VICTORIAN SUMMER

THIS IS THE CURRENT VICTORIAN PIECE BEING WORKED ON...SUMMER/OCEAN FOR A THEME IS BEING USED.

WORKING WITH TWO BLOCKS FOR EMBELLISHMENT

THIS IS THE NUMBERED LAYOUT WITH TWO BLOCKS SEWN TOGETHER

VICTORIAN FALL ...

HERE IS A LITTLE SOMETHING TO ENCOURAGE MEMORIES OF FALL IN NEW ENGLAND.

 This is using foundation piecing blocks...the ribbon work on the border is a method that I love to use now...very simple...basting lines with crewel thread ...then weave ribbon in an out of the basted line and bead work...WA...LA...This is also an anchor for the border edge....notice the pillow slip edge..:)
The fabrics came from my stash...upholstery books stash...and the border fabric was a left over from Rob's upholstery shop...nice stuff...like velvet...but not.

I like to use motifs that you can buy in the store and pile bead work on top of trim.  The fabrics I use also have potential bead work...I am always looking for that kind of thing...it helps with the embellishment process.  Fabric leaves are great...just can not say enough about them...looking at fabric flower petals as HUGE potential!!  As you work with this method of quilting...you get ideas to try...there are some great books out there and will post that later.  Embroidery stitches are also HUGE potential for bead work...buttons are too.  Buttons are great anchors and flower making potential.  The buttons you see are anchors for the 3 layers....muslin foundation, fabrics used, and backing.

CRAZY Q FALL THEMES....

FALL IN NEW ENGLAND IS VERY INSPIRING AND SOMETHING I USE FOR THIS METHOD OF MAKING QUILTS...Here are two samples and snippets of the work.

 This is a close up of the center blocks...each one was stuffed and the button is an anchor for the finished piece.  The star is blurry but one of my favorite things to do with stars...add the rays with beads.  The thread work is done with pearl cotton #8 and crewel embroidery floss.  The bead size does vary...not too large...the larger the bead ...the more times I go through the holes .  I use double thread for EVERYTHING...QUILTING AND SEWING.

The photos show aster flowers with bead centers.  Leaves made out of satin/poly and they are sewn on and bead work. I just love having a digital camera...such a gem for quilters...because it allows us to take photos of work in progress and a picture helps to see things.  This is before the border went on and where I hope to return to soon. This was a muslin foundation piecing method so each block has the same formation.  The fabrics come from my stash and upholstery books that I took apart...corduroys, velvets, cottons were also used.  AND NOW.......HERE IS WHAT THE PIECE ENDED UP LOOKING LIKE...yes...I used a binding...but NEVER AGAIN..this is just not my thing...this method will always have a pillow slip edge..which means...this piece will be taken down to the above picture.  I want to enlarge this piece.  I learned that when you hurry...10 days work here...things happen.  This method of quilt making requires time and patience to complete.

VICTORIAN QUILTING

THIS IS SOMETHING THAT  EVOLVED FROM THINGS THAT FAMILY LEFT BEHIND ....LIKE GRANDMA'S HANDKERCHIEF COLLECTION, LONG NECKLACES, OLD SCRAP QUILT THAT HAD FALLEN APART BUT STILL HAD PARTS THAT  I  USED AND REMINDS YOU OF THE CLOTHING THEY ONCE WORE...BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT THE QUILT WAS MADE OF.  This is a green idea...it works best when you can recycle things and turn it into a memory quilt...which is what I did.  HERE IT IS...

 

It is tradition to have a fan or two in Crazy Q's and this one has beads from Grandma M's jewelry.

 

 apron fabric from France..the large flower area

Egyptian fabric at top and lilac fabric...

taking lace trim and using parts for flowers...

THE THOUGHT WAS TO STAY WITH BLACK AND PURPLE...PURPLE BECAUSE OF THE LILAC BUSHES THAT GREW ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE AT THE FARM.  THIS WON VIEWERS CHOICE AT NLQG.  There are pathways on this piece...hearts, french knots and they serve a purpose to hold the 3 layers together.  Crazy Q's need the support...otherwise things will sag in time.  I decided to do spaces instead of every line for embellishment. The binding does not happen with this type of quilt.  I use the pillow slip method which is to sew 3 sides and flip it right side.  The buttons came from Grandma D's collection and serves to crisp the edges so the velvet will not roll.  The lace around the edge represents child scribble.  There are photos transferred to muslin, the couch materials that has memories of childhood reading on the porch at the farm.  The Egyptian fabric represents the gold leafing on Grandma D's treadle sewing machine and where I was inspired by her sewing...mostly mending but my first recall of watching someone sew.  The fabrics came from my stash of things...the velvet was purchased.  There are 2 Crazy Q methods used.  The traditional of random patching and the edges are foundation piecing. The final piece is the bead work which goes around the entire piece...that took a while to do!  NOTHING is glued...it is all hand sewn...each seed bead.  The close up snippets will show what I mean.  :)

FABRIC DESIGN BLOWOUT WEEKEND....GREAT TIME.

