determined to "get it"...
Oh my!!!, such pretty little stitch.....my excitement was short-lived as I realised that I "only" had to repeat this another fifty times or so!!!
So I carried on for a bit. I will pick it up again later, but these stitches were enough for one sitting...
Hopefully by the time I get to the other side of the ladybug I will be a bit more even in my stitches....but I'm happy with this so far. I can't wait to see what we learn next month :)
I hope to do a bit of sewing today. I have two days to add to my Temperature quilt. I think that's how this quilt will progress, keeping track of the temperatures on my calendar daily, then doing the actual block construction twice a week or so.
You can see how it looks so far in this post.
It's Sunday, and you know what that means!....we get to visit Kathy to see what others are doing for Slow Sunday Stitching. I think I'll have an extra cup of coffee and visit the slow-stitchers to see what they are working on today.
I was able to get caught up on my Save the Bees, block 3, this weekend.
I wonder if I should have taken the paper out of the hexies before appliqueing them onto the background? It would have made it a bit easier....I'll try it next time.
I really need to prep some applique...meanwhile I am prepping more English Paper Piecing for my Tula Nova...
I have this project packed in a little take-along case which made it handy to work a bit in the car on an outing to Brantford yesterday.
I'm finding the basting difficult at the moment as the arthritis pain in my finger joints is really acting up lately. I wonder if weather really does play a role in arthritis? I tend to find that I have flare-ups when I don't watch what I eat, but then again, the weather for the last couple weeks has been mainly grey and damp. The swelling in my index finger is at an all time high....for years I've referred to this finger as Arthur....get it?..Arthur-itis?
Something came up this week about what people's favourite quilty tool is. I was at a loss, so just said my Karen Kay Buckley scissors.
As I sat stitching this morning I realised that I had a favourite that isn't the star of the show, but plays a supporting role in my applique....literally.
As long as I can remember, when I do my applique, I've had something resting on my lap to rest my work and hands on as I stitch. In the beginning it was an over-sized children's book, Lady and the Tramp. (Why do I remember such things, but not what I had for dinner last night!?)
Quite a few years ago, someone gave me a thank-you gift. It is a Clover product and you see it in every picture that I take of my hand-work. It's called the Clover Patchwork Board and I use it every day.
One side is padded so you can use it to press your work, although I've never used that side. The other side has a leather flap that opens up to reveal a rough surface, which I hardly ever use....except for this past week.
I always forget about the rough, sandpaper-like surface....but it is awesome for tracing my EPP shapes on to the fabric...
Someone asked me once if I get sore wrists from all the applique, and I said I did not. I realised then that this board must help me in that respect, as I probably rest my hands on the board at regular intervals between stitching/pinning, etc., without really realising it.
I'd better get a move on....I'm having a run with my friend this morning in beautiful Waterford. I'm not sure it will be a good run as there hasn't been much time for it the last couple of weeks, but the sun is shining and that will make it a good run!
I am linking up today with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.
P.S. By the way, in my my last post I mentioned a curiousity about Temperature Quilts. It turns out, there is great inspiration on Pinterest and I'm definitely going to put this on my to-do list for the new year. Check it out and hopefully you will want to join in! (and, yes, I have been called an enabler from time-to-time, as recently as this past week, bwahahaha!)
