A White Is A White Is A White?

All whites are not created equal. I discovered that this weekend. But let me make this clear that this is not a criticism of the white fabrics used in my Stitch Tease quilt top. It is to do with how different whites make hand stitching a completely different experience.

I am not sure if you can see the difference in the weave in the two white cottons above. The one on the right is similar to the quilting cottons. The one on the left is more like a high thread count sheet. I have some white like this in my stash and I have used it in projects successfully and happily.

What I discovered over the weekend is that it is very difficult to hand quilt with perle cotton with this fabric. The weave is so tight that it is a real struggle to pull the thread through, especially where there are several layers around the seams. It took me about three times as long to stitch the three stars in this white than it did the other stars.

I have learned, if I use some of this white in my future projects, that I do not plan on hand stitching with it. I already know that it machine stitches beautifully. I'll stick to that in the future for such fine weaves.

Meanwhile, Helen went through a bag of hand-me-down clothes and found a summer dress that had a small hole in it so she asked if she could make something with it. I said yes. Before I knew it she had used the lining to make a top for Emily, and the dress fabric to make a top for herself. I was very impressed as she just did it by trial and error - though very little error by the looks of things.

Finally, if you are looking for a new muffin recipe to try then I highly recommend this one I baked at the end of last week. These lemon raspberry muffins are super tasty, stay nice and moist for a number of days, have a yummy crumble top and replace half the butter with apple sauce so you can feel vaguely virtuous when you eat them. Oh, and they use frozen raspberries which are easier to have on hand and cheaper. Win/win!

The recipe can be found here.

Hope you all had good weekends.

Susan

Putting On My Big Girl Pants

I finished the last of my bee blocks for May yesterday. These ones were for Rhonda and I love how they look, but they did take a long time to make. I've had my fill of HSTs for a little while I think.

As a reward for finishing up the various bee blocks, most of them even on time for a change, I let myself start a 'just because' project today. Only I have been threatening saying I was going to start this particular project for well over a year now. It was time to put my fabric where my mouth is and get on with it.

So I pulled on my big girl pants, and pulled out all my Heather Ross fabrics.

And I started cutting. Eeeeek! This was so scary. Some of the fabrics I only have enough to do one cut and that's it. If I get it wrong I get it really wrong.

Each fabric I got at least one fussy cut. Some fabrics I got two or three, as seen above with the bicycles. Some fabrics I didn't take one of every individual drawing like the caravans, dogs, etc. But I can go back and get more. There is one fabric I took the bare minimum. The only Heather Ross fabric I truly detest.

Those sock monkeys give me the freaking creeps. Like something out of a 70s horror film. What was she thinking when she designed that one?! So I went for the little label on one of the monkeys and that is the only bit of this FQ I am using. (And in case you are wondering why I have this fabric if I hate it so much - it came as part of a bundle. I like the other ones.)

Eventually I managed to cut about 90 pieces.

I have not cut any of the HR 'background' fabrics yet - the dots and so forth. I will cut as I go when I see what I need when the piecing begins.

In this mix of fabrics I have quilting cottons, linens, double gauze, flannels and those elephants seen above are in some slippy fine fabric which I have no clue to what it is. Piecing should be interesting, and perhaps challenging at times.

It really was time to stop talking, and dreaming, and planning, and just start doing with this quilt though. The process of making is now under way.

Susan x

And the winner is...

Wow! I have never had a response like this to a giveaway before. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by and put their name in the hat. And thank you too, to those who liked what they saw and decided to stick around to see what I am up to next.

But, without further ado, there can only be one winner and this time it is...

The person in position 33 would be...

So there you have it. Donna, I have emailed you requesting your address.

As I am still in possession of the Sarcasm hoop and several other items that didn't go in the last giveaway I think that there should be another 'regular readers' giveaway in the not too distant future. Let's get the Bloggers Quilt Festival over first as that is always a busy time and then I shall look at rehoming that hoop again.

Susan

Bee Block Catch Up

Today was more bee block fun. I have one more set after this then I am all caught up, so please bear with me.

First up were improv blocks for Di, who asked for white with aqua and teal fabrics. Solids and tone on tone but no other colours to be introduced.

Then Jo sent high and low volume triangles to be pieced however we liked.

I just have Rhonda's blocks to do and then I think I will be starting some new projects. I cannot wait! (Not that I don't like bee blocks, I do, but ideas are churning in me right now.)

Susan

The Perfect Bee Blocks

Today I made the perfect blocks for a bee. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't my blocks that were perfect, it was Sarah choosing this block as her choice for her month. Because you wouldn't ever, ever want to make a whole quilt's worth of them on your own. Well, I wouldn't at least!

Sarah asked us all to make two spiderweb blocks. She provided excellent instructions on how to draw out the paper pieced pattern. She also gave us explicit instructions on what she would like in the blocks so we couldn't go wrong. Wise girl! Kona Ash in the middle, colourful, text prints, one piece of solid bordering the centre in one of the blocks (for her to stamp our names on later on), and selvedges. Oh, and skinny bits of fabric, not fat.

So I drew, and then pulled fabrics.

I sewed, all day, whenever I had the chance. I trimmed lots, and I got there in the end.

I think I have fulfilled all Sarah's requests. I particularly like the Japanese selvedge.

My points were better than expected.

I'll gloss over the part that these are April blocks, not for May.

Now would someone please tell me if there is an easy way to get freezer paper out from blocks like these. Foundation paper piecing is not my forte at all. Which might be why I put these off for so long. But they are done and I am happy. Hope Sarah is too.

Susan