Today was a play day with the needle felting machine. I used wool felt, cotton velveteen, silk and wool roving. The first try—top- was too much as I was trying to pull the orange color to the front. The middle one was too little as …
I tried using an opaque water soluble stabilizer and it worked fine. Those taking the class June 11 in Hannibal, MO may choose to use that rather than the clear if that is what you have on hand. The important point is the water soluble …
At the end of April, barely returned from our winter home in Texas and not yet unpacked I turned around and headed for Quilt City with four quilting friends. After four days of stimulation from beautiful quilts, quilt fabrics, quilt classes and all other things related to quilts in Paducah, Kentucky I am still trying to recoup. The quilts were, as usual, spectacular. The first night back I was exhausted and slept without dreaming. By the second night I had had time to begin processing all that I saw, all that I bought and some of what I wanted to create. I had been asleep less than three hours when I awoke with a start. I had to get up and make some notes. I had been dreaming in silk dupioni—literally. Everything I was dreaming about was either a color I had seen in a quilt or was a quilt that I had designed and made (in my dreams) and all were hand quilted beautifully out of silk dupioni. So, up and out of bed, bleary eyed but excited, get those thoughts recorded. Wouldn’t you know, by the time I found the writing utensil and some paper I couldn’t remember anything but a gigantic star of the softest olive green. It was not pieced. It was all one color and hand stitched with the tiniest of stitches. When I awoke I was sure I had a prize winning quilt design. Now, days later, I look at the notes and am wondering why on earth I thought it was worth getting out of bed at 2 a.m. and recording. Will there be a soft, olive green prize winning star quilt of silk dupioni with tiny hand stitches in my future? Most likely not, but I will continue to fondle the silk dupioni that I did purchase and dream on, in silk.
April’s “T” block is a popular alphabet block. I especially like the versions that are arranged as tessellations so chose the block called “tea time”. I am not fond of tea but do remember my first drink of the beverage at a very young age. …
Feeling the end of winter in Texas. The sewing room is probably not going to be at the point we wanted when we started the winter in December but, having done all the work ourselves it gives a sense of accomplishment. Yesterday I painted the …
A Spot of Color
It was such a gray and gloomy day for south Texas but a good opportunity to try my newly purchased Dye-Na-Flo paints. Practice comes first before making the “real” project. Checking out the colors on a practice scrap of the canvas I intend to use also provided an opportunity to try a glue resist. Many articles read over the years in Quilting Arts magazine gave me encouragement to just experiment. It was, after all, a scrap. Well, now I like the outcome and will have to think of something to make with the sample scrap—provided the glue does wash out without washing out the color. Instructions say to heat set and then rinse but no can do with the glue on it. The glue has to be washed out after soaking for at least 10 minutes. The experiment is not done yet but it was worth a photo at this point just in case. The colors at this point are exactly what I want for the iris I have planned for the canvas. I used a permanent marker that I hope will be the resist and have my picture drawn. I will have to remind myself that it is just a tote bag for carrying groceries—whether it turns out good or bad. Hopefully it will add to my confidence and lead to other projects I have in mind for the paint. I really like the way the paint migrated with the added salt and think that will be a good technique on the iris.
Helpful hint: I used a piece of leftover shelf plastic to protect my counter top. Just right for a small space and small piece.
The Rockport quilt guild, Piecemakers by the Bay, held a workday for making “quilts for kids”, one of the many charitable projects they support. It was my first time attending this work day and it was an inspiring event. Over 50 women gathered with sewing …
Since March is my birthday month I looked for a block that represented birthdays. My first thought was “cake stand” but I also found “Happy Birthday”, “Birthday Cake” and “Birthday Parties”. Spring Daffodil is adapted from “Happy Birthday” as identified in Jinny Beyer’s book, The Quilter’s Album of Patchwork Patterns. Daffodils were always one of the first harbingers of spring growing up and a spring favorite of my mother’s. Also a favorite of mine but I’m just not much of a cultivator of flowers in the ground. I do love them large and bold in fabrics however!
This block was made using scraps from other projects so dig down in your stash and pick out your favorite spring blues or choose your own color palette.
Various blue prints: twelve 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangles and four 3 ½” corner squares.
Dark blue: fat quarter (two 10” squares cut in half diagonally)
Neutral: ½ yard or 14” square
Scraps of yellows and greens for daffodil applique (my contribution to the block).
You can find simple line drawings online of daffodils or draw your own. If you leave me a note on the blog I can send you a pdf of the drawing I made and used for mine. You might also search through your patterns and books. I found it pretty easy to sketch the flower and then just added leaves.
Step 1: Use your favorite method to applique the daffodil to the neutral center square. I used a machine buttonhole stitch after fusing the raw edge applique to the background. Trim to 13 ¼” square.
Step 2: Sew dark blue half squares to each side of the applique center. Trim to 18 ½” square.
Step 3: Join three 3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangles and sew to either side of the center square. Join three rectangles and two corner squares for the top and bottom of the block.
Step 4: Layer, quilt, and bind.
I quilted a few snowflakes and added a few beads on the gray polka dot background as March blooming daffodils may experience some snow after peeking through on the south side of our house.
A very fast and simple project. Hope you enjoy trying this one in your favorite spring colors and favorite spring flower.
Remembering: Under the Quilt I grew up knowing that when you were going to a “dress up” or public event proper ladies wore nylon hose. I learned about hosiery when playing under the quilt as my grandmother and her friends quilted at the country church. …