The following are photos showing a group of us who gathered outside under tents for our annual fabric design weekend.  We bring various supplies and tools to work on fabric that will be our own design.  The methods are batiking using bees wax and paraffin wax,  mono printing using fabric paint, fabric dyes, stamping using fabric paints and inks, tie dye methods for resist....like rubber bands, knobs, string, wood sticks,  clothes pins, and anything else we can come up with to help with the resist process.  We also use different tools that will help make a pattern...like a potato masher...grids with holes in them...bubble wrap....metal whisks.

THIS IS BATIK AND ICE METHOD...ICE HAS POWDER FABRIC DYES ON TOP AND THEN LET MELT

ICE METHOD AND RUBBER BANDS FOR RESIST

FUTURE FABRIC POSTCARDS....BATIK..DYES...FABRIC PAINTS...COMBO

 MONO STAMPING WITH STAMPS AND SPONGE ART...MORE FABRIC POSTCARDS

 A NEW SURPRISE....COFFEE FILTERS...BATIK AND DYES USED FOR COLOR...IRONED OUT THE WAX

 GUTTA RESIST..DYES....COFFEE FILTERS...FOR FABRIC POSTCARDS

MONO PRINTING...SCRIBBLE...POSTCARDS

STUDIO JULY CHALLENGE...NOTHING BUT BLOCKS FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH....USING SCRAPS AND 5" SQUARES

THE IDEA WAS TO BAG THE SCRAPS AND SELL OR GIVE THEM AWAY...WHICH IS WHAT I DID.  BUT I still have some left over and now what do I do with all of it?  For some time I have wanted to make a BOX of scrap squares and so the entire month of July is going to be nothing but piles of scraps and see what happens.  There will be postings showing how things are going and what happens with this idea.  :) 

 

1.  Dump a tub out on the table and bag the pieces. 
2.  This was sorted...Christmas prints/solids vs prints/solids. (ok, the tubs were already set to go)
3.  I was going to iron each piece first...but that would take tooooo long so now I will iron the pieces I need in making the blocks.
4.  Using a collection of patterns from various sources...like books...pot holder patterns...tools to make certain type blocks that have scrap potential.  (more later)
5.  Marking tools...I use chalk pencils, pencils and sharp scissors.
6.  THE BOX is ready and waiting for all those squares which will be different in size...did I mention that?  (6", 8", 12", 16", 24")  There will be Christmas blocks and print blocks done at the same time.

QUILTS/QUILTS/QUILTS more pending...

The template starter....I was looking at the square types that I have made up and this was the kicker for how many blocks can I make in  the July challenge!  In 3 days time = 50+ blocks are made!  It takes less time than you would think.  The below picture is the tub I am filling up.  I am using Christmas and regular print fabrics...just switching off.   It looks like all Christmas fabrics right now...but not what I am really doing...both are happening.  I will post more photos later.

 

WILL I FILL THE BUCKET BEFORE THE END OF THE MONTH??? 

 

 

UPDATED....JULY 24TH!

200 + SAMPLER BLOCKS AND COUNTING!  There will be more photos of all the blocks once the rain stops and I can do things outside on the grass.   This is turning out to be fun!  All sorts of ideas are coming together about what to do with the blocks...my vision is sampler quilts with no sashing and using different size blocks.  This is the perfect time to use up the squares from other projects and quilt themes are emerging as I go along like farm theme, rmb box fabrics, windmills the regular way and with the X block and that surprise block.

 

This block has huge potential for both types of fabrics being used! I will make a few of these.  This is another bonus for doing all the blocks....you get to try out ones that really say....make me into a quilt!!  The photo below shows the layout by machine and piled blocks to be sewn.  This works well...there are 12 pinwheels in the pile. 

 The picture below is another I like and looking at what 4 blocks of this will look like.  The last picture is the sorting of stash area...the scrap pieces really help with deciding what to do with it all.  It is sorted by size, shape and hues.  My cutting has many almost complete triangle shapes left as a scrap...so I am sewing the angles together...then cut to the size I want.  It is good to have squares cut and ready to go...5", 4", 3" are my current favorite.  Sorry I am not able to add captions under the pictures...the blog has some quirks with adding to existing pages. 

PIECES...PIECES...OH...WHAT TO DO?!

 

 

The star using RMB fabrics... From the July challenge...a nice find and one that will be used for a full size quilt later on.

 

 

UFO'S = UNFINISHED OBJECTS AND SOMETHING THAT ALL QUILTERS HAVE!!

This page will have a collection of projects that are UFO'S....by definition it means...something that was started and for some reason was left undone or "for another day". Often quilters have "snaffoos" that alter something being done...could be with the project or other events in life that stop things for awhile.  Every quilter that I know, has a box or two of things not done.  So, I thought creating a page dedicated to UFO'S  would bring this forward and help with getting things done.  In my case, the projects will not include the numbered quilt pages.  I don't consider a quilt top ready to be finished as a UFO...even though it is for some quilters.  All UFO'S can have a short life...some get turned into other things, thrown out, sold, or given away...and YES some get finished!!  You will see what I mean! Stay tuned!!

APPLIQUE'  TO PRACTICE THE APPLIQUE' STITCH

STRIP METHOD TO USE UP THE FINAL ENDS OF A COLOR COLLECTION

 CROSS STITCH SQUARES THEN ECHO QUILTING BEING DONE FOR ENTIRE PIECE