The One That Made Me Smile

Despite the speed that I am churning out Christmas presents right now, sometimes something I make really catches my fancy. Yesterday I started a table runner as a gift for someone. I didn't do any sketching or planning, just thought up something in my head, and started cutting fabric.

And I am chuffed to bits the way it has turned out.

I fussy cut some of my Cherry Christmas and then pulled a couple of other Christmas charms and fussy cut them too. I contemplated adding more colour to the fabrics chosen, but decided that the blue/red/grey theme worked for me.

They were pieced in one long strip, using yet more of that Empress Mills white cotton that has proved so useful in so many of my Christmas makes.

Out came the perle cotton. The red shows up stunningly well on the white. The bold quilting was needed to make the squares that had a white background stand out. But I decided that the red squares should be quilted with aqua. And in total abandon I backed it in the Christmas graffiti fabric that I seem to have an endless supply of. Why?

The machine quilting was heavy and straight line. I wasn't sure about it when I was halfway done, but am more than happy with it now.

All in all, this runner makes me smile. Yet another box ticked too.

Susan

Two More Ticks

I am feeling quite positive about the Christmas making these days. What seemed insurmountable at the beginning of last week is starting to look more doable by the day. I have four more items to make after the two shown here. None of which have to be posted. Yay!

First up is a sneak peek of an item I have been making for someone who reads this blog. And also to show you that I have managed to do my first concealed zip. Not sure if I did it the 'right' way, but I think it looks good and that bright blue zip - the only one I had long enough - doesn't clash with the pink this way. Honestly, if it was for me I would have slapped that bright blue zip on there and let it show because we all know I like my colour, but I wasn't sure the recipient would feel the same way.

Then I made another tote. It is for my MIL, who most definitely does not read this blog, as she doesn't have a computer. So safe to show.

She once told me her favourite colour was green, so I pulled the green strips of Bliss from the Moda scrap bag, added in a couple of red, and teamed it with Kona navy. Deciding that it looked a little too humdrum like that, I broke out the red thread to give it a boost. I like the contrast. I hope my MIL does too.

Susan

It Doesn't Matter How Busy You Are...

... a rainbow will always make you stop and smile.

Photo taken by Emily on my phone in the car today.
Notice the fields are still flooded round here.

Susan

Santa's Little Helper

Head down, machine purring rumbling along. Working away at that list. And making progress.

More crochet star bunting.

Number one tote.

Stof grey linen, pale grey lining.
Loulouthi flower. Deliberately wonky quilting.

Number two tote.

Kona Coal with grey lining.
Red scraps. Heavy quilting.

Number three tote.

Elephants with navy Stof linen.
Natural cotton lining.
Straight line quilting.

I am trying to tailor these to the likes of each individual they are intended for. Hope I am getting it right. I like the elephants the best, but this is about others not me.

If this was a marathon I would be around the halfway mark. But this is not a marathon. I don't do marathons. Short legs and big boobs make the very thought ridiculous. But I digress (as Rhonda would say). I have more totes to make, and several other items. So back to the machine this little elf goes.

Susan

Hand Stitching

When I posted an update about my sashiko style stitching the other day I received some really lovely comments. And I thank you for all of them. I was, however, left with this feeling that lots of people are afraid of hand stitching. Don't think they could get their stitches small enough. Or even enough. Or something or another enough.

Hogwash!

Before I get started though let me make something clear, I am not an expert in any way, shape, or form. This is just my opinion and how I do things. Many may do it differently. And their way is most likely as good as or better than mine.

Hand stitching is not about getting every stitch exactly the same length. Experience makes you more likely to have even stitches but it is not necessary. It is more the overall effect created by the stitches, and if anyone ever comes up close - quilt police style - to examine each and every stitch then poke them in the eye I am sure this is not someone you associate with normally and don't offer them a mince pie, cookie or cup of tea.

When hand stitching with perle cotton you are not going for teeny tiny stitches. That would be counter productive. You are going for impact, enhancement of the quilt design, etc. Big is better, really and truly.

The other thing you need to do is look at the back, because if you are trying to get the stitches on the back of your quilt to look exactly like the ones on the front then you are a way better person than me. Personally I am trying to do what quilting does, hold the quilt layers together, compliment the piecing and fabrics with the stitching, create something usable and pretty.

As you can see above, the stitches are there, the pattern is there but the stitch length is shorter and the gaps between wider. It is what happens when you weave a needle in and out between quilt layers. Trust me here, when I first tried this I spent anal hours trying to make the back and the front exact. What a waste of time!

Sometimes, horror of horrors, you might not properly catch the backing layer of fabric, or just get the needle through a little bit. The world will not end. Remember, two photos up, the back didn't look too bad? Now look even closer. Imperfections abound, if you are the quilt police and looking that closely.

My other piece of advice about hand stitching with perle is to do with seams. When I am stitching something like the Christmas stars I did a couple of weeks ago I never try to get close to the seam. I go with the same 1/4" rule we use in our seam allowance. There are two reasons I do this. In my mind it looks better set back from the seam. And two, you have less layers of fabric to stitch through if you have pressed the seams in that direction in that part of the quilt. You wouldn't think two more layers of cotton would make such a big difference, but it does.

I am not sure if this blog post helped anyone at all, but if it encourages just one person to buy some perle and try it out I shall be smiling.

Susan